early childhood education
Developing and Protecting a Young Child’s Singing Voice
Alena V. Holmes, WMEA State Chair, Early Childhood Education
A few weeks ago my collegiate student asked me for sug- gestions regarding vocal pedagogy for young children. She was confused trying to find the solution to satisfy the request from the parents of
her student. The father of her nine-year- old student asked her to teach contempo- rary vocal techniques with the hope that his daughter will perform on the stage using the “big girl” voice. In my personal practice I had many experiences when “living a parent’s dream” was taking prior- ity over what is best for the child’s vocal health. I strongly believe that music educa- tors need to develop public awareness on what is of healthy singing for a child and what constitutes damaging techniques in training children’s voices.
One of the most rewarding and challeng- ing jobs of elementary and choral music teachers is to help their students learn to sing. Music teachers have long agreed that almost all children can and should learn to sing; however, they do not agree how children should learn (Phillips, 1987). According to some opinions, training of the child voice should be delayed until the vocal folds have completely adjusted to puberty-related physical changes. Thus, many general music teachers adopted the “song approach” as a safest way to teach children to sing. According to renowned vocal music educator Kenneth Philips (2013), in the song approach, primary emphasis is on expression, with second- ary emphasis on technique. The students learn to sing by singing the songs, not specific exercises. Other opinions include a position that students should be taught good singing habits that will carry over from song to song. Well-known music educator James Mursell (1956) believes
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the most common reasons for a child to abandon singing are the student’s lack of vocal development and peer pressure as the child begins to compare his/her voice to others. Some educators believe that giving children singing lessons at a young age can prevent vocal damage by teaching them how to safely and effectively use their voices. If technique is taught at the right level for the individual, it will make singing easier and more enjoyable for him/ her. The more common problem for sing- ers is entrenched bad habits, which can remain throughout life. These bad habits can arise from either poor instruction, or just from a lack of guidance. For example, it’s very unlikely that a singer will acquire good breathing technique without some help from a teacher. If the child is taught skills from a young age, they will be able to enjoy singing to the best of their ability (Williams, 2016).
Voice training for children in the U.S. dates far back to the 19th
century during
the “singing school “ movement. Lowell Mason, the ”father” of public school music education, included fundamental voice- training exercises for children in his early teaching manuals. Francis Howard, one of the most influential authorities on the child voice in the 19th
century, in his book The
Child Voice in Singing (1895) wrote that every music teacher needed a physiologi- cal understanding of child vocal produc- tion and that, if good singing habits were taught, student singing would improve. Another prominent musician, Father Wil- liam J. Finn (1944), advocated that each rehearsal and class should begin with voice-building exercises. In 1948, Wil- liam Ross wrote the book Sing High, Sing Low, which presents a systematic plan for training of the child voice in public school curriculum. Connie Fortunato (1981) advocated for perception of singing as a physical skill that needs to be developed in a well-organized sequence of activities.
“Some educators believe that giving children singing lessons at a young age can prevent vocal damage by teaching them how to safely and effectively use their voices.”
Kenneth H. Phillips, the professor emeri- tus at the University of Iowa and author of multiple manuscripts on conducting and singing, developed a developmental program of well-balanced exercises and skills to teach student confident, accurate and expressive singing (1996, 2013). Philips believes that singing is a “learned” skill grounded in physiological research. Rutkovsky and Runfola (2010) in the book The Child Voice provide great tips and ideas to help children learn to sing and offer criteria for selecting songs, strategies to bring out the best in children’s voices as well as suggestions for games and re- sources. With that in mind, I would like to provide a brief outline of current research findings in voice science that might help music teachers to work effectively with young voices.
Nature of the Child Singing Voice
• The child has a higher larynx (the voice box); it is located nearer to the back of the jaw rather than midway down the neck in an adult. The tube between the larynx and the lips (vocal tract) is shorter.
January 2017
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