Vocal Technique Resources: Training for Children Chipman, Betty Jeanne. Singing with Mind, Body, and Soul: A Practical Guide for Singers and Teachers of Singing. Tucson: WheatMmark, 2008. Print. "Connect." NAfME Music Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 July 2013. Cooksey, John Marion. Working with Adolescent Voices. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House, 1999. Print. Heirich, Jane Ruby., Jaye Schlesinger, and Joan Morris. Voice and the Alexander Technique: Active Exploration for Speaking and Singing. Berkeley, CA: Mornum Time, 2005. Print. McKinney, James C. The Diagnosis & Correction of Vocal Faults. Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1982. Print. Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique. New York: Schirmer, 1986. Print. Stultz, Marie. Innocent Sounds: Building Choral Tone and Artistry in Your Children's Choir. Fenton, MO: MorningStar Music, 2007. Print. Thurman, Leon., Welch, Graham. Bodymind and Voice: Foundations of Voice Education. Minneapolis: Voice Care Network, 1999, n.d. Print. "VoiceCare Network." VoiceCare Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 July 2013. (Graduate level St. John s course: Bodymind and Voice) Many thanks to: Dr. Jerry Doan. Professor of Vocal Performance/Pedagogy, ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, School of Music, Tempe AZ. (Graduate level ASU course: Vocal Anatomy and Physiology) Amy Perciballi. Mezzo-soprano, Voice Teacher and Advisor, Singer in The Phoenix Chorale, Phoenix AZ.
Vocal Warm-ups From: Jeffery Bauman Develop the individual voices in your care. See and hear what your students are doing; turn that into teachable concepts and choose warm-ups that address them. (labeling, reinforcing, or refining) Take the time to explain and label the vocal technique being worked on. Model efficient and inefficient examples. Teach good singing and explain singing standards. (special issue for male teachers) Proper vocal technique opens the choir up for greater literature and expression, and a more satisfying experience. Your goal: Send each student on to the next choral experience a better singer with more understanding of her/her own voice with its limits and its full potential.
Warm-ups = group voice lessons Teach them about singing. Each class, choose 1 concept to address during warm-ups. Warm-ups: Think: What do I see? What do I hear? What does it mean? What can I encourage? What can I help them refine? Body: energized readiness for singing, and alignment Release tension in body, shoulders, neck, head, tongue, jaw Efficient breathing Explain and safely extend range Teach, reinforce, and refine vocal technique based on what you see and hear. Sustained slow singing, rapid melody-pattern singing, interval singing, and loud and quiet singing across all registers Appropriate vowel and consonant shaping
Thumbnail of Voice Anatomy / Function Glottis Internal muscle groups of Larynx Closer in back and along side Opener in back Lengthener in front Shortener along sides Vocal cords Thicker / Thinner Breath In: diaphragm et al. Out: abs et al. External swallowing and yawning muscle groups Neck Under chin Raise and lower and/or stabilize larynx. Can support or interfere with internal larynx muscles during singing. Explain that there are 4 or 5 ways these can raise pitch for singing.
Vocal Registers For children call these Resonating areas or resonating zones. Outline from: VoiceCare Network Feel vibration in chest bones Leave hand on bones of chest. Here you do not feel vibration in chest maybe in head? Explain the pitch zones or areas. Let s experience this as the children do! This is only in theory; actually, all the muscles are active all the time.
The Child s Mind Children are excellent copy cats, like video cameras with legs. Because of this, they ALL have habits and preconceived ideas of singing from their models and their own immature thinking. What are they learning from you? What is your model? THEY ARE YOUR MIRROR! Suggestion: Check in with a voice teacher periodically; and/or have someone observe your work with students. Get your own feedback. They will copy exactly what you do! All children will misunderstand part of your words and modeling. Expect it. They will also attempt incorrectly the first time. It is the first critical part of learning. Humans must learn from mistakes. They will do something vocal unhealthy. Keep watching and listening and Checking for understanding. Say: Let s refine this. Muscles and the neural network have VERY strong memory. When making changes to memorized habit, stop and notice and explore it. Then explore, experience choices, and correct; good news here. Singing is: choices and subtle changes! Everyone can become a better singer! Last, practice new pattern to habituate. Each step of this process takes time!
Created by Dr. Jerry Doan ASU School of Music Remember those external Muscles? They are used because the child has not found these internal muscles, or these internal muscles are weak. Use Pitch, Vowel, and Dynamics to Strengthen the Voice Lengthener muscles Shortener muscles Closer muscles pitch Use higher pitches Lower pitches higher sounds require more adduction dynamics Use softer sounds Louder sounds louder sounds require more adduction vowels hoot and note hey, father, keen wet at Open vowels Require more adduction Examples to strengthen muscle groups: VERTICAL Lengtheners example: vocalize using OO vowels, softer sounds, start descending 5-note runs starting at D5 going down. Add pilot consonants M, N, and/or F. Shorteners example: vocalize mezzo-forte sounds with open vowels from C4 E4, sustained and slow patterns. Add pilot consonant V, Z, and/or SH(voiced). Breath understanding and closers example: Begin with medium-range, bright or open vowels and use pilot consonants V or Z. (NO GLOTTAL onsets!)
Created by Dr. Jerry Doan ASU School of Music Use Pitch, Vowel, and Dynamics to Coordinate the Voice Lengthener muscles Shortener muscles Closer muscles pitch Use higher pitches Lower pitches higher sounds require more adduction dynamics Use softer sounds Louder sounds louder sounds require more adduction vowels hoot and note hey, father, keen wet at Open vowels Require more adduction Examples to coordinate muscle groups: HORIZONTAL Dynamics example: stay on one pitch, use single vowel and change dynamics. Vowels example: start on one pitch, use all vowels, then descend. Maybe use pilot consonant h with lips closed in an m. Pitch example: Slow to rapid melody patterns. Start with small range moving to extended range. Start with steps and move to skips then leaps. Begin VERY slowly. WHY? NOTE: Most warm-ups combine all three and so are considered coordination exercises. Singing a song is one large coordinating experience! Sing songs and note what singers need.
BODY ALIGNMENT SUPPORTS SINGING: Notice: vertical line through centers 1. Think: floating, buoyant head (Describe Feel a lightness, easy alertness each Ease in shoulders and neck one.) 1 2 3 4 5 2. Arms straight above head with Bobble head feel; slowly release arms back down to sides. Notice: ribcage lifted and floating. Another: show off gold-star stickers on chest. Be subtle about it! 3. Think: ease - toy. Lie on floor on your back and sing. Notice ease. 4. Down & forward Think: lift and float. Do not hold the body posture, it needs to be flexible and agile. 5. Turtle! Think: lift and forward. Pretend to open shutters and smell fresh air. Be subtle about it! Students/teacher experiment with postures and extremes. Must find best way for one s self!
Neck and head alignment supports singing 1. Back of neck long, front is short. Think: head as balloon; neck as string. 2 This makes head too heavy. Find lifted place with ears over shoulders. Think: up, back. Why important? 1 2 3 4 5 3. Think: release. Add movement to release like floppy arms while spinning side to side. Experiment with opposites. 4. Imagine being ball in scarf. Floating, tiptoeing over ground. 5. Think: up, forward. Walk and sing with hands over head in swan-like position. Bring hands down and still feel tall and relaxed body. Teacher/students experience extremes with movement while singing. Use expressive words to find balances.
Release tension Shoulders lay on floor, feel shoulders blades flat on floor. Stand and close eyes to find feeling again. Shoulders are back and comfortably down. Neck sing and experiment with too forward / too back. Find balanced place and sing. Why important? Head sing and experiment with too high / too low. Find balanced place and sing. Why important? Tongue touching base of bottom teeth. Think: wide and flat. Pretend: fogging window on cold day. Jaw this is swinging hinge, down and comfortably back. Think: marshmallows between back molars. Think: duh. Teachers: Show with hands. Experience: Kah Kah exercise with loose-swinging puppet-like jaw.
Extending child s full range safely Make sure children mentally understand different areas of singing range and have experienced them, exploring sympathetic vibrations and kinesthetic feelings. The chest voice is most developed first for most. Why? (Range: bottom is A3 through D4 developmental to the passage zone around E4 or F4.) Start to build strength and coordination in head voice at C5 or D5 and go down. Why? (gross motor coordination) Then build coordination in middle of range. Ah is complex vowel requiring more closure. E or U are simpler vowels, thinning down vocal cords. (This uses VERY fine motor coordination; you are helping them build new neural network for this difficult skill.) Use EE or OO vowels going up; open to AH coming down. Why? Last, go slowly into highest register when ready. (Above D5) Use NG with released, dropped jaw; lip buzzes or rolled R s on patterns or sirens. Even speak phrases in higher range. Work for freedom of neck, jaw, tongue. (All this allows for easy phonation with thin vocal cords and little tension of external muscles of larynx.) Be cautious here! Why?
Efficient Breath: Air for Singing (NOTE: Students forget to breath! They don t know singing uses more air flow than talking.) EXPERIENCE: 1. Get down on your hands and knees. Take large breaths Or modified monkey on chair. in and out. Notice: movement. 2. Breath in: bellybutton releases and falls toward the floor. (Diaphragm et al. engaged.) 3. Breath out: bellybutton moves back toward spine with the outgoing air. (Abs et al. engaged.) 4. Stand with partner, hand over hand on upper tummy. Breathe in hands go out. Breathe out hands go in. 5. Show bellows and how works. Use your own hands. 6. Shoulder movement: work with partner and hands.
Efficient Breath: Spaces for Singing EXPERIENCE: Students never do this when speaking! This is NEW! 1. Silent breath before singing: release jaw first. Think: marshmallows between back molars. Think: fogging window on cold day use Ah, U or OH vowel. 2. With open mouth and throat, allow bellybutton to come out; air will automatically come in silently. 3. Then make ghost sound allowing throat and mouth to remain while drawing bellybutton toward back. 4. Breathe in wanted vowel before singing it. No need to change shape of throat or mouth when phonating! No need to do anything!
Breathy sound Possible cause 1 : student lets too much air out at once while vocal cords are not closing. Suggest: slow air down; don t let it all out at once. Image: leaky tire use F, SH, or S with very quiet sounds. Remember, this is a developmental skill! All children will be at a different skill levels with this! Also, they may tense throat, tongue and/or jaw. Remind them to let go there as much as they can. Note: as teacher you are asking them to engage their abs, their support.
Breathy sound Possible cause 2 & 3: not enough air at onset to draw cords together. (Remember, they forget to breathe and use their air.) Or, closer muscles are not strong enough for air being used. Suggest: 1. Hum with teeth together. Feel buzz in front of face. 2. Then keep lips together, but open teeth. Try and keep that buzz in roof of mouth by nose. 3. Then release jaw into mee then mah sounds. Imagine buzz still in front of face. Note: This is easier with medium-loud singing; quieter singing is finer muscle control for closer muscles. Give it time! Students are different developmentally.
Breathy sound Possible cause 4: Students not emotionally, mentally engaged in class or music, or they are very timid. Suggest: make lessons fun. Imitate an opera singer. Sing Zooms with lots of bee-stinging ZZZZ s. Sing Vee s showing your rabbit teeth. Be playful. Suggest: engage students abs: sing while in plank, standing balanced on one foot, or jogging with toes nailed to floor - light calisthenics. Have them speak musical phrase and elongate words. Have them do The Bicycle while moving arms and legs, balanced on the floor while singing speaking in desired range.
A pushed or forced vocal sound Possible cause: student s mental understanding of singing, modeling issue, and/or emotional issue. (Student is using lots of external muscles of the throat and too much breath energy to sing. See chin rising, falling or neck strain sure sign of externals.) Suggest: experience new easy way of making sound. Efficient singing feels easy in throat. Your voice can do many things, many ways. Let s explore! 1. Use easy low Whoo sound while bent forward. 2. Slide up with voice and release jaw as body straightens. 3. Go back down to low range as bend forward again. Suggest: Sing in own bubble. Sing as if you are younger. Suggest: Re-explain resonance areas of voice, and let students experience again. Explain: power and intensity in voice come slowly over many years. No body is alike. I.e. same height, but not same size clothes. Voice is what it is. No copying others! You are you!
A pushed or forced vocal sound Suggest: Explain vocal cords must get thinner as pitch rises. Use rubber band. Suggest: Exercise on OO or EE vowels. Suggest: Practice singing to a young child. Show vocal models.
Nasal sounds Possible cause: soft palate is down. Suggest: Inner smile. Smile at yourself, but don t let others see. Pretend something is funny, but don t let teacher see. Suggest: Exercises: use pilot consonant K with OO. Use combination Ng gah exercises. Exercise with Yah, Yah. Why? Imagine lifting back molars as sing. Show vocal models.
Loud chest voice singing rising to sudden quiet head voice singing. Possible Causes: week lengthener muscles and/or static larynx adjustment in chest voice. Suggest: see above process for strengthening headvoice range and coordinating middle-voice range. Remind them that each note is really a different combination of muscle actions. Suggest: toy manipulative. Show vocal models.
Un-projected singing Possible causes: this could be a developmental issue of strength and coordination of muscles. It could be a use of breath issue. It could be misunderstanding of how to sing out. Suggest: faster air. Practice strength and coordination of singing muscles exercises. Suggest: Send your voice to this place in the room. Sing on your air. Sing to each of the four walls, some closer, some farther away. Use toy microphone. Suggest: Keep air flowing; roll hands while singing. Show vocal models. Encourage singing at home for those who do not sing enough during the week.
Inability to sing in chest voice Possible causes: preconceived ideas of singing; emotional issues: inhibited, wanting to appear nonpushy, introvert, fear of embarrassment; experiential issues not used chest voice even for speaking. Vocal model again. Suggest: Start with fry tone and add more air. Practice slow sustained warm-ups from middle C to E4. Use father, hey, or at vowels. Remind student that sound is not as loud or bright as it sounds inside head. Remind them that this range is part of their voice. Image: not using this range in singing is like having two legs but only using one to move. (Dr. Doan)
False vibrato Possible causes: trying to make voice bigger, brighter, older, or more powerful that it is. Often student is copying vocal models. 4 ways to make vibrato: tongue tension, jaw tension, epigastrium area tension, or true vibrato with the intrinsic muscles working creating an acoustical phenomena. Suggest: Student feel tongue, jaw, epigastrium area and see self in mirror. Notice where tension is happening. Teacher re-teaches healthy breath-supported singing technique. If needed student say, let go to the tension. Show vocal models. Q: Teachers, what is your habit? (Personal experience here.)
Lack of legato singing Possible cause: singer is disengaging from breath, or singer has no concept of the phrase. Suggest: sing full phrase, floating on one breath, with lip buzz or rolled R s. If the sound stops, the singer has disengaged. Suggest: sing with continuous hand movements in front of face to remind singer to keep breath flowing. Suggest: Speak phrases with energized speaking in same range. Suggest: Draw phrases with markers on paper as sing with marker/finger/arm moving. Show vocal models.
Chest voice range sung with little support Possible cause: habit of speaking. Most children and adults do not consistently speak with support, so when a melody descends into the speaking-voice range, we revert to our poor speech habits. Suggest: speak same words, elongated and energized, while doing the bicycle, plank, one foot lifted, simple jogging, or other light calisthenics. Suggest: Sing with continuous sound on Yee. Caution: Do not let students sing in this range too loudly or shout it here. Just sing it well supported.
A too-tight or out-of-tune sound above B4. Possible causes: not enough space created for vowel and/or external muscles creating tension and interfering with internal muscles a vocal range issue. Suggest: use understanding of first formants to modify vowels toward a more neutral vowel. Suggest: speak words in higher range with no external muscle tension.
Flat singing There are many possible causes. The most prevalent are vowel shape, inadequate breath support, and singing too long in a high tessitura. Suggest: lighter singing; engage breath energy appropriate for pitch; and use inner smile. Suggest: loosen jaw a small degree; modify vowels; and re-arrange melody to give break from tessitura. NOTE: If other appropriate singing technique is taught and used, flat singing will be a non-issue.
Sharp singing Possible causes: too much air flow for pitch. And in passage zones, non-effective muscle management. Suggest: Sing in your own bubble. Suggest: Sing quieter on notes in passage zone and rework the synergy of muscle engagement by slowing down phrases. (Usually the shortener muscles are an issue here. See extending-vocal-range slide.)
Out-of-tune singing Possible causes: Student is inattentive to inner hearing of own voice. Student is inexperienced and has not built a strong neural network to match pitches yet. Suggest: Student close ears and listen to own voice and desired pitch. Student practice matching pitches to build neural network for this skill. A little every day. Student explore the different registers of the voice. (This is also an issue here, a piece of the puzzle.) This all will take TIME! Be patient! Note: I could spend another hour explaining how to help students achieve this skill.
Overall vowels: too bright Possible causes: too much emphases on mouth space, vocal models, exaggerated mouth opening. Suggest: re-balance spaces of mouth/throat. Imagine candy on back of tongue; don t let it touch roof of mouth, release jaw, inner smile. Beginning of yawn (Pretend you are in class and do not want teacher to see; keep your lips closed.) OH to EE sing. Feel more space in back of mouth with tongue still touching your front bottom teeth. Show picture. Exercise: GO with strong G.
Overall vowels: too dark. Possible causes: too much emphases on oropharynx, or tongue pulled back in mouth. Suggest: use brighter vowels and imagine feeling them on front of face. Suggest: Sing out your eye teeth. Thee ah with sustained voiced TH. Show rabbit teeth. Zee ah with sustained ZZ. Vee ah while showing rabbit teeth. Last: loosen rabbit teeth to more subtle muscle engagement with lips held out from teeth.
Thinking too hard Possible causes: too much information getting in the way of natural singing, or anxiety and other emotional issues. Also just trying too hard! Suggest: since the conscious brain can only think of one thing at a time, focus students attention on the expressive qualities of the music and text and/or on the audience. This will actually help the vocal technique! Suggest: movement like marching the beat as singing, or showing phrases with arms etc. Be creative with your ideas. Note: The conscious mind only gives the intention and direction to the body, the subconscious mind does all the work without thinking about it. Many times, thinking gets in the way. Remember only teach 1 idea at a time.
Differentiation You cannot teach all this alone. Students bear responsibility through their study with you. Teach, label, model, and guide them in greater self awareness so they can make their own corrections. (Singing simply is: choices and making subtle thinking/physical changes. Students CAN learn how this applies to their own voices.) Process: Teach, label, and model. Students notice feel and hear and recognize what is happening. They then experiment with changes and feel and hear again.
Work with extremes, opposites, and possibilities. After teacher gives information and students experience, then give visual and aural feedback. Each child then discovers the most efficient way for him/herself. Students should then talk about their kinesthetic experience, thinking, hearing, and seeing. This cements it into their body and mind. I.e. pair share with another student. Students can also monitor each other s work as well as their own. When working with a partner; one observes the other and gives feedback. Note: They will all be different! Don t assume students will physically feel what you feel and hear what you do. No bodymind is the same!
You can also have small groups or sections singing a warm-up or a part of song. Why? Students sounds and habits will often be hidden in the group s sound. You and the children need to hear themselves sing alone and/or in small groups to discover and experience change. Others can watch, listen, and share their observations. All are learning!
NOTE: All students are in different places musically, vocally, mentally, emotionally, developmentally. They will all progress at different rates and reach your vocal standards at different times. They may not even achieve what you hope for them until after they have left you and gone on to the next teacher, but you have laid a good foundation that they will recognize in the future. You gave vocal training, explained and modeled the standards, and helped them with self awareness and discovery. You will have made a difference! Trust the process! Note: How long does it take me to know my children and their skills? For a once-a-week class, at least 6 months. Give them time. Give yourself time!
Healthy singing for a lifetime The voice is a delicate instrument and must be protected and supervised carefully. How? Choose music appropriate for children. Musically and vocally, where are they really? Don t pressure them to achieve goals beyond their years or give them music beyond their range/strength. They don t know the damage they could be doing. YOU must take care of their voices. First: DO NO HARM! Do not go to extremes of volume or pitch in voice. This causes tension! Note: If their music is appropriate, you will not run into these pit falls! Save the extremes for Explain Human more advanced vocal athletes! Intension Here Don t let them sing too high for too long, too low for too long or too loud for too long. All this causes fatigue and strain on voice. Again, if appropriate music is chosen or re-arranged by you, this will be a non-issue. If one has clear objective, body instinctively responds to meet the objective. Good news, bad news about this. I.e.. Damping.
Healthy voices for a lifetime. Limit singing in extended rehearsals. Break up the work somehow. Vocal muscles must have rest! (Example: piano or violin students may practice for 60 minutes. Voices should not.) Consider limiting number of choirs children participate in. Again, excessive singing causes harm to the young voice. Do not sing if sick. Singing will cause the body to compensate somehow and distress the larynx further. Train children to recognize symptoms of voice fatigue or harm. Hoarse speaking or singing means swollen tissues in the larynx. The voice must be rested. Drink fluids, be quiet, and re-examine the behavior patterns that lead to voice distress. With care, humans can sing well into their 80 s. DO NO HARM! Here is issue of human intension again!