Encourage vocal exploration. Enjoy speaking and singing high, low and in-between. Have fun making light siren sounds and animal sounds. Sing every day! Make up words or nonsense syllables when you don't know the real words! Don't be shy about singing, and your children will not be. Your goal is to help your children feel comfortable singing in any situation. When they become adults, you'd like them to be able to sing lullabies to your grandchildren, sing the National Anthem at a sporting event, or sing in a church or community choir. Singing is also a beneficial skill to help with future instrumental study. Discourage vocal abuse. Shouting, talking loudly and excessive amounts of talking can damage the vocal chords. Encourage drinking extra water when circumstances result in a sore throat. Our voice is the most personal thing about us. When children learn to take good care of their voice, they feel more confident about how they sound. Good voice habits affect people in all occupations. When your child is small, hold them on your lap when you read books and sing lullabies. Bounce to the beat of rhyming books. Cuddle them so they get the full impact of the emotion of the song or book. Choose outdoor performances for the very young, so they can move as they'd like during the music. Children are naturally active, so when opportunity permits, allow them to do what comes naturally! You will be providing them with the ability to dance at their wedding and feel the pure joy of it, rather than feeling embarrassment at not being able to keep a beat with everyone watching. Start a listening library. Expose your children to appropriate vocal models and rich texture in music. Boys and girls possess a naturally light soprano voice. Folk music of your native culture is the perfect first choice for young ones. The language and melody of folk music are perfectly married together, providing a superior vehicle for an aesthetic exprience. Because of this, folk music makes a superb foundation for language literacy and music literacy learning. All music should be chosen carefully: much of today's music is glorified "ear candy". It may be catchy and cute but doesn't always stand the litmus test of quality. A good rule of thumb: the text must be something the child relates to, and open up the child's mind to wonder, true joy, and beauty. I have created a partial list of recommended recordings. A couple of good online sources for quality recordings: West Music and Amazon.com Characteristics of great music for infants and young children: Appropriate vocal modelling; Children's voices are flute-like sopranos, devoid of excessive vibrato. Adult vocal models should sing with simple beauty. Songs with solo voice are unaccompanied or have only light instrumental accompaniment, such as guitar. A majority of songs should be in the native language of your home culture. Instrumentals use authentic instruments, not sampled electronic sounds. Song texts are age-appropriate and child-centered, creating interest, joy and a sense of wonder for the child. Art music by skilled composers. Continue to develop a library with many styles including classical, jazz and folk music of other cultures. Rhythmically Moving High Scope Press Purchase individually or in a 9-CD set Revels Records CD 8586 RCA Victor 09026-61489-2 RCA Victor 09026-61369-2 Music for Little People 9 42553-2 GIA CD-439 GIA CD-493 RCA 62563 Naxos 550335 West Music #850228 Jillybean JB CD 5301 Jillybean JB CD 5302 Jillybean JB CD 5303 Jillybean JB CD 5304 West Music #850711 West Music #850713 Laserlight 17 021 |
Your Child's Music Education How Parents Can Help at Home Ann Leffard, Kodály-Inspired Music Educator |
Encourage vocal exploration. Enjoy speaking and singing high, low and in-between. Have fun making light siren sounds and animal sounds. Sing every day! Make up words or nonsense syllables when you don't know the real words! Don't be shy about singing, and your children will not be. Your goal is to help your children feel comfortable singing in any situation. When they become adults, you'd like them to be able to sing lullabies to your grandchildren, sing the National Anthem at a sporting event, or sing in a church or community choir. Singing is also a beneficial skill to help with future instrumental study. Discourage vocal abuse. Shouting, talking loudly and excessive amounts of talking can damage the vocal chords. Encourage drinking extra water when circumstances result in a sore throat. Our voice is the most personal thing about us. When children learn to take good care of their voice, they feel more confident about how they sound. Good voice habits affect people in all occupations. When your child is small, hold them on your lap when you read books and sing lullabies. Bounce to the beat of rhyming books. Cuddle them so they get the full impact of the emotion of the song or book. Choose outdoor performances for the very young, so they can move as they'd like during the music. Children are naturally active, so when opportunity permits, allow them to do what comes naturally! You will be providing them with the ability to dance at their wedding and feel the pure joy of it, rather than feeling embarrassment at not being able to keep a beat with everyone watching. Start a listening library. Expose your children to appropriate vocal models and rich texture in music. Boys and girls possess a naturally light soprano voice. Folk music of your native culture is the perfect first choice for young ones. The language and melody of folk music are perfectly married together, providing a superior vehicle for an aesthetic exprience. Because of this, folk music makes a superb foundation for language literacy and music literacy learning. All music should be chosen carefully: much of today's music is glorified "ear candy". It may be catchy and cute but doesn't always stand the litmus test of quality. A good rule of thumb: the text must be something the child relates to, and open up the child's mind to wonder, true joy, and beauty. I have created a partial list of recommended recordings. A couple of good online sources for quality recordings: West Music and Amazon.com Characteristics of great music for infants and young children: Appropriate vocal modelling; Children's voices are flute-like sopranos, devoid of excessive vibrato. Adult vocal models should sing with simple beauty. Songs with solo voice are unaccompanied or have only light instrumental accompaniment, such as guitar. A majority of songs should be in the native language of your home culture. Instrumentals use authentic instruments, not sampled electronic sounds. Song texts are age-appropriate and child-centered, creating interest, joy and a sense of wonder for the child. Art music by skilled composers. Continue to develop a library with many styles including classical, jazz and folk music of other cultures. Rhythmically Moving High Scope Press Purchase individually or in a 9-CD set Revels Records CD 8586 RCA Victor 09026-61489-2 RCA Victor 09026-61369-2 Music for Little People 9 42553-2 GIA CD-439 GIA CD-493 RCA 62563 Naxos 550335 West Music #850228 Jillybean JB CD 5301 Jillybean JB CD 5302 Jillybean JB CD 5303 Jillybean JB CD 5304 West Music #850711 West Music #850713 Laserlight 17 021 |
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