TIPS ON HOW TO TEACH CHILDREN TO SING.

1. Begin each lesson with some simple stretches and posture exercises.
Not only is this important to teach the child to sing with good posture, but it actually teaches them how to properly participate in a voice lesson by giving them simple, achievable tasks to succeed. Children are very kinesthetic and love to do physical activities.

2. Work on simple breathing technique.
when breathing in, the stomach should bulge. When breathing out, the stomach should tighten. The shoulders and chest should never raise or drop. You can work on this standing, or lying with a book on their stomach. Then practice hissing, buzzing, humming and eventually singing "Ah" by preparing with a good deep breath and steadily supporting with the stomach. Focus on getting good, even sounds while exhaling that do not sputter or die off.

3. Introduce the registers.
Practice long glissando "sirens," lifting up into the upper register (sometimes called falsetto or head voice) for high notes, rather than "belting" or straining in the speaking voice. Their high voice will probably be weak at first but insist on its use and it will grow stronger over time. Children should learn to recognize the sensation of vibration in their mouth and chest for low notes and in their head for high notes.

4. Begin ear-training.
Teach them to match pitch and then to sing steps going higher and lower. Begin by having them sing "ah" and match their pitch with the piano. Then explore a couple steps up and down. Since many children do not immediately understand the concept of raising and lowering pitch, it can be demonstrated by the raising and lowering of your hand. Be patient if they don't get it right away, they usually do soon.

5. Teach scales.
Begin to practice 3 and 5 note major scales, using the solfege syllables Do Re Mi Fa Sol. Transpose the starting note up and down by half-steps as far as they can hold the pitch. Once they make good progress, try the whole scale (Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do).

Other tips will continue in the coming post.