Helping Children Learn To Sing
"I wish I learned all this when I was a child
," groan a number of adults as they take singing lessons. You might consider helping your child learn to sing early on to spare them these hassles. So what can you do to help your child learn to sing?You could, of course, sign up your child for a course of singing lessons, especially if these singing lessons can be done for free. However, a lot of vocal mastery programmes designed for adults might be a bit dull and tedious for children, who might lack the motivation to go through a series of computer-based video lessons. What's more, lessons designed for adults might see your child learning singing techniques with lessons based on songs that really aren't appropriate for children to be singing. Do you really want your five-year-old to go about belting out songs about true love, passion and broken hearts?
Children seem to be born with an innate love of music. In fact, children have been shown to respond to music even before they are born. A lot of expectant mothers who like music have had the experience of feeling their unborn child kick in time with a rhythm. And you hear story after story of people with musical mothers who have responded to songs or musical works that the mother played or sung a lot of during pregnancy. And this is a good place to start with helping your child learn to sing. This isn't to say that you have to buy one of those weird devices that were once on the market that consisted of a tube wrapped around a pregnant belly with a way of playing music (usually classical) through it so your child can hear it in utero. Just play music at a reasonably loud volume and do plenty of singing while you're pregnant. Obviously, guys can't do this.
After your child has arrived, you can surround him or her with music. You can set up a sound system in their bedroom and play music to him or her to soothe or amuse. Better still, you can sing to your child. This is a great way to practise what you've learned through your own experience with singing lessons, especially as your child will love whatever you sing to them and think you sound wonderful, even if you haven't quite perfected a technique yet.
As your child gets older, encourage him or her to sing with you. If you make a practice of singing regularly and practicing, your child will probably join in. If you habitually sing along with the radio or with your music collection, so will your child.
What sort of music should you start your child off with if you want him or her to learn to sing? In all honesty, it doesn't really matter. Children love most styles of music and will enjoy singing along with nearly anything. However, operatic numbers in a language you don't understand, thrash metal and anything with sexy lyrics are best avoided, especially the latter. If you think it's cute to have your child belting out some saucy number, you will regret it when your child does it perfectly in front of your in-laws or in church. Although it's traditional to sing nursery rhymes to children and these are part of our musical heritage, you don't have to stick to these. Anything with a good tune and appropriate words will do. Sing Beatles numbers, folk songs, gospel songs, country and western songs - you and your kids will have fun with it. You can also look out for albums by artists who specialise in children's songs, as kids find these easy to pick up.
Later on, you might want to make use of children's innate love of music to help them learn other things. A number of artists have created educational songs that help children learn things that have to be learned by rote. Just think of the classic alphabet song - the one to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". How many times have you sung this one under your breath when putting things in alphabetical order. Other learning songs cover times tables, the states of the USA and mathematics rules. Just think how popular and successful Sesame Street was - that's the sort of thing you should look out for.
You might also want to take your child along to one of the many programmes out there, usually run by volunteer or charitable organisations, that encourage children to sing and dance. This might also be a chance for you to put what you've learned through a course of singing lessons to good use, as these outfits are often on the lookout for new talent. These programmes are usually aimed at preschool children and if you're just starting out singing in public, they can be great places to build your confidence.
Don't forget to build singing and music into your daily routines. You might want to have a special song that you sing with your child before bedtime. Or have a song you sing first thing in the morning (e.g. "Are You Sleeping, Brother John?"). You could have family sing-along sessions - an old-fashioned form of entertainment that needs to be revived. If your family is religious in any way, this also provides another way to build singing and music into your daily lives - you can sing grace before meals, for example, and church services (for Christians) usually involve singing, which you and your child can join in with enthusiastically.
Remember to let children join in if you have a karaoke party. Not only does this make the entertainment an activity for the whole family, it also helps your children build confidence about singing and performing in public. Even if they don't go further with singing in public later in life, the confidence they have learnt by singing will help them in other situations.
If you child loves singing and has learned to do it well, there is always the opportunity for him or her to earn a bit of extra pocket money by busking at your local mall!
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