"Why Should I Teach Kids to Sing". Summary

Here is my summary of "Why Should I Teach Kids to Sing". Sorry it is kind of late. video up comming

"Why Should I Teach Kids to Sing" by Marcia McCarry talks about the basics to early childhood pedagogy and who, when, how, what and why to teach at this early age. McCarry says the "who" is any child who shows a love for singing, and interest in taking lessons.  These are usually children who are singing constantly throughout the day as a natural behavior.  When to start depends on the level of interest; kindermusik classes can begin as early as two or three years old and generally go through kindergarten or first grade.  After that individual lessons can begin if the student still shows interest.  As for "how" McCarry reminds potential teachers that most children use their lower voices to begin with and suggests sirens and descending slides to work on head voice for both boys and girls.  She gives several suggestions for early repertoire books such as Kids Stage and Screen by Louise Lerch, and says that children can even be a part of choosing their own music. Teachers can focus on "what" to teach children such as respiration, phonation, resonant singing, diction, and expression, just like older students.  McCarry suggests that music reading can be learned at home through a computer program so as not to take time away from singing during the lesson time. She emphasizes that praise is a key component to teaching young children and their hard work should be encouraged both in studio and at home. The "why" seems to be because there are children out there who want to learn and because “singing is a learned behavior; it is not some type of gift bestowed upon a talented few”, according to Kenneth Philips author of Teaching Kids to Sing. It is important for teachers to be available to young students because both the student and teacher grow from the process and what a joy to the teachers to aid students in doing what they want to do most.