How to teach a child to sing rather than shout-speak?

[JoeGargery]

Hello

my DC loves singing and the singing teacher says they are doing well but mostly it sounds like speaking in tune rather than actually singing IYSWIM. There is no real use of breath. They are approaching exams and did prep test happily but it feels to me as there is something missing. The teacher (who is very successful and has a long WL) says it’s a phase (they are in Y3) and they will learn more in time but my older DC didn’t have this.

Does this make any sense? Can anyone suggest any ways to help? I don’t want DC to lose confidence or joy of singing.

Year 3 is still very young. Speech quality singing is actually quite good for children. They will develop other vocal qualities as they mature.

However a lot at this age is also what they hear. My son had a beatuful, light singing voice. He was Thomas the tank engine obsessed and used to listen to the old Cd's of the songs which featured children's voices.

My daughter on the other hand listened to a lot of Disney and Hi-5 and began to start emulating the adult voices on these songs. Her vocal tone reflected this.

Sounds like he's using chest voice rather than head voice. How seriously does he want to take singing? If he wants to carry on and develop, I'd say it's really useful for him to be able to access his head voice. Eventually if only chest voice is used, they can actually lose the ability to access their head voice and the repertoire will be more limited. Not such a problem if he's more into the musical theatre type pieces though. Both my boys sing - 10 year old DS is on Grade 5 and 9 year old is a cathedral chorister. Both have been taught vocal technique from around Y2, as well as being taught to sing / interpret pieces well. It's quite important I think. Y3 is a good time to start with the technique.

Oh sorry just realised you said 'they'. I read it as a boy. My post still stands though!

Did your other child go to the same teacher?

Thanks all, yes other child went to the same teacher.

@Legoninjago1 can you explain what you mean about head vs chest? Thanks

Straw phonation might really help with this. You need a water bottle about a third full and a straw. Blow out through the straw (so bubbling - bad table manners but good for the voice) while humming scales or songs. It will help get the voice working without the speaking voice and can unlock the head voice - singer talk for the higher end of your range, what it feels like when you need to raise your eyebrows to get those higher notes.

Do make sure it’s just water and not squash or anything. That’s a little but next level singing nerd perhaps, but sticky stuff isn’t great for the vocal cords.

The terms head & chest voice refer to where you feel the vibrations.

chest voice is where your vocal folds are thick & head voice they are thin.

I agree with @Comefromaway re speech level singing being a very healthy way to sing.

If the teacher has a good reputation / has had good results from other students (including your older DC) I'd trust their judgement in it being a process.

Personally, I wouldn't be doing the straw phonation stuff with young children unless they had vocal problems.

It’s the comment about use of breath that led me to straw work - obviously tough to know from a post and your teacher will know best. If the teacher is happy, then best to ask if they recommend any specific exercises for when your DC practises at home. Many things do change as they get older and the voice naturally matures, and there are definitely times when it can feel more grating to listen to at home.

I will clarify I do not suggest buying anything specially branded for singing at this age - just a bog standard drinking straw. There are many singers (both young and old) who use straw work not because they have vocal health issues but to feel things like breath control, so that’s why it came to mind. There are more game-like ways to build breath control too, including things as simple as blowing bubbles in the garden. If they are game, you can add in variation like how slowly can you blow the bubble? How quickly? How many in a row? Can you run/skip/star jump/whatever to get your heart rate up then immediately blow a good bubble or even can you do both at the same time? Just good silly fun that is engaging lung capacity and encouraging deeper breathing. If DC is a swimmer, encourage games that including breathing out under water rather than just holding the breath. Reading aloud with emphasis on breathing when there’s punctuation if you have a storyteller. See if there is anything in your DC’s regular routine that you could encourage or add a twist. Fun like that and plenty of singing along to a variety of music in the home will never be a bad thing.

Straw work (or Semi Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises) are great but I don't necessarily think they will add anything here.

What exactly do you mean by "no use of breath" OP? Do you mean the tone is not breathy or that they are running out of breath. The first is actually not a good thing (breathiness can mean the vocal folds are not coming together properly. A good, clear speech quality singing means there is good closure.

@CatatonicLadybug and @Comefromaway could the straw method be damaging for the vocal chords in any way? I'd like my dd to try this, she has lessons at school but results are mixed.

The opposite. Straw work helps to prevent damage and is often used if someone is feeling under the weather to ensure they are singing in the safest way possible.

That's good to know thank you. Does the size of the straw matter? And is it really as simple as using a glass of water, blowing bubbles, and humming a tune?

With and without water, really.

With water, start with just blowing bubbles, no humming. Then gentle humming, usually scales or arpeggios. Stay in the happy medium of the vocal range while getting used to it - no need to go to high and low extremes without specific reason.

Without water, just humming through a straw. It forces a gentler delivery, so when performers have to sing a big song right shows a week or whatever, it can be very handy to make sure all the notes are there on any given day without wearing out the voice before the curtain even goes up.

There are different sizes of straw and it’s largely a matter of personal preference. There’s a company that markets straws just for singers and they have teeny tiny and jumbo, all for the same exercises. So just start with normal drinking straws and with time your DD may or may not have a preference. If she is a singer who already talks about placement in regards to her singing, then she will probably have a preference quicker than if that’s not a concept she’s working with yet.