I'm one of those freaky home edders who shelters their child from normality.

[IslaValargeone]

At least that is what dc's singing teacher appears to believe?
Dc has recently started singing lessons, has only has 3 so far. This week she came out of her lesson with a cd of stuff to listen to and sing along with. Her teacher told me that they would be singing a wide variety of music during lessons and how dc had expressed an interest in jazz and opera too.
She had decided however that as dc was home edded she would give her some Kylie, Pink and other pop stars so that she was aware of what normal 10 year old girls listen to.
I was quick to point out that we listen to a wide variety of music at home and that on that very morning dc had told me off for playing Kasabian and Sisters of Mercy too loud!

if you re-post with "singing lessons" in your title and place it in extra-curricular activities, I bet you would get a different response and perhaps some singing teachers responding too. Your dd sounds like she is a natural little singer, I hope it works out well

Thankyou ZZZenAgain.

This is a bizarre thread. Isla I totally get what you are saying- what does your daughter think about it? If she hasn't really noticed being singled out like that and still manages to sing/learn what she is interested in, it might just be a case of sucking it up and ignoring the teacher's obvious ignorance! If your daughter is uncomfortable though and feels like an agenda is being forced on her then you should have a word with the teacher or find a new one, imho.

PS come and join the MN FB group. Lots of support and no "helpful" comments from the likes of Mutt et al :)

Definately find a new singing teacher. Why on earth does being home ed'ed mean you don't get exposed to current pop music? Why is it necessary to give her a tape of Kylie, if she is interested in jazz and opera? My dd loves playing the guitar, and has asked to be taught folk picking style now she has the hang of the basics. There were absolutely no "weirdy homeschooler" comments.

I hate facebook, and wish there was a non facebook-y yet "safe" mn home ed group!

Yes the thread did go a bit off. I'm not on facebook notatschool but do apprecaite your invite.
It was only intended as a simple chatty comment that I thought one or two might respond to, having perhaps encountered something similar.
It did prompt me to talk to dc about it again however, as she hadn't sung along to anything on the cd she was given this week. She said she only liked two songs, so I said that she needed to tell her teacher what music she liked. She said she had, several times, including last week when she mentioned as well as jazz, she liked folk and a bit of Doris Day :o
I think that may well have been the nail in the coffin for confirmation of our freakiness! She doesn't understand why if she likes Doris Day, she is being given Jennifer Lopez. It may be time to do as ZZZen suggested and look to the extra curricular board for ideas on finding a more appropriate teacher.

Cor, 'Get the Party Started' is pretty much 10 years old, am I right? Jessie J would be more the sort of thing I'd suggest for being 'current' but if she's not interested why bother? Weirdo teacher if you ask me, probably giving your DD the stuff that she likes ;)

My ten year old ds (who is state school educated) has no interest in Kylie or Pink whatsoever.

He likes to sing Pie Jesu, Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Walking in the Air or Here comes the Sun. He likes Beatles and Michale Jackson.

I would echo get a new singing teacher. As my DD would point out a lot of pop singers can't really sing. My DD had a singing teacher who was really into musical theatre, and it didn't really work (the teacher sent us a CD of DD singing as a leaving present, and it was the worst singing I've ever heard from DD). DD now has a more classically trained teacher who really knows how young voices develop and allows a full range of music.

DD doesn't really know Kylie or Pink that much, Jessie J is far more current, we won't discuss which singers really can't sing.

Agree with the chorus of 'get a new teacher'.

I did classical vocal training as a child and it calls for very different skill set to pop-style singing. If your DD is interested in jazz and opera then she needs to someone to help her focus on that rather than 'what all other 10 year olds are listening to' (making any large group into a monolith always makes me raise my eyebrows). Breathe control and mouth shaping particularly would need more training.

If you are anywhere near Derby, I can recommend someone.

Why does she need to listen to what "other ten year olds" are listening to?

When I was ten I started listening to my mum's Carpenters LPs. I was obsessed with Karen Carpenter. Then I found my own music (through listening to the radio), but it wasn't what was in the charts, it was David Bowie and Queen.

When I met dh, he introduced me to his taste in music, but again it wasn't current - Def Leppard, KISS, AC/DC.

This was in the late 90s and early 00s. Dh and I both survived high school without listening to the crap music everyone else was listening to.

And my sister is a huge fan of Doris Day She would definitely say that Doris Day is cool .

Hi Isla

My dd sings opera and Jazz. Ok she is H.ed but she was doing this when she was at school. To suggest your dd is not normal is absolutely rubbish and the teacher is out of order. I would tell her this, not before finding a better teacher. My dd is 8 and her teacher allows and encourages her to sing a variety of styles, although not so much opera atm due to her young voice. I do think the opera and classical style needs to be either avoided or very carefully monitored by a specialist as it is easy to do damage. I am told that many music schools won't accept voice as a first instrument until 6th form, for this reason.

At what point during the school day do children get the chance to listen to pop music? Why should being home-educated make any difference to what your daughter listens to? Surely she gets more chance to listen to the radio and follow her own tastes than most children who are at school?

I went to school (many years ago) and I love music, but my musical tastes were mostly influenced by what was in my parents' record collection and by the friends I made out of school.

Agree about avoiding the 'classical' singing style until much older - it can make voices sound very artificial, I think, and build habits that are hard to get out of. My (school) music teacher refused to recommend me a singing teacher for this reason - he said I would do better by practising on my own

"At what point during the school day do children get the chance to listen to pop music?"

Actually ds's state school plays pop music at lunch time in part of the playground. The children like to dance along to the macaraina or the beatles. Half the neighbours complained and the half thought it was great.

My dd also listens to some pop music during the day, either radio or cd. The point is though that no matter what their schooling entails they have tastes the same as adults and should be allowed to listen to what genres they like. Personally I really don't like Pink, Jessie J, or any recent singers and think they are unsuitable for children full stop. As for Hannah Montana, or (Smiley virus as dd calls her), when dds teacher sent her home with a track on cd, she went back and told her she wasn't going to sing a song by somebody famous for lip synching. Her teacher is brilliant and as long as its suitable for her voice and won't harm it she can sing what she chooses.

Oh, get a new singing teacher, full stop. A good teacher will be making sure everything is age appropriate to even the most prudish parent, not trying to get your child to sing about kissing ass.

There's so much good music out there, classical, jazz, music theatre, operetta, lovely songs from the 40s and 50s. I think Pop Vocals is better left to secondary in any case, in terms of vocal technique besides anything else. Lots of kids listen to pop and don't really take in the words, but you see them in a music book written down and you are forced to take them in. You then realise that so many of them are completely inappropriate until the start of secondary at least.

A lot of my 10 year old pupils are singing Disney and that has nothing whatsoever to do with home education. Find someone else.

Musicposy.

I totally agree. Whilst we obviously leave the technical side to dds singing teacher we help her look for suitable material and it isn't really difficult to do. The graded pieces are varied and then she likes music hall, theatre, jazz and lots more. I think it is important to be able to understand and feel the lyrics otherwise how can you be expressive. Being expressive about shaking her ass is not what we would want her to, this is totally unsuitable for any child.
I have spent this afternoon transposing I'll Try- Peter Pan, as the original is far too low. Beautiful lyrics though and she really wanted to do this one.

Isla it is worth joining Facebook just for the HE groups! I never saw the point before but I do now...

the macaraina and the Beatles?
how is this current?

surely this just shows that children will be influenced by what ever adults play regardless of who the adults are.

Bebanjo

Really tired didn't say that the beatles and macarana were current, she said pop music which is what they are.
they could be current as well, especially if you compare them to say a nineteenth century folk song.
I think kids will listen to what they like. My dd is influenced by what I like but only if she happens to like it herself. I have never listened to Dolly Parton or The Nolans, but dd has found them and enjoys belting their songs out.

sorry more than, i was talking about home ed children being subjected to there parents taste in music, (not currently in the charts) with school children that listen to up to the minuet chart music because they are not heavily influenced by the adults in there life.

bebanjo.

I don't think there is any difference whether home ed or school, tbh. I know schooled dcs who listen to classical and I know H.ed dcs who listen to chart music and all the genres in between. We may be subjected to our parents influences in music but it doesn't mean to say they will be our tastes. As a parent I have introduced various styles of music to my dcs. Some have been all through school, and one has just started H.ed having attended school. There really is no difference, they all have different tastes to me and dh, some of which we share.