Chapter 4: The Child And Adolescent Singer Flashcards
What two psychological parameters are being developed during the “approximation of singing” stage?
Why are these important?
The two psychological parameters that are being developed total patterns and total memory.
Total pattern and total memory are important because they develop a child’s singing voice.
Describe infant vocalization and suggest ways in which adults can encourage vocal exploration by infants.
Children engage in vocal play or musical babble as they learn to sort out sounds from their environment from sounds in which they themselves can make.
A child’s first vocalizations are cries in coos that soon developed into musical babble that have definite pitches, frequently repeated in small intervals.
Such vocal explorations should be encouraged and responded to by adults for it is through the responses of sound around them that infants learn to attach meaning to their sounds.
In what year and in what vocal range may preschoolers be expected to become tuneful singers?
At age three, children who have had many singing experiences will be able to sing accurately in a range from about D12 to G2.
Suggest five techniques for encouraging preschoolers to sing in their upper voices.
How will singing in the upper voice influence the choice of song literature for preschoolers?
The following is a suggestive procedure for discovering or learning to use the upper-adjustment (singing voice):
1) Direct the children in a simple two-line chant or rhyme in the lower adjustment (speaking voice).
2) Move to rhyme with a place where the children can leap to the upper adjustment (ie. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick; Jack jumped over (Leap to the upper voice) the candlestick.
3) Move to rhymes where the whole phrase can be said high (e.g. who’s been eating my porridge? as said by the baby bear in the three bears.)
4) Move to rhymes with two or three places for high voice.
5) Move to very short songs (two phrases), all in the upper voice. Keep the dynamic level soft, and pitch the song phrases above middle C, preferably around G1 or A2.
The type of song literature used with young children is an important consideration for vocal success. Songs generally should be short and contain much repetition of melodic and rhythmic patterns. Both pentatonic and diatonic melodic patterns are appropriate and half steps are not to be avoided in the melodic patterns of three to five-year-old children.
What element of song appears to be a initial interest to young children?
How does this affect tuneful singing?
The words of the song appeared to be the initial center of interest rather than the melody.
Often there is very little variation in song pitch, perhaps because some children find it impossible to attend to more than one parameter of the song at one time, and words are, for them, the dominant feature.
In response to a pitch stimulus, Children appeared to choose a comfortable vocal pitch rather than attempt to match the target. There is some evidence, however, that the comfortable pitch is frequently consonant with the pitch target.
What aspects of singing do children need to experience in the early elementary school years?
In the early elementary school years the aspects of singing that children need to experience are songs and games for chanting and echoing as an individual as well as group singing.
Children need to experience singing in unison with other voices and most important, need to exercise the Upper Register downward, with a light head-tone production.
The lower register should not be suppressed as it naturally emerges, but singing should be capitalized so as to minimize its predominance.
The range of songs must be kept above middle C, because when singing below middle C, the chest voice takes over.
Why is the third grade a pivotal year for the young singer?
What five issues must be addressed head-on in the third grade?
The third grade appears to be a pivotal year in the life of children.
1) Third-graders are no longer babies, and
2) Boy-girl distinctions become even clearer.
3) Boys no longer want to play with the girls at recess, and if the music teacher is not careful,
4) Singing will be perceived by many boys as a girls activity.
5) Children who once eagerly Participated in singing often become self-conscious and resist participation.
If left unchecked, such attitudes will harden, and by the intermediate years, many children will have ceased to enjoy singing.
Teachers must do everything possible to assure children that singing knows no gender bias and is something that everyone can learn to do. This issue must be addressed head-on in the third grade if many children are to be spared the inevitable consequences of insecurity masked by indifference.
Discuss the four characteristics of global development for students during the fourth, fifth, and six grades.
What dynamic level is most appropriate for singing at these grade levels?
1) By the fourth grade, students who have experienced good vocal instruction and many opportunities to sing will show evidence of that beautiful quality associated with fine children’s singing.
2) A more demanding song literature with longer phrases and wider range is possible and
3) more attention can be paid to detail and musical expression.
4) Singing harmony should be established, with all students singing alternatively melody and harmony parts in different sections.
- The dynamic level for singing may be increased, but never above mezzo forte.
Describe both the eight personal and vocal characteristics of adolescence.
The adolescent. In human development is generally considered to
1) begin in the seventh grade, or when the student is approximately 12 years old.
2) It is a time of passage from childhood to adulthood, a period of maturation that can be fraught with insecurity as physiological and psychological changes require new ways of dealing with life.
3) The adolescent temperament is often mercurial (changeable or volatile) characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood. The desire to become an independent adult is often at odds with the anxiety of leaving the safety and security of childhood. At one moment, adolescents can ask silly and immature, but in the next can be serious and thoughtful.
4) Girls tend to be emotionally high strong, while
5) boys affect is more cool or passive attitude.
6) Girls, in general are more mature, but both genders can be insensitive in ways that they treat others.
7) Because the students voices are changing during this period of time and open and honest discussion concerning the various parameters of vocal maturation is a necessity at this age.
8) Some teachers choose to have separate music classes for boys and girls in the seventh and eighth-grade. This permits the teacher to work more effectively with the problems unique to each gender and lessens the embarrassment and tension between boys and girls at this age.
What are Some ways in which to keep boys actively interested in singing during the adolescent years?
Why must adolescents continue to sing?
1) A separate class for boys.
2) Establishing good relationships with athletic coaches can help bridge the gap between sports and music activities.
3) Keep them singing so that the high school choral program will have a feeder system.
Once students drop out of vocal music in sixth and seventh grades, they do not return to it.
4) For this reason, singing must be a component of the seventh and eighth-grade general music curriculum.
Often, this is the music teachers last chance to convince the student of the value of singing.
What are some textural considerations when choosing song literature for adolescents?
1) The texts of songs for adolescents is another important consideration for stimulating interest in singing.
2) Text of a sentimental or personal nature often will turn students off, as will text they considered to be of the elementary-school type.
3) Song text must be chosen carefully to reflect the needs and interests of adolescence, and
4) fun songs should not be ignored.
Describe the voice-change process for adolescent boys.
At what age does this change usually begin?
What are some of the physiological indicators that signaled the onset of puberty among boys?
1) The male voice change phenomenon is brought about by hormonal changes in the body during adolescent years.
2) This may begin as early as the intermediate years of elementary school fourth to six grade, but often begins when a boy is approximately 12 years old and seems to peek in the eighth grade (14 Years of age).
3) Physiological indicators of the entrance into puberty include a a) growth spurt, b) physical awkwardness, c) the development of the sex organs, d) growth of body hair, and e) facial blemishes.
4) A change in the speaking voice is another indicator that physical changes taking place, especially in the thickening and growth of the larynx. Noticeable changes in the speaking may include a) a temporary loss of control, or cracking, and b) a heavy or husky quality.
State the basic tenants of the Royal School of Church Music (Church of England) approach to the changing male voice.
This approach continues the practice of the English choir tradition of training boys to saying for the Anglican church service.
1) Boys with unchanged voices are taught to sing the professional soprano range in the upper adjustment only.
2) This sound is pure and quality, with little or no vibrato.
3) Because the boys are not permitted to use any chest voice quality, the range is below E1 is weak and almost unusable.
4) For this reason, the alto part must be sung by male countertenors.
5) Even during the voice change, boy trebles are singing in the pure upper voice.
6) When the boys mature and it is no longer possible to sustain the soprano range of C2 to C3, the voice is quieted for a period of adjustment until the lower voice settles.
7) Critics state that singing only in the upper voice does not prepare the young male for what should be a natural transition into the use of this lower register.
Discuss the voice change of the adolescent female. (1 & 2)
When does puberty begin for girls in relationship to boys? (3)
What the vocal qualities that are characteristic of the female during the voice change? (4)
1) The larynx/vocal folds of the female grows less than those of the male, averaging only about 3 to 4 mm increase.
2) This growth does result in a slight lowering of the speaking voice and lower extension of the singing range.
3) Puberty for girls begin at 10 or 11 years old.
4) The first sign of voice change for the girl is often evidence in a husky nest or unsteadiness of the speaking voice and is caused by the increased thickening of the vocal folds.
Suggest some techniques for helping the female singer during the voice change.
What else besides techniques for vocal problems must the teacher monitor among adolescent females?
Why?
Female changing voices for singing can improve tone quality and regularity of pitch through systematic instruction in breath management, resonance, and vowel unification.
