Vocalist.org archive


From:  "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>
Date:  Sat Aug 17, 2002  5:22 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Child voice, range, repertoire - serious question (kinda long)

Dear Shannon and Vocalisters:

I taught public school music for over 20 years before moving to
college voice teaching. I never encouraged students under the age of
about 16 to take private voice lessons, especially if they were
blessed with a naturally lovely child's voice. I am not suggesting
that it is always a poor idea to do so but only that the odds of
finding a voice teacher that is well enough versed about the
character and needs of the pre-puberty voice is most unlikely.

Children usually know best what will work for their voice. They do
not need a teacher to correct a technique that young children have
instinctively. What they do need is an exposure to the best in vocal
literature and the opportunity to sing songs that are meaningful to
them within their own world.

Today's children are automatically injected into the world of older
people (teenagers and adults) and they assume the adult roles and
musical desires. Few of these musical choices are fitting for the
nature of their pre-puberty voices. Yet many children's choirs and
specialists in having children sing do not consider the real nature
of these young voices. It is common today to hear children perform
in organized ways in their "play" voice rather than their natural
singing voice because that is the adult's idea of how a child's voice
should sound. Such child singing is a creation of an adult mind and
an adult concern for a preconceived "product" when the only concern
that should be considered for a child is the "process " of doing the
activity.

If you are seeking musical skills for a child and desire that the
child learn the discipline of music I would suggest piano lesson for
at least a few years. Piano lessons teach a broader understanding
of the skills needed by a musician and provide the most useful
background for the young singer when he/she begins voice lessons a
few years after puberty. Lessons before puberty must be handled by a
specialist in that field. Most voice teachers are not well equipped
to teach young children.


--
Lloyd W. Hanson





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