Giving Voice to Children's Artistry

This book addresses the development of children’s artistry in the music classroom and children’s chorus. It unveils children’s artistry, identifying its characteristic behaviors, its progression of development and necessary components for growth, and guides the practical application of principles addressed. The book addresses the development of children’s artistry from the perspective of both the choral art and the process of music learning, with each informing the other, rooting artistry in music learning and developing artistry in an ongoing manner throughout childhood. It presents the musical mind as the gateway to children’s artistry. It discusses the power of movement in the embodiment of children’s artistry. It examines song and its role in the development of children’s artistry, demonstrating how rhythm, melody, and text—independently and together—influence children’s developing artistry musically, expressively, and vocally, at all ages and stages. Musical examples throughout demonstrate principles presented, provide professional development with tonalities, meters, movement, and songs, and offer a multitude of songs of increasing difficulty for the music classroom and children’s chorus that compel the musical mind, prompt artistic expression, and enable vocal technique. Practices and techniques that facilitate the development of children’s artistry are included, and the book can be used with any methodology. This book leads teachers to draw artistry out of every child and draw every child into the choral art. Content is intended for application with children from kindergarten through seventh grade, though it is also appropriate with older singers in the process of developing artistry.

Inspiring Artistry

Chapter 3 examines song and its role in the development of children’s artistry. It addresses the need for songs of increasing musical difficulty throughout childhood, and how rhythm, melody, and text, individually and together, affect the development of children’s artistry musically, expressively, and vocally. This chapter offers musical examples and songs that demonstrate the progression of children’s artistry in song with children as young as five through advanced choristers. Chapter 3 presents the findings of many years of classroom research on song as it relates to both music learning and the choral art in the development of children’s artistry. It brings together research on music learning and the process of choral development to highlight the need for songs for the development of children’s artistry that compel the musical mind, prompt artistic expression, and enable vocal technique throughout childhood. It applies concepts presented in the first chapter and practices presented in the second chapter in the context of song, the vehicle for the expression of children’s artistry in both the music classroom and children’s chorus. Songs and principles presented in this chapter can also be used with older singers.

Voice Management and the Older Singer

This chapter explores the vocal ecology of older singers, focusing on three categories of singers: the professional and/or successful soloist who is approaching the end of a singing career; the amateur chorister; and the community singing group participant. It provides an overview of the physical impacts of vocal aging, and addresses also how personality traits can affect a person’s attitude toward aging and his or her ability to manage the effects of vocal aging. Being—or becoming—a singer in this phase of life offers a range of cognitive insights and challenges to the singer and the singing teacher. Through case studies of five singers, and data from a community choir averaging 85 years old, the chapter examines teaching strategies that can be used to ensure that singers can be supported and encouraged to continue to receive the psycho-social and physical benefits of singing, no matter what their age.

Voice Health and Vocal Education

Vocal health is of paramount importance to educators and performers of all ages and genres. Whether selecting appropriate repertoire for soloists, adjusting spacing to provide ideal self-to-other ratios between choir singers, developing age-appropriate exercises for young singers, or managing medication side effects on older singers' voices, optimizing vocal health creates the conditions for singers to reach their full potential and to produce expressive performances. This article begins by considering some of the occupational hazards voice educators and performers face. It also provides an overview of evidence-based healthy practices for teaching and performing, and offers suggestions for teaching healthy voice use to students. Included in this discussion is information on integrating the function of the whole body with the voice. The article closes with information on developing healthy learning/teaching environments.

The Older Singer

An interest in singing and voice training may begin at any point in the lifespan. Singing lessons can benefit students of any age, provided the teaching is age-appropriate. This article, which highlights factors that affect older singers, draws attention to the range of information and techniques available for the voice educator, and begins by focusing on how anatomical, physiological, and endocrinological factors affect the aging singer. It continues by exploring psychological aspects that impact singing and the motivation to sing. The article concludes with strategies the educator may employ to optimize and maximize the positive benefit of singing for the older singer, drawing on the range of disciplinary information now available.