MENC Forums

tanlil,

A couple of things first.

1) Encourage them to think of all pitches as "middle," rather than "high," "middle," or "low." Their moving the hand side to side (not up and down) as they sing different pitches (13531, for example) can help the brain/body to get the concept.

2) Have them bend their knees on particular notes that you think they might deem as "high." (Same principle as above with the brain/body.)

3) Lead them in saying various phrases different ways -- phrases that are going to lead them to various pitches. Perhaps start with "Hey!," as in "Hey, you! Knock it off!" But think of several like that. ("What are you DOing??" "How DARE you do that!" "You're such a good little puppy ... oogheewoogheeFLOOgheemooghee!!" :-)

Once they get the hang of it, and are actually exhibiting a wider range than when they sing, have them 'hold' the pitch whenever you conduct them to. Some notes will be higher, some lower. But they should see (with your help) that their voices actually CAN hit some of those notes they're having trouble hitting. It would be good for you to match some pitches on the piano as they're doing this ... "Alright, Jimmy, you're vocalizing a B above the staff on the bass clef right now!"

Other things that can help are below (copied from a thread below).

*Singing is a whole body activity -- very much like a sport; full physical commitment is important. To that end, have your singers move as they sing -- you can lead the vocal warm-up as a jazzercise teacher leads a class. And really any full-body movement will be more helpful than not (as they begin to associate physicality with breath). Or, you can stand in a circle and trade off leaders, with each person doing a sports move like throwing a football, skiing, passing a basketball....

*Breathing (and people study for decades before they get this!): Breathing with the side intercostals and abdominals relaxed is important. Have them suck air through an imaginary straw to get the diaphragm to engage and allow the lower lungs to fill. Have them put their hands on their waist to feel the sides go in and out.

*IF they can't get this, it can be helpful for them to lie on their backs (no straw now) with one hand on their belly, thus feeling the belly go up and down and the diaphragm engages. HOWEVER, it's important after they do this to have them sit with hand on belly and see if they can keep the feeling, then stand with hand on belly.... THEN ask them to put their hands on their sides and notice their sides expanding. I've found it to be distinctly unhelpful to have singers notice or practice 'belly breathing' when they stand. That's not the key -- relaxed breathing that expands the sides and back will provide much more support.

*After they all have the general sense of relaxed 'side' breathing, have them breathe then pulse hisses, do rollercoaster 'whoa's and 'vah's, then have them 'shout' (not yell) a 'hey,' starting comfortably high and descending to comfortable low. As they do each, you might conduct their breath (so they include it!). After you do that, have them explore the rollercoaster 'vah's then stopping on a random static pitch ... and holding that pitch until you cut them off. Reinforce that this rollercoaster 'vah' is not a tight-throated feeling, but a relaxed one. (And this will be a continuing process of growth -- but the vah, whoa, or hey will get them more fully phonating, especially if they are physically engaged.)  From there, it's a short step to taking that same technique of phonation into chords and phrases from your songs.

*Now, the above is just a way to get the kids in the ballpark. As they continue to sing, you can continue to clarify and finesse their technique. Having them sing with disengaged body, breath, and voice ... then having them sing with full commitment (compare/contrast, one right after the other) will be helpful at this point -- they'll notice the difference.

*As you do stuff like the above, it's very helpful for their faces to be relatively relaxed, with the jaw unhinged rather than opening like an alligator ... and the tongue lying relatively flat with the tip close to/touching the back of the bottom teeth. Avoid having them open their mouths too wide, and focus on their singing pure vowels rather than creating any particular shape or sized opening of their mouths. All these things can and will affect choral sound and projection -- unnecessary tension of any sort will negatively affect both. (Obviously there are entire books on this stuff, but this is what I've gleaned to this point in my life... :-)

*Other things to teach include an elevated (not sunken) sternum, feet shoulder/hip width apart -- with one foot slightly in front of another, and MOVEMENT while singing. A stiff or still singer is usually a physically (and mentally/emotionally) disengaged or passive singer -- and their breath support and sound will be impacted. If you want more info on this, feel free to contact me for more resources.

All my best,

Tom