Singing

Singing is something most people have an opinion about.  They prefer a certain style of singing, they listen to a favorite singer…and they have thoughts about their own singing voice.  “I’m not a very good singer,” is what most parents who come to music class with their very young children tell me.

Singing on pitch is one of the most basic aspects of music competency.  Most music educators agree that singing on pitch is a skill that everyone can learn, and that “fooling around” with one’s voice is part of the learning.  The thought is that with enough experience, trial and error, so to speak, anyone can discover their singing voice.

In music class, we encourage all sorts of vocalizing.  We are pretend sirens swooping from high to low.  We imitate animal sounds.  We sing simple melodies with one, single word (doo or la) and we imitate the sounds that babies make.

If given the opportunity, babies develop their singing voice in much the same way that they develop speech…practice, practice, practice.

A caregiver can encourage vocal development by engaging in lots of resting tone play - that is, fool around vocally on the home pitch of a song. Sing the resting tone quietly in each of the baby's ears, or sing the resting tone while you 'brrrrrr' your lips or sing the baby's name or anything else that would be fun.

Try to communicate back to baby using the same kinds of sounds he is making. By communicating to baby in the same mode or "language" of the moment, you acknowledge and validate your child's creations and extend the duration of play.

 Playing with sounds at an early age supports vocal development by increasing the frequency and variety of vocal expression. A parent can encourage a child’s singing voice by responding to vocal sound play, just like responding to early efforts at speech. Understanding the developmental importance - for both music and language - of a baby's so-called "babble" makes it possible to perceive it in a different way, to value it, and to want to encourage it for its own sake.

And surprisingly,  caregivers benefit too.  No longer do adults feel as uncomfortable about their singing voices.  No longer do I hear parents say, “I’m not a very good singer.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/may/08/singing-children-development-language-skills