I think the #1 question parents have about my program (and probably other teachers ask as well) is "what's a voice test?"
Usually followed by "and why do you have so many of them?"
Or "don't a lot of the kids cry" (NOPE!) "and get nervous?" (Probably...but that's not necessarily bad.)
So... here's how it works!
In each grade, K-5, I take a song that we know really really well. Usually we've been working on this song for anywhere from 4-6 classes. I take a small snippit of it, usually around 8 measures, and I listen to each kid sing it by themselves.
In the event that they are unsuccessful in matching the pitch or singing in tune in the original key, I'll work with them a bit on pitch matching or sirening or whatever is necessary to give them a successful experience. This one on one time is critical for the students experiencing some delay in their sense of Western tonality. I can also change the key to where a student can stay entirely in their chest voice or head voice, using the transpose feature on my keyboard.
Starting no earlier than the second semester of 1st grade, I also give each child some constructive feedback. Before that, it's usually just "good job, thank you!" no matter what. With the kids who've just knocked it out of the park, I will tell them so -- at any age.
I love when I can tell a student they've done a great job. Every voice test, in every class, someone amazes me, surprises me, makes me laugh, or just reminds me how cool the improvement process can be.
No, the other kids aren't listening (much) while they do it, because everyone is COLORING! (Yay!) This is the big hook -- "voice tests" are basically a day off in music class. You sing for less than 2 minutes by yourself, and the rest is all for you.
In fact, most of the younger kids refer to this as "coloring day," not a test.
That's the basic process. In another post, I'll respond to all the questions I get about fear and nerves, and talk a bit about how the experience is graded.
Usually followed by "and why do you have so many of them?"
Or "don't a lot of the kids cry" (NOPE!) "and get nervous?" (Probably...but that's not necessarily bad.)
So... here's how it works!
In each grade, K-5, I take a song that we know really really well. Usually we've been working on this song for anywhere from 4-6 classes. I take a small snippit of it, usually around 8 measures, and I listen to each kid sing it by themselves.
In the event that they are unsuccessful in matching the pitch or singing in tune in the original key, I'll work with them a bit on pitch matching or sirening or whatever is necessary to give them a successful experience. This one on one time is critical for the students experiencing some delay in their sense of Western tonality. I can also change the key to where a student can stay entirely in their chest voice or head voice, using the transpose feature on my keyboard.
Starting no earlier than the second semester of 1st grade, I also give each child some constructive feedback. Before that, it's usually just "good job, thank you!" no matter what. With the kids who've just knocked it out of the park, I will tell them so -- at any age.
I love when I can tell a student they've done a great job. Every voice test, in every class, someone amazes me, surprises me, makes me laugh, or just reminds me how cool the improvement process can be.
No, the other kids aren't listening (much) while they do it, because everyone is COLORING! (Yay!) This is the big hook -- "voice tests" are basically a day off in music class. You sing for less than 2 minutes by yourself, and the rest is all for you.
In fact, most of the younger kids refer to this as "coloring day," not a test.
That's the basic process. In another post, I'll respond to all the questions I get about fear and nerves, and talk a bit about how the experience is graded.