School buses are back, car pools are organized, all the supplies are picked over at Target and families are settling into their new routines. It’s about this time every year that I start getting those emails and phone calls – parents looking for lessons or referrals for private instruction to encourage their budding musicians. With that in mind, I wanted to take the opportunity to offer some practical advice for all those seeking guidance in this arena.
My first piece of advice is to keep things age-appropriate. For some musical disciplines, the earlier you can get kids started, the better! I have seen incredible results with students starting a Suzuki method for violin or piano before a child can even grasp the concept of letters or numbers. Other methods for musical acquisition require a basic level of literacy to begin studying a specific instrument. In addition, there are wonderful early childhood programs that introduce musical concepts to the smallest of babies – laying the foundation for study later in life. As with linguistic aptitude, the window for increasing musical aptitude seems to close by the end of the first decade of life. In short, the sooner you introduce children to music, the more likely that child will have the capacity to develop virtuosic skill. The evidence for this approach amongst professional musicians is overwhelming.
That said, singers have to consider not only musical development, but physiological readiness. The voice has to be grown enough to handle the rigors of technical challenge that proper study entails. Just like you would not encourage your six-year-old to start working toward their career in weight lifting, you don’t want to rush into those technically heavy private voice lessons. In my own studio, I will not work with a student whose voice is unchanged (this usually coincides with the onset of puberty). There are several reasons for this. First of all, the instrument WILL change and may change quite rapidly. Best to let nature run it’s course BEFORE you start setting the technical parameters. I liken the analogy to furnishing a house before you’ve even completed framing it. You should have all the elements in place before you start organizing them. In addition, proper vocal study is highly technical and personal. Most children are not adequately prepared for the academic conversations that arise in a proper lesson. Of course, an instructor can dumb some of the information down, but you are not likely to get much more out of a private lesson like that than you would from a basic choir or musical theatre rehearsal. In addition, private study can be quite expensive. Investing the time and money into building an instrument that a singer will inevitably outgrow, is a poor investment.
On the other hand, children can and should work on pre-technical skills like sight-reading and age-appropriate repertoire (more on this in another post, I promise!!). Another argument for voice lessons for children would be that it is guided play time. In an ideal situation, if a child is taking a “voice lesson,” they are connecting with an adult that is building their musicianship and encouraging them to play. In addition, a good voice teacher can help musically prepare a child for auditions (helping choose appropriate repertoire and preparing cuts) – more like a coach. If you feel like you simply must have your 7-year-old in a voice lesson, these are the areas where they can focus some attention. Assuming that the child connects with the teacher, at the very least, they are using their time productively and enjoying themselves. Best case scenario, it won’t hurt anything. Just don’t expect any long-term mastery from that strategy.
If a student is not ready for formal voice lessons, what can you do to set them up for musical success in the long run? Plenty!
First, encourage studying an instrument. I highly advocate piano for all my singers, but any instrument will help develop strong musicianship skills. Remember the window for developing musical aptitude closes long before a singer is really ready to start working on that vocal technique, so work on musicianship in age-appropriate ways. Playing an instrument is excellent for the development of aural skills and sight reading.
Second, encourage them to sing in a children’s choir. Even if choir is not their thing, it will help with basic vocal technique and sight reading. Choir participation also teaches terminology and rehearsal etiquette that will be applicable in other settings. Many churches and schools have choirs that have minimal or no participation fees, so they are very cost-effective ways to encourage your child’s musical development.
Third, seek out performance opportunities. Community theatre, summer camps and recreational programs are great ways for young singers to build those performance skills and encourage creativity.
Finally, create a musical environment. Play music with high quality singing in multiple genres. Suround your child in music and encourage their singing. Unlike studying a musical instrument, young singers don’t need to be forced to “practice” – they sing ALL THE TIME. Singers do not have the skills barrier that instrumentalists have. It would be a very strange thing to hear a 3-year-old without any formal study sit at a piano and play a Rachmaninoff piano concerto. It’s not odd to hear that same 3-year-old sing along with a complicated song on the radio. Singing is intrinsic and need not be formalized in young children. When a singer is older and working on technique and repertoire, they will need to develop formal practice habits. For children, singing is more play than work – encourage that spirit. Keep it fun!
As we begin a new school year, I leave you with this final bit of advice – enjoy the journey. Whether you have a young student just getting started and singing in the school choir or you have a senior preparing for those stressful college auditions, remember that it’s just singing and should be a source of joy – not stress. Even for the most seasoned performer, singing time is still play time and there is nothing more fun than playing with your friends!