Frere Jacques<\/em>. It is a very adaptable tune to whatever the theme has been: dynamics, beat vs. rhythm patterns, tempo, legato vs. staccato\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s hard to do that with \u201cLet it Go\u201d. Young children are unconcerned with so many other things they are not particularly good at, but happily do anyway. Singing seems to be another matter. Once the kids are on their own at 4\u20135 years, many, if not most, are afraid\u2014<\/strong>or at least reluctant\u2014<\/strong>to sing by themselves. They have learned that singing can be done well or poorly. I call it \u2018The American Idol Effect\u2019: the idea that if you dare to sing something, it had better be good because someone will be judging you.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo here are a few basic activities I try in the first few weeks of children\u2019s Dalcroze classes to set the tone, so to speak, about the singing voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Singing Hand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lie on the floor. When the \u2018singing hand\u2019 hovers over you, it causes you to hum any pitch. When it disappears, you stop. Variations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Anyone can have the singing hand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- There can be multiple singing hands. \u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Pitch Press<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hum a tone, and I\u2019ll try to match it. If it is a match, press your hands together. If not, keep them apart. (for younger children: if it is a match be still, if not, wiggle)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vowel Sound Choir<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make the vowel sound you see (on any pitch): \u2018ah\u2019 \u2018ee\u2019 \u2018oh\u2019 \u2018oo\u2019, etc. The \u201cchoir\u201d watches conductor. For older children, the vowel sounds can be written on the board. For younger, they can watch my mouth. Variations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- multiple leaders<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- create signals for louder\/softer; start\/stop; higher\/lower; individuals or groups, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The Sound of One Stick<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I hold up a single rhythm stick or clave. \u201cWhat instrument am I thinking of?\u201d [I mimic violin playing.] \u201cRight! Violin! What does it sound like?\u201d Children make the sounds. Continue with trumpet, flute, guitar\u2026 Next week, flip the roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Play and Sing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Play the rhythm sticks (or any percussion instrument) and sing a song. Make up the song or sing one you know. (Now is the time for (part of) \u201cLet it Go\u201d.) If no one has a song, I ask them a sung question: \u201cWhat did you have for breakfast?\u201d etc. and require them to answer with their singing voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sing Do When the Music Stops<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Walk, run, skip, lunge, etc. with the music. When the music stops, you stop and sing \u201cC\u201d or \u201cDo\u201d or \u201c1\u201d or any selected pitch. Variations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- sing the last pitch you heard<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- sing to someone else<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- sing your favorite color (or anything else)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Scale Yoga<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t have my first yoga class till I was thirty years old, but all kids seem to know yoga these days. These are associations with classic yoga poses. Scale Degree 1 (SD1)= lie on the ground; SD2=cobra; SD3=cow; SD4=cat; SD5=dog; SD6=runner; SD7=touch toes; SD8=stand up hands together. They can sing the pose name or the numbers, the sound the animal makes or anything else you can imagine. This really belongs to a different teaching subject, the major scale. I include it here because kids seem to forget they are singing when they do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are endless variations here: kids can lead; move and sing a simple song like Hot Cross Buns; follow my singing; move a phrase after I play it on the xylophone; invent your own series\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bonus activities for grown-ups or older kids:<\/h2>\n\n\n\nMove your voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Make sound with your voice and move. Let your sound shape your movement, or let movement shape your sound. Variations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n