Today's lesson focused on phonation, or making sound. Because a clear and well-supported speaking voice are the foundation for a good singing voice, Marcus read a poem by Robert Lewis Stevenson (1850-1894) out loud. Marcus was a natural at reading, with a voice that was focused and resonant, not airy or weak. I taught Marcus about the three different types of voices: the lower, middle, and upper registers. We spent some time mimicking animals that had low voices such as the grizzly bear (grr), a big dog (woof) and a cow (moo). Next, I modeled the upper register with a "whoo-ee!" and a "cuckoo". Then we spent some time mimicking animals that had high voices such as an owl (whoo-whoo), a kitten (meow) and a whimpering puppy (mmm-mm). Finally, we mimicked some animals that have both a high and a low register like the donkey (hee-haw) and a horse's whinney.
To finish the lesson, I taught Marcus the lyrics and melody for "Au Claire de la Lune" in French, using his higher register in the key of Bb. He echoed the lyrics and melody one phrase at a time, and then practiced it several times all together until he had learned it. As we finished today's lesson, I told him that I wanted to hear him singing "Au Claire de la Lune" as he was going out the door!
To finish the lesson, I taught Marcus the lyrics and melody for "Au Claire de la Lune" in French, using his higher register in the key of Bb. He echoed the lyrics and melody one phrase at a time, and then practiced it several times all together until he had learned it. As we finished today's lesson, I told him that I wanted to hear him singing "Au Claire de la Lune" as he was going out the door!
Reading poetry out loud was effective. Students took turns reading lines from a poem, and I offered immediate feedback and sometimes asked them to try again. Some students were too shy, so I didn't ask them to try again. I would like to include more practice on a good speaking voice, but it may work better with a classroom teacher during reading time.
ReplyDeleteThe animal-sounds exercise worked well to emphasize the different registers, but it was only appropriate to use it one time with the older students to get a point across. However, younger students don't mind repeating this exercise as a vocal warm-up. It also worked well to quiz first- and second-grade students on register identification.
I also found more information about singing registers to be helpful. For example, female singers usually switch from one voice to the other at an A flat on the piano, and male singers switch at an E flat, although sometimes I am still confused about the differences between head-voice, falsetto, and the upper adjustment.