Welcome To Episode 119 of Voice Lessons To The World!
That’s right. The star herself, Emmy, is back for more!
♬
On the last show, we talked about having the confidence to teach young singers,
physical differences, technique exercises, musicianship,
and repertoire.
Today, we have five more concepts that I hope will be helpful
to your teaching studio or your singing.
Starting with the question: Can kids BELT?
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Well, what a great question!
This is a question that can make people very nervous.
And rightly so.
Because even with adults, if Belting is not done in a healthy and sustainable way,
it can lead to vocal problems.
But, the question is “Can KIDS Belt?”
And the answer is…
Kids DO Belt.
And we can’t stop them…
This is the young singer that inspired Emmy to start singing.
Emmy didn’t have an interest in music before seeing this.
And kids worldwide are going to gravitate towards what inspires them.
♪ This girl is on fire ♪
♪ She's walking on fire ♪
So it’s not really reasonable for us to try to STOP them.
Instead, we should start making it easier (and safer) for them
to do what inspires them in the first place.
That’s where technique comes in.
And with children - perhaps more than anyone else -
we need to recognize that fundamentals are critical.
Here’s a little checklist of what you can prioritize…
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Again, remember that for kids
♪ time ♪ is on their side.
Yes it is.
And that means that we’re not insistent with quick results,
but rather we remain WITH THEM as guides and mentors as they
navigate their ever-changing bodies and minds.
So, really it’s not so much that vocal technique changes with kids,
it’s that our focus changes.
Here is a checklist of things to focus on:
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Posture/Alignment.
Help your young student to know the benefits and the beauty
of having relaxed, but confident stage presence.
Go, whuh whuh whuh.
And now one of these, ahhhh.
Ahh.
Mhm, good yeah.
So here you go, down.
And then up with pride!
Yeah! That's a good job.
Breathing.
Develop a smooth, controlled air flow
so that the sound is energized, but never forced.
Shhh shhh shhh.
That's good.
Now take your hands and go like this, Shhhhhhh.
Shhhhhh.
That's good! Good.
Now look right in front of you.
Shhhhhhhh.
There you go, you totally did it!
Musicianship.
Just like we talked about in Episode 118 build more than the singing voice.
Build a musical foundation.
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Head Voice Insistence.
Make Head Voice a top priority.
Even if they want to sing
contemporary material that sits in Chest Voice and Mix,
we’ve got to work that Head Voice.
Every time.
Make sure the voice is STRETCHY!
Hoooo
Yeah that's good!
Hoooo
Yes, hoooo
Hoooo
And how about going like this like you're releasing a bird.
Hoooo
Yeah yeah, right out in front of you.
So, take your- this is an owl.
Take your owl.
A baby owl, a baby.
Okay take your baby owl, and it's one of these...
Hoooo
That's a good job! Let's do one more time.
Baby owl, a high baby owl... Hoooo
Hoooo
Good but you didn't look at your baby...
Hoooo
Oh you looked at the floor!
WAHMP.
Hoooo
Extrinsic Strain.
Watch out for things like neck tension, jaw tension,
and reaching the head forward.
Especially for higher notes.
Correct bad habits before they become a problem.
I want you to do one of these for me.
You're gonna go ahhhhh.
Ahh.
Yeah, okay.
Just like this.
Alright, don't cover your face though.
Just like this.
Ahuh.
Okay look straight ahead and open your mouth really wide.
And close.
And then open really wide.
Yeah good!
Great. Let's just try a few others.
Can you stick your head way out like this?
Yeah, now bring your head back with your hand like this.
Mhm.
Now go ahead and pull your jaw down with your hands.
Very good.
Now not like a monster, not like this.
Okay, you're going to do it like this.
Ahuh! That looks really good when you looked just like this,
that's the way to do it.
This is what I want you to do.
Yeah! Nice.
Volume Control.
Make sure they learn to project the voice healthfully,
but also sing in lighter, softer ways.
♪ Mee Mee Mee ♪
Good now see there's only one problem Emmy...
Your audience is not on the floor.
Look back to your baby bird!
♪ Mee Mee Mee ♪
That's it, good!
♪ Mee Mee Mee ♪
Good, I think I want you to do one of these for me.
♪
♪ Mee Mee Mee ♪
I like that!
♪ Mee Mee Mee ♪
Good.
♪ Mee Mee Mee ♪
That looked good.
Are you smiling?
♪ Mee Mee Mee ♪
Good.
Agility.
Challenge them to move from note to note quickly and accurately.
Me me me me me me me me me.
That's good right, try to go as fast as you can.
Me me me me me me me me me.
Good put your hands out like me, like a crazy person.
Me me me me me me me me me.
Good good, and how about one of these.
Me me me me me me me me me.
Good one more time!
♪
Me me me me me me me me me.
You forgot your thing...
Here you go again!
Me me me me me me me me me.
Resonance.
Help them to have an awareness of the countless possibilities
as they move their jaw, tongue, lips, larynx, and soft palate.
Mee mee, moo moo.
Can you be crazy?
Mee mee, moo moo.
That was a little crazier!
Scale of one to ten how crazy were you?
Four.
Mhm. That was a four in crazy.
I'm looking for a nine.
Mee mee, moo moo.
That was a pretty crazy job!
That was a seven.
One last time!
Mee mee, moo moo.
Okay!
Diction.
Encourage crisp, clear consonants.
Not just so they can say them right,
but also so they know that what they have to say
is important and meaningful.
♪ I've been staring at the edge of the water ♪
♪ Long as I can remember never really knowing why ♪
♪ I've been staring at the edge of the water ♪
♪ Long as I can remember never really knowing why ♪
Good. Now here's what I'm looking for Emmy-
♪ I've been staring at the edge of the water ♪
Can you do that for me?
♪ I've been staring at the edge of the water ♪
Now say "edge".
♪ I've been staring at the edge of the water ♪
Yeah pretty good!
Say this for me, "edge".
Edge.
Yeah, "edge of the water".
Edge of the water.
That was "edge of the water".
Edge of the water.
There you go! That's how to do it.
Edge of the water!
Edge of the water.
Okay good.
Confidence.
This is maybe the best part.
Help the child understand that their voice is unique, it’s special,
and it’s getting better everyday!
♪ See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me ♪
♪ And no one knows how far I'll go ♪
Good, now Emmy on a scale of one to 10,
how did you like that one?
Five.
It was a five? How can you make it a ten?
More power?
Let's do it! Here we go!
♪ See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me ♪
♪ And no one knows how far it goes ♪
That was a ten!
Okay good!
One of the best ways to keep the FUN in fundamental
is through Games, Physicality, and Characters.
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Sometimes kids are a bit shy in lessons.
Or they might have shorter attention spans.
Or maybe they need a little help in expressing themselves.
This is where we can make it a game!
We could…
Throw a ball.
For spontaneity and pitch precision.
♪ Go go go. ♪
Good!
♪ Go go go. ♪
No no, so you're going to throw it and say it.
♪ Go go go. ♪
[laughter]
Ahuh, but you don't go-
go go go!
It's, ♪ Go go go. ♪
♪ Go go go. ♪
There we go!
We could…
Do a hiss contest.
Just like we did in Ep. 20 of this show to build breath stamina.
Sssss
Go go go, control that breath...
Sssss
Nice and smooth.
Yes you can.
Go go go go go....
All the way to the finish line!
10.6!
Or we could, become the lion.
[Lion roar]
For discovering our fierceness, our boldness, and our wild side…
♪
♪ Roar ♪
There you go!
♪ Roar ♪
That sounds great!
♪ Roar ♪
Good, stay strong.
♪ Roar ♪
Right, be the lion, be the lion!
♪ Roar ♪
Last one...
♪ Roar ♪
♪
These kinds of games are great for engaging your young singer
and you can make them up until the Maine Coons come home.
But, of course, it can’t all be fun and games.
Not if we want to get to Carnegie Hall…
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Uh oh! There’s an elephant in the room!
Practicing.
Let’s ask Emmy about her practicing:
How do you feel about practicing?
Good.
You feel good.
How often do you practice?
Four times a week.
Four times a week? That is amazing!
Did you always practice four times a week?
No.
No, you didn't.
But now you do, now you practice four times a week.
Yes.
That's awesome.
What made you decide to really practice four times a week?
Because I wasn't practicing enough.
Oh you weren't practicing enough.
And what was happening when you weren't practicing?
I wasn't moving on.
You weren't moving on, hmm.
I see.
And so now you are though?
Yeah.
Okay and how does that feel to have gone from not practicing,
not moving, and now you're moving?
Good.
Feels good? Alright, cool!
Practicing is hard for most us.
At any age.
It takes discipline and focus, and a belief that investing time
in your craft is meaningful.
Here are some strategies to keep your kids practicing.
Rewards.
It’s great to create a system of rewards.
Emmy and I have come to an agreement that she'll do her practice first
and use her favorite video game as a reward each day.
Parental Help.
Get the parents involved.
After all, they are the ones paying for the lessons.
So, have a heart to heart with them about what will help the child
to get the most out of the lessons.
Achievable Goals & Reasonable Expectations.
You also want to make sure that practice isn’t defeating.
Help the child to understand what’s the NEXT step for them.
Just the NEXT one.
Make sure that this goal is reasonable and achievable.
It’s okay to challenge them, but only to the point they can handle.
Otherwise, we’ve lost the fun.
They're what?!
Fun!
They're fun! Chords are fun!
One Fun Thing.
Make sure that you’ve identified at least one thing that
the child loves about practicing.
This will help ensure that it’s not just a chore.
If you could just pick one thing,
what is your very favorite thing about singing?
It's fun.
It's fun! That's your very favorite thing, great.
And now - I’d like give you the biggest secret there is to working with kids!
♬
Voice teachers - I hope that you’ve got some new ideas for teaching kids.
And singers - I hope you picked up some new ideas too.
But, are you ready for my biggest secret for teaching kids?
[drumroll]
…Don’t treat them like kids…
What!?
One of the biggest mistakes that teachers (unknowingly) make
is to treat kids like they’re “just kids.”
And then they wonder why they’re unfocussed, shy,
distant, or undisciplined.
But really - how we think about a child is absolutely critical.
When Emmy comes into a lesson with me,
sometimes there’s a celebrity singer before her
and sometimes there’s a Broadway singer after her.
And trust me, I’m not thinking: oh, well now I’ve got to teach a child.
Nope, I say, there she is, the STAR herself.
And I have an expectation in my spirit that this is a serious singer
who is great and wants to be great.
A real person - who can think for herself,
who has creative ideas and genius inside her,
who is capable of working hard and devoting herself to her craft-
as much as anybody.
Kids are very intuitive.
And they know what you’re thinking.
So, if you teach a lot of kids and teenagers,
I challenge you to start thinking about your young singers as your peers.
Yes your peers.
Don’t teach AT them.
Collaborate with them.
And watch them RISE - to exceed your wildest expectations.
Just like Emmy.
In a moment, she’s going to sing a song for us.
But first, here are some ways to RISE on your singing or teaching journey…
To get your copy of Justin Stoney's book
Sing Like Never Before, visit singlikeneverbefore.com
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From the beginning?
♪ I hope you never lose your sense of wonder ♪
♪ You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger ♪
♪ May you never take one single breath for granted ♪
♪ God forbid life ever leave you empty handed ♪
♪ I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean ♪
♪ Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens ♪
♪ Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance ♪
♪ And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance ♪
♪ I hope you dance, I hope you dance ♪
♬
Awesome job! High five, Emmy!
Thanks again to the star herself, Emmy!!!
♬