Singing

Lesson 4
 Lesson Objectives
• Learn why singing is central in learning
music, especially in the elementary level;
• Note considerations for vocal competency
on the part of the teacher;
• Note considerations required when choosing
songs for children;
• Inculcate good singing attributes in their
teaching songs;
 Lesson Objectives
• Learn and apply two methods of
teaching songs, by note and by rote; and
• Identify the marks of a poor singer and
develop ways on how to help him/her.
Singing as an Experiential
Aspect of Learning
Lesson 4
• Singing is one of the most central
activities that must be incorporated in
the music learning experience.
• It is interesting to note that even
other subjects taught at school use
songs for memory reinforcement,
understanding, and enjoyment of
certain topics.
• Singing offers an excellent means
of self-expression and emotional
release. It is also useful for identifying
one’s self with people, places, events,
things, and ideas.
• In some cases, we can relate much
to the songs that we become the
character/s in the songs we sing.
• Filipinos are naturally inclined to
music, especially singing. The nation
has produced many talented artists,
and there is a great love for the
activity, as seen with the wide
popularity of karaoke and videoke
bars and booths.
• A wide range of musical concepts
and experiences can be attained
through, singing, such as reading
notation, dynamics, forms, rhythms,
and tempo among many others.
• The voice is the instrument that all
human beings have- and it is really
accessible.
• Singing can also be a way for
students to experience for themselves
the emotions of other people. For
example, in the course of their
learning a song about planting rice
such as ‘’Magtanim ay Di Biro’’.
• They also get to appreciate their
own culture more and value the labor
of rice farmers who feed the nation.
• When singing in a group, children
learn to be sensitive and cooperative,
responsive to the instructions given to
them so that the group can perform
well as a single unit.
• It is important to note that we
cannot train our elementary students
effectively in music if we do not have a
certain acceptable degree of vocal
competency.
• We, teachers, need not be
accomplished singers or have an
exquisite singing tone, but we must
possess the ability to read notes and
to sing them correctly, in the right pitch
and in the right rhythm.
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
1. Choosing children’s songs. This
requires most careful consideration,
for we would not want to damage
our students’ vocal faculties.
A. Teach songs that have simple
rhythmic patterns. The difficulty can
increase as they progress.
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
B. Teach songs that are appropriate for
their level of understanding. Basically,
what this means is that do not teach
Grade 6 songs to Grade 3 students,
C. Teach songs that have words or lyrics
that are not provocative/suggest double
meanings, which may cause confusion
and/or embarrassment, especially to
upper grave levels.
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
D. Consider the breathing lengths of
children. Do not expect them to sing long
phrases if their physique cannot allow
them.
E. Consider the range of the songs you
are teaching. It is important to evaluate
the vocal range of your students, as the
songs you choose might be either too
high or too low for them to sing.
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
F. Consider which vocal registers are to
be used (either head tone or chest tone.)
G. As much as possible, teach a wide
range of music from different cultures,
but also emphasize our own traditional
and folk Filipino songs, which are sadly
falling into neglect.
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
H. Select songs that are realistic (based
on real life) and also imaginative
(fiction), for variety.
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
2. Aim for Good Singing Attributes.
Here are some goals that teachers
should constantly aim for when
teaching songs:
A. Good tone quality
B. Correct speed or tempo
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
C. Right posture
D. Correct breathing
E. Proper pronunciation of lyrics
F. Correct performance of notated
musical symbols
G. Appropriate emotional response
 Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
3. Identify which method of learning should be
used: by rote or by note. There are two ways of
teaching songs to elementary students, either by
rote (that is, by listening repeatedly without
the use of musical notation) or by note
(learning how to read musical symbols, such
as notes and rests). Ideally, we should aim to
balance between developing the aural and the
visual capabilities of our students.
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
Usually, rote singing is used for
teaching songs that are hard to read.
Students are then left with no choice
but to learn them by ear, thus
developing their ability to create and
recreate music.
 There are two ways of teaching
by rote:
A. Whole song approach- This can be
used to teach songs which can be
easily imitated by children. These are
usually short, repetitive, and easy to
remember.
 There are two ways of teaching
by rote:
B. Phrase-by-phrase approach- This
approach is used to teach songs which
are more difficult to learn and have to
be divided into smaller sections or
phrases.
 On the other hand, learning by
note incorporates activities such as
using sol-fa syllables, which are more
easily associated and assimilated into
the aural experience, as these
syllables seem to perfectly ‘’match’’
the tones they represent.
 When teaching pitches, it is important
that students not only learn the pitch
letters (A, B, C, up to G), but also
‘’experience’’ them- that is, to sing the
using sol-fa syllables.
 Another effective method in note
singing is the use of body parts to
associate with pitches. Such is the case
when using Curwen Hand Signals,
where each hand symbol represents a
pitch.
FOREDHEAD LEVEL
Curwen Hand Signals
 DO
Do is a loose fist
 TI
For ti, point with the index finger
towards the sky or your face
 CHIN LEVEL
Curwen Hand Signals
 LA
La is a loosely open hand and
relaxed hand facing the floor.
 S0
So is an open hand with closed
fingers and your palm facing you.
 FA
Fa is like a thumbs down with the
backs of your hands facing you.
 MI
Mi is an open hand with closed
fingers, hands parallel to the
floor.
 RE
For re, close your fingers together
and slant your hands upward.
 WAIST LEVEL
Curwen Hand Signals
 DO
Do is a loose fist.
 TI
For ti, point with the index finger
towards the sky or your face
Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
4. Identify the marks of a poor singer. In
some of our music lessons, there will be
always some children who are musically
inept, who are unable to ‘’carry a tune’’.
It is our duty as teachers to quickly
identify them, so that we may devise
strategies to help them improve.
 Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
A. Oral Problems. These refer to speech
problems that impede speaking or correct
pronunciation.
B. Aural Problems. These refer to the difficulty
in pitch perception, this is what happens
when a student cannot sing correctly in
tune, or the inability to identify which
pitches are high, low, and their relation to
other pitches. These require much ear
training and listening exercises.
 Here are some ideas to consider
when teaching singing activities:
C. Lack of Confidence. This is
characterized by stage fright, extreme
anxiety and lack of voice projection or
volume.
D. Memory Problems. These refer to the
inability to properly commit the lyrics
and/or the music to memory, both
cognitively and also in terms of muscle
memory.
 In the four problems previously
stated, the most troublesome to solve
would be aural problems. Here few
suggestions that may help :
A. Listening exercises that identify
between high and low pitches.
B. Tone matching exercise- where a
student should reproduce correctly a
given pitch. These may take a lot of
time and repetition. Start with one
pitch, then gradually increase the
number of pitches to be matched.
Using sol-fa syllables is highly
recommended.
C. Singing a short phrase, compose of
a few pitches only. The number of
pitches may be increased gradually.