by:
Kellie Cadogan
IBelieve the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside.” (Greatest Love of All) Do you have a child or know of one who has an immense desire or love for music and you would like them to maximise their full vocal potential? If so, you can play an active role by building your awareness of how singing can be beneficial to their overall development. You can build your child’s confidence with these four facts about singing, and tips to help you help them develop their self-expression.
OUR ROLE AS PARENTS
We as parents play an integral role in the development of our children. During my pregnancy and after my daughter was born, I sang to her. When she was three months old, I started to sing the song “Dream a Little Dream of Me”.
At least four times a week, I sang this song to her. When my little munchkin turned one year, and as a new mother, I was pleasantly surprised to hear her singing the melody with me, in her own way, of course. After every breath she joined in, like she knew exactly what I was doing – where to breathe, where to begin and where to end. Although she could not repeat the words, she was quite aware of the melody and rhythm and was developing the ability to listen, learn and reproduce sound, due to my constant repetition of the song.
You may or may not have experienced this with your child at such a young age but it is never too late to expose your child to the benefits of singing, especially when they express to you that they like to sing. Additionally, at this stage your child may not be able to produce the ‘good sound’ that you would hear from professional artistes on the radio and that is okay, we all have to start somewhere. It does not matter the age, once a child possesses a love and a desire for singing, vocal training can get them to achieve their goals.
Some facts about singing
Fact 1
Singing involves deep breathing and the controlled use of muscles in the respiratory system, and can therefore be beneficial for certain lung and breathing conditions. Studies have shown that the breathing techniques used with singing may offer benefits for people who have asthma and other conditions.
Fact 2
Doing vocal warmups before singing is one of the primary ways to develop vocal technique and a healthy way to preserve the vocal folds from injury (voice loss, vocal strain, vocal fatigue, vocal nodules etc.)
Fact 3
Speaking and singing require the use of the vocal folds. This means once you can speak you have the ability and potential to sing. Both speaking and singing require respiration (breath using the lungs), phonation (vibration of the vocal folds), resonation (the throat, mouth & nasal passages) and articulation (the teeth, the lips, tongue, jaw, hard and soft palate)
Fact 4
Studies have shown that the area of music which aids in the development of speech from an early age is SINGING! It also improves brain development an increases creativity.
Fact 5
Singing helps produce high levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody which helps fend off infections.
TIPS TO HELP YOU AT HOME
Allow your child to express him/ herself vocally i.e. let your child SING!
Encourage them to make as many sounds as they wish. This includes but is not limited to (sounds of nature, animal sounds, everyday sounds). Feel free to jump in with them and make the sounds with your child. When you stop a child from expressing and refer to their efforts as “noise” it will shut them down and they would then think something is wrong. This, unfortunately, is the breeding ground for low self-confidence and low self-esteem.
If you observe that your child shows early signs of singing, explore the possibility of placing them in the right environment to hone their skills/gifts.
Use singing resources such as books and or audios with activities to assist them.
Encourage them to join the choir at school or at church.
Enroll them in programmes (physical or virtual) that apply functional approaches to vocal training so that they can develop a firm vocal and musical foundation in preparation for the years to come.
REMEMBER, like with anything else in life, be patient with your child as they progress.
Singing prepares the foundation of building coordination, self-discipline, expresses emotions, vocal ability and reduces stress. It improves goalsetting, increases laughter and indeed, stimulates endorphins in the body during and after activity.
One of the very special benefits of singing is the bond that is created between parent and child. Singing is an excellent way to bond as a family no matter the age range. It also creates new and lifelong friendships and support systems, especially if enrolled in a group training programme with peers.
For more tips and information visit www.eastpointproductions.com Kellie Cadogan is a recording artiste and principal vocal trainer & coach at East Point Productions Inc. She is also the centre representative for the London College of Music Examinations in Barbados.
Kellie Cadogan is a recording artiste and principal vocal trainer & coach at East Point Productions Inc. She is also the centre representative for the London College of Music Examinations in Barbados.
