SINGING

OBJECTIVES
 Learn why singing is central in learning music especially in
the elementary grades.

 Note considerations for vocal competency on the part of the

teacher

 Note considerations required when choosing songs for

children.

 Inculcate good singing attributes in them in teaching

songs

 Learn and apply two methods of teaching songs, by note and

by rote
 Identify the marks of a poor singer and develop ways on
how help him or her
INTRODUCTION 3

It is hard to imagine a child of the 21st century whose

preschool environment did not have any contact with vocal
music. The world we live in is a singing world. Media such as
radio television and internet, bombard us with music both vocal
and instrumental , on a day to day basis. There are games that
children play that incorporate singing. The chirping birds,
chimes, buzzing of bees and the sounds from mechanical toys are
also there, together with the sounds of pets, ticking of clock, and
singing from other family members. Whether or not the children
are able to identify these sounds as music is irrelevant, as long as
these aural experiences have been part of their background,
Because of this we may safely conclude that most if not all,
children come to school with a little background of music.
 THINK
SINGING AS AN EXPERIENTIAL ASPECT TO LEARNING

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 5
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. After a long day’s work we unwind
and bond with our friends through singing, and this give us emotional satisfaction.
• Singing ,ay be considered to be the most important phase of music learning in elementary
school. 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 readily accessible. Singing
can also be a way for students to experience for themselves emotions of other people .
For example in the course of their learning a song about planting rice ( Magtanim Ay Di
Biro) students make a glimpse of how tiring and backbreaking a job it is to work in the
fields. They also get to appreciate their own culture and value the labor of rice farmers
who feed the nation. When singing in the 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 can not train our elementary 6

learners effectively in music if we do not have a certain

acceptable degree of vocal competency. We, teachers need
not to 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.
While it will be ideal for the teacher to be in perfect or
absolute pitch, it alright to utilize tuning forks, pitch pipes or
any melodic instrument available in school.
 7

SOME OF THE IDEAS TO CONSIDER WHEN

TEACHING SINGING ACTIVITIES
1.Choosing children’s Songs-This requires
mor careful consideration for we would not
want to damage students vocal faculties.
a.Teach songs that have simple rhythmic
patterns. The difficulty can increase as
they progress.
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 meaning which may cause
confusion and or embarrassment especially to upper grade
levels (Grades 4-6)
D. Consider the breathing lengths of children. Do not expect
them to sing long phrases if their physique can not allow them
to.
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. Also take note that voices change ( Students
voice ranges in Grades 1-3 will eventually change as their
bodies grow and enter Grades 4-6) You may listen to
recordings to hear for yourself whether or not the voice
ranges of your chosen song/s are applicable to your students.
F.Consider which vocal registers are to be used (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 folk Filipino songs which are sadly failing
Into neglect This will teach our students to learn and preserve
their national heritage and identity.
H. Select songs that are realistic (based on real life) and also
imaginative (fiction) for variety.
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 and tempo
c. Right posture
d. Correct breathing
e. Proper pronunciation of lyrics
f. Correct performance of notated musical symbols
g. Appropriate emotional response
3.Identify which method of learning should be used :
by rote or by note.
There two ways of teaching songs to students
Either by rote that is by listening repeatedly without the use of
musical notation
By note ( learning how to read musical symbols such as notes
and rest) Ideally , we should we should aim to balance
between developing the aural (hearing) and visual
(seeing)capabilities of our students.
3. 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.
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 or phrases.
 On the other hand, learning by note incorporate
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 important that students not only learn
the pitch letters (A, B, C to G) but also experience them- that is
to sing them using sol-fa syllables There is a certain disconnect
when singing letters since they do not correspond that naturally
to the pitches as compared to sol-fa syllables. Also solfeggio
exercises usually do not require children to sing pitches using
letters ,but in sol-fa syllables
 Another effective method in note singing is the
use of body parts to associate pitches . Such as the case when
using Curwen Hand Signals where each hand signal represent a
pitch. See the illustration below.
4. Identify the marks of a poor singer
In some of our musical classes, 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. We are not to
segregate them from class , for this might affect them adversely.
Here are some marks of a poor singer :
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 inability to
Identify which pitches are high, low low
and their relation to other pitches. These require
much ear training and listening exercises.
C. Lack of confidence- This is characterized by stage
fright, extreme anxiety, and lack of voice projection or
volume.
D. Memory problem- These refers to 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 are few suggestions that may help:
a. Listening exercises that identify between high and low pitches
b. Tone matching exercises- 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, composed of a few pitches only . The
number of pitches may increase gradually.
Output