Teaching Kids to Sing

Book excerpt: "The book is organized into two parts. Part I, "The Young Singer," is an introduction to 90 sequential singing exercises detailed in Part II. Here, Phillips provides historical and philosophical perspectives on procedures of vocal training for children and adolescents. Included are discussions on the physiology of the singing voice, proper vocal techniques, the vocal parameters of pitch, registers, and range, and a special section on common vocal disorders and proper vocal hygiene." "Part II, "Vocal Technique for Young Singers," examines aspects of vocal technique by grouping the exercises into five major areas: respiration, the foundation for good singing technique; phonation, developing children's speaking voices as a natural part of voice training; resonant tone production; diction, emphasizing uniform vowels and rapid consonant articulation; and expression, studying how phrasing, dynamic and tempo variation, and mood lead to meaningful interpretation."