BUON CANTO VOICE STUDIO
Private Voice Instruction by Marisa Gray Atha, Soprano
 

Singing for Children

What is the Proper Age to Begin Voice Lessons?                                                                                                         By Marisa Gray Atha
A Study of Child and Adolescent Voices
 

Determining the correct age to begin voice lessons is a controversial subject.  Some pedagogues recommend waiting until the voice has passed through adolescence and matured, while others advocate vocal lessons for children six years of age, or even younger.  Manuel Garcia II, a nineteenth-century pedagogue and performer, claimed the “premature end of his operatic career was probably caused by a too-early start of professional training of his not-quite-formed voice.”¹  While Garcia discouraged vocal training during adolescence, his contemporary, laryngologist Morel Mackenzie saw no harm in singing during this mutational period.²  Also, some pedagogues discourage the vocal instruction of children, considering these young voices too delicate and vulnerable.  Yet soprano Joan Sutherland can testify to the opposite.  At the age of three, she would hide under the piano, listening to her gifted mezzo-soprano mother practicing trills, and Joan would imitate what she heard.³  Her mother began instructing her at this young age and continued until Joan, at the age of eighteen, commenced voice lessons with another teacher.⁴  Marcia McCarry, a voice teacher with a MA in Vocal Pedagogy, feels, “If children are going to sing anyway, shouldn’t they be able to have instruction so that they have the opportunity to develop ‘skill-ability’?”⁵  This instruction may take place within the context of a classroom, or as private voice lessons.  If a voice instructor considers the proper pedagogical methods for children and adolescents—generally a limitation of pitch range, dynamic level, and duration of singing time—no age is too young to begin voice lessons.  Studying voice as a child or adolescent may actually prevent vocal damage rather than cause it.

Musical development is widely considered a vital component of a child’s learning experience: “Children are creatures of spirit and music can touch their spiritual natures so deeply that they are never again the same. . . . The development of a sense of beauty and of positive responsiveness to it is a major obligation of education.”⁶  Already from the ages of eighteen months to three years, a child begins acquiring a “repertoire of tonal patterns, and tonal memory is being shaped.”⁷  Kenneth Phillips, author of Teaching Kids to Sing, addresses singing, specifically, as an important “means of human expression.”⁸  He describes singing as a “complex skill” that should be developed at an early age, along with the development of other motor skills.⁹  He states, “Early confidence in singing lays the foundation for a successful music education. . . . A student who sings learns about life.  The transmission of cultural heritages, traditions, and beliefs are all part of the singing experience.”¹⁰ 

While laryngologist Friedrich Brodnitz discourages formal training before the ages of seventeen to eighteen for boys, and sixteen for girls, Phillips considers children capable of formal training at the age of eight because their lungs have fully developed.¹¹  Many pedagogues encourage the development of ear training and other musical skills, rather than vocal training, at such a young age; however, Phillips describes the Kodály, and similar methods, as getting the “cart before the horse” because they “presuppose an ability to sing beautifully.”¹²  Dr. Brodnitz’s recommended age is older than those of many other contemporary pedagogues, and later in his article, he retracts his age requirement somewhat by stating, “Of course, singing lessons by an experienced teacher cannot do any harm if he holds back the ambition of the young student. . . . And any strenuous performing during the years of vocal maturation should definitely be discouraged.”¹³  Marcia McCarry, in contrast to Brodnitz and Phillips, advocates voice lessons at any age—even as early as three years old, as demonstrated by the Joan Sutherland anecdote.¹⁴  If a child expresses the desire to sing, then he/she is old enough to begin voice lessons, provided the instructor understands the dynamics of the young voice.

Phillips believes instructing children how to sing at an early age will not damage the voice, and beyond that, it will actually prevent damage.  Yelling on the playground, speaking incorrectly, and singing incorrectly will cause harm.  Drs. Robert Sataloff and Joseph Spiegel, authors of a NATS article called The Young Voice, believe children’s “delicate muscles and fragile mucosa” may be injured by “belting” in or with musical theater shows, like Annie, for example, or by choosing untrained rock singers as vocal role models.¹⁵  Phillips says:

Surprisingly, those who object to child vocal training often feel it is safe for children to sing without any instruction.  A child will learn how to sing properly or improperly; better that children be taught correctly how to use the voice, rather than that the ‘learning’ happen by chance!¹⁶

Both Kenneth Phillips and Shirley McRae, author of Directing the Children’s Choir, recommend instructors to encourage children to think of their voices as an instrument.  Phillips discusses this notion in relation to the emotional aspect of singing, believing it helps to alleviate self-consciousness and the sensitive personal feelings associated with singing.¹⁷  McRae utilizes this concept to teach children to care for and protect their voices: “Children may be taught to regard their singing voice as a musical instrument that is distinctive and capable of producing a variety of beautiful sounds.  It is thus worthy of respect and proper care.”¹⁸

Phillips and McRae share the goal of preventing vocal damage in young singers by incorporating a thorough instructional method.¹⁹  They both believe the following elements of singing may be addressed in singers of all ages: breathing, phonation, resonant tone production, diction, and expression.²⁰  Unafraid to delve into such depth with young singers, Phillips states, “Children are not forbidden to play ball because their muscles are still developing, but are allowed to endure less so that they do not become fatigued and hurt themselves.”²¹  This principle of limiting the duration of singing is important to instructing children and adolescents—especially adolescents—along with the limitation of dynamic level and pitch range.  Vocal instructors may address all areas of technique, but must remember not to strain or force a young voice in any particular direction.

Phillips recommends only spending five to ten minutes on technical aspects when teaching very young children, and then moving on to engaging repertoire.²²  This aspect pertains more to a child’s attention span.  However, a child’s larynx grows at a steady rate, and therefore, he/she will have greater vocal stamina than an adolescent singer experiencing a laryngeal mutation.  The limitation of dynamic level and pitch range are, however, crucial to a child’s vocal health. 

Extremes of dynamics should be avoided, instead encouraging a range of mezzo piano to mezzo forte.²³  Older children are able to sustain a comfortable mezzo forte for longer periods of time.²⁴  An instructor should also focus on a narrow pitch range, while teaching students to find their higher register.²⁵  A child’s voice should be flutelike; however, many children do not experience singing in their higher register until instructed to do so—they naturally sing in their modal voices, and often do this “boisterously.”²⁶  McRae states children sing at the same pitch as their speaking voices, around C4 or D4, which results “in a harsh, dead tone.”²⁷  Phillips addresses the danger in always using this modal voice—a child’s voice is very “elastic” in this lower register, so he/she can easily carry the modal voice far above C4.  This results in a “harsh sound and strained technique” and can potentially damage the vocal folds.²⁸  Phillips compares this occurrence to “driving a car at sixty miles an hour in low gear; the transmission is not built to withstand such abuse and neither are the vocal folds.”²⁹ 

Phillips also addresses the problem of boys carrying their head voices too low in range—this is especially common in boys’ choirs.³⁰  He believes male adolescent break problems would be ameliorated by encouraging the development of modal and head registers in boys.³¹  For both sexes, Phillips recommends a “blending” of registers, vocalizing from the top downward.  He provides opportunities for very young singers to listen to each other, “aurally evaluating whether there is too much lower or upper at any point in the middle-voice scale.”³²  He says, “It is surprising how sophisticated this process can make young ears.”³³  McCarry addresses the same issue in her teaching, helping “young students to keep the low voice active and working well while finding out how to expand their pitches in a higher range.”³⁴  She offers an exercise to aid in this process: glissandos, or “sirens” from the highest register downward, using the syllables “hoo” and “whee.”³⁵

Like Phillips, McCarry believes children can be surprisingly adept in their musical development.  She encourages children to memorize songs, including many in foreign languages, stating children love learning these songs and actually do so much faster than many adults.³⁶  She believes kids eight years or older are ready to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet, and actually “enjoy deciphering [the symbols] when the teacher writes them instead of words.”³⁷  The vocal quality of a child usually peaks around the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades, until the transitional time of puberty ensues.³⁸

Between the ages of eight and fifteen for American females, and nine and a half to fourteen for American males, puberty begins, and the voice changes more than at any other period of life.³⁹  The male vocal folds grow four to six millimeters in length, a process that takes anywhere from three to six months, to three years.⁴⁰  The voice drops approximately one octave in register.⁴¹  The female vocal folds grow one to three and a half millimeters in length.⁴²  This process happens more slowly than that of the male, and the voice usually drops about three to four semitones.⁴³  During this time, the tone may be breathy due to a “mutational chink” that occurs—this breathy tone may occur in both sexes, but is more common in females.⁴⁴  Males may also experience pronounced range limitations, incomplete phonation, and inability to control pitches.⁴⁵  Again, the topic of whether to continue (or begin) vocal training during adolescence is controversial.  Drs. Sataloff and Spiegel believe adolescents may certainly study singing if they so desire; however this training must “be directed toward avoiding voice abuse and toward gradual development of vocal musculature and control.”⁴⁶  An adolescent may train during the mutational period, but the duration of singing must be limited, along with the dynamic level.  The tessitura also must be handled appropriately.  Barbara Doscher, author of The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice, states, “The single most important trait of the young voice is its limited endurance. . . . Singing for too long a time is especially dangerous.”⁴⁷

Doscher warns against dynamic extremes, except for short durations, and recommends a medium dynamic level during high school.⁴⁸  Phillips, on the other hand, believes dynamics of forte and fortissimo should be avoided during the junior high school years, but most singers should be comfortable with these levels during high school.

The treatments of tessitura and register are the most crucial aspects of adolescent vocal training since the singer’s range actually lowers during the pubescent years.  Basically, both genders should be instructed to use their entire range, not remaining too long at either end.  A student’s voice should not be forced upward, downward, or towards a specific voice classification.  Many females experience vocal problems as a result of taking their modal voices too high in pitch—or “belting.”  Phillips regards this as “potentially damaging to the vocal folds” due to the unnecessary amount of friction and wear.⁴⁹  The female voice should be trained lightly in the upper register, and the “entire vocal mechanism” should be exercised to develop a healthy voice.⁵⁰

In regard to the adolescent male voice, Drs. Sataloff and Spiegel state, “Most of the abuses of the changing voice come from the youngster (usually male) forcing the voice down or up in order to avoid the embarrassment of voice breaks.  If this behavior can be eliminated, safer singing results.”⁵¹  McRae recommends adolescent males vocalize from the high range, through the middle, “lightening” and supporting “through the ‘new territory’ of the baritone range.”⁵²  She emphasizes the necessity for males to experience their falsetto, head, and chest ranges.⁵³  Phillips also emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the falsetto and “pure upper” registers.⁵⁴  He adds that males should be taught to find their pure lower register, not carrying a mixed register too low in pitch.⁵⁵

The main principle in training children and adolescents to sing is understanding the limitations of these age groups.  Any child who expresses the desire to begin private voice lessons should not be hindered from this rewarding process.  The most crucial element is locating a voice teacher with adequate knowledge of the child and adolescent voice.  The experience of voice lessons will reward an individual throughout life, as he/she develops skills of “concentration, self-discipline, attention to detail, control of the body, self-confidence, and poise.”⁵⁶  Any age is the correct age to begin voice lessons.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brodnitz, Friedrich S.  “On Change of the Voice.”  The NATS Journal  40, no. 2 (1983): 24-26.
 

Doscher, Barbara M.  The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice.  2^nd ed.  Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 1994.
 

Gary, Charles L., ed.  The Study of Music in the Elementary School: A Conceptual Approach.  Washington, D.C.: Music Educators National
          Conference, 1967.
 

Killan, Janice.  “A Description of Vocal Maturation among Fifth-and Sixth-Grade Boys.”Journal of Research in Music Education 47, no. 4
          (1999): 357-369.
 

McCarry, Marcia.  “Why Should I Teach Kids to Sing?”  Journal of Singing 60, no. 2 (2003): 181-183.
 

McRae, Shirley W.  Directing the Children’s Choir.  New York: Schirmer Books, 1991.
 

Phillips, Kenneth H.  Teaching Kids to Sing.  New York: Schirmer Books, 1992.
 

Samuelson, Kristin.  “The Impact of Puberphonia on the Female Speaking and Singing Voice.”  Journal of Singing 55, no. 4 (1999): 25-35.
 

Sataloff, Robert T. and Joseph R. Spiegel.  “The Young Voice.”  The NATS Journal 45, no. 3 (1989): 35-37.