First Graders Use of Singing Voice and Pitch Matching in the Elementary General Music Classroom Amy Paz Woodside Avenue School, Franklin Lakes apaz@franklinlakes.k12.nj.us
Helping children find their singing voices is one important aspect of early musical development in the general music classroom (Green 1990; Nichols, 2017). Although many young students often succeed in finding their singing voice and are able to match pitch, others will need help and benefit from multiple strategies. For instance, some children may sing the contour, but not the accurate pitch. Others may match pitch inconsistently or are unable to hear the difference between a singing or speaking voice. Some students may chant or waiver between a speaking and singing voice while sustaining pitch. Invariably, teachers will often sing to their students and expect that they will be able to successfully sing back to them, but many children have a difficult time finding their singing voices. What follows are some strategies that potentially may help students who struggle to find their authentic singing voice. Why is this important? Students who sing their authentic selves often open a “window” and, eventually a door, for the rest of their lives.
voices and assist teachers with promoting vocal exploration and pitch matching. Cardany (2017) posits that starting with free exploration of sound, and exploring melodic phrases and simple songs is a way to progress and succeed in voice development among children. Because of this, some of the strategies used in the general music classroom include play-party games, teacher modeling, and peer-echo. Sometimes there are visual props involved such as puppets or stuffed animals. Also included are techniques like vocal play such as imitating sounds such as ghosts or sirens. Assessment in Pitch Matching The demand to provide solid data through both formative and summative assessment strategies has an impact on music teachers every day. In order to track the progress of children’s singing, it is important to measure vocal development and achievement. Notably, general music teachers should provide a valid, consistent measure of vocal development to accurately assess children’s singing (Salvador, 2010). Because of this, what follows is an assessment tool to measure for the singing voice:
Strategies to Improving Pitch Matching There are many approaches to help children find their singing
Singing Voice Development Measure (SVDM) 1
Pre-singer does not sing but chants the song text
1.5
Inconsistent Speaking Range Singer sometimes chants, sometimes sustains tones and exhibits some sensitivity to pitch but remains in the speaking voice range (usually A2 to C3).
2
Speaking Range Singer sustains tones and exhibits some sensitivity to pitch but remains in the speaking voice range (usually A2 to C3).
2.5
Inconsistent Limited Range Singer waivers between speaking and singing voices and uses a limited range when in singing voice (usually up to F3)
3
Limited Range Singer exhibits consistent use of limited singing range (usually D3 to F3)
3.5
Inconsistent Initial Range Singer sometimes only exhibits use of limited singing range, but other times exhibits use of initial singing range (usually D3 to A3)
4
Initial Range Singer exhibits consistent use of initial singing range (usually D3 to A3)
4.5
Inconsistent Singer sometimes only exhibits use of initial singing range, but other times exhibits use of extended singing range (sings beyond the register lift: B3-flat and above)
5
Singer exhibits use of extended singing range (sings beyond the register lift: B3-flat and above)
Figure 1. Rutkowski’s (1996) Singing Voice Development Measure (SVDM). TEMPO
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