4 ways to make singing a part of every kid’s life

Singing Should Be a Part of Every Kid’s Life Here are four ways to get started

By Tera Schreiber

If you are looking for a way to give your child a boost socially, emotionally and academically, you just might find the answer through song.

“Children who regularly sing in a group develop self-confidence, self-discipline, listening and memory skills, and they demonstrate improved grades and academic achievement. They develop confidence in their own abilities as singers and musicians, and they experience the joy and satisfaction of creating something beautiful in teamwork with others,” says Sara Boos, artistic director and conductor of Northwest Girlchoir.

The evidence is not just anecdotal. A growing body of research documents the calming yet energizing effect of group singing on people. Here’s how to get your kid involved.

1. Start young — sing with your preschooler. Singing helps preschoolers with everything from language acquisition to developing confidence and emotional intelligence.

You can reap these benefits by singing at home or by taking one of the many preschool music classes in our region, such as Kindermusik (kindermusik.com) and Music Together (musictogether.com), which typically include movement, games, stories and play with simple rhythm instruments. These music education providers have all adapted programming amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

2. Choirs, choirs everywhere! Starting at around age 5, kids can gain a meaningful musical education by joining a choir: In addition to church and school choirs, there are dozens of member choirs in the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium (seattlesings.org), a number of which are exclusively children’s choirs. Kids can explore girl- or boy-only choirs or mixed-gender choirs for all ages. Or the whole family can get involved by seeking out a family choir.

Many choirs offer scholarships for those who find the price of music education prohibitive; and different choirs ask varying levels of commitment from families. For example, choirs such as Northwest Girlchoir (northwestgirlchoir.org) and Northwest Boychoir (the two are not affiliated; nwchoirs.org) require multiple practice sessions a week and, for higher levels, a commitment to touring. But Endolyne Children’s Choir (endolynechoir.org), based in West Seattle, doesn’t require auditions and requests only a single afternoon of rehearsal a week.

In a choir, your child may have the chance to sing music from other cultures, in other languages, classical music, historical pieces and modern popular music. Musical selections and priorities will vary. Check out some concerts (Greater Seattle Choral Consortium is a terrific resource) and explore the philosophical and musical goals of the choir to find the best fit for your family.

3. From ‘Hamilton’ to fairy tales with musical

theater

For both new converts and longtime aficionados of musical theater, being in a show (or taking a theater class) is a great way to experience singing. Around the Puget Sound area, choose from intense, competitive, professionalquality experiences for teens, such as the Rising Star Project at the 5th Avenue Theatre (risingstarproject.org), or from smaller theaters that support musical theater education and performances with kids of all ages, such as Studio East (studio-east.org) in Kirkland. Village Theatre’s Kidstage program (villagetheatre.org), Seattle’s Broadway Bound (broadwaybound.org), Youth Theatre Northwest (youththeatre.org) and Olympia Family Theater’s youth program

(olyft.org) are other well-known musical theater programs for kids.

4. Sing in a band or start a family band. “When my daughter was 12, she felt like she didn’t fit in,” recalls Seattle mom Nicole Durbin. “At School of Rock [schoolofrock.com], she found a community of kids like her.”

Durbin recalls that during almost five years as a lead vocalist with her School of Rock bandmates, her daughter did everything from memorizing lyrics to practicing until she mimicked the pitch, tone and tempo of The Doors singing “The End” and Wanda Jackson’s “Funnel of Love.”

Shoreline dad Brian Peterka realized his long-held goal of learning to play guitar when his youngest child, Zeth, was a baby. He started practicing guitar and singing to the kids at bedtime. Over time, his wife’s fiddle lessons and his guitar lessons led to jamming in the living room, and eventually included the kids.

Although now the family plays less often together, the kids still appreciate the gift of music they received. If you want to start this kind of musical legacy in your own family, Peterka recommends, “Get started now!”

For a list of places to sing in the Puget Sound region, visit parentmap.com/singalong.

Tera Schreiber is a freelance writer from Seattle and the mother of three children.

The Wonders of Wenatchee

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SUMMER: Scenic drives, swimming and

fruit stands

COVID-19 cabin fever got you down? Or perhaps you’re tired of waiting out an endless Juneuary? A quick remedy is a Wenatchee day trip. If you live in Seattle, do a big loop: Leave early on Interstate 90, then head north on U.S. Highway 97 over Blewett Pass to the rolling hills around Cashmere and Wenatchee. Return through Leavenworth on U.S. Highway 2, climbing through the Cascade Mountains over Stevens Pass and down through Index and Gold Bar before winding through the lush farm fields of Snohomish to return to Seattle. You’ll see rushing rivers, forests, roadside fruit stands, ranches and farms.

Roadside stops: On your way out on I-90, stop in the mountain mining town of Roslyn to grab coffee at the café made famous by the TV series “Northern Exposure” and walk along the Coal Mines Trail. Close to Wenatchee, pull off at Cashmere to walk around the historic downtown and to tour the Aplets & Cotlets factory (libertyorchards.com/tour) and taste some of its sweet treats, made of locally grown apples and walnuts; it even makes its own Turkish delight. A fun nature stop a few miles north of Wenatchee, Lincoln Rock State Park is an 86-acre park on Lake Entiat. There you can stand in a viewing area to spy Lincoln’s face in the craggy rocks above.

Depending on the month, you can pick cherries or peaches at U-pick farms such as R&J Cherries (Facebook, “R&J U-Pick Cherries”) in East

Lincoln Rock State Park on Lake Entiat

Wenatchee, or just keep an eye out for the many roadside stands that will dot your route, such as Smallwood’s Harvest (Facebook, “Smallwood’s Harvest”), complete with a petting zoo, a cow train ride and a massive farm store.

Eat lunch or dinner at Wenatchee’s riverside Pybus Public Market (pybuspublicmarket.org), a 1940s-era former steel warehouse that has been repurposed as an inventive food hall, featuring a brewery,

cheesemonger, winery, restaurants, gelateria and a large Saturday farmers market from May to October. With its Pike Place Market–style sign, the market serves as one of the anchors of historic Wenatchee, sitting along the railroad tracks. If a dose of Bavarian charm sounds up your alley, swing by Leavenworth on your way home.

Extra adventure: For a day of adventure on the water, book a rafting trip on the Wenatchee River

CAMPS, ARTS + ACTIVITIES

FIND YOUR RHYTHM!

Year-round music classes and lessons | All ages and skill levels Private instruction on 21 instruments and voice | Summer Brass Camp

Pybus Public Market

The Wonders of Wenatchee

continued from page 31

from Leavenworth to Peshastin Flats with the outfitter River Rider (riverrider.com). Expect Class II–III rapids and big fun.

FALL: Apples of my eye Yes, you can pick apples in western Washington. But why wouldn’t you want to head out over the mountains to pick the fruit from the self-proclaimed “Apple Capital of the World”? (Plus, it has sun, remember?) Some 68 percent of the world’s apples are grown in Washington state, and Wenatchee played a vital role in pioneering the state’s apple industry, opening its first orchard in 1884.

Between Cashmere and Wenatchee, fourth-generation farm Stutzman Ranch (thestutzmanranch.com) is an easy stop. Pick Gala, Fuji and Golden Delicious apples for $.65 a pound. (The ranch also has U-pick peaches, nectarines, grapes, pluots and cherries in the summer.) If you’re willing to drive another 40 minutes, head north to Orondo’s Lone Pine Fruit and Espresso (lonepinefruit.com), on Hwy. 97 near Chelan. This fun and funky spot has pies, deli food, ice cream and coffee (as well as outdoor seating); U-pick apple varieties include Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Ambrosia and Fuji.

High-flying festival: No guarantees for 2020, but the Wings & Wheels Festival (visitwenatchee.org) is a beloved annual East Wenatchee event usually held in early October. It celebrates two pilots who made the first nonstop transpacific flight in 1931, crash-landing in the hills above Wenatchee. Expect a car show, remote-control model plane demos and a display of the original plane.

WINTER: Big powder, small crowds at

Mission Ridge

On our first day of skiing at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort (missionridge.com) last winter, we pulled up to the ski area at the very non-early-bird time of 10 a.m. No matter. There were plenty of spaces in the parking lot, and — even better! — right after we parked, a friendly Mission Ridge ambassador, wearing an orange vest and pulling a sled, showed up to ask if we’d like our skis transported to the lodge. Um, yes, please. This was the first sign of the exceptional friendliness of Mission Ridge, which is known for drier, lighter snow than the Cascade sludge often found on the western slope of the mountains.