The young child’s musical mind grasps tonal content most easily and learns to sing most accurately in the beginning singing range—from middle C to the B above, with the tessitura between D and A. The intermediate range serves the developing voice by moving children up from the beginning singing range beyond the voice break that occurs around the B above middle C, to the D a ninth above middle C. The advanced singing range takes the more developed child voice up to the higher G.
The beginning vocal range optimizes tonal development, which can then be propelled to the higher range. Children 0-5 are best served musically with broad experience in the beginning singing range through more advanced rhythm and tonal activities and more musically difficult Art Songs and Gem Songs, rather than through the higher singing range. Children 5-8 with a background in meters, tonalities, Art Songs and Gem Songs are ready to move into the intermediate and then advanced singing range, with a tessitura between the E above middle C and the E an octave above. 5-8 year olds without a background in meters, tonalities, Art Songs and Gem Songs are better served by the beginning singing range, even if they appear to be tuneful in the higher range. The beginning singing range optimizes tonal development. The higher ranges require vocal development, which advances most quickly, most soundly, and most in-tune in all tonalities when propelled by tonal development.
Many of the Art Songs and Gem Songs offered in this workshop are within the beginning singing range. Their intent is the development of children’s artistry in relation to music learning. Play Songs, on the other hand, are not limited to the beginning singing range, as they are included for reasons other than music learning. You can sing Play Songs in whatever range is comfortable for your own voice, but present Art Songs and Gem Songs as notated.
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