VOCALS
WHAT THE KIDS CAN TEACH US ABOUT SINGING | Renée Maranan
My daughter sings all the time. As a matter of fact, she’ s singing even as I’ m writing this article. I used to think my own mother was exaggerating when she used to tell people that I started singing before I started talking, but now I know it was probably true because my daughter started singing at about that time as well. But because I’ m witnessing her singing journey not just as a mother but also as a voice educator, I am filled with wonder in more ways than one.
Here are some insights I’ ve gleaned from watching my daughter learn how to sing, as someone who is in the business of teaching others to sing. These observations have inspired countless conversations with students who are trying to learn new singing skills, struggling to overcome vocal barriers, confronting insecurities about their singing, grappling with unfamiliar sounds and sensations in their voices, or redefining( or maybe defining for the first time) what it means to accept and love their voice. I’ ve learned a lot from these observations, and in turn, my students have grown a lot from them as well. I hope they help you, too.
TALENT ISN’ T THE WHOLE STORY Just for fun, I tried teaching my daughter how to sing melodic intervals at the age of two. I didn’ t expect much from the experiment, until I realized that she had learned how to harmonize by the age of three. My husband and I would look at each other in quiet shock as she alternated effortlessly between the melody lines, background vocals, and even the instrumental parts and percussion to the songs that we would listen to in the car. And earlier this year, we started catching her making up harmonies and runs that were entirely her own.
Is there giftedness there? Possibly. But before you walk away thinking my child is a musical prodigy, let me be really honest about what most people don’ t get to hear. Before the harmonies and runs start sounding clean and on key, she actually spends a considerable amount of time making a mess of them. She would aim for the parallel third above the melody line and wildly overshoot. She would try belting a really high note and end up getting stuck in full yell timbre, completely flat.
Anyone who listens to this would automatically dismiss it, which is completely understandable. After all, she’ s just six years old – who can expect a first grader to know how to make up harmonies accurately on the spot, or belt a high note effortlessly on the first try?
But that’ s the point: nobody knows how to do anything new on the first try.
SINGING IS A PLAYGROUND, AND KIDS ARE MASTERS OF PLAY Whether we’ re six or 26 or 56, we all have to start somewhere, and every new exploration is usually full of trial and error. And with an instrument like the voice, which we can’ t directly see or feel, the amount of trial and error that has to happen is staggering. To more mature students, especially the ones who have learned to equate failure with rejection or pain or inadequacy, the possibility of making an error can make the trial seem incredibly intimidating.
But to a child, there is no such thing as passing or failing at singing. There’ s just play. Every new skill is like a new amusement park attraction, and the only goal is to experience and explore. It isn’ t until they learn to attach“ good” or“ bad” qualifications to their singing that they start judging themselves on their own performance. Until then, every challenge is just a new dimension to the game.
What if we saw singing in this way? Instead of thinking of it as something we“ have to get right,” what if we thought of it as a theme park that we get to explore? What would change about our experience of singing? What would change about the way we see ourselves as singers?
THE INNER PLAYGROUND ON A REAL WORLD STAGE Of course, we all know that the longer we walk our singing journey, the more we experience disappointment, rejection, challenges, frustration, self-doubt, and so much more, sometimes when the stakes are really high. That pain can make it hard to maintain a positive or even healthy relationship with our voices and our performing life. But when we do experience challenges and setbacks in our singing, we get to make a choice. We can choose to weave the challenges into a narrative of fear or inadequacy, allowing them to discourage us into hiding from our potential. Or we can reconnect to the 6-year-old version of ourselves— the one who played in song, learned through messy exploration, and expressed themselves through music, freely and fearlessly.
Got a singing question? Send an email to hello @ reneemaranan. com with“ WM Vocals Question” in the subject line!
Renée Maranan Renée Maranan is a vocal instructor, voice teacher trainer, and life coach, with over 25 years of experience working with singers, vocal instructors, and performers from all over the world. For more vocal help, visit her www. reneemaranan. com or follow her on Instagram(@ reneemaranan).. www. ReneeMaranan. com Instagram @ reneemaranan
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