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The Shy KidsDate: February 27, 2013 by Bruce Rockwell  Views: 1085
I'm just wondering what sorts of strategies you employ to get your quiet kids out of their shell and singing out more. I've got a few kids whose fortes are mezzo pianos.
On a possibly related note, I have promised my beginning choir that I never make them sing individually if they don't want to. I remember what it was like to be uncomfortable singing by myself in front of a class, so I take that pressure off of them. It makes it a little hard to pinpoint specific problems, I'm wondering if my policy is really the right way to go.
Replies (5): Threaded | Chronological
John Howell on February 27, 2013 2:39pm
Hi, Bruce. I assume that you're talking about high school ages here, since there are significant differences between tweens, teens, and late-teen college students.
Regarding the "quiet kids," are they in fact shy or are they going through adolescent voice changes? I would always hesitate to risk asking kids to sing out if it were to cause them to push their voices and perhaps damage them.
But your second question really depends on what your goals are. I certainly understand not wanting to put your younger singers on the spot, because embarrassing them might turn them off to singing. But what would your goal be for asking them to sing in front of the class?
I ask because one of my goals with my university show ensemble was to prepare my singers for auditions under all kinds of conditions. I do feel that auditioning is a skill and can be learned like any other skill, but we have to work at it and give them a chance to get used to the process.
So when I held auditions for solo parts--anything from one-liners to more extensive solo passages, but NOT including auditions for songs that were completely solo--I required ALL of my singers to audition in front of the rest of the cast given the gender or voice range required by the solos. Everyone in my casts was a singer-dancer, but obviously some were there more for their vocal skills and others for their movement skills, but I also required my dancers to go through those auditions, just as my choreographer required all my singers to go through her dance auditions.
Our immediate goal was to discover places where we could give someone an opportunity to do something outside of their own comfort zone, to expand their capabilities and therefore their value to the ensemble. But our longer-term goal was to prepare them for the process of future auditions, up to and including professional auditions, and to give them a chance to find out how to handle the nerves that are always a part of such auditions and to audition with confidence. And they DID learn and it DID pay off for them.
And when it came to auditions for larger solos, there were also important lessons to be learned. At the beginning of the year most of the solos would go to veterans--no surprise at all. But by partway through the first semseter many of the rookies had learned an important lesson, and by the second semester they had ALL learned it: An audition is a PERFORMANCE, full out, full energy, done with confidence, done like a star, done like a pro. And it wasn't long before those rookies started to get their share of auditioned solos. And no one was more supportive of the rookies and happier for them as they started to succeed than the rest of the cast--including the veterans!--because one thing I insisted on was that when the auditions were finished and the results were posted the competition was OVER, and i expected mutual support from everyone for everyone else.
All the best,
John
Applauded by an audience of 2
Bruce Rockwell on February 28, 2013 6:17am
Thanks for your thoughts, and yes these are high school singers. I do hold auditions in class for the various solo opportunities, and I do spot check problems in my advanced choir by having the singers sing certain passages by themselves. The advanced singers are, as usual, very competitive and keen on getting solo opportunities. I am thinking more about my beginning choir, I have always told them that I'll never make them sing by themselves in front of the class. And I don't have my beginning choir sing for any functions in front of the school, for similar reasons. They sing at concerts and our fundraiser shows, but never at rallies, games, etc. My idea is to make it a safe place for them to work out any discomfort about public singing, and by the time they are juniors and seniors I get them out in front of their peers a little more. But now I'm starting to wonder if it might be appropriate to start having my kids sing a little by more themselves, little by little by just spot checking certain notes, vowels, etc., and then progressing on to lines and passages, etc. So in answer to your question, my goal would be to (carefully, gradually) break through their psychological barriers about singing alone in rehearsals. I'm just curious to know if other teachers have their beginning students sing by themselves in class, and what the outcome of it is.
With regard to the quiet kids, yes these are just quiet singers who tend to be shy in general. I'm certainly not asking them to force their vocal production, I just need more sound! And I don't know how to get it from them.
on February 28, 2013 4:07am
Bruce, I struggle with the same thing. Here are some ideas:
1. Assign everyone a solo or small group. In Wisconsin, the Solo/Ensemble Festival is a big deal, and I believe that it pays dividends. All students are expected to participate. putting them in that situation puts positive pressure on them--and you make some time to work with each solo or small group. 2. Put them near un-shy kids. In our musical, one of my quiet guys (understudy) is going to have to sing a couple of sizable solos on the closing performance. Having him sing it with our big voice/big personality leading baritone really helps him come out of his shell.
3. Play drama games. 4. Cultuvate those realtionships. If they feel that you're on their side, and if there is an atmosphere of mutual support within the choir, they'll be more likely to sing out. If you haven't already, check out Choral Charisma by Tom Carter.
--Eric Betthauser
Charlottesville, VA
on February 28, 2013 8:33am
I do empathize with the shy students -- it took me years to mitigate my own fear of being "on stage" (which could include singing in a group in a classroom...). I honestly have to say that it is still with me. I tell my students this, and point out to them that this fear can be "managed". Being "nervous" is good... it shows that they are paying attention. Conversely, I tell them I get scared now when I am NOT nervous -- because either I am too confident, or I am not paying attention... Bottom line, this nervousness is real and it can be managed.
Hopefully this helps.
* I have the "shy" kids stand in the back of the group... When they stand in back, "behind cover" of other students, they actually end up singing just as strong as the others...
* When I give singing tests, whether in a classroom setting or in a rehearsal, I have three students singing at any one time. Only I know which student I am actually listening to. This makes them less nervous of singing solo, and gives them multiple singing opportunities to take the test...
Ron Isaacson
Germantown MD
on March 1, 2013 8:23am
Good advice all around.
I have had singers like this. It is especially challenging in small groups.
Can you work with them individually after school, during lunch, or another time when their peers are not there? Use crescendos, encourage the "nasty cat" tone (assure them that when they add a lifted palate, it will be a warm, round pleasant tone that they have control over). That has worked well, though it does come in stages, and we have to be a little patient. Listen to their speaking voice, especially if another student/something is annoying them. That may give you an idea as to their actual volume-potential. Another helpful sound-image might be the siren.
Sometimes it works to have them sing 5 quarter notes, interspered by rests, in a row. (Choose a note that's mid-range for them; "Ah" vowell is fine, or "ee" to begin with.) Tell them to start breathy, and each one should have more focused air, so that the 5th one sounds laser-beam intense. Keep the air totally focused on to the cheekbones - not the throat.
Shy tones are often a combination of personal concern/fear and lack of technique. (Does not mean that you are not teaching it - they just allow their shyness to keep them from trying it !)
Best Wishes; let us know what works!
-Lucy
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