Help me think this through?

[Lizzie in Ma]

I am so sad. For 6 months we have been blessed to have free vocal lessons for our gifted 7 year old. Now her teacher has to get a full time job and can no longer teach any of her students. I am so very sad because this child has been so blessed vocally and I was thrilled to have training for her.

 

I just don't feel like I can add vocals to my own plate; I have so much on it already but paying for lessons is out of the question.

 

Should I start looking for a way to teach her regardless of how I feel?

Should I accept that we are unable to further her training at present?

How do "be okay" with either choice?

 

I would appreciate the input of the Hive. This has really thrown me.

[GreenKitty]

If she really enjoyed and wants to keep up with lessons, then I would look around for somewhere for her to go or a teacher/student to be brought to the house. If nothing is found then try looking for ways that you can help her. You can always start looking again later if her interest is still there.

[PeterPan]

You might see if you can find a children's choir within a reasonable drive.

[Chris in VA]

Can you ask the teacher for some suggestions? Perhaps just spending time reinforcing what she's already learned by having her sing her exercises and such would keep her skills up until you can afford more lessons.

 

I'm sure she's very gifted, but she also has time vocally--so I would not feel that bad about not being able to continue right now.

[MIch elle]

if you live near Worcester, MA, All Saints Church pays the kids to sing in their childens choir.

[Lizzie in Ma]

If she really enjoyed and wants to keep up with lessons, then I would look around for somewhere for her to go or a teacher/student to be brought to the house. If nothing is found then try looking for ways that you can help her. You can always start looking again later if her interest is still there.

 

We can't afford lessons, her teacher had been blessing us because the little one had impressed her.

[Lizzie in Ma]

if you live near Worcester, MA, All Saints Church pays the kids to sing in their childens choir.

 

Our church has a kids choir but the rotating leaders ( as much as I love them) are far from vocal professionals. Also she is a year shy of being old enough to join.

[Trivium Academy]

Maybe she can sing solos as special performances at church. She can keep practicing what she has learned and in the meantime just keep an eye/ear out for a new vocal teacher. Is there a college nearby? Quite possibly a student would be willing to give lessons. Are there any studios around you that have vocal teachers? Even if you cannot pay you may be able to barter something or might just find another blessing just waiting to happen.

 

I'm a part of the "you never know unless you try/ask" team. I would keep encouraging her even if you're unable to provide any more formal training at this time. Her previous teacher may have some suggestion on how to grow or maintain in the meantime. Another idea of out thin air...are there DVD vocal lessons?

 

I just had to take a quick look, there IS!

http://www.singers.com/instructional/teachingkidstosing.html

 

I hope this helps, don't give up entirely just be realistic. :)

[FO4UR]

I have a BSE Music Ed, and my instrument is voice. My best advice is to get her PIANO lessons!

 

Encourage the singing and look for opportunities in your area to sing, by all means. However, if she is going to study voice seriously at an older age she needs a solid foundation in piano study (even if she doesn't LOVE it, but if she LOVES singing....I imagine piano will atleast be liked...). She needs to develop her ears and piano lessons, specifically singing what she plays will help (violin would be great too, but if $ is an issue.....).

 

Honestly, I'm leary of voice lessons at 7yo. I hesistate to take a voice student younger that 14-15yo b/c the voice is a muscle that's still growing. It's too easy for a young child to be pushed into damaging her instrument....and once it's gone you can't buy another. Besides, vocal technique is just a highly complex idea for a child. Piano, violin, chilren's choirs, etc.... are all better options for her age imho.

 

Check the colleges in your area!!!!!!!!!! I know when I was in college there were tons of opportunities for "free lessons";)

[Pongo]

Wow, I am surprised a vocal coach would take on a child so young. Normally at that age if you do anything vocally it should be only, introducing basic breathing techniques, basic music reading, understanding harmony versus melody. I agree with the poster who mentioned a children's choir. That will help her learn to take direction, sing with other people and she will be able to work on the other basic skills. This would be pretty easy to do at home if that was what she was getting. I would be hesitant to do ANY serious vocal training.

 

Usually vocal coaches will not take on children for serious vocal training until after 12 ish even older, even if they have a gifted tone/musicality/a good ear. Vocal training can take quite a toll on under developed vocal chords. I know even after years and years of vocal training I still have to be careful not to overwork my vocals.

 

I have a gifted pianist, my wonderful 10 yod. I have always felt that when a child is gifted in an area of music it isn't something they "lose". Sometimes change is a blessing in disguise, this will allow her to seek out other opportunities to sing. Kids theater shows, solos in church, children's choir, and talent shows. This will give her some time to find her "voice", being allowed to develop her voice naturally and then fine tune her tone and style is, IMHO the best way to go.

 

Good Luck :)

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

I have a BSE Music Ed, and my instrument is voice. My best advice is to get her PIANO lessons!

 

Encourage the singing and look for opportunities in your area to sing, by all means. However, if she is going to study voice seriously at an older age she needs a solid foundation in piano study (even if she doesn't LOVE it, but if she LOVES singing....I imagine piano will atleast be liked...). She needs to develop her ears and piano lessons, specifically singing what she plays will help (violin would be great too, but if $ is an issue.....).

 

Honestly, I'm leary of voice lessons at 7yo. I hesistate to take a voice student younger that 14-15yo b/c the voice is a muscle that's still growing. It's too easy for a young child to be pushed into damaging her instrument....and once it's gone you can't buy another. Besides, vocal technique is just a highly complex idea for a child. Piano, violin, chilren's choirs, etc.... are all better options for her age imho.

 

Check the colleges in your area!!!!!!!!!! I know when I was in college there were tons of opportunities for "free lessons";)

 

I absolutely agree. Honestly? This might have been a blessing in disguise. Damage at this age is not really fully reversible. And unless you have specific training in the young voice, I'd be really leery about doing much formally at home if I were you.

 

Violin or piano. That's my vote.

[Pongo]

Our church has a kids choir but the rotating leaders ( as much as I love them) are far from vocal professionals. Also she is a year shy of being old enough to join.

 

She doesn't need a vocal professional to just sing and learn "parts". If she loves singing just the opportunity to sing would be great :). Maybe you could discuss it with the choir director and see if they can make an acception.

[Tree House Academy]

If you see a TRUE gift in your daughter - and I don't mean "oh, my daughter sings beautifully because she is my daughter" but a true, amazing gift, then I would give anything it took to make sure that she had the training she needed. Also, I would factor in how much it means to her. Does she love it? Is she devastated? If not, maybe it can wait a few months, a year, until you have the funds and such.

 

If it were me, I would have to follow my heart on this one...that mother's gut instinct.

 

Good luck in any decision you make.

[Starr]

:iagree: That's the advice we've been given. We live near a college school of music. Dc are in the music school's children's choir and take piano.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I have a BSE Music Ed, and my instrument is voice. My best advice is to get her PIANO lessons!

 

Encourage the singing and look for opportunities in your area to sing, by all means. However, if she is going to study voice seriously at an older age she needs a solid foundation in piano study (even if she doesn't LOVE it, but if she LOVES singing....I imagine piano will atleast be liked...). She needs to develop her ears and piano lessons, specifically singing what she plays will help (violin would be great too, but if $ is an issue.....).

 

Honestly, I'm leary of voice lessons at 7yo. I hesistate to take a voice student younger that 14-15yo b/c the voice is a muscle that's still growing. It's too easy for a young child to be pushed into damaging her instrument....and once it's gone you can't buy another. Besides, vocal technique is just a highly complex idea for a child. Piano, violin, chilren's choirs, etc.... are all better options for her age imho.

 

Check the colleges in your area!!!!!!!!!! I know when I was in college there were tons of opportunities for "free lessons";)

 

She was the youngest student the teacher had ever taken and they worked mostly on breathing techniques and poise thus far. Your point about hurting the voice was a point she made certain to stress that they NOT do.

I can teach beginning piano myself and I can use the books I kept from childhood.

I also have Music Ace which they have used sporadically, I can schedule that in as well.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to help.

[Lizzie in Ma]

If you see a TRUE gift in your daughter - and I don't mean "oh, my daughter sings beautifully because she is my daughter" but a true, amazing gift, then I would give anything it took to make sure that she had the training she needed. Also, I would factor in how much it means to her. Does she love it? Is she devastated? If not, maybe it can wait a few months, a year, until you have the funds and such.

 

If it were me, I would have to follow my heart on this one...that mother's gut instinct.

 

Good luck in any decision you make.

 

Both out girls adore this woman. I never even thought about her singing, she sang around the house like any normal kid. After 4 months with this woman it was her turn to sing the offertory and my biggest fear was that she would bolt and cry. I wish I could describe what happened, I was overwhelmed and I was far from alone. Tears were streaming down my cheeks and my sister's and many other faces. This skinny little child in braids and a pink dress got up there with a huge smile, carefully folded her hands, and looked at her teacher. Everyone was hushed waiting for the accompaniment to being for her. It never did. She began belting out "I've Got a Home in Gloryland". Accapella. She singled out faces for a special smile as she sang. Poised, confident, never a false note or hesitation. I had absolutely no idea until that moment how gifted she truly is. She gave it a big finish that blew us all away and when she finished something I had never seen ever in our church happened. People broke out in raucous applause and she was high-fived all the way down the aisle to her seat like a rock star!!!

So I believe my opinion to be unbiased as far as her talent goes.

I am going to rest easy on this now I think, there will be a way.

[Tree House Academy]

Both out girls adore this woman. I never even thought about her singing, she sang around the house like any normal kid. After 4 months with this woman it was her turn to sing the offertory and my biggest fear was that she would bolt and cry. I wish I could describe what happened, I was overwhelmed and I was far from alone. Tears were streaming down my cheeks and my sister's and many other faces. This skinny little child in braids and a pink dress got up there with a huge smile, carefully folded her hands, and looked at her teacher. Everyone was hushed waiting for the accompaniment to being for her. It never did. She began belting out "I've Got a Home in Gloryland". Accapella. She singled out faces for a special smile as she sang. Poised, confident, never a false note or hesitation. I had absolutely no idea until that moment how gifted she truly is. She gave it a big finish that blew us all away and when she finished something I had never seen ever in our church happened. People broke out in raucous applause and she was high-fived all the way down the aisle to her seat like a rock star!!!

So I believe my opinion to be unbiased as far as her talent goes.

I am going to rest easy on this now I think, there will be a way.

 

That is amazing. Pray. God will provide a way. Is sounds as though He is already using her to move hearts for Him...this is not something that He would let waste. Prayer is always the best place to start...and finish. :) He provided this first teacher, didn't he? God works in amazing ways and He will bring about a way to make sure she keeps singing - it may not be in your time, but in His own. :)

[brehon]

I have a BSE Music Ed, and my instrument is voice. My best advice is to get her PIANO lessons!

 

Encourage the singing and look for opportunities in your area to sing, by all means. However, if she is going to study voice seriously at an older age she needs a solid foundation in piano study (even if she doesn't LOVE it, but if she LOVES singing....I imagine piano will atleast be liked...). She needs to develop her ears and piano lessons, specifically singing what she plays will help (violin would be great too, but if $ is an issue.....).

 

Honestly, I'm leary of voice lessons at 7yo. I hesistate to take a voice student younger that 14-15yo b/c the voice is a muscle that's still growing. It's too easy for a young child to be pushed into damaging her instrument....and once it's gone you can't buy another. Besides, vocal technique is just a highly complex idea for a child. Piano, violin, chilren's choirs, etc.... are all better options for her age imho.

 

Check the colleges in your area!!!!!!!!!! I know when I was in college there were tons of opportunities for "free lessons";)

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

BA in Music here (vocal principle) and I completely agree. When I was at university, so many singers had such trouble with ear training and music theory classes because all they had focused on prior to uni classes was singing. Also, I knew of three young ladies who really hurt their voices because their vocal teacher assigned them the "Queen of the Night" aria... as 18 year olds. :eek::thumbdown:

 

My eldest son (7 yo) sings with the Cathedral Boys' Choir in our area and I am completely comfortable with him doing that because I went to school with the director. In fact, I helped him out in a couple of musicology classes! He and I continue to sing together several times throughout the liturgical year.

[Rebecca4]

My undergraduate work was done as Vocal Performance major on full vocal scholarship. I took lessons beginning at age 12 and began vocal competition at 13. I'm not sure that wasn't a year too early for training. Proper breathing, ear training and some basic theatrical skills were things that I would have greatly benefited from at an early age. Piano is a great suggestion! I understand her desire to sing but much damage and a great many bad habits can develop at this age. If she is really serious, a strong foundation in music theory and listening to a broad variety of music to understand stylings is helpful.

 

If you really want to pursue training, I would be extremely picky about her teacher's qualifications and track record.

 

Just my 2cents!!:thumbup:

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

My dd7 loves to perform, but she has never had vocal lessons. The first time she sang in public was "Take Me out to the Ballgame" at the stadium on her 2nd birthday. She performs a lot at church, nursing homes, there are local festivals. People are always coming up and asking her when she's going to sing next. She's dying to do musical theater but her dancing so far has kept her from doing much. Last year was her first year of piano. Next summer we MIGHT hook her up with someone while she's on break from piano but not for serious voice training. The woman is the lead singer in a band dd likes and can work with her on performance and such.

 

If you are looking for a mentor you might try churches, local colleges with music programs, even the local high school chorus. But even in my little town, there are plenty of opportunities to perform - and many of them don't cost a thing.