I am a vocal instructor for the META Performing Arts summer theater camp. I teach two age groups: Teens and 8-12. I couldn’t find much online for live excercises with kids that would teach vocal technique and be entertaining. Here are some things I came up with that you might find helpful.
Kids 8-12 Age Group
Children in this age group keep their attention well if they’re interacting with each other. So I try to tailor all excercises in a way that they interact and perform for each other. If they are just singing for me it’s hard to keep their attention. Think of yourself as a referee that gives guidelines and then let them run the show.
MUSIC ACTIVITIES AND GAMES
Jazz Scat – Pianist plays a 12 bar blues progression in swing style. Start with a call and response – give the kids a scat line and have them repeat it as a group. Then go down the line and have each one sing individually. At first they will probably be very shy. If you keep at them, as soon as one jumps out and performs the scat with energy, the others will follow suite. It’s an interesting psychological phenomenon. If your first performer does a lame performance, the rest will follow suite. If the first person really goes for it, the rest will also step up to the plate. Start with a strong lead. At first just have them do four bar phrases. When they are comfortable with that keep increasing the scat time up to a full 12 bar phrase. Have the kids clap after the full performances to encourage the best in all.
Scat Tag – Kids have to scat with the piano 12 bar groove until they tag another person, then that person has to take it over. This is a good way for the hams in the group to scat for a while, and those that are still shy can tag someone quickly. They have control and they are interacting with each other – good results on this one.
Act the Mood – Piano player plays different moods on the piano and the kids have to act it out. Play circus music, melodrama chase music, Linus and Lucy theme – any music that has a definite and quickly recognizable mood. There is no right or wrong on the child’s interpretation. It gives them a chance to listen for what the music is expressing in mood to them.
Vocal Improv Weakest Link – Selling It – Have kids make a circle and choose a referee in the center. Children have to improvise singing to the piano while “selling the song”. Whatever they need to do with energy to make the referee “buy” that they are performing on the big stage. Audiences often listen with their eyes and this is a good way to encourage children to perform their songs visually and to really jump out with their vocal courage. This is another one where it takes a while for the kids to catch on and really perform. If the referee doesn’t feel the vocalist is selling the song, they are eliminated. I make it a point to talk to the first round eliminations afterwards and help them individually on selling it stronger. Then I tell them, “I don’t want to see you get eliminated in the first round this time.” So far, they don’t. They really do perform better (also helps to have a referree that understands this and doesn’t eliminate them first round). It is scary for some at first, but if you get them to improve quickly it’s a good confidence builder. You can use jazz scat for this too. Do this one after they’re very comfortable with the jazz scatting.
Vocal Story Improv – Play a simple pop progression on the piano with a nice laid back groove (I use V-vi-IV-I in key of Bb, C or D). Play it in straight eights for a change from the jazz feel. Start with call and response – then have them improv on their own twice around the progression each. Now have them also improvise lyrics to create a song (yes, they can do this if encouraged). Last step – the lyrics improvised have to be built on the person before them to create a fluent idea for the song. This is similiar to the story game where each person says a sentence in turn. I find it much more engaging when they are singing. And because there’s a tempo to stick to, they really say what’s on the top of their head without lagging. I have seen many lightbulb’s go on in people’s heads with this one. Keep doing it and you will see very creative moments, and children realizing how much they can really do that they hadn’t thought of before.
If you have an extended time with the kids and have access to recording gear, you could have them each sing lines of lyrics in turn – then edit them into a finished song. Might be a good idea to give them a set chorus to begin with and they can improvise the verses.
If you have other music games that have gone well for you in the past, please post them here so we can all use and learn from them. Thanks!