Posted by Robin on October 12, 2006 at 13:34:53:
In Reply to: Is the range appropriate for young voices? posted by Christine on March 20, 2006 at 18:17:11:
: I have been taught, and have also read in several sources, that an appropriate singing range for most young students is usually not be wider than an octave (and in some cases, even smaller than that). I just went to a workshop on vocal health where I learned that young students' voices can be damaged if they frequently sing or speak in a range that they are not physically able to so healthily. Shouldn't we wait until the students voices have matured before asking them to sing the octave-and-a-half range of the SSB? Are kids who are singing the SSB in grades K, 1, and 2 actually singing on pitch throughout the whole song without vocal tension (some may be, but are the majority?) or are they straining on the upper and/or lower notes? Is is developmentally or vocally appropriate to ask them to sing this song? Your thoughts please.
I do not teach the SSB until 4th grade for that very reason. In addition, the text is difficult to understand until the students are older. The SSB unit ties right into the 4th Grade Social Studies curriculum. At the same time, I also teach the state song.