Singing My First Song

🕐 15 min - Alignment, breathing, singing

• To get ready for singing, let's do some warm-up exercises.
• First, focus on body posture and alignment.
  • Do a good stretch: invite students to stand up and stretch their arms overhead, reaching to the ceiling and then drop the arms slowly to the side.
  • Slowly roll your shoulders forwards, then repeat the movement backwards.
  • Stand tall! Imagine there's a string pulling your spine upwards from the back of your head. You can check if your back is straight by putting it against the wall.
  • Make sure you're relaxed. Check if your...
    • Neck is released and the head can move freely.
    • Eyes are looking straight ahead.
    • Chin is not dropped or lifted.
    • Jaw is not clenched.
    • Shoulders are relaxed.
    • Hands are hanging loosely by your side.
    • Knees are relaxed and flexible.
    • Feet are comfortably apart for a good balance.
• Maintaining a relaxed posture, focus on breathing.
  • Explain how the diaphragm works in breathing.
  • Have students put their hands around their waist and inhale slowly and deeply. Their hands should move outwards when they inhale and inwards when they exhale. Make sure they don't raise their shoulders.
  • Another way to demonstrate the movements of diaphragm: if the space allows, lie down and put a book on your belly - it should move upwards when you inhale and downwards when you exhale.
  • Add some sound to breathing: exhale very slowly and steadily, doing a hissing sound at the same time ('ssss….').
• Time for some more vocal exercises!
  • Do a short sigh, something between singing and breathing, ending with a short downward glissando. Keep repeating it, each time starting a semitone higher and then going down when you've reached the limits of the comfortable vocal range.
  • Do a lip trill or buzz to a simple melodic motive, for example, C-D-C. Keep repeating it, each time starting a semitone higher and then going down when you've reached the limits of the comfortable vocal range.
  • Play a piano key in middle range and ask students to sing matching the piano sound. They can either use the note names/letters if they are familiar with them or sing a chosen vowel.
  • Sing on one pitch in middle range, alternating vowels 'ah, eh, ee, oh, oo'. Keep repeating the exercise, each time a semitone higher, and then go down when you've reached the limits of the comfortable vocal range.
    • To better connect the vowels, you can add the letter 'm' or 'n' in the beginning of each vowel ('mah, meh, mee, moh, moo').
  • Do a singing exercise of a wider range, for example, sing a chosen vowel, following the melodic motive C-D-E-D-C. Keep repeating the motive, each time one semitone higher; then go down when you've reached the limits of the comfortable vocal range.

🕐 5 min - Exercise 1 - Sunday Best

• Choose the song 'Sunday Best' by Surfaces from the Song Library.
• Listen to the song with the class and have a short discussion:
  • How would you describe the mood of the song?
  • How would you describe the voice of the singer?

🕐 10 min - Exercise 2 - Let's start with the verse!

• Play Verse 1 and ask the class to read the lyrics.
• Repeat Verse 1 and invite the class to rap the lyrics in the original rhythm.
• Repeat Verse 1 one more time and invite students to sing along.
  • To make it more challenging, you can mute the vocal track under 'Controls' - 'Volume'.

🕐 10 min - Exercise 3 - Let's add the chorus!

• Learn the other parts of the song, following the same steps as in Exercise 2.
• When students are ready, do a run-through of the whole song!
• For the final performance, mute the vocal track.
  • Remember: keep a good posture and relax!
  • Express the mood of the song while singing!

🕐 5 min - Discussion

• Can you say one important thing about posture, breathing and singing you learned today?
• Was learning to sing your first song challenging?

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...

• Exploring the Song Library and finding other songs they would like to learn to sing.