Vocals In The Modern Band Classroom
Steve Danielsson
steve@littlekidsrock.org
• Pokemon Youtube
• The Hidden Lion
• Apathy to Empathy
• Let’s Do The Twist
• The Belly Bag
• The goal of this workshop is not only learn
how to develop passionate performing
singers, but also to develop tools to
increase the amount of singing in your
classroom in every way possible
• Students can learn to sing songs on their
own; the idea is to create a classroom
culture where everyone is ready and willing
to sing.
• Gimme Three Steps: developing a
culture of singing in three steps
• The Talkers, The Screamers and
Me: Absolute Beginning Singers
• Home Base: Learning to Teach
From Your Guitar
• A classroom with 100% vocal
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participation
Positive reinforcement from teachers
AND students
Students have the confidence to try to
sing fearlessly
Hearing students sing outside of the
music room
• Minutes into a lesson, you can get a student
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playing the bass
We can train drummers in an afternoon
Guitarists are the most motivated young
musicians
Finding a singer to stand up on stage and
be a Lead Singer can be a huge challenge
Why?
Modeling
appropriate
responses to
struggling singers
is something
students should
learn from NO
ONE ELSE but
their music
teachers
These are not educational role models, they are
entertainers who are mean to people trying to
become professional vocalists. Their cultural impact
however has been extensive on the culture of vocal
music.
• Starting with the music classroom, a safe space
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needs to be built
Modeling singing for your students is the most
beneficial activity you can do
If you are not a confident singer, this will work
to your advantage!
You have the opportunity to teach them to be
fearless!
• No sarcasm
• No laughing at others singing
• No apologizing for mistakes
• No vocalizing frustration
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The only goal for a singing classroom is
100% participation
You can never force someone to sing
(that’s like yelling at someone to have
more fun!)
Allow students to enter into singing at their
own pace, if you make it fun, they will join!
• Positive Narration to participating singers, even
those who are not singing accurately
• Students who are already singing should be referred
to as strong singers
• Start conversations with parents about students who
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are ENJOYING singing, reference those
conversations in class
Constantly watch singers perform, remembering all
the rules for positive classrooms!
• Whatever your comfort level with singing, the
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time to start increasing it is now
Commit to singing EVERY TIME you see your
students
If you are inaccurate or uncomfortable as you
sing, simply say you “need help”
Always scan for 100% singers, most students
will participate just to help you
• 100% Participation is a constant goal in
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any classroom
With singing, it is an easily observable
goal to achieve
However, it can take some time to perfect
Some students take weeks to be shown
how fun it is to be a singer!
• Positive narration for consistent singers
• Stickers/Prizes for passionate singers
• Vocalist of the week - Listening and discussion
• Singing along with video and recordings (It IS
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OK!)
Allow students to lead the class/school in
songs
Have a microphone ready ALWAYS. Give it to
students when they are singing!
• Sing while you walk through the hallways
• School wide songs at assemblies! (Send an
e-mail to teachers of a song to listen to in
their class)
• Invite teachers to come sing with their
students (students will teach them the
culture)
• Record EVERYTHING you sing and give
students the chance to listen to it wheneer
• Negative reinforcement
• Any type of punishment
• Taking away the opportunity to
sing
• It is impossible to force someone to do
something they don’t want to do
• Your only chance is to teach them to WANT
TO SING
• You are asking students to do something
personal and intimate, so intimidation will not
work
• “… But look how much fun we’re having!”
• Students can memorize a song in a day
if you teach it and sing it enough
• It will always take at least three sessions
of singing a song to perfect it
• Don’t be afraid to move on from a song
if it is not perfect, you can/will always
revisit it!
• Keep a list of songs you sing together
• Constantly review the songs
• Wrapped up 2 minutes early!? Pick a song from
the repertoire list!
• Drop box for suggestions to add to the repertoire
• And add songs you catch them singing outside of
your classroom. Remember that is what learning
looks like!
• If you’ve got a modern band at your
school, teach every student to sing
those songs!
• Invite new singers to sing with the band
every time!
• If mistakes are made, use these
chances to stress the importance of
preparation and practice (positively of
course)
• Rehearse like crazy!
Students walking
out onto a stage should be and FEEL
ready to rock
• Set up a system to record in your
classroom
• Listen to and watch every one of your
performances together. Positively reflect
and give tips… but keep it as positive as
possible!
The Talkers, The Screamers
and Me!
• The most important three words
for beginning singers: “Repeat
after me”
• At first, encourage constant
sound production, regardless of
accuracy
• Using the “Rote Song Method”
• Take a short melodic phrase, and
break it into pieces
• Teach each short piece with repeat
after me technique
• Start again, combining smaller pieces
• Repeat as necessary until the song is
memorized
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Some beginners struggle with initial sound
production
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Most of the time, this struggle comes from
the student never having done this type of
sound before
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Encourage silly sing sounds
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Examples: Owl Hooting, Sirens, Bird Sounds
ANYTHING that gets their sound up in the
head
• Learning to sing is a lifelong process, 2
months of singing inaccurately is nothing
compared to 50 years of singing beautifully
• Most singers quit singing when they received
bad feedback
• Your positive classroom will help, but also
encourage students to help new singers by
modeling the process of finding your singing
voice
• When a singer enters a
speaking or screaming voice,
help to correct it
• Model sound production by
entering your “head voice”
• There are experts out there who can scrutinize
technique to perfect it
• The goal of this method is not to scrutinize but
to encourage
• If your students want to become opera singers,
that’s great! But they will need to study that
technique somewhere
• There are only three things to remember…
• Breathe with
big belly
breaths!
• Control your
dynamics!
• Sound like
yourself!
• Learning to sing and play
guitar can be a challenge
• The best way to learn to do
it, is to try and fail non-stop!
• Let’s give it a try!
… Repeat after
me!
• The guitar is a great tool for every
music teacher
• You have almost 100% mobility to
manage your room
• There is no barrier between you
and the students (like a piano)
• The easiest way to start is to sing
what you play on your guitar
already
• “Iron Man” is hands down the best
song for this
• Any melody or scale you play, you
can/should sing!
• Simple 3 string
major scale
• Play it up and
down
• All simple warmups are based on
this scale
• Do-now and setup time, have a song
playing! They will learn it, and
encourage them to sing it
• “Sing-A-Long Club” - have lyrics ready,
and play the song. Students will come
just to sing the songs they love
• Song suggestion box