[HANASHIR:9883] Re: pre-school music

[Eric Simon <erics...>]

At 06:02 PM 9/19/2001 -0400, H & R Shubert wrote: 
>>>>
> Now that I am doing a lot more cantorial soloing, I am concerned with voice burnout when I give Jewish preschool music classes.  I realize that in higher grades it is possible for a teacher to sing less, but my style of teaching preschool involves singing all the time, except for a total of a few minutes per class when I am talking about the music or giving movement directions.  Has anyone got any good teaching ideas which would give the teacher's voice a rest for part of each class?
<<<<

For teaching youngsters, reptition is the key.  And so, after I teach the song, I invite people who think they know it up to the front of the class to sing it to the rest of the class.  Sometimes I make it a competition: e.g., girls get up and sing it, then boys do, which can do it faster/louder/clearer/whatever.  The _kids_ think it's a competition, but the teacher (me) realizes that it's a diversionary way to do _reptition_. In the meantime, if some of the kids know it decenly enough, the teacher doesn't have to do the singing.

Hope this helps,

-- Eric


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