Finding Your Voice - Games

The first step to finding your voice is finding your head voice.  Helping children to use their head voices will also improve their singing as well!  Use the following games with children, or for the kids at heart!

• "Nah, nah, nee, nah, nah" - The children's playground taunt naturally falls into the head voice.  Listen to children sing in their play; that is likely the same range they should be using when singing.
• Sirens - Imitate fire engines, police cars, and British police sirens.  Make it an echo game. These sounds tend to naturally fall into the head voice as well.  
• Roller coaster - Younger children love imaginative play, and even if they are too young to really ride roller coasters, they are very happy to ride a pretend one.  Build up the experience.  Sit down, buckle and imaginary seat belt, and pull down the shoulder harness, because this is an upside down roller coaster.  With hands out in front, palms down, imitate a roller coaster going up a very steep track (add sound effects, like clicking your tongue).  Pause for a moment at the top, then hands mirror zipping down the track while making "whooooooo" sounds in your head voice to mirror the movements.  Try a big turn, corkscrew, loop-de-loop, whatever you like.  Just be sure to stay in your head voice and the kids on your coaster will automatically stay in their head voices too!

Sound and Silence - Games

Sound and silence cannot exist without each other.  Try clapping for example.   It is impossible for one person to create a continuous stream of sound by clapping, or snapping, or stomping . . . Just try.  Play with the speed of the claps.  The slower the clapping, the longer the silences in between. The faster the clapping, the shorter the silences.    No matter how fast you clap, each burst of sound is followed by silence.  Each one is created, and defined, by the other.

There are many ways for musicians of all ages to play with sound and silence:

• Make some noise!  If you are playing with children, establish a signal for silence before you begin.  Everybody make some sound (clapping, stomping, bang on a pot) and when the signal is given, everyone stops.  After a brief silence, start up the band again.  Continue alternating sound and silence.  Let everyone have a chance to be the leader and give the signal for silence.
• Radio silence - Turn on the radio, or iPod, or CD player . . . and let your little musician press the pause button to create a moment of silence.  Then have them turn it on again.  If using a radio, you can add changing the channel to the game.  Even static can be musical when used in combination with silence.  
• Musical chairs - The children's party game is a great way to play with sound and silence. 
• Freeze dance - Turn on the music and dance!  The DJ turns off the music, and all the dancers freeze.  Repeat!
• Sound of silence - Find a quiet place and listen, really listen.  True silence is very rare, so even in the silence, there is probably plenty to hear.  There are all kinds of sounds in our modern world that we regularly tune out - fans, refrigerators, distant traffic.  Some kids, and more than a few adults, are really uncomfortable with silence.  They immediately start talking or doing something else to fill the silence.  Encourage them to just listen and try to become comfortable with the silence.  Start with a very short period of listening at first and go for longer and longer periods on later days.