Voice lessons?

[laohaire]

My kid is 5. She loves to sing. She has a reasonably sweet voice. She is not, however, Celine Dion.

Is it reasonable to try to get her into voice lessons just for fun? Or are most teachers going to say no way to a 5 year old with no particular talent?

[claras_mom]

If I'm remembering a conversation I had awhile back with a voice coach/soprano I know....she'd say no way. Let the child sing and enjoy singing, but she's too young to mess with the instrument, so to speak. Time enough for that later.

If it were my kid, and I wanted to do more than just sing a lot at home, I might see what options there are for group singing--kids' choir, a kindermusik chorus, or something through church.

[annettemarie]

I'm a voice teacher and I would say no way. Join a children's choir, a music class, like Clara's mom says, but any voice teacher who tells you she can properly train a 5-year-old's voice is just after your money.

[jillmamma]

I think my DD is just a day younger than yours (Michelle is 8/30/2005), and she also LOVES to sing. I bet they would have fun together! One way I and her school do use it to our advantage is to help her learn things...days of the week, etc. Aren't they fun?

[annamama]

No to the voice lessons, but a big yes to a choir!

[laohaire]

OK, a choir sounds good. I'm trying to think of how she'd join a choir though. We're not members of any church, and she is schooled at home.

I guess now I'm thinking maybe another instrument, but not sure. Strings seem out - her hand and finger strength is kind of low and I know from experience that it can hurt to apply pressure to violin or guitar strings even with normal strength. Maybe piano, though we could never afford a piano at home. Can kids get piano lessons and just practice on an inexpensive keyboard perhaps? Or maybe drums, like tribal drumming, she has good rhythym. LOL I'm all over the place here

[LynnS6]

I talked to our choir director last year about dd's love of singing. His response: Children's choir with a director who knows what they're doing -- yes (but probably not until 6-8 years old). Voice lessons: NO! (He gave voice lessons and I would have gladly hired him.) He said not until they've gone through puberty as it puts too much strain on their voice.

So, we're focusing on good musical training (dd's in piano, started at age 5), and are looking to start a children's choir at age 7.

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by laohaire

OK, a choir sounds good. I'm trying to think of how she'd join a choir though. We're not members of any church, and she is schooled at home.

I guess now I'm thinking maybe another instrument, but not sure. Strings seem out - her hand and finger strength is kind of low and I know from experience that it can hurt to apply pressure to violin or guitar strings even with normal strength. Maybe piano, though we could never afford a piano at home. Can kids get piano lessons and just practice on an inexpensive keyboard perhaps? Or maybe drums, like tribal drumming, she has good rhythym. LOL I'm all over the place here

Sorry missed your post before I responded. Yes, you can practice on a keyboard, though if you spend a little more and get a pressure sensitive one, it'd be nicer. But for beginning, it's not that crucial. If she takes off and really likes it, then you can either invest in a better keyboard or a good used piano.

There are non-affiliated children's choirs in a lot of places. The good ones do a range of music. My nieces and nephew were in one that did everything from African songs to Gospel hymns. You do tend to get "religious" music, but that's because a lot of the European composers composed for the church, not because the choir was promoting a religion.

[twinergy]

I have been thinking about taking my LO's to drum circles. Here is a website with drum circles in the US (scroll down the page.)


ETA I have also seen Remo drums for kids that get good reviews and are affordable

[staceychev]

Originally Posted by laohaire

Maybe piano, though we could never afford a piano at home.

You'd be surprised at what you can find on Craigslist...

[eepster]

Originally Posted by laohaire

Maybe piano, though we could never afford a piano at home.

Used pianos can be surprisingly cheap if you can find a spot for a bigger one. I saw a baby grand for $45 at a house sale (of course out teeny tiny upright was around $400 at a different house sale.) It's an odd thing where bigger fancy ones are often cheaper simply b/c they take up so much room and are so hard to move. A couple of years ago I actually saw a piano on the curb with the trash, it was being rained all over (down right heart breaking .)

The hard part is getting it moved. Professional piano movers cost a couple hundred (depends on weight, distance, stairs, etc,) so to keep the cost reasonable you would need a friend with a truck. Also, there is the on going cost of getting it tuned, our tuner charges around $125. We are supposed to have him in every 6 month, but we have put it of a couple years now and it still sounds OK.

[laohaire]

Hmm, yeah, we could probably do a piano if it was just a couple hundred bucks. I mean, $200 or so would definitely be an effort but its doable.

But we're planning to move whenever the house sells (which probably will take about 9 months) so I don't want to add a piano to our problems right now. Maybe when we get to the new place.

Would a piano in a yurt be pretty cool? lol

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look around. I will look for a choir but I suspect there's nothing in my neck of the woods. But there IS a lady who does tribal drumming, I'll have to figure out how to find her and see if she works with children.

[annettemarie]

Originally Posted by staceychev

You'd be surprised at what you can find on Craigslist...

Or even Freecycle.

[claras_mom]

Originally Posted by eepster

The hard part is getting it moved. Professional piano movers cost a couple hundred (depends on weight, distance, stairs, etc,) so to keep the cost reasonable you would need a friend with a truck. Also, there is the on going cost of getting it tuned, our tuner charges around $125. We are supposed to have him in every 6 month, but we have put it of a couple years now and it still sounds OK.

Having put my marriage in jeopardy just moving our upright from one room to another, <ahem> I'd say go with the professional movers. When we moved last year, I wouldn't even consider anything but a professional mover. He was quick and our investment in the instrument was fully protected--because he knew what he was doing and had all the right equipment. You can also sometimes rent a piano really reasonably, and the store would probably deliver. I think that's what my sister did for her dd--started with a keyboard, then moved to a rented upright, then finally (once my niece's interest in piano was well-established) bought the thing.

Personally, I'd probably go with the drumming. We do have a piano and a five year old (almost 6) and I am a professional musician. But I'm not inclined to do anything "official" with combining the two unless and until dd actually expresses a strong inclination in that direction.