teaching kids to sing (a TOS review)

 

 

I have a budding “super star”  in the house and so I was thrilled with the opportunity to review the Teaching Kids to Sing dvd program.

 

 

 

 

The Nutshell

 

• Teaching Kids to Sing is a 2 dvd/1 cd combo pack designed to help teach children ages 5-13 the essentials of singing. 
• Retails for $44.99
• The dvd lessons include Posture, Breathing, Tone, Rhythm, Diction, Vocal Health and more.
• The cd includes 26 demo and accompaniment tracks.
• Chris & Carole Beatty are engaging instructors who are complimented by an adorable group of young singers for your children to connect with at home. 
• There are other programs to explore in the online store and even some freebies.

 

 

Our Review

 

I have fond memories of learning harmony in the church choir and leading songs on our church’s bus ministry (way back in the day!).  But alas…if I ever had any vocal skills at all they have been depleted by lack of practice over the years.  And besides, what little I did know was from self training and picking up bits here and there.  I never had a true vocal foundation. 

 

 

So as my daughter has continued to express an interest in singing (along with pretty much every thing performance related) I have occasionally thought about exploring voice lessons for her.

 

 

The thing with vocal training is that it is SO expensive!

 

 

And the thing with my daughter and her interests…they are SO sanguine!  Changing from one minute to the next.

 

 

To be honest, it never even crossed my mind that there might be an affordable dvd option out there!   What a great way to allow her to feel out just how interested she is…without breaking the bank!

 

 

I was immediately impressed with the packaging.  I’m a sucker for easy peasy and having all three discs (2 dvds/1 cd) in the same container was a big deal for me!   I had anticipated having three different cases to manage.  Yep, it’s the little things that make me smile.

 

 

My students, a 7 year old girl and an 11 year old boy, were not that enthusiastic about being vocally coached.  But they’re sweet kids and gathered in the schoolroom with me anyway.  My 6th Grader confessed that he wasn’t keen because he doesn’t feel like he’s a good singer.  It was sweetly transparent and I explained that having a good singing “how to” foundation would help build his confidence and it didn’t mean he’d have to ever audition for American Idol.  Plus, it’s a perk that the only people he had to feel silly in front of are also his biggest fans!  The lessons are set up in a class format. The “coaches” are teaching a group of students while at the same time “coaching” us at home too.  I loved the instructors.  They’re warm and likeable.  Clearly they have an expertise in vocal training and education.  Each lesson is filled with rich material and object lessons to help little minds wrap around the abstract concepts of the voice.  I also really appreciated that the concepts were reinforced through songs.

 

 

We (ideally) study fine arts twice a week and the dvds are a great fit during that time slot.  And I love having the cd to pop in for practice while we’re running errands.  Even though the lessons are static, I definitely feel this program is so wonderfully rich and foundational that watching the same lessons over again isn’t boring!  In fact, I think we learned new little nuggets the next time through.

 

 

There is definitely the goofy factor when mimicking sounds and tones!  But it’s fun and heart connecting to laugh and feel silly together. I have no doubt my kids will remember our Vocal Coach lessons for a looooong time!  And if you’re in the market for voice lessons Teaching Kids to Sing could be a great resource for you!

 

 

…danielle

 

 

**This is my little space to disclaim that I was given the Teaching Kids to Sing program to use in exchange for my honest review shared on my blog.  All opinions expressed are my honest own.  I hope that you enjoyed and found my review at least a smidge helpful.  Because my voice is just one, I highly encourage you to read what my fellow TOS Crew friends thought about this product.**