Elementary school musical performers should practice proper breathing techniques.
Vocal projection, whether for speaking or singing onstage, is not simply a matter of "being louder." Actually, coaching a young performer to "Be louder!" can cause harm to his vocal cords. The first impulse under these circumstances is to strain the vocal cords as one does when shouting or yelling, without properly supporting the voice. Develop your youngsters' skills in creating vocal power, articulating, creating stage presence and proper breathing techniques to assist them in developing their musical theater skills.
Breathing Techniques
Kids who are preparing to sing and speak onstage should spend some time working on breathing deeply. Many people breathe only into their upper chest, but stage performers must make use of the entire breathing apparatus, making sure to engage the diaphragm. Have kids lie on the floor with their hands on their bellies and practice breathing deeply. They should feel their hands rise and fall with their breath. Then add sound or a held note with the singing voice to ensure that they can engage the voice and continue to breathe deeply. Next, have the students stand in a circle and repeat this exercise. You might also have them speak or sing individually before the group as you work to ensure that each child is breathing fully.
Vocal Power Techniques
Help kids understand use their vocal power in singing and speaking without straining their voices. Have them work in pairs, each sending his voice to his partner as if tossing a ball. They can sing or speak text for this exercise. The pairs should stand close together and gradually move farther apart, all the while focusing simply on "tossing" their voice so that the other person can "catch" it. It may take a bit of patient work for kids to understand that they should not randomly shout their song or text. Encourage them to focus on the direct spot to which they are sending their voices rather than "projecting" to the room at large.
Articulation Techniques
Singing and speaking on stage is much easier to "send" to the audience if it is articulated clearly and crisply. Start with exercising the face muscles by making some extreme smiles and extreme frowns. Blow through the lips to warm them up, making a motor boat sound. Move on to tongue twisters, starting with some short ones like "Unique New York," "Red bug's blood, blue bug's blood," "Toy boat" and "Red leather, yellow leather." Each of these twisters should be repeated a few times, starting slowly and speeding up gradually without losing the articulation of sounds. Move on to some longer tongue twisters like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" and "Don't drop double drum sticks."
Techniques for Creating Presence
Young performers need to learn how important the presence of their whole body is to their ability to use their voice effectively. Tension in the body often directly relates to constriction and tension in the voice, so have students work on their ability to stand in neutral, relaxed posture. Make sure they are placing their weight evenly on both feet, that their knees are not locked and that their hands are hanging freely by their sides. Their heads should sit evenly on the neck and their eyes should be focused on a spot directly across from their natural gaze. Students should practice this "neutral" stance when working on their articulation and vocal power.
