You Can Sing: 10 tips to learn a solo, fast
Are you curious how I taught my daughter to sing The Star Spangled Banner within a week? Here are 10 tips.
A piece of tattered sheet music with the words "You can sing, 10 tips to learn a solo, fast." #WeAreProblemSolvers
1) First Things First
I put on the song first thing in the morning and hummmed it myself. She eventually joined in, and asked to do it again (and again).
2) Ask
I asked her what she needs me to do to help her learn the song. She asked me to write out the lyrics for her on a piece of paper.
So, I did.
3) Relevant and Relatable
We found lots of versions of the song on YouTube, including some singing for sporting events like her. She saw children younger than herself singing it so she could picture herself learning and singing it, too. There were versions in different keys and with different instruments. We even found one that fit her range, so it was less of a struggle to sing.
4) Vulnerable and Recoverable
I made mistakes, too. Sometimes these mistakes were on purpose - sometimes extra goofy to make her laugh. But I got back on track and kept on singing. So did she.
5) Taking Turns
I would sing a line, then she would sing the next, back and forth. It became a bit of a game, to see if we could get it right.
6) Meaning
We talked about all of the big words in the song and the story it told. It helped her a lot to think of the flag waving in the air as the notes moved up and down.
7) Analyze
We thought about which notes stayed the same from one word to the next. We felt how the song should sound first, so we could return to our memory of the song and then our voice could make those notes.
8) Have Fun
Remember that the goal of any performance is to simply have fun. No one expects children to be perfect, especially at 6:30am.
9) Keep Going
There were times when I thought she wasn't ever going to be confident singing this challenging song, but we didn't give up. Then, seemingly overnight she went from hesitant to heartfelt.
10) Enjoy!
All of that hard work paid off. She had such a great time performing for her first time. That was all we hoped for.
Why?
Why did we decide to learn the anthem, anyway? For this event: Running on Island Time 2 mile run in Cocoa Beach, Florida (picture of the race logo). This was a local event that took place close to home.
We heard that they needed volunteers to help with the #RunningOnIslandTime race. No one had signed up to sing the National Anthem, and that race was coming up soon. They wanted a child to sing. So I asked: "You do like to sing. And you've been talking about that race. They need a volunteer to sing. Do you want to sing a solo?"
"Why not?"
"They need you to sing just one song. The National Anthem. It goes like this" and I sang a few lines.
She said, "Oh, that song. I'll need to learn it."
I responded, "I can teach you. Would you like that?"
"Why not?"
"Ok. You're all signed up."
Daddy from the other room, "You volunteered her for what?! She's never going to learn this in time."
"We'll see." I sad, then we got to work.
She did learn it! Here's a photo of her singing.
And here's the video evidence.
She also ran the race after she sang. Here is a photo of her smiling at the starting line. And would you believe it? She finished! 2 miles is a lot for an 8 year old. Partway through the race her hair fell down and she lost her favorite hair band. She was so sad that she sat down on the side of the course. One of the teachers who was running the race saw her sitting and encouraged her to get back up and finish the race. They walked across the finish line together.
Do you like to finish hard things?
So do we.
#WeAreProblemSolvers
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