Did you know you can share the lyric videos from the FULL VOICE Listening Library? Click the arrow in the top right-hand corner to send the link to your students so they can sing at home. (We don't call it practicing...)
An engaging and productive lesson can be connected to singers' repertoire. Here are song-study activities using Wolf in the Forest by Donna Rhodenizer
We are thrilled to have partnered with Children’s composer Donna Rhodenizer here at FULL VOICE MUSIC.
Her incredible new music does not only offer age-appropriate performance opportunities; she mindfully crafts engaging song studies for young singers offering endless teaching opportunities both in vocal technique and musicianship skills. Donna's music is always the highlight at recitals!
Piquing Interest
Learning a new song can be scary for our young singers, so start by piquing their interest with some fun facts about Wolves.
Teacher Tip: I like to ask students if they know any fun facts about their song's topic, and this often lights up their faces as kiddos love to share knowledge.
So if you were curious about wolves:
Use Warm-ups to prepare for learning the song.
Teachers can make lessons productive if we partner the lesson's warm-up with the new song's technical challenges. So, the vocal warm-up could include:
Discovering the meaning of the text
Ask students to read the lyrics aloud. Discuss what the word mournful means. Why do you think the wolves are mournful? How can we sing expressively in this song? Students will be more successful at expressing the music if they understand the text.
Teaching the melody
The melody of Wolf in the Forest can be taught with a simple game of be my echo. Start with singing only 2 bars to the student (unaccompanied) and ask them to sing back. Don’t be discouraged if they need a few repetitions!
Active Listening
Let students listen to the piano track or play the accompaniment for them. What does the music make them think of? How does it make them feel? Can they tap the beat while listening to the music? Can they hear when the music changes tempo?
Vocal Technique
Ask students to explore different vowels for the wolf “howl.” Which vowel is easier? Practice the howl using other volumes. (Perhaps the wolf is far away or nearby!) Can singers sing 2 bars before taking a breath?
Composing
Ask students to compose their own ‘howl’ melody.
Happy Singing! ~Nikki
Wolf in the Forest is part of the FULL VOICE Single Song Download library. They include scores, backing tracks, and teaching ideas. They also include a reproducible license which means:
YES - you can make copies and distribute them to your students ... forever
YES - you can forward the backing tracks to families so kiddos can sing at home
YES - you can share performances on your social media posts (Please credit the composer and FULL VOICE Music)