Vocal and Warm-up Story (Primary School)
Objective: This worksheet aims to introduce primary school children to the importance of vocal and physical warm-ups for singing and overall well-being, while fostering a joyful approach to music-making.
Content and methods: The worksheet begins with an informational text explaining the benefits of vocal warm-ups for young singers, emphasizing vocal protection, improved intonation, and increased self-confidence. It then provides five specific tonal vocal exercises (five-note scale, arpeggios, sirens, animal sounds, echo game) designed to be performed with piano accompaniment. The core of the worksheet is a warm-up story that integrates various physical movements and vocalizations, guiding children through a playful routine to warm up their bodies and voices.
Competencies:
- Vocal warm-up techniques
- Body awareness and coordination
- Auditory perception and imitation
- Following instructions
- Engagement in musical activities
Target group: Primary school children
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Target group and level
Primary school children
Subjects
Vocal and Warm-up Story (Primary School)
The importance of warming up for the voice and the body
Vocal warm-ups are an important preparation for singing, where the voice is warmed up and the muscles are activated. Especially for young singers, vocal warm-ups are essential to protect the vocal cords and to better utilize vocal potential. During this process, breathing and tone formation are practiced, which improves intonation and vocal strength.
For elementary school children, vocal warm-ups should be designed to be playful, for example with simple exercises or warm-up stories that also promote body tension and posture. Regular vocal warm-ups not only enhance singing performance but also boost the children's self-confidence and awaken their joy in making music. Teachers can strengthen awareness of one's own voice through creative warm-ups and promote healthy singing practices from an early age.
Supplement the warm-up story with a few tonal vocal exercises on the piano.
Here are a few tonal vocal exercises to accompany the warm-up story on the piano:
- Five-note scale exercise: Play a simple five-note scale (C-D-E-F-G) and have the children sing along, first ascending and then descending. This helps in warming up their vocal range.
- Arpeggios: Play a series of arpeggios (C-E-G-C high) and have the children sing the notes. Start with a lower octave and gradually move higher.
- Sirens: Play a continuous glissando from a low to a high note and back down, encouraging the children to follow the pitch with their voices, mimicking a siren sound.
- Animal sounds: Play a sequence of notes that mimic animal sounds (e.g., "meow" for a cat, "woof" for a dog) and have the children imitate the sounds. This can be both fun and effective in loosening up the voice.
- Echo game: Play short melodic phrases and have the children echo them back. Start with simple phrases and gradually increase the complexity as they become more confident.
Once upon a spooky Halloween night, little witches and wizards were getting ready for a big adventure. They had to warm up their bodies and voices to scare the ghosts away.
First, they stretched their arms up high to the moon, saying “oooooh” like a ghost. (Stretch arms up high, say “oooooh”)
Then, they bent down to touch their toes, pretending to pick up magic pumpkins. (Bend down and touch toes)
Next, they twisted their bodies left and right, looking for hidden candy. (Twist left and right)
They shook their whole bodies to get rid of any spider webs. (Shake the whole body)
The little witches and wizards started to march in place, lifting their knees high to step over big black cats. (March in place, lift knees high)
They flapped their arms like bats flying in the night sky, saying “eeeeee.” (Flap arms, say “eeeeee”)
Then, they wiggled their fingers like creepy spiders crawling on the ground. (Wiggle fingers)
They stomped their feet to scare away the skeletons, making loud “booooo” sounds. (Stomp feet, say “booooo”)
The little witches and wizards reached up to the stars and pulled them down, saying “aaaaah” with each star they grabbed. (Reach up, pull down, say “aaaaah”)
They spun around like whirlwinds, making “whhhooo” sounds. (Spin around, say “whhhooo”)
Finally, they took a deep breath and blew out like the wind, saying “fffffff.” (Deep breath, blow out, say “fffffff”)
Now they were all warmed up and ready for their big Halloween adventure. They felt brave and strong, ready to face any spooky surprises that came their way!