Has your child been wooed by the thought of performing onstage?  The lights, the microphone, the applause? It all look so glamorous and exciting!   

 

But when an amateur takes the stage for the first time, it can be big shock!  

Beyond looking into a sea of faces, which is terrifying for some and disconcerting at best, many young performers don’t have guidance when choosing their first song.

 

 The wrong song can make or break a performance!

 

If you have little to no experience in performing, it probably feels overwhelming to choose a song!  It’s easy to have unrealistic expectations, not know where to start, or to choose the most popular or “showy” song that’s in the current Top 40.  

However, the most popular songs *might* not always be the best song to help a new performer SHINE!  

 

If your child has a performing opportunity ahead of them- maybe an audition, a talent show, a talent concert or a competition, or recital- where the songs are not chosen for the students, keep the following things in mind so your budding star will put their best foot forward!

 

 (Note: auditions may have some different considerations depending upon the requirements, but these are still good principles to keep in mind.)

 

 

 

Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing the Right Song:

 

Using the traffic signal lights as a framework, here are some ideas to help choose a song that is age appropriate for young performers.

 

RED LIGHT  (STOP!)

 

Songs that are too low, too high

Children have more limited ranges than adults so when a child attempts to “cover” a song by an adult, they often find it uncomfortable in the extremes of their ranges.  It is either too low at some point, or perhaps too high. 

 

What to do about it:

Change the key

Sing alternate notes for the ones that are uncomfortable

Speak the line

Choose a different song  

(As you’ll read later, I recommend choosing songs that were written with kids in mind.)  

 

 

Songs that are too long or very repetitive

Singing well and performing well are actually 2 different skills.  

Songs can feel very long to both the audience and the performer, especially if there is a lot of repetition, either in words, choruses, repeated notes, etc.  

An amateur performer that sounds great and has great enthusiasm in the first verse often fades through the course of the song.

Learning to engage with energy and connection is part of the skill set to be learned for onstage performance.

It takes experience to learn to keep that energy going throughout the whole song.

Leave the audience wanting more, not wishing for it to be over!

 

What to do about it:

Perform shortened versions of songs, when possible

A live accompanist would be the simplest way to accomplish this, though there is software available that allows editing of recordings.

Choose songs that follow an easy emotional arc.

Plan out staging and/or motions that will help the performer stay engaged.

 

 

 

YELLOW LIGHT (Proceed with caution)

 

Songs that have long introductions or interludes

Standing onstage with a hundred or more eyeballs on you while you wait for your entrance can feel like a lifetime!  

As performers mature, they learn to use those times to advance the story of the song, but as a newbie, it can feel very uncomfortable.  It also can be dull for the audience to sit through a vacant-eyed performer’s long introduction.

 

What to do about it:

Shorten or cut the introduction or interlude.  

Again, a performing with a live accompanist is the easiest way to accomplish this.

Coach the performer to act through the music.  Use facial expression and body language to move the action forward even without the words.  

 

 

Songs that rely on the band or a dance to make it sound “cool”

If you are singing with just a piano or just a guitar, be really careful not to choose a song that is reliant upon a band or a “beat” for it’s wow factor.  

That doesn’t mean you can’t sing a song that uses a band, you just don’t want to choose something that is vocally “boring” but has an awesome sound because of the band.  You want the voice and the acting or stage presence to carry the song.

(If you have a track or a live band, of course, this consideration is not relevant.  There would be other challenges in this situation!)

 

What to do about it:

Regardless of your song, YOU bring the energy!  You don’t want to rely on anything else!

 

 

Songs that have mature meanings or emotions that are beyond the years of the performer

Sometimes young singers have very mature voices and their voices can handle songs that are written for older characters or performers.

Because those songs are impressive, it is easy to see why an ambitious young singer would want to show off a bit!  

Just be cautious because it can really feel strange from the audience’s perspective to see a child singing about an adult experience.

(Be particularly wary of this in an audition situation.  I might even move this one to the RED LIGHT section for auditions!)

 

What to do about it:

Find songs that the singer can relate to at an emotional level.  The content doesn’t need to be something they have experienced, but the feelings should be relatable.  

 

 

Songs that are very fast

Songs that move very quickly, have a lot of words or use a lot of registration changes (“jumping from low to high or high to low notes)  may be cumbersome for a young singer.

In his video, “Voicewise”, renowned voice pedagogue, Robert Edwin specifically mentions that children articulate more slowly than adults.  

Imagine a toddler trying to keep up with the stride of an adult.  They are often lagging behind and then must run to catch up!

The same can happen with a young singer who is trying to sing a song that moves to quickly in some capacity.  

 

What to do about it:

For Performance,

 

Slow down a bit for the performance (a live accompanist would make this possible)

Give melodic support (see next point)

For practice,

 

Practice slowly so the voice and articulator muscles can learn the movements.

Practice without the aid of another singer

Practice without music at all (a cappella)

These are great ways for strengthening vocal independence.

Be sure to practice  in the same key as will be performed.  (This means don’t sing the song lower/higher when there is no music to sing along with!)

 

Singing without melody support

It is more difficult than you might realize to sing alone without the support of another singer or the melody.

Imagine what happens when a child has been learning to ride a bike with training wheels and then the training wheels are removed.  They feel very unsupported and there is a new skill to learn to ride without them!

Obviously when performing, we don’t expect to sing along with a recorded singer!  But it takes practice to stay with the music and stay on the right notes without those “training wheels”!  

 

What to do about it:

Practice singing alone with the music many times before your performance.

You will need to listen to the musical cues.

You will need to feel the beat.

Find an accompaniment track for practice and performance.

YouTube is a great resource for finding these types of tracks to practice with, however, do not plan to use a YouTube track for a performance.  Ads, etc are too unpredictable!

You may see various terms used for these types of accompaniment.  The short of it- it’s the music for the singer to sing along with.

karaoke version

backing track

accompaniment track

instrumental

and probably others too.  

The short of it- it’s the music for the singer to sing along with.

 

 

 

GREEN LIGHT (go for it!)

 

Songs sung by kid-characters

When a song is written specifically for a kid character, the composer will usually have taken at least some of the limitations of a child’s voice into consideration when writing the song.  

 

Songs that the child can relate to

If there is a song that really speaks to the performer, it’s a good choice!  For instance, if the performer can relate to the feelings of a song about a kid who feels left out, yes!  

Channel those emotions into the song!

Serious songs can be great but be sure that the emotions and story are more obvious for beginners.

Deep and subtle meaning can be very difficult to portray.

 

Songs that bring out the best in you.

Similarly, songs that make the child excited or showcase a style or personality trait will often make the performer feel alive and play to the audience- always a good thing!  Songs that show off vocal ability or style or good acting are always the best choices!

 

What to do about it:

Sometimes it’s best to use the natural personality of the child to help find a song that best suits.

Sometimes giving the performer a song that’s “over the top” will help them rise to the occasion with energy.

 

Uptempo songs

This is not an “always” maxim, but slower songs can be very difficult to energize, and as I mentioned earlier, the connection and momentum can fade as the performer loses focus.

 

What to do about it:

Try putting motions or simple choreography to the song. Movement relieves tension and will give them a fallback when they might feel frozen in the moment.

If the child is set on a slower more beautiful song and it’s suits them well, go for it!  

 

Leave your questions or words of wisdom in the comments!

 

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