Do you want confidence and empowerment in your child's voice?

Does your Child: 

love to sing to the radio or other music?

sing loudly and freely regardless of who's listening?

feel shy about singing in front of people but has potential?

seem confident but can't hold a tone? seem "tone deaf?"

need to develop their natural talent?

need to work on acting and public speaking?

seem awkward with their movement and coordination?

dance like a pro but need to learn how to balance that with singing?

need to learn how to sing well, while playing an instrument?

express an interest in singing?

act like a perfectionist when it comes to singing?

want to sing for a hobby for fun?

want to take their voice to the next level?

Get individualized voice lessons for children from a certified teacher and professional singer/songwriter of almost three decades!

After your child's initial Lesson Assessment, their individualized training will provide 4 important empowering steps at their level:

1. Connecting: 

• making friends with my voice
• CORE breath support [grounding and centering]
• feeling free in my body and voice
• correct posture
• stage presence
• mental clarity
• how to overcome nerves

2. Objective

• understanding my voice's strengths and how to improve
• SUBTEXT: who am I singing to and why?
• clarity/presence in my message/delivery
• emotional connection to what I'm singing
• how to engage an audience

3. Resonating

• vowel placement
• how to build a more full, powerful tone
• how to sing with flow and ease
• understanding vocal registers
• vocal alignment
• tapping in to my true power

4. Exercises

• vocal health and maintenance
• how to project my voice
• ear training
• articulation & diction
• vocal strengthening
• body language and delivery
• vocal stamina
• presentation skills
• vocal exercises
• how to perform a song

Written materials, worksheets, and practice audio files are available at each lesson. A complementary audio recording is included with each lesson along with an individualized vocal plan.

 

As you can see from the list above, CORE Vocal Power® for children will give them the tools to get power beyond their voice.

WHAT IS THE BEST AGE FOR MY CHILD TO START VOICE LESSONS? HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG?

In my opinion, age five or six is a good age to start, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

The youngest child I have taught voice lessons to, to date is a 2 year old baby and it was about getting the child to repeat beneficial tones and exercises in a playful, yet focused, fun manner. These lessons were really 30 minute play time sessions designed to help the child to get a gradual structure around music and familiarity with their own voice. At that young age, it's about introducing music, as energy, movement, the sounds we can make and rhythm, with a connection to one's own voice and the voice of their parents. Having said that, it's not a common age to start a child unless they are gifted and/or their is a specific reason.

Usually people don't enroll their children in voice lessons until they are at least 3 or 4 years old. It really depends on the child.

DOT'S VIEW ON VOICE LESSONS FOR CHILDREN

After teaching for more than two decades, I've come across many adults who were crushed as a child because they either had lessons from a strict teacher who scolded them for "singing badly," or had a family member or friend tell them to stop singing. I call these "vocal wounds." Out of the thousands of people I've worked with, I'd say about 40% of people have them. Most of the people that have vocal wounds were scarred before the age of ten years old.  They never got the support they needed to climb out of their despair, which resulted in an unexpressed, traumatized adult who hates their voice.

Does that mean you should not enroll your child in voice lessons under the age of ten? My answer is no, of course not. You just want to make sure the teacher they work with is someone who understands that vocal training is connected to the mind and soul, as well as the voice. Children need to be handled with care.

The CORE Vocal Power® approach provides your child with empowering tools that will help them develop habits that will benefit them not only in singing but in their life. They will learn to trust their natural instincts, to align with their truth and commit to their own journey because they want to. The CORE formula provides the structure, while allowing them to still sing naturally without becoming mechanical perfectionist singers who are always so worried about what other people think. I wish I had someone teach me this when I was a kid!

DOT'S BACKGROUND WORKING WITH CHILDREN

I taught my first private coaching session with an 11 year old boy in 1989.

As a teenager, I taught my peers in choirs and directed musical numbers. At the time, I didn't think it was a big deal, but one-on-one coaching to children younger than me was a whole different experience. At age 18 I was teaching a Grade 5/6 Co-op class at an elementary school, and again, I learned how to get these children to simply show up and sing. I had no idea, at the time, that I was helping them to find confidence. It was very rewarding to see the students I taught get up and perform in front of everyone, while looking so adorable. I fell in love with teaching and the rest is history. Later, I went to college and got my teaching degree, along with 3 other degrees, which included my Student teaching at Frank Ballou High School in Inner-City Washington DC.  From there I went on to introduce a Theatre Arts Program at Heritage Residential Treatment Center in Utah, now one of the Nation's top programs.

My extensive teaching experience also includes home schooling children, working with at-risk youth, autistic children, gifted children, working as an Educational Specialist, an Educational Therapist, a Director of Education, and a Nanny. When I look back on my career, teaching has been at the heart of everything I have accomplished. I guess it was one of my callings in life.

I also enjoy writing and singing children's music, and have written one children's book. Some say, I am a big kid at heart, but I believe all children are natural artists. Although I love working with students of all ages, children are my greatest joy to teach because they are the purest spirits on the planet.

Click here to read Dot's Resume.