For Grown-Ups

As Maria says, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!” By trying some pitch matching, you will discover the range of your child’s voice. Watch The Sound of Music and listen to the Do,Re,Mi song a few times. Strive to match the notes of the song and sing along…

Sing the song “Mary had a Little Lamb” with your child until they know it well. Practice teaching your child the notes of the song by singing each note and having your child match the pitch you are singing. For example, you would sing the first note of the song and have your child match the pitch. Then you would sing the next note and have your child match the pitch, etc., most young children cannot match the correct pitch at first. If your child is singing the wrong pitch, listen to hear if the pitch is lower or higher than the pitch you are singing and do the following; If your child is singing lower than the desired pitch, point your finger up and invite them to slide with their voice into the note. If your child is singing higher than the desired pitch, point your finger down with the same invitation of sliding until they locate the pitch. You may also consider singing along with your child and randomly stopping on a note to have your child match the pitch. You can also try matching pitches on a piano or other musical instrument by playing a note on the instrument and requesting your child to match the pitch.