PEDAGOGY | PRACTICE | SUCCESS | LEARNING | EXERCISES
At the very beginning of the pandemic, while struggling to get my studio settled into online learning, I abandoned singing activities for a while to focus on more expressive speaking exercises, including this Lyric Discovery Activity.”
This deep dive into lyrics and meaning revealed that many of my students, even adults, had minimal understanding of the context behind the stories they were singing. It was a teaching “wake-up call,” recognizing that reading (reading aloud) and reading comprehension are different skills. Literacy is a challenge for many students, making it difficult for them to fully connect with and understand the material in our lessons.
Fast forward to post-pandemic times:
Literacy skills suffered worldwide with the learning disruptions. Educators at all levels work tirelessly to get students back on track, addressing the significant gaps created by the pandemic. As voice teachers, it’s essential to know these challenges are sneaky. Many of our students are reluctant to ask for help and become experts at masking their shortcomings. Additionally, some parents may not be aware or forthcoming about learning challenge information.
These hidden deficits show up every day in our studios, and this is a friendly reminder to adjust our expectations and teaching approaches to reflect the reality of where students are, not where we think they “should” be.
Recognizing the Challenge(s)
Literacy challenges don’t just affect students’ ability to read music or lyrics; they also affect their confidence. Many students feel overwhelmed when learning a new piece, especially if they’re expected to comprehend text, expression, or storytelling in a short lesson or class. And if lessons are a mad rush of information partnered with instructions to “fix” everything, I guarantee their ability and willingness to practice at home will be slim.
Strategies to Support Literacy and Singing
Here are four simple strategies to help address these challenges and create a more supportive learning environment:
1. Pique Interest
Introduce a new song with energy and excitement to spark curiosity in your students. Ask easy-to-answer questions that help them connect what they already know to the new material. For example: “Do you have a pet at home? I have an interesting song about cats and dogs!” or “What do you think it means to ‘chase your dreams’? This song has some amazing lyrics about that!”
2. Prioritize Lyric Discovery
Allow more time for students to explore song lyrics without the pressure of singing them right away. This can include reading the lyrics aloud, discussing their meaning, drawing pictures, or even acting them out. Encourage students to ask questions about unfamiliar words or phrases and share their interpretations. This process not only aids comprehension but also helps students connect emotionally to the piece.
(Fun Fact: Students need to feel safe before they will willingly ask questions.)
3. Conversations and Connections
Everyone learns best when they can relate new material to their own experiences. Incorporate conversations into your lessons where students can share their stories or thoughts inspired by the lyrics they’re learning. For example, if a song talks about friendship or nature, ask students to reflect on their friendships or favorite outdoor memories. These connections make the lyrics meaningful and memorable. (This is essential for memorization!) These conversations also help you better understand your students and have a greater chance of finding exciting new repertoire that your students will love.
Pro-Teacher Tip. Allow students to modify lyrics if it helps them to engage and enjoy the song.
4. Separate Lyrics from Music
Consider breaking the learning process into smaller, more manageable steps. Reading from lyric sheets separate from the musical score is a helpful learning tool. Additionally, the hyphenation of lyrics on the music score makes reading even more complex for some students, and often, the flow and meaning of the text are lost. Fun Fact: All FULL VOICE Song downloads include a lyric sheet with images for this reason!)
Teacher Tip: My favourite question to ask my students once we have reviewed the story in the song is “What is your favourite line to sing?” or “What line in the song are you excited to sing for the audience?” When students feel intrigued and confident in their ability to engage, they’ll be more eager to dive in.
The Importance of Slowing Down
If we don’t slow our lesson pacing to address these literacy challenges, we risk leaving our students frustrated and disengaged. Poor lesson pacing is one of many reasons why students will not have the ability to practice at home. (Review, review, and more review!) Taking the time to build their comprehension and connection to the story is engagement 101.
Final Thoughts
If you are worried that focusing on general learning skills will slow your students’ progress in your studio, it won’t. By taking the time to see the human in front of us—acknowledging their individual needs, struggles, and strengths—we empower them to thrive both in our studios and beyond. These efforts enrich their music experience and nurture their confidence and a lifelong love of learning.
Teacher Challenge: Let’s embrace this challenge as an opportunity to create richer, more meaningful learning experiences in our studios. Whether teaching young children, teens, or adults, this approach enables us to cultivate well-rounded musicians and foster genuine connections, both with the music and ourselves as teachers.
Need more information about what is holding your students back from practicing?
If you want to dive deeper into creating a more supportive role in learning and fostering success in your studio, join us for our Practice, Progress, and Success Live Teacher Workshop. This session will explore practical strategies to help students overcome challenges, build confidence, and develop skills that lead to meaningful progress. Whether you’re working with young singers, teens, or adults, this workshop will provide insights and tools to enhance your teaching and inspire your students to thrive. View upcoming workshop dates
🐨 Australia and New Zealand teachers, please register for this workshop here.
