I teach singing in a private school and as well as the older children 10 - 16, I've also been assigned several students as young as 4 years old. In my opinion, I wouldn't recommend individual singing lessons for children until they're at least 6 or 7, they'd be better off singing in a choir until that age. But I don't have much choice, since the school doesn't have a lower age limit for people to sign up for singing lessons.


Any advice on getting 4 years old to memorize a song within a 30 mins lesson? They can't read the notes nor the lyrics, and their attention span is quite short, so a lyric sheet with big letters doesn't really help either. At the same time their parents expect results, as in, they expect their children to be able to "sing a new song to them when they get home after each lessons".

Any advice on how I should go about this?

thanks.

Kodaly is the answer to this!

SO much you can do with small sponge-like-kids with singing and signs and pulse and rhythm...

Might be most fun for them in pairs or threes though, you could have them 3 times a week for the same money per family, it would be FAB!

I would treat it like a music lesson rather than a singing lesson...lots of rhythm and aural games as a warm up..and yes learn some songs...not always one a lesson tho. I taught two 6/7 year olds once and cut their lesson to 20mins as concentration was not there...this was a private school. I don't advise proper singing lessons until 7/8 at the earliest....girls seem to do better if they are 9/10..best of luck.

I was going to say exactly that.( Well, not the 3 times a week bit! If I had the time, it would be OK, but the staff are moany enough already about the coming-out-of-lessons scenario - and the room wouldn't be free 3 times a week!) With the odd exception, I find most individual young singers ( aged 4-7, say) quite hard work, and occasionally a total non-starter. Now I have them in small groups, 3 to 4 in a group is fine, and we do loads of singing games ( Step back, baby etc) with movement. I rarely give them song sheets - aural development is the aim here.

I did have one exceptional girl who managed distinction for Grade 3 while in Yr 5 ( aged 9 ) and is now in the NY Training Choir - but she was a one-off. But individual sessions for an average 4 year old? Mmmm..

I'm not Kodaly trained, and do not follow the methodoly, but some ideas like storytelling involving simple songs work well.

Choose songs from films and shows with limited ranges and transpose them into an appropriate key. Clapping games for rhythm can work very well as an introduction to aural, also kids love beating time. Singing back games (again this is aural training) can be made into a real game.

I did teach a girl from the age of 4 as an individual pupil and it worked very well, by the age of 6 she had passsed (and it was a good pass too) her TG grade 2 exam.

I also teach in a private school and am occasionally given pupils from yr 2 which I find quite young enough. I do as most of the responses here have already said focusing on rhythm work and fun aural stuff rather than a 'normal' individual lesson. If they do singing as a group with another teacher find out what they are working on and suggest a small solo within that for your pupil. It keeps the parents happy! I have printed out the words and put their song onto a tape and some of them with the help of their parents do practice at home. The Prep Test songs are good. Also taking a simple well known nursery rhyme tune and making up your own words can work with some children.

My first reaction to Jod's suggestion of film and show songs was that they are not the right thing for small children to sing, but there are songs like My Favourite Things, Doh,Re Mi, etc.
I would prefer nursery rhymes, counting songs, and all the very many songs you can find eg. listed on the Tweenies website and elsewhere.


It is often said that very small children have a range of only a few notes, but my just five year old grandson has just discovered Star Wars and sings the beginning of the main theme, an octave range, in tune ( Daa, daa, da da da daa....)

Taking them in small groups or even two at a time, and letting them share the song a line at a time works well.

Not being able to read is no barrier to learning songs: they will learn much faster by ear.
Action songs such as Do your ears hang low? and Wind the bobbin up are good for rhythm learning.

Just a word of caution - make sure that the parents of the children are aware what you are doing in the lessons. If you are doing mostly musicianship (singing games, Kodaly etc.) are you teaching them singing as such? Now obviously we, as teachers, understand what's happening, but to unaware parents, they could see cause to complain if they're not strictly getting what they're paying for - it has been known unfortunately.

David