Victor Stec Sep.

22, 2018

Campbell, P.S., & Scott-Kassner, C. (2013). Music in childhood: From preschool through the elementary

grades (4th ed.). Cenage Learning.

What is PSP? How is it attained?

Based off the book “Teaching Kids to Sing” by Kenneth II Phillips, PSP is an acronym for Perfect singing
posture which is achieved in a succession of steps he provides. For the sake of brevity I will list each in a
summarised form:

1. Feet must be flat on the floor, six inches apart, one foot slightly forward of the other with most
body weight on the balls of the feet
2. Knees should be relaxed to eliminate tension and the back/spine should be straight
3. Chest should be slightly raised while shoulders are held back and relaxed
4. The head must be held high and rest on top of the spine while arms and hands remain loose
beside the body

Through what I learnt during the many years I sung in choirs I created what I believe to be an effective
singing posture. While I do agree with some of Phillips’ ideology in attaining a practical singing stance,
such as, how he advocates for maintaining a relaxed posture, I do not see the effectiveness in having
one foot forward of the other while placing weight on the balls of the feet. A natural posture would have
someone standing feet shoulder width apart with equal weight distribution on the balls and heels of the
feet. It would be unnatural to do so otherwise. A PSP methodology should promote having a natural
stance, being void of tension to ensure the utmost comfort for a singer.

What is a developmental sequence for children’s part song singing?

As stated in the reading, the first step in developing part song singing should have some students sing a
melodic ostinato while others sing a melodic line. Singing canons and rounds could likewise be
attempted however in a set of steps. First, students must show confidence in singing the main melodic
line in larger and smaller groups where thereafter, while they continue singing, the teacher can lightly
introduce the second part of the canon. Finally, a group of students can then be chosen to sing with the
teacher, proceeding soon after with having the class being divided equally depending on their parts. A
similar stepwise process can be implemented when likewise teaching a descant.

What are components of an audition for membership in a children’s choir?

The suggested method of running a children’s choir audition is to start by having a child sing a familiar
tune first in a middle range key, then in one higher and one lower. This would be used to asses pitch
accuracy and range. Similar could be done having a student sing a descending scale starting on a C an
octave above middle C, then D and E. Subsequently, a play/sing and repeat exercise would function in
the same manner. Vocal independence can then be tested with the student singing a familiar tune while
the teacher sings in canon.