Unleash Your Child's Potential II: Singing/Dancing/Acting

Here is the sequel to my recent post (Unleash Your Child's Potential: Drawings/Artworks )on helping your child polish inner talents/skills.  

Angel Reign
Won the Title and "Best in Talent "
and other Special Awards

Equip your child/children with the necessary tools to get her started:

• First, get the necessary equipment to do it.
• Buy professional microphone (I recommend Shure or Sony Brands - look for the Dynamic Supercardioid mic for noise reduction)
• Must also have quite good speakers and amplifier
• Mini-home theater will do. Make sure there is a USB port for practicality. 

• You can download karaoke songs from the internet for FREE.
• Sometimes wireless mic is better but most are not rechargeable

• In dancing, comfortable shoes and clothes
• Lapel mic for acting

 Singing

Find FREE Resources

As early as three I found out that Angel has a passion in singing. I bought her children's Nursery Rhymes songs cds, Broadway children's songs and a lot more ( when USB is not yet widely used here). 

I recommend free karaoke download from Youtube. Karafun's copies are the best -  so far.  The sounds are for bigger space and the lyrics are well encoded, this is just my way of thanking them on my free downloads :) You would not regret it, I guarantee. The others I have tried (though I have not tried all), are, if not the background is not of good quality the video is not HD too and the worst, the lyrics are full of mistakes and comes late with the accompaniment. 

Angel Reign in Grade I, won 2nd in a
Poem Recital "Linggo ng Wika"
(School)

Angel 3 yrs. old - "Chorale"
(She's just watching then she memorized
the song and the choreo - she joined)
( Church - PNK Group)

Move-out from the Homebox

Expand your child's engagements outside home - like in school, allow and support her to join talent organizations; in the church - let her be a choir member like my first born (who started as early as six years old) IF she likes.  Being a choir member in the church, they always have  their drills before the children's worship service.  That is adding to her voice modulation.  

Riana Ysobel 1st Place "Bibong-bibo si Baby"
(Very Smart Baby Award, Gumaca District)

When leisure singing at home, let her choose any song she likes and let her sing till she surrenders.  There will come a time that you are beginning to notice that certain songs (of a particular artist matches her voice).  Praise her and tell her about the plus factors of that singer. Then find that artist's songs in Youtube, download first the album and play it frequently (not telling her she must memorize) just when you are doing the chores, resting or sleeping.








I recommend downloading/converting it to mp3 version for your phone so that it can be your family's lullaby rest assured that you wont overheat your stereo till morning when you will just use your phone). You will soon discover she is starting to sing with the tune and beginning to like it.  Then, time for you to download the karaoke version, make sure to put the singer's name to get it right. Convert it to MPEG via Format Factory (Free software from Softonic. Easy to use, immediate conversion) to play in your VCD/DVD player.  It will not be hard for you to convince her to follow that singer or even sing her songs. That is the fruit of my observation.  My children can sing songs from the 80's (their not born yet that time) because I love music.  I always run music while doing the mom things.  I was just surprised to hear them, even my six-year old, singing along.  I am just quiet, I do not mention I notice it. They may get shy and that may refrain them from relaxed singing. 

Moving-out from the home boundaries is applicable to all talents your child may posses.  She can even start her "own show" in a special number on birthday parties and other socializing events.

Dancing 

Angel Reign in a school program
"United Nations' Day"

In schools there are also dance clubs and if none yet in elementary - just allow her to practice at home imitating the dancers on the tv shows and then if there is a program in school encourage her to participate.  Provide her the needed costumes etc.  Usually elementary pupils in schools here in the Philippines are given a chance to perform a cultural dance during the celebration of the "Filipino Language Month ".  The cultural is the usual genre.  I would appreciate if you can share with me and my readers the practice in your country :)

I admit, "dancing" is the last on my list, I did not know how to dance but my older child does. Again, she is always commended for her dancing skills, always one of the front acts in  the school programs :)

Latest dance songs are also available in Youtube.

Acting

Let her memorize a very short declamation piece or just ask her to read stories, be there to guide her with the voice shifts and later on with the acting as well.  

Find reading materials (stories/simple dialog) with different persons/characters portrayed. Best to buy a compilation of stories in a single book rather than buying paper backs with just a solo title. As for me, I bought my children, "Book of Fairy Tales" hard bound. Then I ask my daughter to read any story, she is interested.  You know children they like those kind. I just sit or lay beside listening and interrupting at times.  I taught her to read with feelings. Like if the character is happy or angry it must show in her voice.  And that could be a good start. The voice first and then the acting.  Friends and even teachers who hear her read, honestly, could not help telling me that my child is wonderful and talented especially in reading and acting, modesty aside.

My daughters, both love to pose

What I do is I imitate the way she reads in the beginning (if she reads like a log) and ask her what do I look like and she is laughing, I told her that is what you did! We are laughing together while I am telling her that she should not read like a ROBOT.  The listeners would be bored and sleepy.  And that is it, she always find time to look at the audience too while reading and her voice is quite remarkable as if you are listening to a novel from the radio...  A friend who heard her reading a story for her younger child told me - she is quite notably a good reader! That is overwhelming :)

She can start from there, I did not advise to teach your child voice modulation and acting at the same time because it will just divide her attention and likely to lose focus on what is to prioritize . While trying to direct her voice she will effort on portraying...do not burden your child by doing that.  And I guarantee you best results if you do it that way.  Step by step not simultaneous studying.  

When the progress with her voice quality - she can adapt her voice to the character in the plots she reads, that is the best time to proceed with acting.  That usually takes weeks or months or even years of reading to smoothen.  I teach Angel the right way to read when she was in grade one.  The acting around grade two...then when she is comfortable enough we practice.  I play the other role first just by reading then both of us acting it out later.  Just like playing, not stiff educating.  I am always reminding her that my criticisms are not meant to belittle her skills but for her improvement and if I did not do it she will not become BETTER. She gladly accepts it :)  And I did say my criticisms  jokingly, repeating her acts or talking. We always ended-up laughing even her younger sister cant help but laugh.

I always told her too that it is more shameful to be criticized by the audience and be humiliated on poor presentation than be ashamed of  giving her best to showcase her talent.

You may also prefer to enroll your child in voice lessons, acting workshops, dance studios, ballet school depending on your schedule and budget.

I hope to have shared with you my SECRETS on raising smart kids (honing children's potential) and it would be of help to you too :)

Hit the plus button, pin it, tweet it or re-share this article if you find it helpful and you would like your friends to learn those secrets...thank you very much for your time reading this quite long article. Have a great day everyone!