Singing Lessons for Little Singers

New Edition of Level A Now Available on Lulu

2012-02-03T03:17:00.000-08:00

We're still working on getting the First Edition of Level A up on Amazon.com, but in the meantime it is up and ready on Lulu.com.

Improvements over the Pre-Release Edition include a new "Hello Friends" song as well as 4 other short songs from the Kodaly tradition to practice the Body Scale intervals; improved worksheets that are more appropriate for the age range; updated lesson plans and parent/teacher introductions; a newly-designed certificate of completion; and much general cleaning up of the images and layout.

Look for updated online resources in the near future including sing-along tracks with a live singer!

"Little Singers" in Top 10 Children's Books

2011-09-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

"Singing Lessons for Little Singers" made the Lulu Top 10 Children's Books List for this last week!

Level A - Very Young Beginner Pre-release Edition Now Available

2011-09-01T17:01:00.001-07:00

The New Little Singers Level A for preschoolers and early elementary kids is now available in pre-release edition! I wouldn't load up since we will be making final revisions before the official release in January, but feel free to use it on any students you have between now and then. Order it now on our Lulu Storefront.

Sign up to help us test it out and I'll pay you back for your copy, and buy you the first edition when it comes out in January.

Save 20% off "Singing Lessons for Little Singers"

2011-08-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

Save 20% off "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" with the coupon code "SINK305" up to $100. Expires midnight Friday, Aug. 12th.

25% off "Little Singers" This Week

2011-07-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Lulu is running a 25% off sale on "Singing Lessons for Little Singers," now through Friday midnight, up to $400. Use the coupon code "TIME305" .

Amazon Fraud Alert: "Origin Media" Scalping Books, Overcharging for "Little Singers"

2011-07-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

As I searched for "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" on Amazon.com today, I was shocked to find seller "Origin Media" trying to pass off a copy for $150, nearly ten times the retail price! This incredibly unethical company was hoping that a customer would accidentally click on the wrong seller and then have to fork over the money to them. BUYER BEWARE!!!

As I continued to dig, I also discovered the following :

Origin Media has 149 canned feedback comments, essentially all of them 5 stars, from imaginary people such as "Miss Phluffy." I can't prove that these reviews are fake, but what do you think?

5 out of 5: "I'm really pleased with my order! It arrived very quickly (3 days before the earliest estimated delivery date) and wasn't damaged in any way. "
Date: May 29, 2011 Rated by Buyer: Miss Phluffy
My brother also found his book scalped by Origin Media, but the funny thing is he has never actually sold a copy of that book! Yes, you heard that right. This book seller intends to wait until you buy the book through them, then they will go and buy it for $15.95 and charge you $149.55, pocketing the $133.60 markup plus $3.99 handling!?
I looked up details about Origin Media and found out it is run by a man named Byron Belitsos, a founder of a prominent 9/11 "Truther" organization. For those of you who don't know, "Truthers" are way-out political activists who claim that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an "inside job" done by our own government.

"Byron Belitsos is an author, editor, journalist, and book publisher as well as an experienced political activist and practicing mystic. He was an inaugural member of the board of 911truth.org and produced "9/11 Truth Convergence," one of the first 9/11 conferences. He is the CEO of Origin Press, where he published Inside Job, by Jim Marrs....Byron has been politically active since 1969 in a variety of venues and contexts in the labor and socialist movements and most recently, in the world democracy movement; he is a board member of the Democratic World Federalists. "

So unless you want to pay ten times the retail price for "Little Singers," knowing that the markup will go into the pockets of an anti-government crook, I suggest you be careful on Amazon until this is taken care of. You can always purchase "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" at Lulu.com without any risk at our storefront: Singing Lessons for Little Singers.

15% off "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" this week

2011-07-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

In case you missed last week's 20% off...
Our distributer has decided to run another sale on "Singing Lessons for Little Singers." You can get 15% off (up to $100) from now until midnight Friday by using the coupon code "JULY305."

Update on New Level A, Singing Lessons for Little Singers

2011-07-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished writing out the lesson plans that will be made available to teachers using the new Level A of Singing Lessons for Little Singers.The artist is still hard at work with the illustrations. I'll let you know when we are ready to begin the testing!

Save 20% off Singing Lessons for Little Singers!

2011-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Save 20% off Singing Lessons for Little Singers (as many copies as you want!) on Lulu.com using this coupon code: "BIG305". Expires 7/15/11.

Music is Child's Play

2011-06-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Picture by Larry and Laura via Flickr

A child’s job is to play. I don’t mean on an X-box or sitting in front of Cartoon Network. I mean real, old-fashioned playing. Exploring, building, creating, imagining, figuring things out. Building forts, playing pretend, exploring a park: that is the work of children, and there is nothing better for their mental, physical and emotional development.

The problem with so many music opportunities for children is that they lack one of two essential ingredients: either they lack the “play” element of fun discovery, or they lack pedagogical basis of actually learning musical skills. How many “music day camps” are there out there that give children things to bang on and songs to sing along to but never explain the concepts of meter and notation, never make an attempt to make sure they’re singing on the right pitches, and never explain to them the difference between their high and low voice? How many kids and adults “used to” take piano lessons but quit as soon as they could convince their parents that it was way too BORING! What are we doing here? Is there no happy middle ground between fluff and the whip?

Of course there is! Children LOVE music. They love to sing and dance and bang on things. They love to learn gestures that accompany songs (think “The Eensy-Weensy Spider”) and they love to pretend that they are a Disney princess or hero singing their favorite songs. What we sometimes forget is that children also love the sense of accomplishment that comes from learning and performing a song for their parents or peers. They love passing off a song and putting a sticker on the page to prove it. They love the satisfaction of seeing all the progress they have made in developing their musical tallents; they just need to be having fun during most of it or they lack the patience to stay with it.

The new Very Early Beginner Level A of Singing Lessons for Little Singers is full of fun games and activities that are all carefully constructed and arranged to ensure that students are learning and progressing in their skills, whether they know it or not! Games like the vocal “Airplane Ride” to practice raising and lowering pitch, the catchy “Beat Cat” game to practice meter, rhythm and tempo, and the four-verse version of the classic circle-game “Ring Around the Rosies” chock-full of fun actions and movements that will keep students wanting to sing the ingeniously crafted pentatonic melody again and again. You have never seen a private or group music lesson like this before! Children will think it is all fun and games, but teachers and parents will see the children learning their scale intervals and singing more in tune, training their melodic and rhythmic “ears,” learning fundamental (potentially voice-saving) singing techniques of support and registration, beginning to read music notation, and fostering abstract musical expression through imaginative lyrics, gestures and motions.

Play is the work of children, but the smart parent ensures that their child’s activities are structured to best facilitate their development. We buy them good children’s books at their reading level to build their literacy. We take them to children’s museums that present arts and technology in fun, approachable but genuine ways. We even buy them cartoon-themed backpacks and school supplies to show them that learning is not all bland drudgery. Numerous studies have shown that children who participate in genuine music training (with ear and theory training) get better grades in school, have increased mathematical and language abilities, and even have up to a 46% increase in their IQ scores. (I’ll give you the reference for that study because I know you won’t believe me: Rauscher, Shaw, Levine, Ky and Wright, “Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship,” University of California, Irvine, 1994.) Do your young children and students a favor and make Singing Lessons for Little Singers a part of their lives.

Preview #2 of New Singing Lessons for Little Singers Level A: Teaching Children to Sing in Tune

2011-06-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

Of all the complaints that people can have of a singing performance, usually the most unforgivable is that the singer does not sing in tune. With young children, intonation is almost always an issue. The majority of parents who ask me to teach their young child come with the complaint that “the notes just don’t sound right” when their child sings and they are helpless to know what to do about it.

Unfortunately, many music teachers are also at a loss when it comes to finding the most effective way to teach their students to recognize and sing the correct pitches of songs. In creating the new “Young Beginner” Level A of Singing Lessons for Little Singers, we have thoroughly researched and tested out several ideas and methods for teaching students to sing in tune and we think we have come up with a pretty good strategy.

1. “Sol-Mi” and the Pentatonic Scale

Early music pioneer Zoltan Kodaly observed that around the world, across nearly every culture, children’s folk songs were generally made up of the pentatonic scale and especially the descending minor 3rd (“sol-mi” in solfege). This ubiquitous interval is also commonly heard in every-day speech inflection including phrases like “fly ball!”, “thank you,” and “kitty.” Researchers have determined that this interval is so prevalent among children because it is the easiest one for them to hear and copy. (I watched a video clip recently of a 6-week-old infant singing this interval. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHtk8QK8iR4) Once the minor 3rd (“sol-mi”) is mastered, the major 2nd (“sol-la”) is usually the next to follow. This phenomenon exists in America as the “childhood taunting song” (G – E – G – E – G – E – A – G – E) as well and “Ring Around the Rosie,” “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring,” and other songs. From this basis around “sol”, the rest of the pentatonic scale is progressively filled in (do-re-mi-sol-la”) and often the “fa” is added as well. Meanwhile, the child has learned nearly every interval they will encounter in singing and many common note sequences. Surprisingly, this pentatonic-based process for learning pitch and intervals has been used for several decades in American classrooms by teachers trained in the “Kodaly” methodology, and this sequence is heavily used in the new Level A of Singing Lessons for Little Singers.

2. The Body Scale

Providing a labeled structure of pitches for young children is not enough, however. Children are much more kinesthetic than adults and need to be physically doing things to learn best (and maintain attention). Many teachers pair solfege learning with the 19th century Curwin hand signs, but I have found that for singing purposes they do not do the best job of indicating internally where each pitch is felt as it is sung. Over the past little while I have developed a system called the Body Scale that I have found to work much better for young children. It consists simply of students touching certain landmarks on their body for each pitch. (For example, “sol” is on the cheeks, “mi” is in the middle of the chest, and “do” is on the knees. The Body Scale does a superb job of 1) showing students the height differentiation of pitches, 2) showing students that low notes are felt lower in the body and high notes are felt higher, 3) helping students find and become comfortable with both their high and low voices, 4) training students to “sing with their whole bodies” and not just their throats, and 5) giving students a physical routine to practice and memorize that provides a greater sense of accomplishment than just singing intervals. Each step of the Body Scale (except “ti”) is progressively introduced and reinforced in the new Level A of Singing Lessons for Little Singers with exercises, games and activity songs coordinated to teaching young beginning students to hear, recognize and sing intervals and notes in tune.

3. “Copy Cat” and Activity Songs

Now that I mentioned them, let’s talk about these activities and songs in the new Level A of Singing Lessons for Little Singers. Obviously solfege drills, even with physical movements added, are not going to hold the attention of any 4 to 7 year-old for very long. That is why in the new Level A we have developed a series of fun activities and songs (often the two blur together) that give students an opportunity to develop and use their new singing skills in a fun and satisfying manner. The concepts of up/down and high/low pitches are taught and used in a series of activities that call on the students to visualize traveling up and down in the air (such as in a rocket; more about this in a later preview). A “Copy Cat” activity is introduced allowing the teacher to practice pitch and rhythm sequences with the students in a “call and response” manner. And pentatonic pitch sequences and high/low pitch movement are strategically embedded in each song of Level A, ensuring that what is learned by rote and activity is incorporated into real singing of songs.

I have to say that I am very excited about this new level of Singing Lessons for Little Singers. For either private or group lessons for pre-school and early elementary-aged beginning singers (or even older ones that need help with their pitch), I have not found anything better than what we will soon be releasing. I can’t wait to get it out there and hear all of your success stories!

-Greg Blankenbehler

Seeking Feedback on "Singing Lessons for Little Singers"

2011-06-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

We want to hear your story!

Navigate over to the "Little Singers" Facebook page and click on "Discussions" in the menu on the left. Then leave your comment in the open discussion. Let us know what worked for you with "Little Singers" and what didn't.

Preview of New Singing Lessons for Little Singers Level #1: Level Objectives

2011-06-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

With the impressive success of the original Singing Lessons for Little Singers book (available on Amazon and Lulu.com), we have received numerous requests to expand the method. As many of you already know, a pre-school to early elementary level is currently in the works, with progressively more advanced levels to follow soon. Here is a sneak peak of what we have been working on...

Each new level in the New Singing Lessons for Little Singers Series will begin with "Level Objectives", a specific listing of the skills and activities that students will be learning in the book level. This will be a great help for teachers in:

Regularly evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their students in a comprehensive fashion.
Determining which level of Singing Lessons for Little Singers is the most appropriate for the student's own current skill level.
Maintaining focus on the areas that need improvement
Setting a "gold standard" of expectations for what students should be learning in the different areas of singing and musicianship (ear training, rhythm, technique, performance, sight reading, etc.) at a given point in their training so as to not develop skill deficiencies that will hold them back later.
Explaining concisely to parents what you are currently teaching their child and what progress they have made.

Here is our tentative objective list for the soon-to-be-released Level A:

Level A Objectives
Ear Training
Match pitch between C4 and C5 ("middle C" and an octave higher) or more.
Sing a "siren" of at least an octave up and down, correctly identifying the direction.
Correctly sing and do the motions of the "body scale" steps Do, Mi, Fa, So and La.
Sing Level A songs with at least 75% pitch accuracy.
Rhythm
Sing, clap, step, and/or play a percussion instrument along to the beat of Level A songs at a variety of tempos.
Technique
Demonstrate a basic understanding of "belly breathing."
Hiss, buzz, trill and/or sing an open vowel for at least 10 seconds on a single pitch.
Hiss, buzz, trill and/or sing an open vowel moving up and down in pitch.
Comfortably sing in both high and low voice/register.
Performance
Act out the songs of Level A while singing them.
Perform a solo (or several) for parents (or even in a recital, if ready).
Level A is our most basic level of instruction, ensuring that singing students have a good foundation in pitch and movement before turning their focus to vowels, scales and intervals, diction, breath support, sight reading, etc. Students with less singing experience will greatly benefit from extra time and practice from frequent repetition of songs and exercises, while the more experienced will progress quickly and soon be ready to move on to Level B. Exceptional students will also benefit from supplementary songs according to their ability.

Latest Updated, Corrected Revision of Singing Lessons for Little Singers

2011-02-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Since Singing Lessons for Little Singers was first published in 2009, a few typos and anachronisms have surfaced in the original edition. While none of these errata affect the usability of the book, we thought it prudent to issues a revised and corrected copy that would provide corrections to all known typos and updated contact information for the publisher.

Due to distribution complications, we can unfortunately only offer this updated edition of Singing Lessons for Little Singers on our storefront at Lulu.com. It sells for $15.95, the same price as the original.

"Little Singers" on Facebook!

2010-08-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

Come check us out at our Facebook home for tips, updates and other teachers using the Little Singers method!

20% off Singing Lessons for Little Singers this week!

2010-07-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

This week only Lulu (distributer of Singing Lessons for Little Singers and the Bel Canto Masters Study Series) is giving 20% all orders with the coupon code “SANTA305″. This is in addition for free shipping for all orders of $20 or more.
If you have been waiting for a deal, you won’t find much better than this!

Lulu.com Offering Free Shipping on "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" Orders

2010-06-08T23:10:00.001-07:00

For the rest of the summer, Lulu.com is offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders of "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" $19.95 and over.

Make sure you get it while it's hot!

"Little Singers" Picked up by Local Music Store

2010-01-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

I was contacted the other day by the inventory manager or World of Music in Cupertino, California. She said that a customer had come into her store requesting Singing Lessons for Little Singers and, after hearing more about it, she thought it would be a great addition to their selection of music.

Ironically, this was the music store that I went to growing up to just last year when my wife and I relocated to the Sacramento area. The inventory manager did not immediately recognize me, but her father, the store owner always greeted me by name when I entered. I have always liked World of Music -- and I'm not just saying that because they picked up my book. :)

New Discussion Forum for "Singing Lessons for Little Singers"

2009-12-06T00:07:00.000-08:00

The Pitch Perfect Publishing Company has recently launched a new forum to facilitate discussion relating to the particulars of the child's singing voice: Little Singers Discussion Forum.

The "Singing Lessons for Little Singers" section contains materials and discussion directly pertaining to the series and the books in it.

There are also "Voice Lessons for Teens and Adults" and "Voice Lessons for Children" sections for all discussions pertaining to those subjects.

Please feel free to browse around, ask any questions, and/or give any advice you may have!

"Singing Lessons for Little Singers" Author Publishing New Book!

2009-08-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Singing Lessons for Little Singers author Gregory Blankenbehler has begun a new, ambitious endeavor with the Pitch Perfect Publishing Company. As part of the Bel Canto Masters Study Series project, Blankenbehler will be editing and introducing important singing treatises of the 18th and 19th century for republication.

"We thought that this was an important contribution that we could make to the world of vocal pedagogy, since most of these writings of the bel canto masters are either out-of-print or prohibitively expensive to purchase," says Gregory Blankenbehler. "These texts are quite important, however, because they relay the techniques of many of the greatest singers that ever lived. I have based many of my own teachings on their writings and am excited to make them more available to voice teachers everywhere."

To kick off the new project, the Bel Canto Masters project has released their first installment to the public on Lulu.com: G. B. Lamperti's The Technics of Bel Canto ["Die Technik des Bel Canto"].

As the last of the great master-teachers of the “old Italian school” of singing, Giovanni Battista Lamperti taught his students virtuosic vocal techniques handed down from the great castrati of the 17th century: exquisitely rich chiaro-scuro tone, seamless flowing legato phrasing, undetectable passaggi register transitions and the delicately poised appoggio breath technique that allowed the astonishingly rapid coloratura typical of baroque music.

In the only treatise he ever wrote, Lamperti the younger shares with all students, teachers and enthusiasts of singing, the techniques and skills that made his students that greatest singers of their time: the arcane secrets of bel canto.

Little Singers Author Greg Blankenbehler's New Website

2009-08-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Singing Lessons for Little Singer's author Gregory Blankenbehler is launching his new website, GBMusic.Me.

Gregory Blankenbehler will also be holding a free singing workshop on Friday August, 21st 2009 from 7-8:30 at the LDS Roseville Stake building in the Sacramento, CA area. All are invited who wish to attend.

"Little Singers" Illustrator Opening New Chiropractic Office!

2009-06-21T02:02:00.000-07:00

My wife and Singing Lessons for Little Singers illustrator, Erica Blankenbehler, is opening a new chiropractic office in Auburn, California. Abundant Health Chiropractic will be opening July 1st in the Divine Wellness Center at 991 Lincoln Way Ste #4, Auburn, CA 95134.

She will be holding an open house on June 25th with free food and a raffle for a free one-hour massage. If you are in the area, we would love to meet you.

Congratulations Dr. Erica!

Little Singers Now Available on Amazon.com!

2009-05-29T13:57:00.001-07:00

Singing Lessons for Little Singers is now available for purchase on Amazon.com. The product link is: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002AD11DK/ . It is still available on Lulu.com and is about $5 cheaper, due to Amazon's markup.

New Website Up for Little Singers! http://littlesingers.info

2009-05-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

I just released the new website for Signing Lessons for Little Singers: http://littlesingers.info.

There you can find sample pages from the book, introductions to parents and teachers and my bio . . . along with, of course links to this blog and the purchasing site on lulu.com.

Send me a comment and let me know what you think!

Doyle West on "Singing Lessons for Little Singers"

2009-04-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our first professional review for Singing Lessons for Little Singers has returned with great praise for this new, innovative approach to teaching young children how to sing:

"As I read through your 'new singing method book,' I was aware that you have accomplished something that has been needed for a long time. A method book for young voices has been needed for many years, and you are to be commended for filling this void.

"It is true that little has been done to really teach children the proper way to sing, although we have many children's choirs that do very well collectively. Individually, they still lack the proper knowledge of how to sing correctly. Your method book is a pioneer in this field. [...]"

Doyle West is a private voice teacher and served for many years as public school music teacher, administrator and clinician.

"Little Singers" on Google Shopping!

2009-03-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Singing Lessons for Little Singers can now be found on google shopping as well:

http://www.google.com/products?q=singing+lessons+for+little+singers&hl=en

"Little Singers" now listed on Blogher.com

2009-03-15T17:01:00.001-07:00

Singing Lessons for Little Singers has now been listed on the mommy blogger community Blogher.com.

More Reviewers Have Expressed Interest in "Little Singers"

2009-03-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Mary Ann Moser of Las Vegas, NV, Dr. Jon Linford at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, ID and Doyle West of Castro Valley, CA have all shown great interest in examining and reviewing Singing Lessons for Little Singers.

Mary Ann Moser has taught private piano and voice for many years and currently teaches general music classes to children. Dr. Linford is a professional operatic baritone and the Associate Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Coordinator of the Voice Area at Brigham Young University - Idaho. Doyle West is a private voice teacher and served for many years as public school music teacher, administrator and clinician.

And we continue to gain momentum...!

San Jose State Music Faculty Agree to Review Little Singers!

2009-03-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met with Dr. Diana Hollinger and Professor Sharon Brook of the Music Department at San Jose State University. They both were very excited about Singing Lessons for Little Singers and have agreed to look over the book and write their reviews about it. Other professors of voice and piano have expressed their interest in examining Little Singers as well.

Dr. Holliger is the head of the department of music education at San Jose State and brings a wealth of experience and knowlege teaching children in public school and serving on the CMEA, CBDA, Tapestry Arts board, and as chair of the education committee of the newly formed California Music Project. She has published many articles and a books on music education subjects.

Professor Sharon Brook is Senior Staff Accompanist at San José State University as well as Lecturer in music, teaching introductory music, applied piano, and piano proficiency. She also directs the collaborative piano program. For the past eight years, she has co-produced a television interview series, Crescendo, on Cable Channels 27 and 73 in Santa Cruz County.

Corrections and Requests for Reviews

2009-03-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

The first five copies of Singing Lessons for Little Singers came back from lulu yesterday and we discovered some typos and page formatting issues! So Erica and I have gone through the carefully books and fixed all the typos we could find, touched up some of the drawing, rephrased a few sentences (I couldn't help myself), and most importantly, fixed the pagination so that the pages open as designed. It's essentially perfect now!

I am also starting to contact various experts in the fields of singing and child music pedagogy to review Singing Lessons for Little Singers. I'll keep you posted on what they say!

-Teacher Greg

"Little Singers" is finally up!

2009-03-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

After months of planning, research, writing songs and exercises and drawing (thanks Erica!), Singing Lessons for Little Singers is finally up for Print on Demand! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this because it means that I now have the resource for teaching my young voice students that I sought for years ago and could not find. I hope that others teachers and parents of small children will also find it just the thing they needed to teach their little singer how to be a wonderful singer and performer.

The book can be purchased through me, or online at Pitch Perfect Publishing.

Please, drop me a line and let me know what you think!

-Teacher Greg