Tips For Developing Your Singing Voice
For Children Before Teen Years
The most important thing that you can do to improve your singing voice is to USE IT! There are many opportunities to sing in the St. Louis area. Joining a choir or chorus is a very helpful avenue for the young voice. Do you have a choir at school? At church? In your community? Community theatre is another area you might choose to pursue. Watch for auditions in the Get Out in Thursday's Post Dispatch or in the Riverfront Times. Also, there are songbooks with CD's available at music stores such as Shattingers, if you'd like to practice your singing at home.

Many of the children who perform at The Muny do take private voice lessons. If you sing a lot, voice teachers can be very helpful. A voice teacher can teach you how to sing correctly at your age (proper breathing and posture, tone quality, singing in all registers). Many voice teachers will not accept young children, but suggest you wait until you are older and your voice has matured a bit. It is not necessary to take voice lessons to be accepted in the children's chorus at The Muny. Many of our performers do not take private lessons, but have a lovely natural sound. We listen for good pitch, tone, expression and projection when you audition. Bottom line: A voice teacher can help you develop all of these skills, but singing in a good choir or chorus will also help you accomplish this.

For Teens
Voice maturation obviously develops at different ages in children. Somewhere between the ages of 12 and 15, voice lessons become very important for the teen who is drawn to musical theatre. Proper technique is essential for the student who is considering singing as a career in the future. A voice teacher can help you learn proper technique and develop the skills you need to be a professional singer/performer.

Slots in the teen chorus at The Muny become very competitive. Many teens in our area are very involved in dance studios and are taking private voice lessons and singing in school, church or community choruses. If you audition at The Muny and have little or no training, it will be difficult to "snag" one of those slots. Again, it is important to USE your voice. Practicing vocal skills is so valuable. Audition for the musicals at your schools, and investigate what community theatre opportunities are available.