Founder and CEO of Full Voice, Nikki Loney, is keeping us company this week with a teaching career spanning over three decades. Nikki works with music education specialists, children’s composers, and musicians to create music education resources for young vocal students. She hosts her own podcast called “Full Voice” and is a member of NATS and the Speakeasy Cooperative. Nikki joins me to discuss the success of play-based learning and how we can make singing lessons fun.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Play-based learning is an educational approach where children engage in activities designed for enjoyment and exploration. Through games and interactive experiences, they acquire essential skills, fostering cognitive, social, and emotional development in a natural and enjoyable way.
- The most important principle you need to remember when working with young students is to meet them at the level they are at. Knowledge and skills are built over time so don’t overcomplicate things early on. What information do they need and how best will they understand it?
- The concept of fun when it comes to teaching is challenging. You want to show your student and their family that you know what you’re doing and you’re giving valuable information that they are paying for. Making lessons and activities fun and silly seems naturally counterintuitive to this goal.
- Kids love repetition. Once you have a repertoire of singing activities, you should let the student choose their favorite fun warm-up because the more they enjoy it, the more they will engage and get out of the lesson as a whole. This also falls under the umbrella of student-led learning.
- Student-led partnerships involve active student participation in goal-setting, repertoire selection, and feedback. Teachers guide, fostering personalised, engaging lessons that enhance motivation and student ownership of their vocal journey.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Even though I had all those great teachers, being able to break that down for a student was more difficult than I thought’
‘When you work with children, it’s never about you’
‘Make easy, easier. We tend to overcomplicate things’
‘If you’re tired or scared, your brain goes into a protective mode and they’re not learning’
‘A lot of those exercises came from the kids. I steal their ideas!’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Social Media:
- @thefullvoice
- (Youtube) Full Voice Songs: @FULLVOICESongs
BAST Book A Call:
Relevant Links & Mentions:
- Ultimate Music Theory: ultimatemusictheory.com
- Mim Adams: mimadams.com
- Dr Jenevora Williams: jenevorawilliams.com
- (Podcast) The Full Voice – Ep.169 Happy Hormones for Learning with Dr Jenevora Williams
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep.137 Creating Optimal Learning Environments for Children and Young Adults with Roberta Wolff
- Ann Baltz and the Opera Works Programme: operaworks.org
- Facebook Forum: Voice Teachers for Young Singers
ABOUT THE GUEST
Inspired by the youngest students in her private voice studio, Nikki Loney challenges teachers to redefine what a singing lesson looks like for a child. Founder and CEO of FULL VOICE Music, she works with music education specialists, children’s composers, and musicians to create music education resources for young vocal students. She is an active member of NATS and the Speakeasy Cooperative. She is the host of the FULL VOICE Podcast, A podcast for voice-teaching professionals.
