Hello

This fall I am absolutely thrilled that my music agency, VocalzMusic & Publishing, rolled out our specialized voice and performance coaching program to school-age kids in collaboration with their school's visual and performing arts departments and after school community programs. With your help we can safely connect with parents of talented kids to offer them an opportunity to elevate their child's talent through our professional vocal and performance instruction as an extension of your great teachings and programs offerings. 

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Appropriate for School-age children 4th grade to 12th grade who enjoy competitive singing or that like the idea of performing for an audience, the title of this course is “Mock Performance Coaching For Talented Kids”  (6 wks). We’ll focus on performance prep for upcoming performances or auditions they may have as well as teaching the performance techniques used by music professionals. Music theory will not be taught in this particular course. 

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The mock performance class I’ve created, places emphasis on creating real life performance scenarios that will challenge young learners and encourage growth in all areas of performance, pushing them toward their full potential. Additionally, students with upcoming performances at their school or after school program, may opt to include and rehearse the music that is provided by their public school teacher as well as practice their performance techniques taught by me in front of their online classmates so they can feel more confident and rehearsed at show time. Within our weekly curriculums, we aim to support the following performing art initiatives that are present in many accredited educational youth music programs. Here are the top 8 that are covered in our Mock Performance Coaching curriculum:

 

1. Cognitive development: Helps to improve memory, language and communication skills through repetitive learning. 

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2. Social-emotional development: Helps young singers develop self-esteem, cope with performance anxiety, make new friends and feel a sense of achievement. Singing releases endorphins, dopamine and serotonin which can improve their mood and make them feel good about themselves.

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3. Motor skills: Music performances will require learned vocal and physical choreography.

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4. Academic skills: Our performance coaching supports reading comprehension and math through learning and rehearsing song lyrics, scripts, monologues, entertainment career vocabulary and basic class instructions.

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5. Community: Live performances will help singers develop a sense of belonging and acceptance, encourage support and applause for and from fellow performers as well as encouraging collaborations and community engagement. It is also my hope that new friendships will be found within our remote singing community.

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6. Discipline: Our program will help students develop discipline through problem solving, rehearsing, making mistakes, meeting deadlines, learning music business etiquette, learning to win and to lose with grace, celebrating success and experiencing the consequences of being unprepared. Singing for some is a competitive sport and in this program there will be competitions. Learning to manage feelings when they experience a loss (or win) is extremely important, especially if they intend to participate in future talent shows and competitions including athletic sports. 

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7. Focus: Focusing on the singing process reduces stress and tension and improves depression and feelings of loneliness. It helps to improve pitch and the featured meditation we'll offer, helps singers to explore mindfulness so they can focus on the moment and distract their mind from negative thoughts. Because singing requires deep breathing and good posture, participants can increase lung capacity and engage the muscles around the ribcage to support the voice.

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8. Artistry: As much as children will be taught lessons, constantly challenged and provided with opportunities to rehearse their choreographed performance, they will also have the freedom to be creative by coming up with their own ideas as well as suggesting ideas to classmates. Observing and critiquing others and having discussions about the presentations they've witnessed is a large part of this program. 

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How Much?​

This program offers 6 classes lasting 1 to 2 hours each depending on class size and the agenda on the given day. Parents

are paying about $20 per class with the entire program price set at $140 per student. We offer a $20 discount to those that email us at Billing@VocalzMusic.com to add additional children. Enroll HERE  by the deadline and further instructions will follow via email. 

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Technical Requirements:

​A computer that's no older than 5 years is best. Please be sure your computer

is up to date with virus protection and is safe for children to use. No mobile phones.

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High speed internet connection is a must.

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Speakers, headphones, or earbuds for listening and singing with audio and videos.

 A webcam and microphone are recommended for video feedback. Please test the sound

and audio before the first class. 

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​Basic computer skills, such as sending, reading and receiving messages, opening links containing program

materials and music, including youtube links and links to assignments on our website pages.

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The ability to use Zoom and  the gmail video conferencing options is a must. 

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It is recommend that parents help their children test things out before the first class. Please create a performance space that will be visible to everyone in the virtual classroom. Your performance space should allow for your child singer to sit, stand and perform as needed. Access to a mic and mic stand as a prop is a plus. If you don't have one we'll use our imaginations. During the first class each student will be asked to present their performance space and demonstrate sitting and standing within their small space. I'll be awarding a best performance space certificate to top achievers. 

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Good lighting is required in their performance space. 

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No distractions. Please ensure your child has a quiet space to study the art of singing and performance and that

there are no disruptions during class and no people in their performance space. Please have singer arrive at least 5 minutes early each day.

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The creative efforts, weekly performances and skill building of the participants will demonstrate the mastery they will gain from this 6 week program.Youth participants will connect remotely for fun coaching sessions, mock performances, and observation opportunities, all aimed at unleashing their talent and boosting their confidence as VocalzMusic does their part by providing safe, structured supplemental music education for aspiring and talented young singers outside your classrooms.

To enroll before the October 27th deadline, parents/guardians and youth program directors can go to SingingFlat.com while spaces are still available. For program questions email me at Sallyb@VocalzMusic.com 

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Yours in music,

Sally