To: "VOCALIST" <vocalist>
Subject: Re: Exposing children to head voice sound
Date sent: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 14:26:15 -0500
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

Dear Katherine:

I don't see anything wrong with listening to Julie Andrews as a role model
for young children, particularly for diction. I grew up idolizing her from a
very young age. I was probably the only 6 year old for miles around in my
Chicago neighborhood who spoke with an Andrews-inspired british accent. The
best thing adoring her did for me was to give me an accessible role model in
the way she spoke, moved and sang. I never had to have my diphthongs
un-uglied like so many of my fellow students in college in Illinois because
listening to her, and trying to sound like her, made me acutely aware of how
I spoke and sang so I could choose not to say "say-ow-oond" for "sound" or
"shtreet" for "street". I am eternally grateful to her for the example she
set for me when I was young. I'll never know how I'd have turned out if I'd
been listening to Joan Sutherland instead - I never even heard an opera
until high school - my dad had absolute control over the radio! If it hadn't
been for Julie, my only role models would have been Mitch Miller and Bing
Crosby because that's what my Dad listened to.

I think it's great that you're looking for ways to give them good singing to
listen to. What a wonderful Mom you are!

Best wishes,

Laura Sharp
Director of Children's Music
1st Presbyterian Church
Albany NY


----- Original Message -----
From: "Katherine Craig"
My kids like Julie Andrews and Charlotte Church (and me) but the first two
voices are not something I want them to even think of emulating being so big
and mature sounding. (I finally saw Charlotte singing on Leno the other
night and she really did have a chin wobble. Is it your opinion that it is
nervous tension or it is conscious?) So my kids (7 and 8) just sing for
fun, we are just getting into round singing and they sing with the just for
fun kids choir at church. They also play recorder. I don't want to train
them as singers but just help them enjoy singing and help keep them from
forming bad habits and give them a diversity of good models. I formed bad
habits all on my own just from what I listened to.