Singing is one of the fundamental musical skill in the primary school curriculum. For the optimal use of the vocal apparatus, a primary school child needs a teacher who approaches the challenges of learning vocal technique in a holistic and effective way and consciously corrects inappropriate singing habits in pupils. Effective knowledge transfer requires both an in-depth understanding of how the voice functions and an awareness that pupils find it difficult to understand abstract terminology related to vocal technique, and that their vocal apparatus is not yet fully developed.
The master's thesis, titled The Development of Vocal Technique through Visual and Kinesthetic Didactic Tools in Children’s and Youth Choirs is designed as a practical manual for working with children’s voices in primary education and consists of a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical section first explains the importance of learning through visualization and didactic tools in primary education, explores the physiology and functioning of the child’s voice, and identifies common vocal faults together with guidelines for maintaining vocal health. The second, practical section presents a collection of vocal warm-up exercises structured according to the guidelines proposed by Dragica Žvar (2001). Each fundamental warm-up exercise is accompanied by visualizations and pedagogical recommendations for classroom use.
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