Brad and I recommend starting to sing simple children’s songs in unison first with young children, and then adding echoes and partner songs as a natural result of increased musical interest.   These can be ANY songs that your kids like from church or school, or songs from children’s recordings that you own.  Our own favorites included songs like:  Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Lullabies, My God is So Big and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand.   I’ve scoured You tube for recordings of some other songs you might need a refresher for – but I would say use the video to teach mom and dad, and then enjoy them with just voices at home. 

Here are a dozen you can pull up:  Jump Up, Bend Down, Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes, Clap Your Hands, Little Cabin in the Wood, A Bear Went Over the Mountain, Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow, Six Little Ducks, The Farmer in the Dell, If You’re Happy and You Know It, The Wheels on the Bus, Kum Ba Yah, Kookaburra

Just a few thoughts about matching pitch.  Keep it playful and fun (not work)!  Brad and I didn’t work with this aspect in our home at all until the kids were at least 7.  Of course, there is no one like a pair of college choral directors who can “geek out” on matching pitch like Brad and I can!  And Brad has joked for years to his University Choir on the tour bus (during their two week domestic January tour) that his “LIFE QUEST” is for he and I to find the “Perfect Unison.”   J   My suggestions here are not to strive for perfection, but for a growing awareness of pitch, and an understanding the sonic “treat” of agreeing with those around your table in vocal pitch.

Many (most?) individuals will be able to match pitch from a young age, and most others will improve in this area with practice and growing awareness.  If exposed to recordings and family singing within the home on a regular basis, most children will be able to demonstrate this aptitude in the early elementary years.  But it isn’t unusual to struggle with this ability.  A few thoughts:

Most important:  Stay positive!  Work with the singer in a non-threatening, winsome manner.  Always make pitch matching sessions private and playful, and plan to stop before the singer wants to. 

During these short sessions, here are a few ideas:

  •  Ask him to siren up into his high range, and down into his low range on “oo.”  Have him imitate a train whistle or police car siren.
  • Have him use body movement with the siren activity, standing on tip-toes and raising arms upward on high notes, and touching his toes on low notes.  Make it a game!
  • Encourage him to raise his highs and lower his lows over time.  Often a person who has difficulty matching pitch needs to build awareness of his vocal range and how to manipulate pitch.
  • As he becomes adept at these sirens, model a high, medium, and low note for the singer to repeat on “oo.”  Play a simple echo game.  High 5’s when they improve!
  • Ask him to sing an easy melody for you.  At first, let him choose the starting pitch, and you find HIS key and join him in unison.  Talk about “agreeing on the notes.”  After several sessions using this technique with simple songs, pick the pitch yourself and encourage the singer to find YOUR key.   (This is done a cappella.)   Celebrate improvement!

***Use a model voice in the same octave.  That is to say that if the singer trying to improve pitch is a teenage boy, whose voice has already changed into the lower octave, best is for his daddy or elder brother to sing with him in the same octave (not his mom, who is singing in a high treble voice.  For very young singers (all treble voices) best would be to use Mom as the model voice.