Careful What Your Children Sing

An excerpt from Lea Salonga's Latest Entry:

"We need more kid singers that actually sound like children... why do they sing Celine, Mariah and Beyonce when they clearly lack the life experience to pull off those songs? I cringe at 10-year-olds singing about lost loves. Please, puwede ba??? Big Spender shouldn't be sung by anyone who isn't legal!"

It seems that one of the reasons for this is similar to what Vince de Jesus has pointed out in his blog (why Nina shouts when she sings) – the singing contest feeling or I say culture. Observe that when parents realize that their kid has a potential to be a good singer, the aim is not really to make the kid a good performer but to prepare him/her to a competition (to get awards from "birit" singing). Not to mention the fact that not all parents are that much discerning. I'd like to think it has something to do with the excitement of their discovery that their kids sing well. Parents have the tendency to make their children sing whatever it is that is challenging regardless of the theme or the idea that the song communicates.

And I must say I was victim of such culture. Back then, Whitney Houston's songs were among the hit 'birit' songs. Just imagine an inexperienced kid singing "One Moment in Time" or sometimes preaching and telling that love is the "Greatest Love of All." The point was just to be able to sing songs that are full of high notes.

This wrong exposure of children to music can even be more heightened once they set foot in a music school. Because even in some of these schools, the singing contest culture is also present. While there are music teachers who'd tell you that your piece is not apt for your age, I guess majority doesn't really mind the message of your song. They are instead more focused on teaching techniques (I should know).

For example, when I was 8 I was practicing the following songs (for competitions or simple entertainment): "Bituing Walang Ningning": Kung kapalit nito'y walang paglaho mong pagtingin (ah, an 8 year old kid asking for endless love and admiration); "Sana'y Wala ng Wakas": Dala ng pag-ibig saksi buong daigdig. What did my teacher tell me? I should sing this way that way; nothing about changing the song. I should then be singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" or "Yesterday's Dream."

[Check Jim Paredes's comment on Lea's Entry. Guilty!]

I think this still persists. Just try watching recitals. You'll see kids singing "Let's Get Loud", "Milkshake", "Bootylicious", and yes even the songs mentioned by Jim Paredes.

Of course, if ever in the future that I'd have kids who'd have good singing voice (sana!), I'd be more cautious on the songs they'd learn (the songs they'd sing as kids). I wouldn't encourage them to belt out and become a singing siren stretching out their vocal chords to reach the highest note possible. I wouldn't make them sing "Vision of Love", "Through the Fire," "My Heart Will Go On" just because they need to sing challenging songs. [Which reminds me:I wouldn't make them sing or dance to Sexbomb Dancers' songs either! Teka may Sexbomb Dancers pa kaya nun? :D]

Singing isn't about competing (competition should just serve as the stepping-stone for some); it's about performing. And that to be a good performer, everything you present must be apt not just with your capacity but with your age (ergo, experiences). So parents, your kids you shouldn't be singing the songs (some) I used to sing as a kid. :))