I have a daughter who loves to sing, but singing lessons can be very expensive for large family of ten, so I was so happy to receive free access with a product review of The Vocal Gym for Homeschool. Here is my review.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I was given a free product(s) and compensated for my time writing this article. All opinions are my own.
Learn To Sing At Home
If you want to have homeschool singing lessons at home, you can use The Vocal Gym for Homeschool. It is an online course that teaches singing and gives you, as the homeschool teacher, a way to track progress as you can see the quizzes, activities and assignments.
Richard Fink IV, the founder of Throga and a renowned vocal coach, brings his expertise and experience to The Vocal Gym, ensuring students receive top-notch instruction and guidance. Richard's accolades include being the “world’s leading online vocal coach” according to the Wall Street Journal and is a 3 x Guinness World Record holder for the world’s longest held note.
Personalized and Interactive Learning: The Vocal Gym for Homeschool is a self-paced, online course offering a personalized learning experience based on each student's vocal profile, It is the the only vocal technique that has been awarded a U.S Patent. The course is suited for all skill levels and does not require prior knowledge of music theory.
Carnegie Credit Qualifying: The course allows students to earn Fine Arts or Extracurricular Credit, recognized across all 50 U.S. States. The self-paced program enables students to log 150+ hours of learning and vocal development per year.
Parental Oversight: Parents can monitor their child’s progress, practice time, and work through the Parent Portal. The course also includes a Homeschool Toolbox to guide parents through course assignments and provide access to quiz keys and extras.
Comprehensive Content: The course provides 115,000+ vocal exercise combinations, 365-day access for diagnosing and measuring progress, and 150 hours of lessons, exercises, and activities. Benefits include boosting of confidence and communication skills, and fitting vocal training into busy homeschool schedules.
Each Student Has a Vocal Profile
No previous instruction or skill level is needed for this course. The vocal training online course is designed for students ages 12 to 19, but could be used by all ages as long as the student is old enough to work independently. My daughter, Miranda, is twelve and this was fine for her.
At the beginning, the student takes an assessment to see where they are starting from. The system creates a vocal profile for her so she can see where she needs improvement and work to achieve those goals. With a focus on proper breathing and vocal technique, I like that Miranda will learn to sing safely and protect her beautiful voice from injury.
How The Voice Works
There are lessons with an explanation of how the voice works. The teacher tells how we produce sounds and the cycle of phonation: actuation, vibration, resonation, and articulation. The video show pictures of different parts of the body that show where each process takes place, while the teacher explains what happens at each step. In this lesson, as well as others, questions go along with the course for students to answer to help the information stay with them and so they pay attention so they can answer future questions.
The Vocal Gym revolves around the 7 Dimensions of Singing:
- Flexibility
- Breathing
- Intonation
- Range
- Tone
- Articulation
- Strength
How Much Time Does The Homeschool Parent Need To Teach This?
It looks to me like parents are encouraged to assist, but it is not required. So the child is allowed to learn independently. Also, some children prefer privacy rather than having their parents or siblings listen to them practicing.
I could have been as involved as I wished to be. Basically, I wanted to see what it was about and then let her do it on her own. I can go in and see the stats at any time. This frees me up for teaching my other homeschoolers with patience and kindness while she is doing her lessons as well.
Several Teachers To Learn From
In the short time that we have been reviewing this curriculum, I have seen at least five different instructors, one of which is Cesar de la Rosa, a professional vocalist. They all have their own style and Miranda seemed to enjoy all of them.
Co-op Groups
We have been in some homeschool co-op groups in the past. Presently, we only have one vehicle and my husband needs it for work, so we are not. I could see the groups that I have been a part of using this for a Music Curriculum. I found out that Vocal Gym offers discounts for homeschool co-op groups, which is such a great benefit.
Miranda's Opinion
I like how they can track my progress so I can see how I have improved. That motivates me to do the lessons, which helps me do better.
My Opinion
As a busy homeschool teacher, I love that I can be hands off if I want to be and hands on if I choose. It's nice to have that option.
I have reasoned in the past that “Jesus knows my heart” when I sing to him in church, even if my singing is not the best. Now, I see that my singing could be improved upon if I just take the time to work at it. I may want to do this course on my own sometime at a less busy time in life.
I love that you can start anywhere in your singing life and jump in and practice with the instructors and learn. It's great that your progress is tracked so you can see your own improvement and end up doing better than you started.
I also like that there is a Facebook group for support and that my questions could be answered immediately as I want to ask them.
This is a great asset to any homeschool or co-op, take a look.
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