WHY STUDY SINGING AND MUSIC IN FAMILIES?
"Why are human beings musical? Why does music evoke powerful and pleasurable feelings in us? Why do so many people find music such an important part of their lives?"
For centuries, many have been intrigued by the expression of musical abilities. Much remains unknown about why and how humans have the capacity to process and produce music. Investigating the genetic and environmental influences on various types of music behaviour can help piece together the puzzle of human musicality. Anecdotally, singing and music abilities seem to run in some families (e.g., Jackson 5, the Beach Boys and the Bach family, just to name a few).
Moreover, engaging in music and singing activities has been shown to provide numerous benefits to one’s mind and body. To help everyone maximise their music potential, increase their music engagement and reap these benefits, a thorough understanding of the genetic and environmental influences on the development of music and singing abilities is necessary.
COOL SINGING APPS
SingTrue
SingTrue is a great app for both beginners and more advanced singers who want to learn how to sing and improve their ear training.
Platform: iOS only
Review: http://www.voicecouncil.com/app_review/singtrue/
Sing Sharp, Learn to Sing
This app helps you learn, practice and train your voice with your mobile device. One of the best apps for warming-up and training your voice.
Platform: iOS and Android
Review: http://www.voicecouncil.com/app_review/sing-sharp-learn-to-sing/
Voice Training
(free and pro version available)
This app has loads of simple exercises that are great for warming up and training your voice.
Review: http://www.musicmakerapps.com/app_review/voice-training-pro/
Singscope
Singscope is a free, simple app that shows your pitch as you sing.
Platform: iOS
Review: http://www.voicecouncil.com/app_review/singscope/
Sight Singing
This app is helps you train your sight singing skills - the ability to read and sing music on sight. It has a range of exercises at different skill levels and scores you on your performance, giving you a target to aim to beat next time.
Platform: iOS only
Review: http://www.voicecouncil.com/app_review/sight-singing/
Cantare
An app which trains your ability to sight sing in Western notation and solfege notation. Can be challenging even for highly-trained singers.
Platform: iOS
Want to learn to read music or improve your sense of rhythm?
Try these apps below:
Music Tutor
A musical notation flash-card game. A handy and fun way to help you memorize the ABC’s of music notation.
Review: http://www.voicecouncil.com/app_review/music-tutor/
Multirhythms Rhythm Trainer
Helps you learn and play a range of rhythmic patterns - both basic and complex.
Platform: iOS only
Review: http://www.voicecouncil.com/app_review/multirhythms-rhythm-trainer