children should not be singing this

Wanted to include at least one coloratura or "lighter" singer in these examples.

Included my own recording of this as an example--would you believe I h a t e this aria? LOL.

When people think of opera, a few things come to mind: Looney Tunes, the Viking lady from the Ring Cycle, maybe arias that get used in commercials, and kids singing fake opera on talent competitions. The latter of which is not a slam against child singers or children. Children should not be singing "opera"--least of all arias which have inappropriate content!

O mio babbino caro is one of those arias that is  just beloved by people (I am not sure why?), and is popular with 'crossover' artists, and for young singers. That and Nessun Dorma (another piece that should absolutely not ever be sung by a child) are as equally popular as they are wildly problematic.

Now, before we move forward any farther, it should be noted that I am not against children singing opera because I am one of those snobby singers who thinks that plebeians singing the material cheapens or devalues it, nor do I think that it "rewards" children for imitating adult singers instead of rewarding "real" opera singers. I am not out here trying to crush the big dreams coming from tiny bodies. It is because they have tiny bodies, and tiny little vocal cords which absolutely need to be taken care of that I don't think that children should be touching rep that mature adults with fully developed voices struggle with.

That, and the subject matter of both Nessun Dorma and O mio babbino caro are just WILDLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR CHILDERN TO BE SINGING. There, I said it. On top of it not being healthy or responsible (and I feel as though no real or responsible voice teacher or vocal coach should be teaching these to children),  children should not be singing songs about threatening to unalive themselves, or dying because they can't guess three riddles. I am not saying that kids are not smart, or capable of understanding heavy themes. I AM saying that there is a level of appropriateness that should be adhered to.

Also, I know this seems silly, but I really think that one of other downsides of using children is that I think kids should just be allowed to be kids! Should they not sing? Of course not. They should sing things that their little bodies and vocal cords can command, they should sing because they love to do it and it makes them feel good. They should not be treated like show ponies or cash cows. Children should be allowed to be children. I feel like I shouldn't even have to say this, yet, here we are! :x

Take care of yourselves, and your voices, and remember to always do cool-down exercises, too. xo