Conveniently Improve Singing Skills in Your Homeschool with Vocal Gym

I received a subscription for review purposes and compensation for my time. All opinions expressed are my own. 

I remember when my eldest was a toddler singing along in the back seat of the car; it was amazing how in tune she sang for her age. She has always loved singing. Of course, being homeschooled and living in a rural area means less opportunity for her to get actual training. For many years I have looked at the nearest, non-school affiliated youth choir wondering if we could make it work, but the time commitment just wasn't something we could do. I was excited to find The Vocal Gym, an online platform for improving vocal technique. 

 

What is the Vocal Gym by Throga

The Vocal Gym is an online platform that teaches your student to sing using the 7 Dimensions of Singing: flexibility, breathing, intonation, range, tone, articulation, and strength.

This is a patented technique that uses the science of singing to instruct all skill levels on how to sing well without diminishing their own personal style. 

Why Use the Vocal Gym?

• Personalized Learning
• Comprehensive Content
• Qualifies for a Carnegie Credit
• Parent Portal
• Convenient

The Vocal Gym for Homeschoolers starts with an online assessment to tell your student where their vocal strengths and weaknesses are. You can then work your way through the lessons focusing on where you need the most improvement. At any time you can retake your assessment to see where you have improved and where you still need work. 

The content included in the Vocal Gym is very comprehensive. The basic lessons take you through each of the 7 dimensions of singing including an exercise for each as well as optional activities to expand your student's appreciation of various genres. These include listening to albums of their choosing (which are linked in the curriculum) and watching musicals. I can't tell you how exciting it is to require my kids to watch musicals.

But it doesn't stop there. After going through the initial lessons there are still more exercises that can be accessed. This will keep your singer from becoming bored with a single exercise plus if they absolutely hate one, there will be others available to practice the same dimension. These extra exercises are found in the Beyond the Gym and the Resource Pattern Vault.

With all the content available, the Vocal Gym Homeschool can be used to complete the high school fine arts credit. While it is a self-paced curriculum, the quizzes are graded, and time spent watching videos and taking quizzes is recorded, so it is easy for parents to see how much time their student has spent on the course. 

I also like the instructor's emphasis on practicing correct technique rather than just trying to speed through and learning it incorrectly. Even I tried a few of these exercises, and they definitely take some work to get right if you aren't experienced. But the instructors encourage the students to practice in a private area where they weren't worried about making mistakes. My daughter was thrilled not to do the exercises in front of me or her siblings.

 

That brings us to the parent portal with Homeschool Toolbox. Here you can see all students you have in the program and access their time recorded as well as their quiz scores. You also have access to pdf versions of the optional activities, so your student does not have to complete them in front of the computer. Of course, the time for these as well as practice time will have to be recorded manually. 

The Vocal Gym Homeschool is also very convenient. Obviously, you would not expect 24/7 access to a vocal coach, but that is what you have with the Vocal Gym. You have access to the lessons any time of day or night. 

You aren't tied to a screen either. After watching the initial videos, you can simply use the MP3's for further practice.

Using The Vocal Gym in Your Homeschool

If you have a high school student who enjoys singing or just wants to improve their vocal skills, the Vocal Gym Homeschool is a great way to achieve their goals, earn a fine arts credit, and improve their confidence in singing. All without you needing to know anything about singing (definitely a good thing for me). 

Plus since practice is private, it even works for those kids that are a little shy about practicing in front of others. Just be sure they tell you how long they practiced.

Once they get a bit more singing confidence they may even perform.

With the Vocal Gym Homeschool, if your student can speak, they can sing! And it can fit into your schedule with no long drive times or expensive lessons! 

As a bonus for homeschool co-ops who want to use the Vocal Gym for fine arts or even performing arts, Throga does offer a discount for groups!