Carnegie Hall

1. Review the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”
2. Discuss the character of Goldilocks with students and her desire to find a balanced, comfortable medium among extremes:
   • Goldilocks always seemed to be looking for something that was “just right” (e.g., not too hot, not too cold, but “just right”).
   • What qualities would Goldilocks look for if she were about to sing? Where would her shoulders be? Her feet? Her head?
3. Demonstrate singing using two extremes of singing posture, in character. (e.g., Papa Bear: hunched shoulders, feet on chair, not getting enough air vs. Mama Bear: arched back, shoulders extremely far back, standing on tip-toes, labored singing, etc.). After each demonstration, prompt with:
   What would Goldilocks say about this posture? How is my singing? Do you see tension anywhere? Do I look comfortable? What can I do to improve my posture to sing more comfortably?
4. Chart the qualities that Goldilocks would agree are “just right” for singing.
5. Bring students up in groups of three to sing part of a song. Assign each student to be Papa Bear, Mama Bear, or Goldilocks and sing for the class in character, showing what they understand about the extremes and healthy medium of singing posture. Have the rest of the class guess which one is which.
   To save time, have all the January–April birthdays be Papa Bear, May–August be Goldilocks, September–December be Mama Bear and rotate roles.
6. Have everyone end as Goldilocks and demonstrate their comfortable singing posture according to the chart.

Going Deeper

1. Use your Goldilocks Chart to practice proper instrumental posture.
2. Discuss and practice other elements of proper singing using the Student Worksheet below.
   Download Student Worksheet (PDF)

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