Singing is the act of using the voice to produce musical tones in a rhythmic and melodic way. It is one of the most natural and expressive forms of music.

Singing involves the control of breath, pitch, tone, and timing. It can be done solo (alone), in a group (choir), or with instrumental accompaniment.

1. Singing helps in emotional expression and relieves stress.


2. It is used in education, worship, celebrations, and ceremonies.


3. Singing promotes unity and cultural identity.


4. It builds confidence and develops memory and listening skills.


5. It teaches language, values, and social skills.

1. Patriotic songs – e.g., National Anthem, National Pledge.


2. Folk songs – Traditional songs from different Nigerian ethnic groups.


3. School songs – School anthem, welcome songs.


4. Moral/social songs – Songs that teach values like honesty, unity, respect.


5. Religious songs – Christian or Islamic songs of worship.

The Nigerian National Anthem is a patriotic song that expresses the nation’s identity and values. The new anthem, "Nigeria, We Hail Thee", was the country's original anthem after independence in 1960, and it was officially restored in 2024. It promotes love, unity, peace, and dedication to Nigeria.

1. It promotes national unity and peace.


2. It teaches values such as justice, truth, and brotherhood.


3. It honours our country and strengthens patriotism.


4. It reminds us of our duty to protect Nigeria’s honour.


5. It expresses our hope for a better, peaceful future.

• Stand still and respectfully.


• Remove any cap or head covering.


• Face the flag (if present).


• Sing clearly, with correct pitch and tempo.


• Do not talk, move, or joke while singing.

The National Pledge is a declaration of loyalty to Nigeria. It shows our promise to serve the nation, protect its unity, and promote its honour. The pledge remains unchanged and is often said after the anthem during assemblies and events.

• I pledge to Nigeria, my country


• To be faithful, loyal and honest


• To serve Nigeria with all my strength


• To defend her unity


• And uphold her honour and glory


• So help me God.

• “I pledge to Nigeria…” – I make a serious promise to my country.


• “To be faithful, loyal and honest…” – I will be truthful and devoted.


• “To serve Nigeria…” – I will work hard to help the country grow.


• “To defend her unity…” – I will protect the peace and togetherness of Nigeria.


• “To uphold her honour and glory…” – I will protect Nigeria’s good name.


• “So help me God.” – I ask God to help me keep this promise.

1. It teaches loyalty and honesty.


2. It reminds us to serve Nigeria with all our strength.


3. It encourages unity and peace among citizens.


4. It promotes love and commitment to the country.


5. It helps us behave as responsible citizens.

• Stand upright and still.


• Place your right hand on your chest (optional in some schools).


• Speak clearly and with pride.


• Understand every word you are saying.


• Say it with seriousness and not as a joke.

1. Begin by telling the students that the anthem has been changed and explain its history briefly.


2. Write the full lyrics of the first stanza on the board.


3. Explain the meaning of key words like “hail,” “native land,” “sovereign,” and “brotherhood.”


4. Play or sing the anthem for them to hear the melody and rhythm.


5. Teach them the tonic solfa line by line, clapping the rhythm as they sing.


6. Practice each line with both solfa and words until they get the correct notes.


7. Group the class into small teams to rehearse and sing together.


8. Correct mistakes gently and give positive feedback.


9. Let the full class stand and sing the anthem proudly with good posture.


10. Repeat the performance regularly so they master the lyrics and tune confidently.

A running scale is the continuous singing or playing of a set of musical notes in order, either going up (ascending) or down (descending), without stopping between the notes.

It helps to train the voice and ear to recognize pitch and improve vocal control.

A musical scale is a sequence of notes arranged in a specific order of pitch. The most common scale in music is the Diatonic Scale, which contains 7 notes (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do).

The solfa syllables used in running scale are:

• Ascending: Do – Re – Mi – Fa – So – La – Ti – Do


• Descending: Do – Ti – La – So – Fa – Mi – Re – Do

This is called a Major Scale in tonic solfa.

1. It improves vocal strength and flexibility.


2. It trains students to sing on key and stay in pitch.


3. It builds confidence when singing solos or in a group.


4. It helps in ear training (hearing and identifying correct musical notes).


5. It prepares students for more advanced singing or instrumental training.

1. Start with breathing exercises to relax the voice.


2. Write the solfa notes on the board.


3. Sing the scale yourself as a model.


4. Use a keyboard or pitch pipe to give starting note.


5. Teach each note in order — slowly and clearly.


6. Ask students to repeat the scale in unison.


7. Practice both ascending and descending scale.


8. Introduce hand signs (Curwen hand signs) if available.


9. Let students try individually or in small groups.


10. Encourage daily practice to improve fluency.

Pitch in music is the highness or lowness of a sound. It tells us whether a note sounds high like a whistle or low like a drum.

Pitch depends on how fast or slow a sound vibrates — faster vibrations make high pitch, slower vibrations make low pitch.

There are two major types of pitch in music:

1. High Pitch – Sounds that are sharp, light, or squeaky (e.g. a whistle, bird song).


2. Low Pitch – Sounds that are deep or heavy (e.g. a bass drum, a man’s deep voice).

Pitch identification is the ability to recognize and tell the difference between high and low sounds. It is also about knowing the position of a note on the music staff (lines and spaces).

1. By Listening: Compare sounds – is one higher or lower than the other?


2. With Instruments: Use instruments like piano or recorder to hear pitch differences.


3. Using Tonic Solfa: Solfa syllables help students recognize pitch order —Do – Re – Mi – Fa – So – La – Ti – Do (from low to high).


4. With Musical Staff: Notes higher on the staff sound higher; lower notes on the staff sound lower.

• The staff has five lines and four spaces.


• Notes placed higher on the staff are higher in pitch .


• Notes placed lower are lower in pitch .

	High Pitch	Low Pitch
1	Fast vibrations	Slow vibrations
2	Light/thin sound	Deep/thick sound
3	Top notes on staff	Bottom notes on staff
4	Female voice, violin, flute	Male voice, drum, tuba

• Sing ascending and descending solfa (Do – Re – Mi... and back).


• Play two notes and ask students which is higher or lower.


• Use a keyboard or piano app for sound comparison.


• Draw a musical staff and place notes at different pitch levels.

1. Helps to sing or play correct notes.


2. Trains the ear to listen carefully.


3. Improves music reading skills.


4. Builds a foundation for sight-singing and harmony.

Voice training is the process of training and preparing the voice for singing or speaking. It involves exercises that help to improve the quality of the voice, increase vocal strength, and make pronunciation clearer.

It also helps to develop the ability to sing in tune and with confidence. Voice training is very important for singers, actors, broadcasters, teachers, and other professionals who use their voice every day.

1. It helps the singer to sing with a strong and pleasant voice.


2. It improves the way the voice sounds and helps in proper voice projection.


3. It helps in breathing well while singing or speaking.


4. It prevents strain or damage to the voice.


5. It increases the vocal range (ability to sing high and low notes).


6. It makes words clear when singing or talking.


7. It builds confidence in performance.

1. Breathing Exercise – It trains the lungs to control airflow while singing.


Example: Breathe in through the nose (1–4), hold (1–4), breathe out through the mouth slowly (1–8).


2. Humming Exercise – It relaxes and warms up the vocal cords.


Example: Hum softly with mouth closed like “mmm”.


3. Singing Solfa Notes – It improves pitch accuracy and musical hearing.


Example: Do – Re – Mi – Fa – So – La – Ti – Do – Ti – La – So – Fa – Mi – Re – Do.


4. Vowel Practice – It improves clarity of tone and word pronunciation.


Example: A – E – I – O – U (sung in long, smooth tones).


5. Lip Trill – It helps breath control and loosens the lips and voice.


Example: Blow air through lips to make a sound like “brrrrr”.


6. Siren or Pitch Sliding – It stretches the voice and improves range.


Example: Make a sound like a siren from low to high and back (woo–ooo–woo).

1. Do not shout or scream unnecessarily.


2. Drink enough clean water (preferably warm).


3. Avoid cold or sugary things before singing.


4. Rest your voice when tired or sick.


5. Warm up your voice gently before every practice.