I am taking group singing lessons from a FANTASTIC teacher here in Silver Spring Maryland right now, Alison Hynes-Ledbetter. She provides a very interesting perspective, since she described her history as being a voice major in college that didn't learn proper technique. She subsequently went on to "destroy" her voice, and had to totally rebuild it by learning to sing properly: Throat open, tongue down, soft palette open, breathing with the whole chest, and diaphram, stretching, the works.

The first 4 weeks of class all we did is go through excersizes, learn about our "instrument" and "who" a lot. We didn't sing a song until the 5th week. But, guess what, all of a sudden, I'm not losing my voice anymore, and can sing much louder without my voice cracking. It is great!

She makes the point that there really isn't a "head" or "chest" voice if you are singing properly.

Based upon this, I would suggest that you study all of the threads and web-sites that Alice put up before. Then start the kids on the fundementals. If they learn to support their voices now (I didn't) it will last them a life time.

To get them to learn parts, I would first separate them in each corner of the room as much as possible. Then, get each group to try to sing something very different at the same time (different rithym, notes, etc.). When they can do that, then move them to some of those great camp songs with different parts (one bottle pop,two bottle pop. The song about the instruments in the band, etc.). When they can do that, have them work on their parts.

JAB