I suspect Christy Elsner is just as perplexed. However, in her article, “Extraordinary Elementary Singing on a Shoestring Budget” (Choral Range, Vol.32, No.1), she also has some suggestions for ways in which teachers can remove the economic millstone.
Singing costs nothing and is portable. Through working with the human voice, all elements of music—theory, history, technique, artistry, etc., can be taught while reinforcing fundamentalsof pitch, developing listening skills, tone, breath, diction, and dynamics. We teachers can transform and rejuvenate the elementary music classroom into a mecca for singing at little or no cost. To make the extraordinary happen, directors in the elementary music classroom should make sure each class focuses primarily on singing. Instruments and folk dances are secondary to the voice, in my opinion. Start simply and with the basics. Center each lesson on the voice, using it to teach note values, steady beat, and rhythmic sequences, for example. Even the folk tune Weevily Wheat can be sung with tall vowels, good breath, and clear diction.
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Heather Seaton says