Kids shouldn’t be treated like ‘little adults’

Ever since “The Voice Kids” was launched three TV seasons ago, we’ve been supporting it because we believe in the importance of discovering precocious musical child talents early enough for them to enjoy significant performing careers before their voices change.

In our view, child singers offer exceptional inspirational and aspirational value to listeners and viewers with their innocence and “pure” talent, which can’t be duplicated once they lose or outgrow it.

That’s why it’s key that child singers should be treated and showcased in a special way, very unlike how teen and adult talents are discovered and developed.

So, we object to the local penchant for treating kids like “little adults,” and finding it cute and/or impressive when they sing love songs or go in for “spectacular” birit singing. —Where’s the innocence and purity in all that?

On “The Voice Kids’” third season, there have been some improvements in that regard, but the show occasionally takes one step back and pushes its “love” and “birit” buttons again.

Tough nut to crack

Also a tough nut to crack is the show’s inclusion of some singers who are more “tween” than child.

In last week’s “Battles” phase of the ongoing competition, some tween singers were able to survive the tilt’s winnowing-down process. We hope that, as the selection becomes even more stringent, the younger survivors will continue to make the cut, so the 2016 tilt’s top four will be  children.

This will prove an important point and achieve the inspirational benefits of showcasing gifted kids in a truly  moving and illuminating way.

Some people don’t agree with us, but we hope that, in time, they too will see the light.

Inappropriate songs

Alas, “they” include some people involved in the show, as evinced last week when some wrong or inappropriate songs were chosen for the survivors in the “Battles” round to perform.

The first hapless and unproductive choice was Gary V’s “Hataw Na,” which turned out to be child-unfriendly, because its low notes made it hard for the kids’ young singing voices to clearly emerge.

Another musical waterloo for the kids was “Dream A Little Dream of Me,” an old and “slightly sensuous” song identified with Ella Fitzgerald. The kids simply couldn’t get a musical and emotional handle on it. And the fact that it was in English proved to be an additional impediment for some young performers who weren’t comfortable in that language.