Question

Assalamu Aleikum

 I have a few questions regarding the Tajweed Schools.

 1. I am amazed that there are many children who memorized or have memorized the Qur'an sometimes before the age of ten or fifteen. Would you please give me a detailed schedule that some of these schools offer the children to help them memorize the Qu'ran? In other words, do the children have specific surahs they have to learn?

 2. When a Qari reads a verse of the Qur'an (in front of an audience or not), what is the correct posture, he/she should adopt while reading (without any exaggeration)? 

3. Finally, among all the Qaris that I have been listening to so far, I have noticed that they have all a very nice voice, although different from one another. Therefore, do Tajweed schools teach how to beautify the voice when reading? If not, how should one improve one's voice when reading the Qur'an?
May Allah help you in finding the answers inshallah

Ma Salam

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

1. Each school has their own way of assisting the children in memorization, and most of the time it is up the child and to a great part of the parents to motivate themselves and memorize quickly.  Most schools, but not all, have each child memorize at their own rate, as little or as great as they are capable of doing.  Some schools start at the age of three years old where they teach the children to read Arabi, using the Noraniyyah system or similar, in which they automatically are taught to read the letters with the proper characteristics from the beginning, and with applied tajweed rules.  Obviously they do not study the theory, but are expected to apply it from the beginning.  One they can read using this system, the go on and start memorizing and as stated before, this is usually done at their own pace.  They recite to the teacher what they have memorized, then are allowed to memorize more if it is satisfactory. The children usually start at An-Naas and work forward in reverse order.  Masha’ Allah, many children memorize the complete Qur’an by the age of 10 or even earlier in this type of program.

2. There is no specific posture other than sitting up straight with both feet on the floor.  This is just good manners, and not a specific requirement or sunnah.

3.  Our recommendation would be to make a lot of dua’ and ask Allah for a voice that is pleasing to Him.  Most tajweed schools teach tajweed, and the students take from their teacher the proper recitation.  A pleasant voice is a gift from Allah, He gives to whom He will of His servants.  We ask Allah to give us and you recitation pleasing to Him in the way it was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah upon him.
We greatly caution against any "techniques" that a school may use to improve the beauty of the voice.  The righteous predecessors did not study any special techniques, and many of the techniques that some schools may use are based on the study of music.  This not not at all based on the correct way of  passing down of the Qur'an from one generation to another and should be avoided.  

Wa alaikum assalaam