Strategies to Teach Sight-Singing Successfully

1. Strategies to Teach Sight-Singing Successfully National Association for Music Education Nashville, TN October 28, 2013 Alan C. McClung, Ph.D. University of North Texas Alan.McClung@unt.edu

2. I. Dominate Pitch Systems • Movable Tonic Systems Movable [Do] Ascending: Do Di Re Ri Mi FaFi So Si La Li Ti Do’ Descending: Do’ Ti Te La Le So Se Fa Me Me Re Ra Do Movable Pitch Numbers 1-#-2-#-3-4-#-5-#-6-#-7-1’-7-b-6-b-5-b-4-3-b-2-b-1

3. B. Non-Movable Tonic Systems Fixed Do: [Do] is always C. C Major = c/Do d/Re e/Mi f/Fa g/So a/La b/Ti c/Do D Major = d/Re e/Mi f#/Fi g/So a/La b/Ti c#/Di d/Re Letter Names c cis d dis e f fis g gis a ais b c

4. II. Pitch Development A. Establish pitch relationships. • Echo-singing, an aural prompt, uses rote teaching to establish pitch relationships. • Pitch patterns should be five tones in length beginning and ending on [Do]. Examples: Do Re Do Re Do Do Re Mi Re Do • As students gain mastery increase the level of difficulty.

5. Visual prompts • Pitch syllables in a written format: DRMRD DMRMD DRMFD • Curwen hand signs Benefits: visual aid for teacher kinesthetic aid for students • Pitch ladder

6. Pitch ladder D’ T L S F M R D

7. Audiation • Hearing then identifying pitch before singing/sounding it • Using Curwen hand signs to elicit response • Indentifying pitch through a variety of response formats, including dictation and composition

8. Pitches Approached by Leap

9. Notated Pitch • The modified music staff is a visual prompt Warning: Students should be discouraged from writing solfege syllables under notation. Exceptions include individualized learning assessment. • The reading skills used by an instrumentalist differ from the reading skills used by a vocalist, at least at the beginning through the intermediate stages.

11. III. Dominate Rhythm Systems • Orff-Schulwerk • Chevé (Kodály) • Froseth/Gordon • Eastman: Types A, B, C • Traditional Beat-Based: Types A, B, C

21. A. Establish a systematic approach when working with duration/rhythm • Establish the internalized pulse through the externalized silent tap, a kinesthetic tool. • Use rhythm number chanting for the student and the teacher, an oral/aural tool. • Create a visual tool by writing out the rhythm numbers. • Use clapping, a kinesthetic tool for the student and an visual/aural assessment tool for the teacher. • Allow time signatures to unfold naturally.

23. The Rhythm Chart “Sound when the rhythm numbers tell you to sound.” “Speed always increases difficulty.” Teaching Strategies: • Straight-through unison order • Random unison order • Section rounds • Neighbor rounds

25. IV. Combining duration and pitchisolate, combine, isolate, combine

26. A. Finding Do. Less is More! • The flat farthest to the right is always [Fa]. • The sharp farthest to the right is always [Ti].

27. B. The Minor Scale(s) [La]-based minor = the relative-natural minor: L-T-D-R-M-F-S-L the harmonic natural minor: L-T-D-R-M-F-si-L the melodic natural minor: L-T-D-R-M-fi-si-L (ascending) [Do]-based minor = the parallel natural minor: D-R-me-F-S-le-te-D [La]-based minor is the prevalent approach used in the secondary choral music classroom.

28. C. Chromatic Scale Pitch ladder Do’ Ti Li Te La Si Le So Fi Se Fa Mi Ri Me Re Di Ra Do

29. If you choose to place sight-singing at the center of your choral curriculum, the rewards will justify your efforts beyond your highest expectations!

30. Strategies to Teach Sight-Singing Successfully Alan C. McClung, Ph.D. University of North Texas Alan.McClung@unt.edu