Music Theory teaches the exciting and dynamic interrelationships between the three broad areas of music literacy: listening, composing, and performing. There are a myriad of skills one must master to become an intelligent listener, a well-trained composer, and an excellent performer. Ear training is one of those critical areas. Ear training has very little to do with developing the appendages on the side of the human head. It has everything to do with how we perceive, analyze, process, and apply musical information. Thus, ear training is really mind training. Yet, thorough ear training not only engages the mind. It also utilizes physical/kinesthetic reinforcement and develops musical personality. A complete approach to ear training must engage the mind, the body, and the spirit.
In developing our joint distance education ear training lesson plans, it was determined that the mind, body, and spirit concept should be the philosophical driver on which activities were based. Due to the cultural and language differences, it was also apparent that in order for the experience to be positive and practical, communicating in a musical language would be highly desirable. Therefore, a combination of ear-training and composition/improvisation exercises utilizing solfège and Kodály hand signs was adopted.
The students involved had some prior experience with Solfège and one had previous hand sign experience. The lesson plan was constructed as detailed below. The order of the presentation varied slightly based on the student's skills and interests.
Students should be asked what type of scale the above patterns form (Pentatonic). It should also be noted that the addition of fa and ti create a major scale. The scales and hand signs should be demonstrated and performed.
Discuss the advantages of the solfège/hand sign method:
All values are one beat in length:
The above exercises are to be performed by:
Students are asked to identify the following melodies as the instructor shows hand sign patterns without singing:
Editors note: The lower marks (comma) refer to pitches below do and the upper marks (apostrophe) refer to upper do and notes above upper do.
Students are asked to name melodies that start with the so, mi, or the so-mi combination. Several example should be provided:
Reinforcing basic hand signs and developing common patterning is approached through phrase-based memorization of Camptown Ladies by Stephen Foster.
Students are introduced to the concept of music continuing whether a radio is turned on or off. They are encouraged to sing and show hand signs when the radio is on (instructor's hand turned to the right) and mentally/silently track the progress of a melody as the radio is turned off (instructor's hand turned to the left and students continue to show hand signs but not sing). When the radio is turned on again, the students should be in the correct part of the melody singing and signing the proper patterns. The melody used was Camptown Ladies and following the instructor leading the activity, a student should be chosen to "control" the radio.
Stick Notation examples are displayed from a computer and the students are asked to identify the error(s) as the instructor makes deliberate pitch and/or rhythm errors. If time permits, students should be asked to create their own "wrong" examples.
Students are introduced to the concept of melodic and harmonic intervals. They are divided into two groups for harmonic interval practice. Group 1 sings the instructor's left hand pitch while Group 2 sings right hand note. Both groups show both left and right hand signs. The experience emphasizes the harmonic intervals of the Unison, M2, m3, and P5. Great care should be placed on singing in tune, showing hand signs (lower pitch in left hand, higher pitch in right hand), and listening to the physical and psychological impact of the intervals.
The first section of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is written as solfège only (no rhythm): d d s s l l s f f m m r r d. After students identify the melody, they are encouraged to sing the note names in various keys. If time permits, they are introduced to visualizing the note names mentally; as though they were written on a five-line staff.
Students are asked to create a short melody based on their first name. The pitch set was limited to so, mi, and la.
Following a brief instructor demonstration, students are encouraged to "play" a MIDI keyboard which shows hand signs in the key of C Major as the corresponding piano keys are depressed. Scans of the hands signs were imported into the commercial software ArKaos VJ (available at the ArKaos web site).
The concept of a thorough musical training (listening, composing, and performing) in combination with the development of the mind, body, and spirit should be revisited. Special care should be taken to show the relationships between the experiences of the session and long-term development goals.