aural skills 2-5

Class Structure and Philosophy

• Class Timing Issues

  • Fridays are challenging for students due to tight schedules and last-minute work.

  • Thursday before Friday is designated for preparation.

• Assignment Submission

  • Assignments are due at 5:00 PM on Fridays to encourage early submission and reduce late-night cramming.

  • Emphasizes the importance of time management to prevent last-minute stress.

• Recording Submissions

  • Students can conduct recordings as many times as needed before submitting their final version.

  • Encouragement to avoid shortcuts in learning and practice.

Singing and Conducting

• Warm-Up Activities

  • Incorporate previous knowledge by recalling past exercises based on musical intervals (e.g., thirds and fifths).

  • Sequence singing in specific patterns leading to group singing and engagement with the material.

• Practice Strategies

  • Encourage students to practice melodies while conducting and playing the keyboard simultaneously, enhancing multitasking skills essential for music performance.

  • Utilize practice strategies that involve taking out notes (similar to Jenga) to simplify complex patterns.

Rhythm and Meter

• Understanding Triplets and Duplets

  • Introduce the concept of triplets as divisions of the beat, contrasting with simple and compound meters.

  • Discuss how rhythms can blend simple and compound metrics in music.

• Notation Differences

  • Notation in vocal music differs from instrumental as it aligns melodies with syllables in lyrics (e.g., ungrouped eighth notes versus beamed notes).

  • Emphasizes the need for clarity in rhythmic notation for performers to correctly interpret the music.

Melodic Dictation Strategies

• Dictation Technique

  • Utilizing a method that involves identifying the last note and singing down until a suitable stopping point is reached helps with stability in dictation tasks.

  • Encouragement to relay relationships between notes, rather than focusing on their individual qualities (e.g., scale degrees).

• Cognitive Load Reduction

  • Shift from memorizing individual notes to recognizing patterns (e.g., pairs or triads) in melodies to improve recall.

  • Explore how grouping notes can simplify mental processing and improve performance accuracy.

Connection of Melodies to Underlying Harmony

• Melody and Harmony Relationship

  • Understanding that melodies intrinsically express harmonic structures within a piece of music.

  • Using chord tones and melodic lines to create a deeper understanding of the harmonic framework.

• Future Developments in Learning

  • The goal is to develop a toolbox of strategies throughout the semester for varied musical tasks, enhancing students' musical literacy and improvisation abilities.