Archive
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Ways to gamify beat in your music classroom.
Comments Off on Ways to gamify beat in your music classroom.Beat is defined as a regular movement or sound. In music, the beat is a regular, repeated pulse that helps create tempo or speed in music.
Really knowing beat can make all the difference for rhythm so don’t overlook the obvious and practice this concept regularly with all levels of students.
So, here’s a few suggestions for gamifying beat in your classroom, available via the Music Teachers’ Digital Library (note, some are free, but others are only accessible with a subscription).
A Qua Qua
Let’s start now with A Qua Qua, which is great for teaching & practicing beat. It’s also an opportunity for celebrating diverse music of different cultures as A Qua Qua is a traditional Israeli song.
Students sit in a single circle holding their hands out in front of the people beside them. Their left hand should face up under the person’s hand on their left and their right hand should face down on top of the person’s hand on the right.
Beginning on the first beat of the first full bar, the chosen first person takes their right hand cross their body and taps the person’s hand on their left thus “passing the beat”.
This person then does the same and so on around the circle on the beat. At the end of the song the student who gets tapped on the 5th beat is out unless they pull their hand away, in which case the person who moved to tap them is out. Students can speed up during the counting.
Mal Mal Mal
This song is great for working on the concept of melisma or the notion of beat passing patterns.
- Students sit in a circle with legs crossed and a stone, stick or other object in front of them on the floor.
- Keeping the beat, they pass the stone to the left around the circle.
- Beat 1: Pick up the stone.
- Beat 2: Place the stone in front of the person on the left.
- Repeat for the whole song
Categories
Categories is perfect for introducing the concept of beat, incorporating body percussion and ostinato,
as well as fostering individual singing skills.Students sit in a circle and clap the beat as a body percussion ostinato (e.g. clap, clap, click, click).
After the first line of the song is sung by the whole class, a chosen category (food, cars, countries, cities, colours etc.) is sung (usually by the teacher).
Going around the circle one at a time, students sing an item from the chosen category, improvising the names of objects in the given category. (Other categories could be types of cars, names of countries or cities, colours etc).
And remember…
Practical games and activities like those above are ideal.
They support an inclusive, sequential and developmental music literacy program to make sure your students really know musical concepts and elements.
Happy gaming, everyone! – Deb
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3 First Nations activities for your music classroom
Comments Off on 3 First Nations activities for your music classroomRead on for ideas for how to use First Nations songs along with links to some great activities, available via the Music Teachers’ Digital Library (note, some are free, but others are only accessible with a subscription).
Wirrumu (The Moon), is an Indigenous lullaby sung in Yolngu Matha languages (from northeast Arnhem Land) & English, written, produced and recorded by Manuel Dhurrkay & Caiti Baker.
Their stunningly beautiful recording of this was published in “The Moon, The Mouse & The Frog: Lullabies from Northern Australia” by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2021.
Inanayis an Indigenous Australian song or lullaby, thought to be in Yorta Yorta, the language of one of the Aboriginal tribes of Victoria. It has also been collected from Thursday Island and the Torres Strait Islands. A direct translation is unavailable; however, it is thought to be a song about a goanna (gupuana) with the ‘choo’ being the shooing away of the goanna.
As well as being a beautiful song to sing, it is also great for unconsciously highlighting 2 metre, the do pentachord and the anacrusis, discussing asymmetrical phrasing and introducing I IV V harmony.
This First Nations song Mumma Warrunno (Maranoa Lullaby),is from Southwest Queensland. It was collected and translated by H.O. Lethbridge and an arrangement, by Arthur S Loam, for voice and piano was published by Allan & Co in 1937 in a collection of three songs called “Australian Aboriginal Songs”.
Sung through twice – the first time through with lyrics in Gungarri, from South West Queensland, and the second time in English – this simple song is perfect for sequentially preparing / presenting / practicing la, unconsciously practicing 3 metre and teaching question & answer form.
Recorded Fun
Students compose new versions of a recorded song by writing a new melody for the given rhythm using only known notes.
- On the board is written the stick notation of the first sixteen beats (the first four bars are repeated three times to equal twelve bars) of Wirrumu (The Moon).
- Students sightread the rhythm on the board whilst conducting, then sing in solfa with handsigns several times.
- Students to listen to the first 33 seconds of Wirrumu (The Moon).
- Students discuss what they hear.
- Students create their own melody using the same rhythm, only do re mi so and la and the same question (repeated three times) and answer form.
Clickhereto access the activity: la – Late Practice: Creative & Written
Circle Song Notes
Groups of students sing allocated notes of a known song with movement.
- The teacher sings Mumma Warrunno while keeping a steady beat, on a neutral syllable e.g. “doo”.
- The class identifies the name of the song and sings the song with the words, showing the melodic contour in the air.
- The teacher sings the first phrase with the words and the class sing back in solfa with handsigns. Repeat for each phrase.
- The class sing the whole song in solfa with handsigns.
- Divide the class into four groups and allocate each group a note: do re mi or so. All groups are allocated la as well.
The four groups form circles in each corner of the room.
- Facing clockwise around their circles, students sing the song in solfa with handsigns slowly – as a lullaby – taking a small step forward every time they sing their allocated notes.
- Repeat f. showing the handsigns for all notes but only singing their allocated notes (either do re mi or so and la) out loud.
Clickhereto access the activity: la – Early Practice: Aural
Ostinato & Body Percussion
Once the song Inanay has been learned, the ostinato pattern can be added, performed first by the teacher as the whole class sing the song, then by half the class while the other half sing.
Once students can simultaneously clap the ostinato while singing the song, they can begin adding in the following body percussion actions.
Clickhereto access the song: Inanay
Happy exploring, everyone! – Deb
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Top 10 Videos for Time Signatures
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One of the exciting things about music learning in general—but Kodály-inspired approaches in particular—is how integrated all of the concepts are.
In order to really know rhythm, or stand a chance of transcribing rhythms or sightreading, you need a strong foundation in a variety of time signatures.
Understanding how they work and becoming familiar with different rhythmic groupings and ‘feels’ of simple & compound time is key.
To give you a bit of a starting point, here are 10 videos that combine teaching, learning and the application of all that—theory into practice.
DEB’S TOP 10 DSMusic Time Signature Teaching & Practice Videos
Start with the basics.
Try beginning with the concept of time signatures –
why we use them and what they tell us, starting with simple time.Compounding concepts!
Now we take what we’ve learned for simple time and apply it for compound time.
Now that we’ve got a few videos under our belt,
it’s time to expand–including transcriptions & tougher time signatures.How can DSMusic help?
If these ten videos aren’t quite enough to cover your time signature-related needs,
remember there’s a bunch more available for free, so carve out some time to deep-dive on
the DSMusic Vimeo & YouTube channels (and make sure you subscribe to stay updated)!Happy watching! – Deb
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Top 10 music literacy tips to set up your school year!
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Look, let’s be honest, returning to school for a new year feels a little bit like coming out of a deep festive-season-holiday hibernation. The thought of showing up on day one and having your entire music theory approach planned out for the year can be daunting.
However, what you do on day one is actually super vital for a number of reasons. You might be kicking off with a brand spanking new class or in need of a gentle way to refresh what you’ve learned and ease into the school year. What you do music theory wise can set the tone for everything that follows. Here at DSMusic, we’re all about sequential music literacy and knowing, not just learning, so with that in mind, let’s chat through getting things off to a strong start.
DEB’S TOP 10 TIPS FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS
1: Take it one step at a time: let’s get sequential.
The best music literacy programs have a sequential approach, but that basically just means little step-by-step increments in teaching and learning. This can work either by starting from the very foundation with a concept or skill, or in reverse — seeing what ‘knowing’ looks like and working backwards. For many, the end of the line is what will be on the exam, so if that helps, use that as your compass, just make sure you take the time to prepare, present and practice music theory.
2: Just keep listening, just keep listening.No matter what, listen. All the time. In class and out. For whatever needs to happen in those listening, analysing and responding moments, it’s a great idea to listen to as wide a variety of music as possible. Across styles, genres, instrumentation and artists. Listen for the feeling it creates, pay attention to the elements and devices that contribute to this and get into the habit early (and often!) of trying to note down what’s being heard.
3: Never fear, just inner hear.For what is usually quite a noisy subject — all that singing, playing and clapping — there is a way to listen to music on the page too, without any sound. Inner hearing, or thinking sound, is frankly the only way to handle dictations and transcriptions come exam time, but more than that, it’s an internal way of seeing what you hear and hearing what you see.
4: Move to the music.Here at DSMusic, we’re big on singing and setting that up as a staple in the classroom from the get-go, but sometimes folks just feel a bit too vulnerable to show off their pipes. Using body percussion and movement can be a great way to lean into the strengths of the entire class and can be as simple as walking the beat or as challenging as a particularly intense clever echo!
5: Connect the dots: make it relevant & authentic.Just like with the analysing we touched on earlier, which actually is there to help make us better performers, so too should music theory support what happens practically. Providing there’s some sequential scaffolding in place for the concept, you can take your lead from the lead sheet, or the notated score, or whatever’s happening repertoire wise. Analyse and sing the scales these pieces are based on, use rhythm names and Solfa to sightread new material or try inner hearing to support rote learning or memorisation.
Need a brain break? Brodie does!
6: Learning your musical ABC’s.Music classrooms are full of a mix of folks, with differing abilities, instruments (& keys!), musical tastes and assessment requirements, so why not go with the music theory option that is universal? Tonic Solfa or Moveable do Solfa is a system of note naming in which every note within a scale is given a name based on its relationship to the other notes within that key. Solfa shows us how to spell music – it’s a system for that in the same way the alphabet is for language.
7: Set yourself some ‘Deb deadlines’.It can be easy, even as early as Term 1, to start freaking out about upcoming tests, SACs and exams. When plotting things out, set up some ‘Deb deadlines’ — these pop up ahead of the actual date everything needs to be known by and act as a great progress check to help work out what still needs attention. We do dress rehearsals and mock exams for performance, why not for music theory too?
8: Get creative in order to really know.There’s a pretty huge list of ways you can teach, learn and practice certain music theory concepts, so while scribbling things down on a worksheet or watching a video or two are all well and good, don’t be scared to try something a little different. Composition is a terrific way to reinforce and consolidate understanding, and it also doubles as a means for finding authentic student voice. Why not try conducting during rhythmic dictations or singing scales in canon? This keeps things engaging in the classroom and ticks off concepts in different contexts.
9: Plan, print & laminate a practice chart so you really get into the routine.Just like anything, music practice is a skill that needs deliberate work, or, funnily enough, practice. We need to play/sing on our instrument regularly, and rehearse pieces and technical work during classes, in lessons and at home — and it’s the same for music theory. Set up a schedule, or some structure for practicing and make sure this gets time during the week in the same way homework for other classes do!
10: Strive for progress not perfection.Obviously everyone wants to pass and do well, and outcomes and assessments are important, but at the end of the day, the reason we’re all doing this is to become better musicians and performers, right? Or at least, the best musician we can be, which is more about building skills and capacities over time than it is getting everything note perfect!
How can DSMusic resources help you start strong?
There’s countless material on hand to structure out all your teaching, learning and knowing. The Musicianship & Aural Training Series includes 100s of worksheets, videos, listening exercises and more, while the Music Language Online Course Musicianship is a great way to deep-dive and double-down!
Other things to consider at the start of a new year:
- chances are there’s been little (or zero!) study or practice over the break so relish the opportunity to refresh
- learning intentions and outcomes are key – know what the endgame is, and roughly the way to get there so there’s no surprises
- remember that’s it’s never too late to learn Solfa!
Set your goals & strive towards progress!
After all that, the key takeaways really are to be kind to yourself (this goes for teachers and students) and do future you a favour by plotting out some preliminary steps and pinpointing your go-to resources. And remember — begin listening, singing and practicing from day one!
Happy back-to-schooling! – Deb
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3 Ways to Use Flashcards in Your Music Classroom
Comments Off on 3 Ways to Use Flashcards in Your Music ClassroomFlashcards have to be one of the most useful resources a teacher can have in their classroom!
Use them to save you having to write on the board or let the kids use them to recognise – and match the visual symbols to – what they hear. Use them to play a game with, to create with and to dictate from!
Flashcard activities can easily form a part of every music lesson, regardless of what stage of learning your class is at and are a great way to prepare for a transcription activity or any activities that use the elements targeted in the flashcards themselves.
Read on for lots of ideas for how to use Flashcards along with links to some great activities, available via the Music Teachers’ Digital Library (note, some are free, but others are only accessible with a subscription).
Sightreading
- Use flashcards that ONLY include known rhythms or pitches.
- Students should keep a steady beat (quietly) throughout the activity.
- Hold flashcards so students can see one at a time.
- Allow inner hearing time for each flashcard.
- Pointing to each beat on the card can help students follow.
- This video is an example of sightreading from Rhythmic Flashcards.
Click here to access Crotchets, Quavers, Crotchet Rests & Semiquavers Flashcards.
Sightreading Variations
- Poison Rhythm/Melody – where one rhythm (e.g. semiquavers) or pitch (e.g. so) is chosen and students must NOT say/sing those out loud (inner hear instead).
- Poison Rhythm/Melody – where one rhythm (e.g. crotchets) or pitch (e.g. re) is chosen and students must NOT say/sing those out loud (inner hear instead).
- Halvies – one half of the class say the rhythm name of the rhythm (e.g. crotchets) or pitch being focused on (e.g. la) while the other half say all else.
- Read and Remember – students memorise the first card being shown, when the second card is shown they have to say the rhythm names or sing the solfa/letter names of the first card while memorising the second and so on.
- FCBP – (Flashcard Body Percussion) choose a different action for each rhythmic element (or pitch) on the cards e.g. a crotchet may be clapped while semiquavers may be clicked and so on. Students inner hear the rhythm names as they perform the body percussion actions and the teacher keeps a steady beat on claves or similar.
Build It Up
- Have flashcards with individual known rhythms (see Simple Time flashcards here) or pitches.
- Warm up the class by singing several songs that only use the rhythms and/or pitches on the individual rhythmic flashcards.
- Divide the class into teams and provide each team with a set of these flashcards. For example, 12 x crotchet cards, 8 x pairs of quaver cards and 5 x crotchet rest cards will ‘make’ most Crotchets, Quavers and Crotchet Rests songs.
- Announce the name of the song you have chosen and start a stopwatch. The teams begin to create the rhythm and/or melody of that song using the above cards.
- When one team thinks they have it correctly the clock is stopped and all teams cease working.
- The team that thinks they have it sing the rhythm names/solfa of the song. If correct, they win, if incorrect, the clock is started again and the activity continues until one team has the song correctly.
Click here to see an example of this practice activity using flashcards.
How can DSMusic resources support you?
There’s a ever-growing collection of flashcard resources in the Music Teachers’ Digital Library (MTDL), so click here to view these.
There’s also an extended version of this blog post available to MTDL subscribers with a lot more suggestions, activities, links and strategies for finding the fun in flashcards!
And remember…
Whether you’re looking for a way to gamify rhythm, throw in a few brain breaks or offer your classes lots of different ways to practice these musicianship concepts, flashcards are a great go-to!
Happy flashcarding, everyone! – Deb
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Top 10 Videos for Scales & Key Signatures
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The aim of the game here at DSMusic is sequential music literacy and really knowing. This means step-by-step teaching and learning of music aural and music theory concepts, followed by the practicing of these in a variety of ways.
Scales and key signatures (tonality) are a vital part of any music literacy approach. They pop up everywhere – whether you’re using them visually when sightreading, aurally recognising them in the senior years or memorising them to play (or write) in exams.
They’re the cornerstone of much of what we do as musicians in performance, creative pursuits and come assessment day, so it’s vital to incorporate them early and often.
Aside from using mnemonics to remember your key signatures, or hours and hours of muscle memory for reeling them off when you need to, how can we practice and really know our scales?
To give you a bit of a starting point, here are 10 videos that combine teaching, learning and the application of all that — theory into practice.
DEB’S TOP 10 DSMusic Scales & Key Signatures Teaching & Practice Videos
1: Start with the basics.
Try beginning with the concept of key signatures – why we use
them and what they tell us, before tackling finding tonalities visually and aurally.2: It’s all relative!
Explore two basic scales forms – Major and natural minor – and discover
how these work and how they’re related.3: Let’s get singing scales & practicing them!
Now that we’ve got a few videos under our belt, it’s time to use
sing through some different scales to build our aural awareness.How can DSMusic help?
If these ten videos aren’t quite enough to cover your
scales & key signature-related needs, remember there’s a bunch
more available for free, so carve out some time to deep-dive
on the DSMusic Vimeo & YouTube channels!Happy watching! – Deb
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4 FREE compositional device resources for music performance analysis
Comments Off on 4 FREE compositional device resources for music performance analysisAs part of the 2023-2027 VCE Music Study Design, music analysis or music performance analysis now incorporates four compositional devices. These, alongside the elements of music, offer students the means to identify and discuss how performer’s achieve intended effects and characters. This, in turn, supports students with their own development as musicians and performers; fostering language and an awareness of these techniques.
Pg16, VCE Music Study Design | Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority The four devices outlined by the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority (VCAA) include contrast, variation, transition and repetition.
VCAA also provides ways for students to explore these within excerpts, taking something that might initially feel a little abstract and grounding it in a music analysis aural space.
It’s important to refer to the VCAA definitions for these, as they do have to relate specifically to the unifying theme of ‘musical ideas (or patterns)’. Often, too, these devices are incorporated into multi-part questions where they are either the focus, or an option for discussing how they impact on the character created.
So, let’s go through these a little more now.
Compositional Device #1: CONTRAST
As you can see above, VCAA defines contrast as “significant new musical material” or “significant changes to established patterns”.
It can be helpful then to think of this as ‘obvious’ changes within an excerpt which can often be easier to hear. This might include a change in key/tonality (e.g. major to minor), changes in tempo or dynamics (e.g. soft to very loud) or contrasting articulation techniques (e.g. staccato and then legato).
Although these more obvious elements and techniques can be simpler to detect, contrast can also be explored by considering texture, instrumentation and melodic contour. Note the specified timings below and see if you can hear this in the Bon Iver excerpt.
Click to hear this on Youtube Or, perhaps, you could listen out for contrast in phrasing or the instrument registers being used, like with this saxophone quartet example.
Click to hear this on Youtube Compositional Device #2: VARIATION
As you can see above, VCAA defines variation as “changes to establish musical ideas and patterns” that very importantly, “retain significant recognisable features.”
It might be tempting to think about this very similarly to contrast (changes!) but for instance, where we might talk about contrast in relation to the use of different articulation approaches or shifts in texture overall within an excerpt, with variation we would instead discuss how the performance of a main thematic idea varies each subsequent time we hear it.
Just like with contrast, we can identify variation through elements, such as articulation and melodic contour. Note the specified timings below and see if you can hear this in the Paganini excerpt.
Click to hear this on Youtube Or, perhaps, you could listen out for texture, instrumentation and tone colour, like with this boy wizard example.
Click to hear this on Youtube Compositional Device #3: TRANSITION
As you can see above, VCAA defines transition as “the shift from one musical idea or section to another.”
So this device has a lot to do with transitional passages in music, connecting ideas together, like a bridge in a song. However, it can also be a little more subtle, such as a passage where modulation occurs or when the excerpt shifts through the use of a sound production transition effect like a wipe or vocal riser.
These passages can be lengthy within an excerpt, or a little shorter, and can be identified by listening for texture, rhythm and phrasing. Note the specified timings below and see if you can hear this in the Pharrell Williams excerpt.
Click to hear this on Youtube Or, perhaps, you could listen out for transition in instrumentation, melodic contour or the instrument registers being used, like with this Koehne example.
Click to hear this on Youtube Compositional Device #4: REPETITION
As you can see above, VCAA defines repetition as when “a musical pattern or idea is established and used again”.
Again, sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking about variation here, but instead of identifying how a musical pattern or idea varies through the use of say melodic contour, register or rhythm overall as an excerpt progresses, with repetition we would instead discuss exact points where established ideas appear again while retaining consistent approaches and character.
The use of repetition can create a sense of stability for the listener, however, it can also build tension. Consider register, rhythm and tone colour as you note the specified timings below, seeing if you can hear this in the Sarah Neufeld excerpt.
Click to hear this on Youtube Or, perhaps, you could listen out for repetition in texture, phrasing or melody, like with this Hans Zimmer example.
Click to hear this on Youtube How can DSMusic resources support you?
You can find additional excerpt examples for each device to consider, as well as some sample observations for a few too. This would be a great way to work through a device type with students, and then set them ‘your turn’ examples to continue refining their skills.
If you already own Decoding Sound, then these are available within your digital resources (alongside more music analysis in-depth looks at character, elements and answering questions!). Otherwise, you can access the four FREE info sheets for each compositional device below, so long as you have a DSMusic account.
And remember…
The best way to build your confidence with music analysis and compositional devices is to listen! The more excerpts you engage with, the more likely you are to be able to identify aurally what’s happening and the effect this has musically. Just like you might have a preferred element to write about (I’m a big fan of articulation and tone colour, myself!) you’ll probably find contrast a great first device with which to start.
Happy analysing! – Deb
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Step-by-step tips for getting better at rhythmic dictation.
Comments Off on Step-by-step tips for getting better at rhythmic dictation.A question I often get asked by students – especially in the lead up to exams! – is how to do dictations. Here at DSMusic, we’re big on really knowing these concepts, whether it’s scales or intervals, or chords or rhythm.
It’s important to remember that everything you’re doing in a music language space is actually to make you a better musician, not just to pass the next test! So let’s work through some ways to get better at rhythmic dictations, as well as the steps I use.
Sightread lots of rhythms.
This might seem like a simple step but it’s an important one. The more you’re sightreading rhythms – trying to read them for the first time – the more you’ll be able to dictate them. Ideally, rhythms need to be read in rhythm names as this system can be carried across a variety of different groupings and time signatures. An even better extra step is adding conducting to this as well, strengthening both the reading of rhythm and your sense of pulse.
Recognise & Recreate.
Beyond sightreading, we also need to make sure we understand what sorts of things we can expect. As in, analysing and understanding the content, format and structure of rhythms so we’re better able to recognise them. Though this is something that develops through sightreading, as mentioned above, it’s also a great opportunity to get creative. Composing rhythmic ideas takes what you’re hearing and understanding and consolidates it, enhancing your ability to recognise and recreate.
DSMusic Top Tip: Don’t limit your playings – use as many as you need while you’re building this skill.
Rhythm Sets.
Once you know what to ‘expect’ rhythmically, this helps narrow down your options in a dictation exercise. Rhythm sets are your go-to-guide – they’re all the rhythmic groupings your ears might have to recognise. Noting them down quickly on some manuscript or blank paper before the dictation aids in the process, particularly if you can check a Study Design page for the exact rhythms that can be used. This is also very important preparation for your rhythmic shorthand – and translating how many sounds you heard into the appropriate rhythmic grouping.
Rhythmic Dictation Steps.
Okay, so now we’ve spoken through what you should do to prepare yourself for rhythmic dictation, let’s go over the steps themselves. Remember, this is what works for me so feel free to adjust or ignore – find the approach that best suits you!
- Write your rhythm set – it might be three rhythmic groupings or many more, but it’s your first step!
- Setup your rhythm shorthand above the staff – this would be a single beat stroke in simple time, or beat and pulse strokes in compound time.
- Listen to the rhythm, pointing at your beat/pulse strokes.
- Add rhythmic shorthand for each sound you hear on a beat/pulse – e.g. two lines for two sounds.
- If needed, translate your shorthand onto the staff – try to do this before the last playing.
- For the last playing, listen through and check your answers – remember, try not to leave things blank, use your preparation and understanding of rhythms and guess!
How can DSMusic resources support you?
We’ve got a ready-made Rhythm Set resource for you, so just access it by clicking the image on the right and adjust as much as you need!
Are you in VCE Music? Get yours on this page!
If you’re seeking more support for this step-by-step approach, here’s some free DSMusic videos:
And remember…
There’s no silver bullet when it comes to building these skills – no overnight cramming possible! You have to consistently and sequentially give time and attention to developing your awareness, understanding and confidence.
Happy rhythm-recognising, everyone! – Deb
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Top 10 Videos for Chords, Chord Progressions & Cadences
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Here at DSMusic, we understand that a lot of what we teach and learn in the music aural and theory space is connected.
While this often means we can practice several musical concepts within the same activity, it can also make step one a little daunting. Concept-wise — chords, chord progressions and cadences definitely fit into this category.
You can’t really get good at aurally identifying cadences unless you understand what they are, why they are there and how they work.
Similarly, how do you track the way harmonic patterns shift if the building blocks of chords and triads are still a little fuzzy for you?
To give you a bit of a starting point, here’s 10 videos that combine teaching, learning and the application of all that — theory into practice.
DEB’S TOP 10 DSMusic Chords, Progressions & Cadences Teaching & Practice Videos
1: Start with the basics.
Try beginning with the concepts of triads (both Major and minor),
with a few primary chords as a focus area. Then treat yourself to a
handy overview of the main types of cadence.
2: It’s all about that bassline.Next up, let’s fine-tune that musical ear of ours by listening for,
singing and recognising the bassline in these progressions.
3: Time to transcribe.We’ve learned, heard and sung, so now let’s take the next step
and work out how we note down what we’re hearing, perfect
for chord progression questions on tests and learning that new
favourite song of yours by ear.
4: Let’s get creative with practice!Now that we’ve got a few videos under our belt, it’s time to use
the skills we’re building and strengthen them, to make sure we
really know chords, chord progressions and cadences!How can DSMusic help?
If these ten videos aren’t quite enough to cover your
chord-related needs, remember there’s a bunch more
available for free, so carve out some time to deep-dive
on the DSMusic Vimeo & YouTube channels!Happy watching! – Deb
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Top 6 Ways Solfa Can Help You With Music Performance
Comments Off on Top 6 Ways Solfa Can Help You With Music PerformanceWhile we all know that becoming truly musically literate — which is the aim of the game here at DSMusic — lends itself quite well to improving our musicianship and theory skills, all that do re mi also actually applies to the practical side of things too.
That’s right! Solfa isn’t just for when you’re panicking about an upcoming aural and written exam, it’s a really great go-to for strengthening a number of practical capabilities we use as musicians and performers.
Join me as we go through some strategies for incorporating solfa in your lessons, practice sessions and rehearsals, helping link music language and literacy with music making in a meaningful and relevant way.
DEB’S TOP 6 WAYS TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR PRACTICE WITH SOLFA!
1: Sound production & tone.
When supporting students in the early stages of their learning, we try to ensure they have an auditory reference for what a good sound is on their instrument. This might be a recording or another musician, or yourself as the teacher demonstrating for them. In these cases they are using the tools they have — embouchure, diaphragm support, finger placement etc. — to match what they’re hearing. Having them sing the note, sound or tone in solfa before trying to realise it practically is an immediate means for this.
2: Hitting the mark.Producing a good sound or tone is great for notes played sequentially in a scale, but as we’re aware, music performance requires control and precision across the spectrum. Most instruments have to face a change in register, octave, harmonics or position and, depending on the difficulty of this, students could be taking small interval steps or large leaps. As mentioned by Steenstrup et. al, 2021, using solfa to sing these can help improve pitch accuracy.
3: Intonation.Singing and hearing the pitch you’re aiming for is one thing, certainly, but solfa is also useful for the stability and accuracy of that note once you arrive. Is your ensemble struggling to play that held chord in tune? Perhaps the climactic note at the end of a phrase is edging out of the stratosphere somewhat? No problem — get your students to pop down their instruments for a moment and use solfa to sing the chord or final note instead. It’s remarkable how so simple a strategy (and reminder!) can make a huge difference on the overall intonation of the group.
DSMusic Top Tip: Make Singing An Integral Skill – Just Like Practice!
4: Muscling up memory.
Not only is memorisation itself a great practice tool for musicianship generally, it’s also a skill fostered in the actual doing of practice. By that I mean singing scales or pieces/repertoire for music performance in solfa supports memorisation more than if you just listen to a recording or look over the notation. That’s because you’re actively engaged, and consciously aware of the actual notes when you’re singing, independently of the practical challenges that may arise while you’re still learning that tricky bar, phrase or section on your instrument.
5: Solfa sectionals.How often in ensemble rehearsals, sectionals, lessons or practical classes, do we find ourselves working with a particular section or student while others wait? Get those students to sing their parts in solfa (using inner hearing) like you would encourage ‘shadow playing’ or ‘silent practice’. This will give them something engaging and useful to do while you’re off tuning timpani or working out what’s wrong with the bass guitar amp and it might even improve their musical expression.
6: Strengthening sight reading.When sightreading for music performance we apply all the previous strategies. Combining solfa with the act of inner hearing provides audio imagery — that is, being able to see what you hear and hear what you see. There’s often a really close connection between what we’re doing vocally and what needs to happen physiologically on our instrument, particularly if we’re playing brass or woodwind. Solfa sets the scene!
How can DSMusic resources support you?
The best resource for practicing solfa and the skills we’re talking about today is the Music Language Online Course Musicianship Module. It’s got sequential activities across all concept areas and a predominantly aural focus, scaffolding inner hearing and memory too.
In a 1:1 lesson context, work through the activities (10 weeks x 7 days worth!) together, or set for home practice. Wondering how this resource might work in your rehearsal setting? Have the ensemble director use the online course access to kick-start sessions and fine-tune during sectionals with solfa, singing, clapping, conducting and more!
And remember…
Even if your lesson or ensemble isn’t vocal-based (like singing lessons or choir rehearsals) doesn’t mean you can’t intentionalise vocalisation alongside music language and solfa. After all, music performance is the opportunity to take what we really know and apply it in a practical setting to express ourselves and share the magic!
Happy practicing, everyone! – Deb
Steenstrup, K., Trusbak Haumann, N., Kleber B., Camarasa C., Vuust P., Petersen B. (2021). Imagine, Sing, Play- Combined Mental, Vocal and Physical Practice Improves Musical Performance. Frontiers in Psychology Volume 12: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.757052
Kageyama, N. (2023). Why Singing Could Enhance Your Daily Practice. Bulletproof Musician Blog: https://bulletproofmusician.com/singing-out-loud-embarrassing-ear-training-exercise-or-nifty-memory-hack/