Comprehensive Sight-Reading For Singers

Name of Participants: Celia Strebendt, William Verity

Background and Overview

The ability to sight-read (sing or play at sight with minimal prior auditory input) is essential to all performing musicians at all levels. The ability to sight-read with accuracy dramatically reduces the time spent in learning either solo or ensemble literature. Without this ability, the musician is reduced to rote learning, which requires an additional person to play the desired tonal material, and requires that the student in question possesses an excellent tonal memory. Tonal memory is not necessarily reliable over time; therefore accuracy of the music to be performed comes into question. Imagine howstudents would perform on an academic test if they had to rely only on material that was read to them!

All musicians, both instrumentalists and singers, need to know how to sight-read. Instrumentalists need to audiate performance materials in order to assess accuracy.

Singers have an additional burden: they do not have the mechanical (tactile) advantage of the instrumentalists in that they cannot depress, for example, a certain number of fingers and be somewhat assured that a certain note will play. In order for singers to accurately sight-read, they must know in advance the tonal relationship between scale degrees and intervals. (note combinations) The use of the “moveable Do” solfege method helps singers to develop these skills so that they can become independent singers.

After reflecting on the implementation of the pilot project from last summer, we feel students showed more consistent sight-reading ability and overall improvement compared to prior years without the sight-reading program. One area that we need to revise, however, is the scope of the knowledge students are expected to acquire by the end of the year.

The focus of this project is to further integrate a comprehensive sight-reading program into the 6 – 12 grade choral ensembles (beyond grades 8 and 9), while reevaluating the specific content knowledge established last summer. The ultimate purpose of this program is to establish an overall Middle School to High School sight reading curriculum.

Length of instructional time for unit:

The overall length of the sight-reading curriculum has a scope of 7 years. The focus for this pilot project will build upon the work from last summer and expand outward. The narrow unit concentration we previously established provided common ground between 8 th and 9 th grades. We look now to construct a progressive sight-reading curriculum from grades 6 to 8, and seamlessly continue from grades 9 to commencement.

New York State Learning Standards addressed

Intermediate

  • Compose simple pieces that reflect a knowledge of melodic and rhythmic elements (1 a)
  • Sing and/or play from notation, with good tone, pitch, duration, and loudness (1b)
  • Identify and use some of the roles, processes, and actions for performing and composing (1 e)
  • Use traditional or nontraditional sound sources in composing and performing simple pieces (2 a)
  • Through listening, alalyze and evaluate their own and other’s performances and compositions (3a)

Commencement- General Education

  • Compose simple pieces (1a)
  • Sing accurately, expressively, and with good tone quality, pitch, duration, loudness, technique, and diction (1b)
  • Use common symbols (notation) to perform music (1c)
  • Use traditional , electronic, and nontraditional media for composing and performing music (2a)
  • Through listening, analyze and evaluate their own and other’s performances and compositions and suggest improvements (3a)

PSCD Learning Standards addressed

  • Lifelong Learner
  • Critical Thinker
  • Responsible Citizen

Understandings

  • Students will understand the connection between written notation and the corresponding key signature that defines “Do”.
  • Students will understand the connection between written notation and the corresponding solfege syllables and letter names that define the pitch of the notes.
  • Students will understand the connection between written notation and the PCSD counting method that will define the temporal/spacial arrangement of the notes.

Essential Questions

  • How is it possible for a singer to accurately perform a piece of written music with correct pitch and rhythm and with minimum input from another instrument? (starting pitch only given)
  • How does the ability to identify musical elements enhance the singer’s accurate performance of a written sight-reading exercise?
  • How does the ability to accurately perform sight-reading exercises enhance the singer’s ability to perform in an ensemble setting?

Related Questions

  • How does the “moveable Do” solfege system of pitch recognition aid a singer in accurately singing correct pitches?
  • How does the PCSD Music Department rhythmic counting system aid a singer in singing notated rhythms?

Performance Tasks

  • Accurately identify key signature of selection to be performed.
  • Accurately identify corresponding solfege syllable and note names for selection to be performed.
  • Accurately identify rhythmic counting sequence of selection to be performed.
  • Perform selection using accurate solfege syllables and observing correct rhythmic patterns.

Content Knowledge

  • Students will understand the letter names assigned to pitches in the clef appropriate for their voices.
  • Students will understand the order of the solfege syllables ascending and descending. (diatonic scale only)
  • Students will understand the tonal relationships between the various solfege syllables.
  • Students will understand key signatures and their relationships to “Do”
  • Students will understand how to assign the solfege syllables to a given melody.
  • Students will understand the PCSD rhythmic counting system and it’s relationship to accurate performance of notated rhythms.

Procedural

  • Students will be able to accurately sing a major scale: ascending and descending, using the proper order of solfege syllables.
  • Students will be able to accurately perform given series of solfege syllables.
  • Students will be able to accurately identify the letter names of all pitches in a given exercise.
  • Students will be able to use key signature to help in the identification of “Do” in a given written exercise.
  • Students will be able to accurately assign solfege syllables to the notes in a given written exercise.
  • Students will be able to accurately sing the pitches of a given exercise after having notated the solfege syllables underneath the notes.
  • Using the PCSD counting system, students will be able to accurately count the rhythm of a given exercise.
  • Students will be able to accurately sing with solfege syllables the pitches and rhythms of a given exercise.
  • After having had time to review a previously unseen exercise, students will be able to accurately perform the exercise without the benefit of written solfege syllables.