Grade Level(s): 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Adult/continuing education

Subject(s):

• Arts/Music

Duration: 60 activities require 1 to 3 minutes each.

Description: Music theory and ear training activities for music students in their first few years of training.  The lesson utilizes a free demo software which is intended to be used for revision, practice and assessment of fundamental ear training and theory skills, designed for use as part of a practical music program. The 60 activities are not simply sound files, although many sound clips are used within the program. These are short music skill exercises that allow students to show that they understand a new concept, such as major intervals or leger lines in the bass clef. Those who are unsure of a concept get instant feedback after an incorrect response while successfully completed activities are registered in a session log that can be printed at the end of the lesson. The program was designed by high school music teachers to be used in any music classroom setting. This demo program is freely available and allows teachers to design an introductory keyboard lesson around the first six activities.

Goals: To consolidate basic concepts such as:

1. Reading notes in the treble and bass clefs.
2. Matching manuscript notes with keys on a piano.
3. Aural recognition of melodies and rhythms.
4. Aural recognition of scales, modes and common intervals.
5. Recognition of note names and their durations.
6. Review of common Italian terms and music symbols.
7. Common chords and inversions on manuscript or keyboard.
8. Aural recognition of major and minor and tonality.

1. recognize note names on a piano keyboard and in the G clef.

1. recognize the relationships between the position of the manuscript notes

and the actual piano keys to be played.

1. experience the aural link between pitch and the position of notes on the

staff.
 
2. demonstrate an understanding of the note duration values for quarter, half and

dotted half notes and the meaning of 2/4 and 3/4 time signatures.
 
3. identify eleven common music symbols.

Each of the 60 activities gives instant feedback after incorrect answers.
Teachers can view a listing of all activities completed with 100% accuracy.
Students can retake each activity until they are competent.

Materials: Computer program "Musicianship Basics"

Procedure:

Download free demo of program from:
http://www.dragnet.com.au/~donovan/mb/music.html

Windows and Macintosh available.
http://users.dragnet.com.au/~donovan/mb/download.html

The concepts above would all be involved in elementary keyboard lessons in any type of school music program.
Beginner students could learn the short melodies in activity number 2 on piano, electric keyboard, xylophone, or glockenspiel.

They could be encouraged to make up their own melodies based on the rhythms in activity number 4, after the teacher has explained the basics of time signatures and note values. Advanced students could link several rhythms together for more complex compositions.

A final project in this unit could involve the teacher writing simple pieces appropriate to the skill level of each student that includes all of the symbols found in activity number 6, or better yet, have the students write their own works. A class performance of each child's project would follow.

As a revision and assessment tool Musicianship Basics could then be run, allowing students to demonstrate mastery of all the concepts involved. Each activity takes only takes a few minutes and is a reliable objective method of determining that students have a working knowledge of the theory skills involved in the unit.

Assessment: