equip your choir with tools for music literacy

Equip Your Choir with Tools for Music LiteracyEmily Crockerhttp://emilycrockermusic.com

I need help with sight-reading. I don’t know how to approach it or teach it.

~ Facebook post

Two factors that affect success in

Sight-Reading

• AMOUNT OF TIME DEVOTED TO SIGHT-READING IN EACH LESSON

• ATTITUDE OF THE TEACHER

SOUND PATTERNS – Sequential Sight-Reading in the Choral ClassroomUnison/2PartStudent - 11194202 • $5.99Teacher - 11194203 • $79.99(with online digital access to student notation and audio files)Classroom Bundle - 11194204 • $220.00(includes 1 Teacher, 30 Student editions)

SOUND PATTERNS FOR CHANGING VOICESTB Changing Voices in Middle SchoolStudent - 11348358 • $5.99Teacher - 11348359 • $79.99(with online digital access to student notation and audio files)Classroom Bundle - 11348360 • $220.00(includes 1 Teacher, 30 Student editions)

Introducing Sight-Reading to Pre-notational Singers

Separate rhythm

From pitch

Teacher Edition

• Objectives• Teaching Strategies• Tips• National Core Arts Standards

for Performing & Creating• Assessment strategies

Online Resources (Teacher Edition)

• All student content formatted for use with projection systems, student laptops & tablets

• Audio files (Exercises & Keyboard accompaniments for songs)

SOUND PATTERNS FOR CHANGING VOICES

• Same concepts as original Sound Patterns, but crafted for Tenor-Bass changing voices in Middle School (Ages 11-15)

• Moderate ranges• Special teaching tips • Songs crafted to appeal to

adolescents

TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction �� iiChapter 1 – Beat & Rhythm �� 1 Speech Chorus: Whoops Hoops �� 5Chapter 2 – Staff, Scale & Pitch �� 6 Song: I’ll Be Your Friend �� 12Chapter 3 – Rests ��16 Song: Match Cats on the Avenue �� 18Chapter 4 – Intervals, Tonic Chord ��20 Song: We Bring Peace �� 24Chapter 5 – G Major – A New Key �� 28 Song: Soaring, Gliding �� 32Chapter 6 – Eighth Notes ��34 Song: Creepy Crawly Creatures �� 36

Chapter 7 – Dominant Chord �� 39 Song: When the Sun Goes Down �� 42Chapter 8 – More About Eighth Notes ��46 Speech Chorus: Bip Bop �� 48 Song: The King’s Three Sons �� 52Chapter 9 – F Major – A New Key �� 55 Song: Away, Away �� 59 Song: Wassail, Wassail�� 63Chapter 10 – Subdominant Chord �� 66 Song: That Lonesome Sky �� 69About the Author ��72

INTRODUCTIONby Emily Crocker

Sound Patterns for Changing Voices has been created to introduce beginning sight-readers to basic notation and music literacy through the overall context of melodic patterns within measures and phrases, so that the student will quickly comprehend those concepts while finding it easy and fun.

The terminology used is accurate, but the primary motivation is that of reading “real music,” complete with lyrics, dynamics and accompaniment, along with preparatory exercises that are interesting and authentic� The melodies in these exercises are based on the “sound patterns” that form the basis of traditional Western music� The exercises may be sung in unison or combined with other exercises on the same page, creating opportunities for variety and the repetition needed to internalize the concepts being practiced�

This book focuses on three keys: C, G and F major, basic rhythms, and simple intervals in the tonic, dominant and subdominant chords� Students will immerse themselves in these tonalities, allowing enough practice to become sufficiently familiar with the basics before moving on to a new concept. After moving through the keys of C, G and F, future volumes in this series will expand to offer additional keys and modes�

Changing Voices: A choir that combines voices in various stages of maturation will face certain challenges in the process of sight-reading� The John Cooksey range chart indicates little pitch overlap among the stages, making unison singing at this age impractical�

ii

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Stage 1Boy Soprano1-2 yrs.

Stage 2Midvoice 13-9 mos.

Stage 3, 3AMidvoice 23-12 mos.

Stage 4New Baritone1-2 yrs.

Stage 5SettledBaritone

Stage 1Boy Soprano1-2 yrs�

Stage 2Midvoice 13-9 mos�

Stage 4New Baritone1-2 yrs�

Stage 5Settled Baritone

Stage 3, 3AMidvoice 23-12 mos�

Ideally, pre-adolescent and adolescent voices will first sing in a treble ensemble, providing an opportunity to learn the basics of music reading in unison� However, some schools and districts mandate singers be separated into treble ensembles and tenor-bass ensembles� (NB Although an ensemble may be called “TB,” if it includes singers in grades 5-8, the voices will not include true tenors and basses, but rather everything from the Stage 1 soprano to the Stage 5 settled baritone�)

From the outset, ensembles will be challenged to sight-read in a minimum of two parts. This book identifies the two parts as “tenor” and “baritone,” and you will notice a careful crafting of range and tessitura to accommodate adolescent voices� Teachers are encouraged to switch parts, octaves, and whatever other means necessary to meet the needs of the voices in the ensemble�

Most sight-reading instruction will require some part isolation, which necessitates the other part “being good” and not disruptive� Teachers will be challenged to employ techniques that contribute to the learning of the group not singing, while the other group sings aloud� Most middle school choir directors have this type of instructional skill well-honed; a few of these include:

• Practice/tap rhythm• Hand-signs, audiation• Tap beat, conduct• “In room” sections: Send each section off to a corner to practice/sing their part while the director

“floats” between them.• Critique other section, create assessment rubrics• Write pitch names into music or additional pencil/paper/tablet activities

Sound Patterns for Changing Voices may be used with changing voice beginners from approximately age 11 through 15 and for older singers with less singing experience� Teachers are encouraged to include material from Sound Patterns in every rehearsal. The goal is not to “finish the book” but to absorb the concepts. Take time to repeat exercises, combine lines in different ways, play games and find creative ways to repeat and polish songs, so students become fluent in all the skills needed to become literate musicians and sight-readers. As these skills are practiced, students will become more confident and eager to build their musical skills, as they are building a musical lexicon that will form the basis of their music literacy�


SCALE AND PITCH NAMESMiddle C has its own little line, called a ledger line below the treble staff and above the bass staff� The pitches above Middle C are generally sung by higher voices and the pitches below Middle C are generally sung by lower voices�

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Middle CMiddle C

A scale is a set of pitches� The word comes from the Italian word scala which means “ladder�” Scales are a succession of pitches higher and lower�

Play a scale on a keyboard starting on C and ending on C, using only the white keys and without skipping any keys� This forms a pattern of pitches called a major scale.

C Major Scale

&?

C Major Scale

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Another way to name pitches is by using solfège, a method of pitch reading using Latin note names�

C Major Scale in Solfège

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do re mi fa sol la ti do

6

STAFF, SCALE & PITCHSTAFF, SCALE & PITCHPitch refers to the highness or lowness of musical sound� Music notes are another name for pitch� Music notes are identified by the first seven letters of the alphabet, from A to G.

The piano keyboard is organized by groups of two and three black keys� The white key to the left of a group of two black keys is always C� The C nearest the middle of the keyboard is called Middle C�

A staff is a graph of 5 lines and 4 spaces on which music is written� The lines and spaces are numbered from the bottom up, so the bottom line is line 1 and the bottom space is space 1� The symbol at the beginning of the staff on the left side is called a clef� The Treble clef is used mostly for higher pitches above middle C� It is also called the G clef because it loops around the G line�

Treble clef (G clef)

Bass clef (F clef)

Staff

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Designer, replace type and arrows as needed.

The bass clef is used mostly for lower pitches below middle C� It is also called the F clef because it loops around the F line�

A AB BC CC EE DD FF GG

Middle Clower higher

CHAPTER 2CHAPTER 2


7

SCALE AND PITCH NAMESMiddle C has its own little line, called a ledger line below the treble staff and above the bass staff� The pitches above Middle C are generally sung by higher voices and the pitches below Middle C are generally sung by lower voices�

&?

TitleComposer

©

Middle CMiddle C

A scale is a set of pitches� The word comes from the Italian word scala which means “ladder�” Scales are a succession of pitches higher and lower�

Play a scale on a keyboard starting on C and ending on C, using only the white keys and without skipping any keys� This forms a pattern of pitches called a major scale.

C Major Scale

&?

C Major Scale

©

Another way to name pitches is by using solfège, a method of pitch reading using Latin note names�


&?


©

Designer, replace type as needed.

do re mi fa sol la ti do


10

MELODY MIX-UPBaritoneThese exercises combine rhythm and pitch to produce melody. Read and chant the rhythm first, then add pitch� Exercises 1-3 on page 10 may be combined with each other or with Exercises 4-6 (below) to produce harmony�

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I’ll Be Your Friend Words and Music byEMILY CROCKER

Copyright © 2021 by HAL LEONARD LLCInternational Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

For TB Voices and Piano


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I’ll Be Your Friend Words and Music byEMILY CROCKER

Copyright © 2021 by HAL LEONARD LLCInternational Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

For TB Voices and Piano


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Full Video Tutorial Available

https://youtu.be/uVf6JxaSwd4

https://www.emilycrockermusic.com/sight-reading-01

For custom online or in-person workshops, contact:[email protected]

https://youtu.be/uVf6JxaSwd4

https://www.emilycrockermusic.com/sight-reading-01

mailto:[email protected]

equip your choir with tools for music literacy

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