AuralSkillsICourseOutline
 

 

 

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Aural Skills I

MUSI 1116

 

The purpose of practice is to automate certain functions so that higher level thinking skills can be focused.

 

 

 

Course Outline

 

 

What you tolerate today becomes your standard tomorrow.


 

Skip to current Week #

 

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Aural Skills Exams:

Exam #1        Exam #2        Exam #3        Exam #4

Info:

Songlist     Songlist Printable    Notation Basics     Solfege Chromatic Syllables     Music Memory Devices

Practice tools:

Musictheory.net   Teoria.com     Interval Ear Trainer     Arpeggios     Virtual Keyboard     Solfege Daily Routine

Benward Ear Training MP3 Files     Games    Aural Skills SRS  Problem Intervals   Arpeggios

Materials:

Staff Paper     Staff Paper with Keyboard     Sizable Staff Paper/Keyboard

Download links:

Flash

 

HELP     Grade Calculator

 

Notes:

  1. This is an organic document!  It will change.  You are responsible for what is on this page, not a copy you made at the beginning of the semester.

  2. Be prepared to write in your ear-training book.  This book is not meant to be resold.  Write your name in your books.

  3. If something is not clear to you, ASK ME.  My schedule is on my door (122) or email me at vjohnson@tarleton.edu

  4. Please read this.

 

 

Week 1

Aug 27-Aug 30 

 

Preliminaries

 

  1. Syllabus

  2. Confirmation of registration for FYS course

  3. Theory placement exam

  4. A little advice from your friends

What are aural skills?  Recognizing and understanding what you are hearing

Applications

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Tuning

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Error detection - recognizing that what you are hearing is not what is notated or what you know is correct

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Playing by ear - you've heard a song (chords, a tune, or both); now, apply what you remember

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Improvising - not noodling, but hearing it in your head and producing it with your instrument

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Dictation - recognizing what you hear and writing it down

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Conducting - deriving the nature of a score simply by looking at it

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Choral singing - looking/listening to the other parts in the score to find your own pitches

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And my favorite - knowing that your microwave oven beeps a perfect 5th above the tonic of the song you are listening to at the moment

 

Sight-singing demonstrates that you can audiate what you see.  Ear-training demonstrates that you can identify what you hear.

The link below leads to MP3 files of the recorded exercises for Ear Training: A Technique For Listening, 6th Edition, by Benward and Kolosick. Each MP3 file contains the exercises marked R in the textbook; each individual exercise in the section is preceded by a voice announcement. You can use these files to complete the exercises in your workbook.

Benward Ear Training MP3 Files

 

 

Thu

Place a link to this page on your desktop
On the top of this page, File - Send - Shortcut to desktop
 

Thu

Print 5 sheets of staff paper from link above or with keyboard on top here

Also print Notation Basics and Solfege Daily Routine and Arpeggios

Thu Choose group leaders and group names  Lab Groups
   

 

 

Solfege

Why use solfege?

 

Week 2

Sep 3-7   

 

Thu

Solfege song

Have a song (and a couple of back-ups) ready to lead with solfege syllables and handsigns.  Refer to this list for ideas.    Song List    Animated hand signs to follow

 

Fri Computer Lab #1 
     

Instructions for 1st time use of Aurelia software:

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In the "login" screen, enter your TSU login data

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Use your real name (in the format of Lastname, Firstname) as log-in

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Enter your student ID# as your password

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Choose "Aural Skills I" as your class

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Click "Start"

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Then follow the directions given for the individual Computer Lab assignments

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Your results can be viewed by clicking on the File menu at the top of the page and choosing "Check your results".  Be sure to choose the topic you were working on.  This is the information I will have on my report.

 

Note:  Computer lab assignments must be completed by 5pm on assigned day to receive full credit.  You may complete these assignments ahead of time, if you wish.

 

   

 

 

 

Exercise:  Practice finding 'do' in random songs

Tonic Recognition and Name the Scale Degree

 

 

Week 3 

Sep10-14  

 

Fri Computer Lab #2
   

 

 

Hoochie Chord progression

 

Week 4

Sep 17-21 

 

Tues

Ear-training Exam #1

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A melodic dictation (2-4 bars, conjunct motion) from M1A                Melodic dictation drill     The Robinator

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A six-note pitch pattern in major    

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6 intervals selected from m2, M2, m3, M3 (label and write notes)    Interval drill  

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A rhythm pattern in 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4 (8 beats)  Rhythm drill

 

 

Group Exam #1

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DMSMDSD - STRFRTS - SFSMSRSD

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SS book: p. 15

 

Thu

SS Quiz #1

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Solfege Daily Routine #2 in major (memorized) sung with syllables and with hand signs

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An at-sight melody from sources unknown to you, but like Ottman, Chapter 2 (in a major key, treble clef)

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Two intervals selected from m2, M2, m3, M3 (up or down) (You must be able to tell me Plan A and Plan B)     Music Memory Devices

 

Fri

Computer Lab #3

Assignment deadline is 5pm. 

 

 

Week 5 

Sep 24-28  

 

Fri Computer Lab # 4
     

All You Need Is Love barline exercise

 

Conducting

 

Duple/Triple/Simple/Compound Meters Listening Examples

 

 

 

Earth Angel

Locomotion

Mr. Bojangles

Scotch and Soda

 

Meters in 3:

Nickel Creek Sweet Afton

PeeWee King  Tennessee Waltz

Richard Rodgers  Oh What a Beautiful Morning

 

 

 

Week 6 

Oct 1-5

 

Fri Computer Lab #5
     

 

 

 

Intro to Do/Ti in identifying I, IV, and V chords

 

Week 7 

Oct 8-12  

 

Fri Computer Lab #6
     

 

Week 8   

Oct 15-19

 

Tues

Ear-training Exam #2

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A melodic dictation from Benward M2A         Melodic dictation drill    Music Memory Devices

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A seven-note pitch pattern in minor (includes skips)

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6 intervals selected from P4, P5 and P8 (label and write notes)        Inverval drill

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A rhythm pattern in 6/8 (up to 6 beats) from R2A  Rhythm dictation drill

 

 

Group Exam #2

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SDR #3  (looking for perfect Curwen hand signs)

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Ottman p. 31-32 (3.25 - 3.31)

 

Thu

SS Quiz #2

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Solfege Daily Routine #4 in major (memorized)

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An at-sight melody from sources unknown to you, but like Ottman, Chapter 3 (in a major key, some tonic triad leaps, treble or bass clef)

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Two intervals selected from P4, P5, and P8 (up or down) (You must be able to tell me Plan A and Plan B)    Music Memory Devices

 

Fri

Computer Lab #7

Assignment deadline is 5pm. 

 

 

Plagal - "Let It Be" (Beatles)

 

Week 9

Oct 22-26   

 

Fri Computer Lab #8
     

 

      

Piano

Week 10

Oct 29-Nov 2 

 

Fri Computer Lab #9
     

 

Extra credit if you wear a costume on Halloween

 

Note:  If you have to explain it to me, it doesn't count

 

 

Week 11

Nov 5-9 

 

Fri Computer Lab #10
     

 

 

Piano Man

example of descending bass line

 

Harmonic Progression

Sweet Home Chicago

Mr. Postman

 

Week 12

Nov 12-16

 

 

Tues

Ear-training Exam #3

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a melodic dictation from Benward M4A     Melodic dictation drill

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3 intervals (m6, M6, m7, M7 label and write notes)    Inverval drill    Music Memory Devices

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a 7-note pitch pattern in minor (includes skips in i and V)

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3 chords to identify (M,m) from Benward H3E  Chord identification drill

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2 four-chord progressions, one major and one minor, using I, IV and V (from Benward H2A)   Harmonic progression drill

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a rhythm from Benward R3A  Rhythm dictation drill

 

   

Group Exam #3

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SDR #4

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Ottman p. 52-53 (4.38 - 4.45)

 

Thu

SS Quiz #3

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Solfege Daily Routine #2 in harmonic minor (memorized)

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An at-sight melody from sources unknown to you, but like Ottman, Chapter 5 (in minor, starting on do or sol, tonic triad leaps)

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Two intervals selected from m6, M6, m7, M7(up or down) (You must be able to tell me Plan A and Plan B)    Music Memory Devices

 

 

Week 13

Nov 19-21  Thanksgiving

 

Week 14

Nov 26-30 

 

   
bullet Course Reflection Discussion Assignment

 

    Attendance will be taken through the end of this week

 

Week 15

Dec 3-4 Last class day Tuesday Dec 4 

 

Tues

Ear-training Exam #4 (Optional)

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a melodic dictation

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a 7-note pitch pattern in minor (includes skips in i and V)

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6 intervals selected from all intervals    Inverval drill     Music Memory Devices

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3 four-chord progressions, two major and one minor, using I(i), IV(iv) and V            Harmonic progression drill

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a rhythm in 6/8

 

 

Tue

SS Quiz #4 (Optional)

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An at-sight major melody, like Ottman Chapter 3 SS#2

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An at-sight minor melody, like Ottman Chapter 5 SS#3

 

 

Grade Calculator

It really is!

 

 

 

Computer Lab Assignments

 

CL1: 25 intervals

M2, m2, M3, m3

 

CL2: 25 scales

(8) Major, harmonic minor scales - ascending and descending

(8) Major, harmonic minor, melodic minor scales - ascending and descending

(9) Major, harmonic minor, melodic minor, aeolian scales - ascending and descending, or just ascending

 

CL3: 25 intervals

Identify major - 2nds, 3rds, minor - 2nds, 3rds and perfect - 4ths, 5ths - ascending or descending, played harmonically or melodically.

 

CL4: 25 intervals

Perfect 4ths, 5ths, Octaves, Major 2nds, 3rds, 6ths, 7ths - ascending and descending, played melodically.

 

CL5:  25 chords

Identify major, minor, augmented, and diminished root position chords, played as block chords.

 

CL6: 20 chord progressions (Note:  In this exercise, you will hear 2 chords first (V, I) for tonicization before the exercise begins.  In other words, the first 2 chords are NOT part of the answer! This is a difficult one for some students.  Give yourself PLENTY of time to complete it.)

Identify chord progressions in major and minor keys with chords I, IV and V.

 

CL7: 8 rhythmic dictation (Note:  the metronome will click off a full measure of eighth notes before beginning (6 clicks before 6/8, 9 clicks before 9/8, etc.)  You may change the tempo using the control at the top of the screen.)

(4) Notate the played rhythm. Extracts will be 4 bars in length in 2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 time, played with percussive sounds, and contain whole notes, half notes, dotted half notes, eighth notes and quarter notes. Tempo = 90
(4) Notate the played rhythm. Extracts will be 4 bars in length in 6/8 time, played with percussive sounds, and contain eighth notes, dotted quarter notes, quarter notes, dotted half notes. Tempo = 70

 

CL8: Melodic dictation

(7)Transcribe a 2 bar melody in a major or minor key with up to 2 #s and bs, containing scale degrees -7 to 5, with a maximum interval of a major 3rd. The melody will be in 3/4 or 4/4 time, with durations from rhythm level 3, and the answer will be entered into the treble clef. The first note will be displayed and students will be able to hear their answer back before submitting it.

 

CL9: Melodic dictation

(7)Transcribe a 2 bar melody in a major or minor key with up to 2 #s and bs, containing scale degrees -7 to +1, with a maximum interval of a major 3rd. The melody will be in 3/4 or 4/4 time, with durations from rhythm level 3, and the answer will be entered into the treble or bass clef. The first note will be displayed and students will be able to hear their answer back before submitting it.

 

CL10: Combination

12 chord recognitions

6 chord progressions

10 scales

 

 

FAQ

 

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I am not good at sight-singing.    What can I do to improve?  Come to class EVERY time.  Sight-singing tutors are also available.

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I am failing the course.  What can I do to salvage my grade?  It depends on your specific situation.  Go NOW and talk to your instructor.  She will be able to tell you the fastest way to get back on track.

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There is no way that I can pass the course at this point.  Why should I keep coming to class?  This is a required course for all music majors and music minors.  Even if you can't pass the course this semester, you will have to take it again.  Think of it as practicing for the next time.  You will already have worked on all concepts and skills.  The next time you take the course, you will be prepared and ahead of the game!  There have been students who failed the course the first time and made an A the second time.

 

GROUPS

9:25-10:40

 
       
       
       
       
       
      
       

10:50-12:05

       
       
     
     
     
       
       



Created and maintained by Vicky V. Johnson

The job of teachers is "arranging the conditions of learning" (Chickering 2000, 25)

Neurons that fire together, wire together.