aural skills

Editorial: The Gift of a Melody

Editorial: The Gift of a Melody

Last week, I set a goal to include one creative activity (composing or improvising) in every lesson – 22 total.

Here's a simple activity I used with my older students:

  1. Play two notes (I usually start on Middle C, then choose an interval that's accessible for the student). Name the first note.

  2. Have your student play both notes, then add a third. Then, it's your turn again.

  3. Play all three notes, then add a fourth.

  4. Continue taking turns, playing the melody and adding one new note each time until you come to a natural resolution (or you forget what you created!). (source)

Developing Aural Skills in the Piano Studio

Developing Aural Skills in the Piano Studio

Aural skills (also known as ear-training) is a fundamental facet of musicianship. Learning to listen, identify, discern, and understand music without notation present helps develop the inner listening skills needed to become a well-rounded, well-versed musician.

Finding the steady beat
Recognizing strong and weak beats
Discerning meter and tonality
Understanding rhythm and tonal patterns
Recognizing dynamics
Discerning articulation
Feeling interval distances
Understanding cadences
Recognizing chords

Aural skills "help musicians at all levels to become more discerning in they way they play, sing and listen to music" (source). 

We all remember those 8 a.m. aural skills classes in college - sight-reading, singing intervals, singing bass lines, spelling chords. But what kinds of aural skills experiences are we giving our students before college? How can we incorporate aural skill activities in our weekly studio lessons

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

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