John Crooks

This curriculum was developed as Musicianship 15 A-B-C, the aural skills component of UC Irvine’s music theory course, a yearlong sequence which I taught from 2007-2009. The basic outline below can be adapted into a one or two year aural skills sequence for musicians of all backgrounds and skill levels. This course emphasizes applied, aurally-based skills such as interval and chord identification, dictation in one and two voices, listening, and rhythmic independence.

The course begins with an examination of basic concepts in pitch perception and rhythm. Rather than jumping right into standard notation and repertoire students examine the hierarchies, relationships, and complexities of rhythmic structures, the rational basis of tonal harmony, and the mathematics found in Western tuning systems. These topics are often overlooked in music theory courses, and study of these concepts sets the stage for positive progress in the development of core skills. Students are also given the first of a series of “goals” assignments designed to develop a sense of empowerment and direction. In addition to the many computer applications, audio examples, and worksheets I have developed (see tools and resources), students use Gary S. Karpinski’s Manual for Ear Training and Sight Singing to build solfege and dictation ability. This text presents an excellent and systematic guide to these skills, and students are required to complete dictations and exercises from this text on an ongoing basis.

The rhythmic component of the course uses the rhythmic cells and beat patterns found in African diasporic music (sometimes called “clave”) to develop skills and concepts related to rhythmic independence, syncopation, performance, and transcription. A first step is the performance of simple in-class hand clapping and percussion exercises to increase awareness of how our internal “clocks” relate to metronomic time. The ability to perform 2:3 and 3:4 rhythms simultaneously is continually developed and problematized through study and performance of Cuban, African, and Brazilian beat patterns and compositions. 2/3 and 3/2 clave patterns from Cuba and West Africa are notated and related to excerpts from Western art music and popular song, and the internalization of these rhythms is used to increase skill in the performance and reading of rhythms found in various notated repertory. Exercises using rhythmic cells begin with one and two part patterns and progress into group performance of five and six part rhythmic compositions using percussion instruments, harmony based solfege, improvisation, and student compositions based on rhythmic patterns. Concepts of “groove” from Mozart to Brazilian music are studied towards the goal of developing accurate and stylistically appropriate performance of rhythm. Progressively complex online audio files and accompanying notated rhythm parts are used to increase rhythm reading ability.

In addition to study of solfege and dictation using the Manual for Ear Training and Sight Singing, the course systematically develops ability with interval, scale, and chord recognition, tonicization strategies, correct pitch spelling skills, notation, and transcription. Beginning with the study of tuning systems and aural phenomenon such as octave equivalence and the ability to infer a tonic pitch in tonal music students are given a progressive set of interval identification and spelling worksheets, online audio drills, online quizzes, and computer-based interval and chord identification games. The goal is to develop a flexible set of aural skills (relative pitch) that can be applied to both tonal melodic materials and highly chromatic or atonal music. Students are encouraged to practice singing back pitches played randomly at the piano in their vocal range, single pitches at first, then harmonic intervals, three pitch chords, four pitch chords, etc. Learning to sing back these more or less random sounds (always from the bottom pitch upwards) reinforces development of the ability to quickly identify, sing, and correctly spell intervals. All quizzes and tests on this topic are cumulative, progressing from intervals to four and five pitch chords. Dictations and solfege exercises are taken from or based on models provided in the Manual for Ear Training and Sight Singing. Students also participate in in-class experiments with group improvisational singing including vocalization using drones, set intervals, and harmonies, and chord spelling/identification games. Dictations are supplemented with longer form transcription assignments where students choose a transcription from a diverse set of excerpts.

Throughout the course students are assigned group composition projects where two or three students work together to compose a piece for their instruments. These compositions are performed in class, and serve as a workshop for improving composition, notation, collaboration, and scoring skills. Several class sessions are devoted to career paths in music, and the various goals assignments are designed to provide students with a sense of how to effectively develop and pursue their own musical “practice.” Acknowledging that no academic aural skills course can provide a complete set of experiences for every musician is a key aspect of this class; the goal is for each student to find their own way towards development of effective strategies and solutions to the diverse challenges presented by musical study.