Klarinet Archive - Posting 000501.txt from 1999/11

From: LeliaLoban@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: beginners' intonation/voicing
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 10:51:07 -0500

Regarding ear training, Georgette C. wrote,
>I have the students start by figuring out simple songs for themselves. If
they can't do this easily then I will turn around so they can't see my
fingers. I then play a note and see if they can match it. This will really
give you a great idea if the student has potential or if they are tone deaf.
But it can be learned with practice.>

In the earliest stages, I think teachers sometimes intend to test for hearing
ability and pitch discrimination, when the test actually measures learned
skills or singing ability. IMHO, to avoid this confusion, it's a good idea
to ask a complete beginner to match notes on a piano and not rely too much on
what happens when the child tries to match notes by singing them. It's also
useful to ask kids to listen to pairs of notes and identify which one sounds
higher and which one sounds lower.

I suspect it's difficult to permanently thwart a child who loves music and
seriously wants to learn it, but professional music teachers who gave pitch
tests to my husband and me when we were pre-schoolers sure tried to
discourage us. They falsely labelled both of us as stone-eared, hopeless
cases. I had whooping cough at age four that damaged my vocal cords. Nobody
ever figured out what happened with the teacher who rejected Kevin as a
violin student. He has excellent pitch and a fine singing voice, too. These
teachers advised our parents that music lessons would waste time and money.
Fortunately, our parents trusted their own judgment and found us different
teachers.

Lelia

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org