Music Theory

for
Choirs
by

Laurel Larsen

Volume 2

Masterworks Press
==========================================

6706 Miner Drive SW • Olympia, WA 98512-7259

Phone: 1-800-300-9229 Fax: 1-360-943-6808
www.MasterworksPress.com

Copyright © 2006 by Masterworks Press

Copyright © 2006 by Masterworks Press
 Introduction
Theory for Choirs, Volume Two, is designed to develop choral students’ musical language
beyond merely reading notes into the realm of understanding basic rhythmic and melodic
patterns. The book is designed to complement students’ regular sight-reading routine by
including composition and ear-training assignments. The skills developed in Volume
One will now serve the students as they create their own music in Volume Two.

As in Volume One, each chapter contains several lesson pages that are to be completed
together in class. To reduce the teacher time required for checking and grading lessons,
students can correct their own work as the teacher either reads the correct answers or
displays them with an overhead projector.

A graded assignment is included for each chapter, which can be completed using the
previously completed and corrected lesson pages. These are placed at appropriate
intervals so that you can ensure that each student has a complete understanding of the
material. Some of the graded assignments are strictly theory-based, as in Volume One;
however, many of these are now composition assignments.

Teaching students to create their own music allows students to truly internalize musical
concepts and to express themselves creatively. In addition, students who are in the same
choir every year can complete the same assignments, but compose differently every time;
this means that this book can be used year after year without boredom!

Performance of compositions in class adds to students’ musical skills while providing an

enjoyable and motivational exercise.

Dictation and Sight-Singing

In addition to sight-singing, ear training pages are now included for each chapter. These
include melodic and rhythmic dictation as well as chord, interval, and scale drills. Ear
training approaches sight-reading from the opposite direction. Dictation involves hearing
sound and recreating it on paper as opposed to seeing the notation and recreating the
sound, so regular practice will challenge students while improving their sight-reading
skills exponentially. These two activities will improve your choir’s musical abilities
dramatically. Both of these skills must be built slowly from the beginning and practiced
regularly to ensure a strong foundation. If you provide this for your students, there is no
limit to their potential!

Melodic Dictation

When I teach melodic dictation, I instruct students to first notate the rhythm. This can be
done by drawing dots above the measures to indicate beats, and moving a pencil from dot
to dot in the speed of the beats while the music is being played, making a mark on the
beats that have sound. This can quickly be transferred to traditional notation, and
provides a framework upon which the students can fill in the pitches.

The next step is to write in the sight-reading numbers (or solfège syllable, if this is your
sight-reading method). This is usually easier for students to do than immediately writing

Copyright © 2006 by Masterworks Press

pitches on a staff. Some students will find it easier to memorize a whole melody and then
write it down, while others will find it easiest to write down pitches as the melody is
played. Mention this, and stress that each student should experiment to find his or her
most efficient method. Once this is in place, begin melodic dictation with very simple
examples, such as melodies that move only in stepwise motion, until students find this
very easy. Then, add in some melodies that skip between the pitches of the tonic triad,
and stay with this for a very long time. The melodies will not progress to more difficult
levels like the students’ sight-singing examples, but will still benefit them tremendously.
I have provided some dictation drills to start with; feel free to modify these to suit your
choir.

Rhythmic Dictation

The rhythmic dictation examples included are designed to expand the skills developed in
Volume One. The examples now include sixteenth note rhythms in both simple and
compound meter. The same method described for notating rhythm in melodic dictation
can be used; however, there will be many more notes in the rhythmic dictation examples.

When dealing with sixteenth notes, I stress that different groupings of eighth- and
sixteenth-notes form musical “words,” and the more familiar students are with these
“words,” the more likely they are to hear four sixteenths as one unit, for example, instead
of four separate units. The more notes become grouped into units, the easier it will be for
students to notate, understand, and perform complex rhythms. A drill to develop that
skill is to write each of the units on the board, and point to them in random orders as
students clap the rhythms. For example, to practice sixteenths in simple meter, write four
sixteenths, an eighth and two sixteenths, two sixteenths and an eighth, and so on. Begin
by pointing to each for four beats, and then gradually speed up the rate at which you
change. Then, individual students can clap four-beat patterns using the units on the
board, and the other students can identify the units in order, creating a simple dictation
exercise. This type of specialized rhythmic practice can turn a good choir into a fantastic
choir; the choir that is capable of hearing and reproducing rhythm accurately will truly be
a superior ensemble.

Sight-Singing

All of the lessons in Theory for Choirs have been chosen to supplement and reinforce
students’ sight-reading abilities. The Larsen Sight-Singing Method, which contains two
volumes of sight-reading materials, is also available and corresponds directly to the
theory books. By using both reproducible books for short lessons and practice sessions
throughout each week, you can enhance your choir’s understanding of music as well as
their overall musical skills, and you’ll be able to perform harder repertoire at a higher
level than ever before. Ultimately, that is the purpose behind what we do – create a
higher level of understanding and ability for our students, and therefore enhance the
quality of our music-making.

I hope you enjoy this series!

—Laurel Larsen

Copyright © 2006 by Masterworks Press

 Table of Contents

Unit 1
1.1 Major Keys with Sharps
1.2 Major Keys with Flats
1.3 Review: Major Keys
Unit 2
2.1 Simple Meter
2.2a Chart of Note Values
2.2b Chart of Rest Values
2.3 Sixteenth Notes
2.4 More Practice with Sixteenth Notes
Unit 3
3.1 Relative Major and Minor Keys
3.2 Relative Major and Minor Keys on the Keyboard
3.3 Review: Relative Major and Minor Keys
Unit 4
4.1 Compound Meters
4.2 Review: Compound Meter
4.3 Rhythms in Compound Meter
4.4 Writing in Compound Meter
4.5 Sixteenth Notes in Compound Meter
Unit 5
5.1 Whole Steps, Half Steps and Enharmonic Notes
5.2 Major Tetrachords
5.3 More Practice with Major Tetrachords
5.4 Major Scales
Unit 6
6.1 Irregular Meter
6.2 More Practice with Irregular Meter
Unit 7
7.1 Minor Scales
7.2 Minor Scales
7.3 More Practice with Minor Scales
Unit 8
8.1 Writing Melodies
8.2 Motives
8.3 Phrases and Cadences
Unit 9
9.1 Intervals
9.2 Minor Intervals
9.3 More Interval Practice
Unit 10
10.1 Labeling Intervals between Voice Parts
10.2 Writing Duets

Copyright © 2006 by Masterworks Press