MUSC 720 – Pedagogy of Theory

Review of Aural Skills Texts

Music for Sight Singing. Nancy Rogers and Robert W. Ottman

Te-Wei Huang
Instructor: Dr. Daniel Jenkins

1. What solfege syllables and rhythm syllables, if any, does the text present?

The book introduces several solfege systems: moveable-do solfege, scale-degree

numbers, letter names, and fixed-do solfege. In general, moveable-do and scale degree

number solfege are more frequently used in the book and that encourages students to take

into account the musical functions while sightseeing. Although the editor provides a list of

rhythmic syllables in the appendix, he doesn’t employ any of them in the music examples.

Only in few cases, as <figure 1> shows, he labels downbeats with Arabic numerals.

<Figure 1>1

1 Music for Sight Singing. Nancy Rogers and Robert W. Ottman. NY: Pearson 2019, p.9.
2. Organization a. by interval b. by harmonic function c. major first, then minor (or major and

minor at the same time) d. a historical approach e. other - specify

The topics are organized based on the level of melodic and rhythmic complexity. The

book is separated into four parts. At first, the editor introduces some basic concepts of simple

meter and division. However, melodic contents are excluded so that the student can focus on

counting beats and reading rhythmic patterns. Then, the editor introduces species of solfege

systems and students are required to sightseeing the melodies along with some simple

rhythmic patterns in Chapter 2. After that, more complex combinations are drawn into the

book. Now the students need to sing the leaps in tonic triads, major keys, minor keys,

dominant triads, and diminished chord. Also, the application of compound meter adds more

challenges for the students to sing the passages accurately. After that, students will learn

advanced rhythmic patterns such as syncopation, dotted notes, subdivisions. Moreover, in

part III, students have to learn how to sing chromaticism contents such as tonicized dominant,

relative keys, modulations, etc. Finally, the editor provides sets of repertoires from folk tunes

and themes from the twentieth and twenty-first century even including twelve-tone melodies

in part IV.
3.Order and clarity of presentation/sequencing a. units

Since the editor aims to introduce the musical contents from lower to higher levels, he

categorizes the topics from the most basic notions to advanced combinations. That is, the

elementary elements of melody and rhythm are incorporated into the same chapter and so on.

I think it is a good idea because rhythm and melody, to some extent, are interdependent.

4.Scope – how much rhythm? how much melody? (for ET texts: how much harmonic

dictation? how much error detection?)

Melodies account for the majority of the repertoires in this book. Therefore, most of the

rhythmic exercises are accompanied by melodic lines. There are only a few isolated examples

regarding rhythmic drills. Also, harmonic dictation is absent in this book. The editor probably

pays more attention to the horizontal relationships rather than vertical structures.

5.Repertoire

The book draws large amounts of preexisting materials from folk tunes and classical

repertoires. It contents folksongs from German, Egland, Spain, and France (see figure 2), as

well as some well-known classical themes from composers like Chopin and Schumann. The

contrapuntal textures, like duets and canon, are comparatively rare in this book. As the
editor introduces more complex concepts of chromaticism in the later chapters, it becomes

harder for students to sigh-sing the musical examples. In part four, the editor borrows musical

excerpts from contemporary composers and that requires higher skills of sightseeing due to

its melodic and rhythmic complexity.

<Figure 2>2

6.What clefs are covered? How quickly are they introduced?

In the early chapters, the editor only applies bass and treble clefs until chapter seven where

he introduces different types of C clefs (tenor clef, alto clef, and soprano clef etc.) That might

minimize the distractions and interferences for students who yet develop sufficient skills

reading transposed scores.

7. How sophisticated rhythmically is the text?

In General, the rhythm of the text is not complex, there are only a few excerpts content

sophisticated rhythmic patterns.

2 Ibid, 125.
8.Are there any improvisation exercises?

There are only a small number of exercises are improvisation in this book.

9. For ET texts, what methods are students provided to help them take dictation?

The editor doesn’t focus on dictation. Most of the examples in this book are related to sight

singing and rhythmic reading.

10. Are exercises for keyboard or other instruments included?

No instrumental exercises are included.

11. Physical features and layout

The book is spiral bound.

12. Accompanying materials

There are no extra accompanying materials.