Boys & singing aural tests Options

[Aquarelle]

I teach back to back and when children preparing the same grade follow each other we often do aural together. They usually arrive just before the start of their lesson and are quite happy to overlap and play aural games together.

I am not keen on leaving children unsupervised in the school corridor so they come in and wait quietly if they arrive a few minutes early. I discourage arriving very early and if they do that they have to wait in the next door classroom where I can see them through a connecting window. But if they turn up at a time when I happen to be doing sight reading at the end of a lesson I usually involve the second child in some way or another. This of course only works if they are not more than one grade apart but it does give rise to some useful talking about key and time signatures. On the whole my pupils like listening to each other, being listened to and helping each other.

I've got one boy who I think would be embarassed to struggle with his poor sight reading in front of anyone else but then as he needs such a lot of work on his reading we tend to do it at the beginning of his lesson.

[Seer_Green]

Just a small point I would like to make about teaching of aural (and to an extent sight-reading) during instrumental lessons, following a discussion with my own children.

When, within the lesson does the aural take place? Usually at the end of the lesson, it seems, when the next pupil may be listenning while waiting outside the door (or if in school, the next pupil may be in the room getting his own instrument out ready).

What the children like, is the teacher who does all the embarassing bits like aural and sightreading (and maybe asking about how it's all going) in the middle of the lesson, when the coast is clear of eavesdroppers. Lessons begin and end with pieces, doing these with someone listenning is ok and may even be a confidence booster.

Good point.

I like to get aural done when the coast is clear and nobody is listening. If it is done earlier in the lesson then if necessary the majority of a lesson can be dedicated to supporting tests with the promise a piece will be listened to and the next lesson will concentrate on other things with only a small section after x being spent on aural (for consolidation purposes).

I know this is really radical, but I don't teach aural. I teach music which at all stages and levels contains a certain degree of aural training. The biggest mistake teachers make (apart from thinking that aural=aural tests) is to package it up as some rather annoying thing which has to be done whether that be at the end of the lesson or elsewhere.

[Cyrilla]

The biggest mistake teachers make (apart from thinking that aural=aural tests) is to package it up as some rather annoying thing which has to be done whether that be at the end of the lesson or elsewhere.

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[Aquarelle]

The biggest mistake teachers make (apart from thinking that aural=aural tests) is to package it up as some rather annoying thing which has to be done whether that be at the end of the lesson or elsewhere.

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I would also agree.I think we ought to have the same aproach to aural as to pieces. You do a lot as you go and then you pick out the things you have to do for an exam - if you are taking one - and polish them up.

[jod]

On looking at recent aural training, regular training on detecting crescendi/diminuendi, time signatures and clapping in time would help many pupils regardless on whether they are prepaparing for exams.

Simple things like detecting whether a piece is major or minor, then identifying cadences and modulations then are then next step.

regular clapping back and singing back tests also are vital.

As far as sight-singing for non-singers... I'm not completely convinced whether an instrumental lesson is always the right place for this, but I am for all the other tests that are included as the aural tests get harder.

[tonedeafmum]

As far as sight-singing for non-singers... I'm not completely convinced whether an instrumental lesson is always the right place for this, but I am for all the other tests that are included as the aural tests get harder.

Instinctively I'm a big fan of sight singing in instrumental exams because it's the only part of the aural that my daughter is very very good at - and it helps to compensate for deficiencies in other areas. However - I've never been sure what the point of it is. Someone musical please enlighten me? Is it because, if they can prove they know how it's meant to sound by looking at it, then they will be more likely to play it correctly?

Son has now finished "Piano Time 2" and the question of an exam has come up again. If he can get his sight reading up to scratch over the summer I'd be tempted to steer him towards Grade 1 or 2 in the reasonably near future but, for him, it's the aural - even more than the sight reading - that puts him off.

Give him his due - he does sound remarkably like an asphyxiating frog when he sings - whereas strangers in church come up and compliment me on Daughter's 'angelic' voice - yeay - snuck a really good 'moast' in there! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

A propos du bon moast - check this out! moasting products

[sbhoa]

As far as sight-singing for non-singers... I'm not completely convinced whether an instrumental lesson is always the right place for this, but I am for all the other tests that are included as the aural tests get harder.

Instinctively I'm a big fan of sight singing in instrumental exams because it's the only part of the aural that my daughter is very very good at - and it helps to compensate for deficiencies in other areas. However - I've never been sure what the point of it is. Someone musical please enlighten me? Is it because, if they can prove they know how it's meant to sound by looking at it, then they will be more likely to play it correctly?

Certainly being able to know when you've played something wrongly because it sound differently to what you see on the page is a useful skill. Without it you are possibly reliant on a teacher to check you've learned the right notes for longer.
I'm not sure whether sight singing is the best way to test this and TG 's spot the difference test possibly tests it in a better way.
Also if you are able at least to get an idea of what something sounds like without playing it you can get an idea of whether you may like a piece before you buy it.

[corenfa]

Sometimes it's the child, I'm afraid. The only reason I am posting this is that I'm the annoying counterexample- for a few years I was terrified about singing in aural, but I had encountered only supportive attitudes to singing. I learnt music through Yamaha group classes which were very focused on singing and solfege. My parents sang around the house (not necessarily very well) and I was quite happy singing in Sunday school. I wasn't even bad at aural, I was just terrified of singing alone. Think I'd grown out of it by age 12.

[Swell Box]

I find it very disheartening that so many children are put off of singing owing to peer pressure; especially at high school. I am sure there are some with wonderful voices who will never know the joy of singing because they are too afraid of what others will think. Equally, I am sure many are put off of playing instruments for the same reasons.

I was lucky enough to attend a choir school myself, so singing was part of what we did. There was certainly no 'shame' or embarrassment about singing a solo part in front of the class, or even in front of the whole school, (even though not all were choristers).

Our son does sing, and is an active member of his college choir, but our daughter (13), who had an excellent singing voice when she was very young now refuses to sing at all for fear of what others will say.

I am sure that with encouragement at school she could be persuaded to sing, and would enjoy it, but unfortunately teachers seem unwilling to encourage individuals to do anything above and beyond what the others in a class are able to do.

I wonder; is this a purely British disease, or is it more widespread?

SB

[ViolaMum]

I am sure that with encouragement at school she could be persuaded to sing, and would enjoy it, but unfortunately teachers seem unwilling to encourage individuals to do anything above and beyond what the others in a class are able to do.

I wonder; is this a purely British disease, or is it more widespread?

SB

I find this very sad too. Only yesterday we were talking about how children can be bullied for being 'too clever' and then dumbing down their abilities so they don't stand out.

Thankfully, so far DS' school have been very supportive of his playing. His class teacher made big deal of him going to his G4 exam (even though we'd tried to keep it secret) and they all cheered when they heard his result. But DS did come home a few weeks ago saying that he thought that the others felt that he was a Geek. We've never used that term, so either he's heard it elsewhere or someone has called him that. But I do get the feeling that as his playing is moving on, the other kids do see it as a bit too far above them.

We've always told him that he is who he is and that he should be proud of that and be true to himself and if others don't like it that's their problem. He's a lovely kind and caring boy so it's not hurting anyone else. But we also know that as he goes into the secondary school years the divisions get stronger and in the wrong environment he could be in line for bullying himself. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) It's a horrible thought. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[mangomum]

My 9 year old son curls up and dies with embarassment when he has to do the singing in his exams. We have now reached the point where starts and then bursts into tears! Any suggestions please - it's only his Grade 2 piano but he has now decided that this will be his last! java script:emoticon(':wacko:', 'smid_20')

Hi there - are you teaching him or does he have a teacher?

My 10-year old's new teacher (we've just changed teachers a few months ago) is amazing. For singing he starts by playing some pop music on the piano and asks him to sing it in the same manner as he is playing - which is usually slightly different to the actual song and my son loves it. He doesn't want to stop! If you son likes pop music this approach might help him.

Good luck - hope he get's over this soon.