Learn to Read Sheet Music

Let us know which features you'd like to see added to Playground Sessions.
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sw1tch73ch
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Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:23 pm

Learn to Read Sheet Music

Post by sw1tch73ch » Wed Jun 20, 2018 12:25 pm

THIS IS A BIG ISSUE

People are feeling let down that the program isn't "Teaching SIght Reading"

Something to keep in mind when creating a course on this is that you have folks that have been and still are one-on-one Piano Teachers. They must have things that they teach their one-on-one students about learning to read music.

I remember when I was young, 9 or 10, my dad tossed me into a pool so that I would HAVE to learn to swim. I still can't really swim. So while some can learn by immersion - some have to be shown HOW to learn.

What I have picked up, through a variety of experiences over time, and perhaps even some actual lessons are the following (and the kind of information that should be part of a Course for Sight Reading):
  • Music is patterns. Sight reading is often about recognizing patterns - look for them
  • The Scales really do matter. If we are playing in a specific key, some notes will be more likely, and that the real important part of scales is knowing the sharps and flats you will encounter. So know our scales.
    • That also means know our key signatures...
  • Practice reading. People REALLY want short cuts and sometimes you have to tell them there aren't short cuts. You learn to read sheet music by reading sheet music.
  • In that "reading sheet music" vein, we need to be able to print out our lessons and songs. Then make a copy or two to work on. Write on the copy. Go over each note in the piece and write the letter name for each note. Having letters already printed for us isn't good enough, we have to use our hand-eye-mind coordination for ourselves. Be sure to write the sharps and flats with them.
    • On this bit, I think it would be lovely to be able to print a lesson, not just screenshot it, or at least the final challenge step for a lesson, so that people CAN write on them.
  • In a similar vein, we'll learn how to arrange our fingers by analyzing the music ourselves. It's helpful for raw beginners to have examples. Eventually we need to do it for ourselves. So print out the music WITHOUT finger numbers and practice figuring out where to put the fingers from scratch. Revert to the finger numbers in the program if we aren't there yet, but try at least to understand WHY the fingers go where they do.
  • Use Flash Cards. I don't think adults take this one seriously. I believe, however, most people teaching kids to read sheet music use Flash Cards
    • This COULD be done within the program, I'm sure.
    • This could be a target practice kind of thing - show the notation and reward the timely playing of the correct piano key. Interactive flash cards!
You'll have to answer that "age old dilemma" of "DO I USE FINGER NUMBERS OR NOT AT A SPECIFIC POINT IN MY PROGRESS" - which the answer is probably relative and specific to each person, but people need to understand if it is OK to use finger numbers or not. So many are worried that the Finger Numbers are a damaging Crutch to use that will prevent them from learning to read sheet music. In this regard I think having a "Sticky" select on whether we're using finger numbers or not would help. If I turn off finger numbers, leave them off until I turn them on again. Right now, every time I shut down Playground Sessions, when it starts again, the finger numbers are turned on again. It should remember my last choice.

I'm sure there are more tips to learning - I'm not a Pedagogical Master - if there is something you aren't presenting in a lesson, add it to the program or Courses.
== Just keep playing. Just keep playing. Just keep playing, playing, playing! ==

-- jbs --

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