Sight-reading

[NeeOne]

Hi,

I'm a M.O.M attempting to teach our music department how to read music.  I've come across a site that offers sight-reading in 4 lessons.  I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible.  Are there any simple ways to do this?  Or is it just teaching basic music theory.  I find that approach bores everyone stiff!

[sjonathan02]

Hi,

I'm a M.O.M attempting to teach our music department how to read music.  I've come across a site that offers sight-reading in 4 lessons.  I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible.  Are there any simple ways to do this?  Or is it just teaching basic music theory.  I find that approach bores everyone stiff!

Isn't it amazing how the road that'll take us where we want to go, is long and tedious, most of the time. Here's the bottom line, if you want your music department to be able to read music, then they're going to have to make a committment to do so.

What's the site?

[MrSparrow]

Unless you're going to make a committment to buying literature (30 originals for 30 people instead of 1 original and 35 copies) I don't think it's wise to teach sight reading.

Now, I am a music teacher by profession but the problem is, once your choir get's hooked to sheet music, it's HARD to pull them off of it. Another problem is that the rhythms in Gospel music are highly syncopated and you'll have more problems teaching the singers how to read the rhythms than dealing with intervals or going up and down the scale. The last and biggest problem with sheet music is that there isn't a lot of good Gospel choir books out there. The books that are out don't have the same thing you hear on the CDs/recordings.

Just my $.02 cents...

MrSparrow

[saxandkeys]

Good idea dude....but....if your trying to teach, then START WITH THE KIDS!!!!....If you start with the youth....45 minutes once or twice a week, and tell the parents to check up on the progress, then the parents (good ones) will be lead to start learning SOMETHING, and maybe they will learn something while they are just sitting around while the kids are in learning sessions. 

Either way you win....if the parents can't or won't learn, then you have a youth base to help you grow the ministry on that level.    IMO.

[Holy Roller]

Yes, what is that site ???????


for musicians, i suggest chord charts. once they get the knack of it, it makes learning and rehearsals go a lot faster and smoother.
plus, the rhythms are not written so they still have to develop the ear for that part which is crucial for gospel music

[NeeOne]

Sorry, it wasn't how to read music in 4 lessons, it was how to read music in one evening!  Here's the link: http://playpiano.com/musical-courses/read-music.htm   The home page is www.playpiano.com 

And thanks for all of the tips!  I'll keep those in mind.