Chapter 1: History of Sight-singing Instruction in the United States

This chapter will briefly review the different movements that influenced the history of sight-singing instruction in the United States and trace the progress of the music reading debate.

Overview of studies regarding:

1. How much time do choir directors spend on sight-singing instruction in rehearsal? What place do they feel it has in the curriculum?

2. What are the most commonly used methods and materials for teaching sight-singing? Is one method more effective than another?

3. What is the most important factor in sight-singing success? Is it related to the type of instruction students are receiving or to other aspects of their musical background such as outside training? Does group sight-singing success translate into individual skills?

SECTION 2 - How to teach sight-singing?

Chapter 3: Systems and Methods of Instruction

An overview of systems used to representing pitch and rhythm and their development. A discussion of Kodaly, Dalcroze, and Gordon with sample activities for secondary choral rehearsals.

This chapter presents lesson models for students with varying degrees of skill. The chapter is organized sequentially, from pre-notational to advanced readers and includes the teaching of music fundamentals and multi-part reading skills.

Strategies for structuring rehearsals to include sight-singing opportunities without discouraging student interest.

SECTION 3 - What to teach?

Chapter 6: Goals and Strategies for Assessing Student Progress

Discusses strategies and provides models for diagnostic and developmental assessment at both group and individual levels.

This chapter provides a framework for evaluating which materials are right for a particular program or set of goals. The framework is then used to review published sight-singing materials.