The Chromatic Singalong Project: Pop/Rock as a Framework for Sight-Singing Fluency

Abstract

Successful sight-singing results from the ear, voice, and mind working in synchrony, and at its best translates to real-time musical understanding and facility on the student's primary instrument. Finding a pedagogical model for this level of musical fluency can be elusive: while the metronome is a time-honored practice tool, its relentless click lacks an external musical context that can lead students into a perpetual trap: Start, stumble, count off, start again, etc.

The Chromatic Singalong is a transcription/composition/sight-singing project designed to help students build fluency in singing and understanding music in real time. It is a capstone to the third semester (of four) of ear training study at the author's institution.

The attached links lead to the assignment as given to students, and two students samples in lead sheet form (i.e., melody and chord symbols only.)