Where to start?

Glenn, I am one of the old farts who never had theory in high school.  It was rough getting through it in college.  However, some of my better trumpet students the past 10 years were ones that were fortunate to have some high school theory classes.  Those students seemed to have a better time finding pitches and playing tune.  They also could understand chord structure, such as if I asked them a question when we were playing duets: "So, which of the notes we just played at the end of the tune was the third of the chord?"  The kids with theory experience could pick out which notes were the root, third, and fifth, and they could also sing pitches with a lot more accuracy.  

Do others of you find this also to be true with your students?

 

Edited by Mike Supple - 16 Aug 2007 at 01:15

What little I know I picked up from Lenny and the Young People's Concerts.

A thimble barely.

Pat- That's exactly where I begin, too. Everything seems to come back to that. When I teach scales/key signatures, I teach the formula first, have kids build scales using the formula, and then (only after they can successfully and consistently build scales with correct flats ad sharps) build the circle by asking "Which scale did you build with 1 flat?" etc. Once they know the circle COLD, THEN and ONLY THEN do we develop pneumonic devices like Fat Cats Get Dizzy After Eating Bread or BEAD Go Catch Fish.

I do notice, Mike, in band rehearsals, that the theory students seem to understand much better (after about the 2nd marking period) which chord component they are playing and can actually begin to apply some of the things we learn in rehearsal. The jazz band kids understand it pretty well, too, because part of our warm up involves major/minor/dominant 7th progressions based on Aebersold's scale exercises from Vol. 1.

Derek- Discussions on resultant tones will be great!!! That is alot of the foundation of how I teach tuning and intonation. Maybe in the next couple of weeks or so.

For middle school I use the following for theory:

 

Hand outs from the book Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory

 

Ear training- being able to sing and solfege lines from the book-tune chords

Know key signatures and circle of 4ths/5ths-undertanding of concert pitch

Basic intervals as it relates to the F, Bb, Eb, Ab, scales

Terms-as it relates to grades I, II, and III music

Reading bass and treble clef

Basic ideas of form as to understand the structure of pieces we are performing.

Rhythmic dictation

 

Nine weeks test for each class is a theory test-covers all of the above

 

Last year I had the big realization that most of the problems I am stopping to fix in class are because of holes in the student ‘theory’ knowledge, so I adjusted accordingly.