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	Sat 1 July Student Concert Sat 7 July organ recital at Boston Stump Sun 9 July and more Training Children's Choir for performances of Jonathan Dove's Tobias and the Angel at Oundle Festival Thu 20 Dec conducting St Martin's Singers Concert at Stamford 2008 Sat 26 April conducting Vivaldi Gloria and other works at Stamford Recent past performances
	FERGUS BLACK Werrington PETERBOROUGH PE4 6LW Tel and FAX : 01733 704281 Mobile : 07843 058994 or send an e-mail :

Tips for Sight Singing

This is a check list for ABRSM Singing Grades 1 to 5, and for general aural tests in Grades 6 to 8 (tests 6b, 7b and 8b). I find that many students are in need of a systematic approach to the subject, which I aim to provide through this checklist.

METRE

Look at the time signature

Is it the quarter note (crotchet) or the eighth note (quaver) that is one beat long?

What are you going to count? (This is NOT the same question as "How many beats are in the bar?")

RHYTHM

Read the words in the rhythm of the music (if the test is wordless, sing it to 'da')

Clap the rhythm, especially dotted rhythms

PITCH

Work out the key note and play it on the piano

Ask yourself : Is the piece mainly scale or arpeggio

Sing a scale or arpeggio in the key of the piece:

doh-mi-soh-mi-doh

or

doh-re-mi-fah-soh-fah-mi-re-doh

PRACTICE THE FIRST BAR

FInd out where in the accompaniment you get the first note from

pitch the first note from the tonic

On which beat of the bar do you start?

There are a couple of books I recommend, and use frequently, but neither of them is a substitute for a teacher.

Successful Sight Singing by Nancy Telfer (Kjos 1992). This is the only book I have come across that begins with a fifth (rather than a second) as the first interval to learn and memorise.

Learn to Read Music by Howard Shanet (Faber and Faber 1957. Transcription of public lectures of a remarkable attempt to teach adult beginners how to read music. Creative and imaginative approach that is also thorough and rigourous. Needs access to a keyboard in its later stages.