Hearing the Sounds Before Reading the Notes
by Bruce Pearson

Some students seem to sight-read music quite readily, while for others this is a formidable challenge. Despite differences in aptitude for sight-reading, the progress of all students is affected by the methods that are used to teach this skill. Good sight-reading results from a thorough understanding of music notation and a well-developed sense of time.
     It is common for directors to explain rhythms in terms of mathematical proportions. Although the mathematical proportions are an important element, most rhythmic errors arise from a poorly developed sense of rhythmic flow. Directors often spend considerable time correcting the mathematics instead of addressing the rhythmic flow. That students readily respond to the rhythmic flow of music is evident whenever they listen to pulsating music. Marching band directors often become frustrated teaching some students to march on the beat, but usually these are the students who have not developed a sense of rhythmic flow.
     Famed music educator Emile Jaques-Dalcroze believed the rhythms of the body are the source of musical rhythms. Many people refer to his method as Eurhythmics because it uses musical activities that encourage students to respond to music by marching, skipping, hopping, and clapping, activities that all use large muscles. Dalcroze expressed concern that instrumental music instruction should not begin before a student develops a sense of rhythm. Traditionally, we start beginning band and orchestra instruction when students reach a certain grade level, but before actually playing an instrument it is important for students to develop a sense of steady pulse through walking, marching, or clapping to music. More advanced exercises are clapping eighth notes while marching quarter notes or producing duple or triple meter patterns through combinations of thigh pats and hand claps.
     These activities are often taught in general music classes, but clapping should be an integral part of every beginning ensemble rehearsal to develop rhythmic flow. Some directors believe that foot-tapping or learning quarter notes before long tones will instill a rhythmic pulse, but neither foot-tapping nor tonguing quarter notes entails the large muscle movements that develop a sense of rhythmic flow.
     Directors traditionally have used counting systems or rhythm syllables to teach rhythm. Many disagree which counting system or rhythm syllable system works best, but most teachers accept that the system should duplicate the sound of the rhythmic pattern without conflicting with the articulation.
     All instrumental music programs should include singing or students will come to rely on the instrument rather than their ears to identify and produce correct and in-tune pitches. Students should first sing all exercises to develop a better sense of pitch, and only then play them on their instruments. Over the years I have discovered that students who can sing simple melodies on sight are usually better at reading instrumental music than those who cannot.
     Students should develop their senses of rhythm and pitch and be able to produce a good tone on their instruments before they are ready to read music. Just as we learn to talk before reading, instrumentalists should learn pitch and rhythm before musical notation. This way, the notation simply represents what a student has already experienced playing, which is a basis of the sound-before-sight reading system.
     For instance, when teaching whole notes and whole rests, begin with students’ books closed to eliminate the distraction of the music.