Hear It, Read It, Write It: Teaching Sequential Music Dictation

Learning music is much like learning a language. There are three basic elements: listening, reading, and writing (dictation). With listening games and exercises, we give our students patterns they learn to recognize by ear. With reading, we give our students a written vocabulary for interpreting the rhythms and pitches on the page. With writing or dictation, we ask our students to reverse that process and put on paper what they are hearing. Many of us provide opportunities for listening and reading, but often forget to allow time for the third and very important part of music literacy: writing.

When dictation is included in the curriculum, a new dimension is added to the students’ music education. They are forced to listen more critically to the music. There is more thought given to the rhythmic and intervallic structure and, consequently, their reading and listening skills improve. As with listening and reading, dictation must be presented in a logical and non-intimidating way that encourages success and growth.

Remember, you are the music educator. Hear It, Read It, Write It! is a tool to help you, but it is your knowledge, talent, expertise, patience, and sense of humor that will ultimately guide your students toward becoming better musicians. If you devote a small amount of each class period to educating and improving your students’ music literacy skills, you will reap the benefits of their abilities to comprehend and interpret new music at a more advanced pace. The amount of time you spend playing parts or teaching by rote will diminish. You will be able to tackle more challenging music. Your students’ frustration levels will drop as they gain confidence in their reading. Above all, you will be giving them the tools for a lifetime of musical experiences!

Getting Started with Hear It!

• Spend a few minutes of each class echoing rhythm patterns. When comfortable with rhythm, begin adding simple pitch patterns.
• Once pitch has been introduced, add segments of the major scales as well.
• When a level of security is reached, have students take turns leading the echo exercises.

Getting Started with Read It!

Rhythm Reading:

• Introduce your students to each note and rest value individually. A note values chart posted in the room will be helpful when students need a reminder about previously learned rhythms.
• At first it may be useful to tap along with each beat to assist the students in tracking. When the class has grown more confident, you can gradually stop doing this. Still, to get the class started, give a one-measure preparatory count: “One, two, ready, count.”
• Add variety with body percussion or hand-held percussion instruments. Orff instruments also work well.

Melodic Reading:

• Begin with the very basic and simple melodic exercises using only quarter notes, with repeated and stepwise movement, and always begin and end on DO.
• As a warm-up before beginning an exercise, sing a major scale using solfege. We recommend that you and your students use the Curwen hand signs as well.

Getting Started with Write It!

• To get students listening critically, practice identifying the sound of simple rhythms. For example, post two examples on the board. Play one and ask students to identify the one that was played.
• As the exercises increase in complexity, take time to review previously learned concepts.
• Don’t forget to talk through the elements that are provided in the empty measures on the student page: a treble clef, time signature, key signature, barlines, and starting note.
• Play each exercise at least three times at a very slow tempo. Insist that there be no talking, tapping, or humming as the exercise is completed.
• Encourage students to use their musical memory to remember the exercise that they hear. Direct them to sing it silently in their minds as they write it on the paper.
• On the final one or two repetitions, remind everyone to check their work.

Try it out with two free lessons from Hear It, Read It, Write It! by Dave and Jean Perry.

Click the links below to access the PDF and MP3 files for Lessons 3 and 13. Each lesson includes a teacher and student worksheet and 4 MP3 tracks.

Lesson 3 worksheet | Track 3A | Track 3B | Track 3C | Track 3D

Lesson 13 worksheet | Track 13A | Track 13B | Track 13C | Track 13D