Scott Pappal <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
... is to assign well-known folk or national melodies in various keys other than F. This way, a student knows when he/she has made an error, because they know how the melody should sound. Something as simple as "My Country 'tis of Thee," "Amazing Grace," "O Tannenbaum," etc. will work with 9 yr. olds.
A timeless technique, for sure. However, my wife, who teaches flute, and I (Horn and trumpet) are both finding that our students do NOT know many of the "common" and "well-known" melodies. Who would think that a 9 year old would not know "Row-Row-Row Your Boat", or "My Country 'tis of Thee", but it is sadly true. OTOH, ask them to sing the latest Britney Spears hit and they'll nail it. What value then?
On a similar note: many years ago when my wife was working in a bank, she and another teller were talking about books. My wife, who was somewhat older than the other girls, mentioned Dr. Zhivago. The teller my wife was talking to asked, "Who?" My wife, sensing doom, turned to a third teller and asked, "Do you know who Dr. Zhivago is?" She replied, "No, but I know he doesn't have an account here!"
Bo
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