New theory and music education resources are available from Schottenbauer Publishing. These are the first installments in a comprehensive set of exercises which are designed to train students in essential skills through attention to details. Materials include a unique set of programmatic multimedia ear training materials, selections from The Big Print Music Method, and an eclectic set of theory exercises. A summary of each is listed below.
Multimedia Ear Training
A new and expanding multimedia series of ear training materials from Schottenbauer Publishing provides a unique perspective on auditory skills education, with a focus on five skill clusters:
- Identifying Musical Mistakes
- Tone Quality
- Harmonic Overtone Series
- Tuning & Intonation
- Intervals
These multimedia sets expand upon traditional ear training, which usually focuses on interval identification.
As of August 2014, introductory levels have been published within each area, with expansion materials expected in 2015. The following materials can be purchased from MusicaNeo.
Ear Training: Identifying Musical Mistakes
This series of exercises is intended to provide basic training and support for individual and group music lessons, by focusing on the skill of comparing a written score to an audio file. Students are asked to circle the mistakes, which may include pitch, intonation, rhythm, articulation, or style.
The series titles use the following coding: NUMBER = Number of musical instruments, LETTER = Difficulty. The series, available from MusicaNeo, will be expanded over the next 2 years to include popular works for orchestra and band.
Ear Training: Tone Quality
Listening to tone quality is a "meta-awareness" which must be built over time. The ability of a trained music educator to identify tone quality problems, such as "droopy" note endings and "wavy" tone, may seem almost mystical to elementary students. This training program takes the mystery out of tone quality assessment, by training students upfront to discern the difference between good and bad tone quality. Students are provided with a written training program, accompanied by short audio samples of ideal and problematic tone for a variety of common band and orchestral instruments. The first installment of the series is available from MusicaNeo, and expansion levels with new sound samples are expected to be published by 2015.
Ear Training: Harmonic Overtone Series
Harmonics are a difficult concept for some students to understand, due to the math and science concepts involved. This multimedia set contains a combination of scientific instruction, written music, and audio recordings which teach the basic concepts associated with the harmonic overtone series.
Ear Training: Tuning & Intonation
Most elementary bands and youth symphonies produce out-of-tune cacophony for months, if not years of study. Is there a simpler, quicker way of encouraging in-tune performance? This multimedia training set aims to provide a better understanding of the concept of tuning, intonation, and auditory "beats," with a series of computer-generated audio files, plus scores with written exercises and written instruction on the topic.
Ear Training: Intervals
Focusing on the topic which is traditionally taught as "ear training," this multimedia set focuses on interval recognition. Materials include audio files and scores with written intervals. Level 1 contains intervals from Unison to P8, and Level 2 contains intervals from P8 to P15.
Big Print Theory
The Big Print Theory Method is one component of The Big Print Music Method, a new series of elementary music education written to be accessible to all ages. Books feature oversized print, colorful diagrams, and generously-sized keyboards to illustrate concepts. The series is currently under development, with completion expected in 2015. Books are available as e-files from MusicaNeo, and in print edition from Amazon Discount Retail and CreateSpace Wholesale.
Theory: Scales, Chords, & Arpeggios
In this textbook and workbook, students can practice theory skills pictorially, with large-print keyboards and arrows. Intervals, scales, chords, and arpeggios are taught using Schoenberg's numbering system. Features include all major and minor (natural, harmonic, and melodic) scales, plus the chromatic scale, whole tone scale, pentatonic scale, the 7 modes, 12-tone row construction, serial row construction. The book includes all major and minor triads, plus an introduction to diminished, augmented, and seventh chords. (Additional books in the series are planned to teach more advanced chords and inversions.)
The textbook is accompanies by a workbook, which includes blank keyboards with ample space for testing new skills.
The textbook is accompanies by a workbook, which includes blank keyboards with ample space for testing new skills.
Theory: Interval Exercises
Combining theory training with systematic exercises for instruments and/or voice, this multimedia set includes scores in treble, alto, and bass clef, plus audio and MIDI files. A reasonably large range within each clef is filled with interval exercises, grouped by starting note.
What's Missing? Art Puzzles Volume 2: Musical Symbols
These puzzles exercise music notation reading skills with a set of 23 puzzles which challenge readers to find missing musical symbols within a random design or picture. Books are available from Amazon and CreateSpace Wholesale.
Availability
Additional information on the series are available from the Schottenbauer Publishing website and MusicaNeo. Preview videos are available from YouTube.
