Studying Canon for vertical ear training

by MARIA CARMELA RANIERI
    School sections
    • Primary
    • Lower secondary school
    Educational subjects
    • Choir
    • Aural skills (Ear training)
    • Vocalism

Studying Canon for vertical ear training

This educational path focused on a study of the Canon form, and in particular how this could contribute to the development of a so-called “vertical” ear. 
 
The development of the vertical ear means the ability to listen to oneself and others at the same time, becoming one with the soundscape and developing awareness of what is being produced. 
 
This study offers the possibility to perform a fairly complex composition using a relatively simple practice. It goes without saying that this process is not immediate, since the matching of different voices to one’s own demands an auditory concentration that is difficult to achieve and can only be developed with constant practice and specific tasks. 
 
Main phases of the Educational Planning 
 
Study of simple melodies in unison and a gradual passage to the study of canons featuring several parts; 
 
Recognition of simple structures and care over vocal emission and tuning; intonation of a melody, study of dynamics, pitching of intervals, rhythmic integration of the various parts. 

Work tools

To make use of this type of teaching method requires: a spacious classroom, a piano, and a tuning fork. 

Educational purposes

The skills, goals and training objectives selected by the teacher for this experience are shown below.

Competences
    Listening
    • Sound perception
    • Comprehension
    Production
    • Execution
    Reading and Writing
    • Use of conventional analogic music notation
GOALS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCES [...]
    Primary
    Listening
    • Learning to listen to oneself and to the others
    • Identify the constitutive elements of a simple piece of music
    • Exploring, identifying and elaborating sound phenomena on the basis of quality, space and source
    Production
    • Exploring different expressive capacities of voice, musical objects and musical instruments
    • Producing timbre, melodic and rhythmic combinations applying basic schemes; executing them with the voice, the body and instruments (including IT tools).
    • Playing, alone or in group, simple vocal or instrumental pieces of music belonging to different genres and cultures, using also didactic instruments and self-made tools.
    Reading and Writing
    • Using analog and codified notation
    Lower secondary school
    Listening
    • Understands and evaluates events, materials, and musical works recognising their meanings, also in relation to his/her own musical experience and the different historical/sociological context.
    Production
    • Actively participating in music experiences through the execution and the interpretation of vocal and instrumental music pieces belonging to different genres and cultures.
    Reading and Writing
    • Integrating one’s own music experience with other knowledge and practices using appropriate codes and codification systems
Educational targets

The students: 
- Can recognize the technical characteristics of a piece of music and the difficulties to be overcome; 
- Know their own characteristics which can be exploited and the limitations to be overcome in relation to the difficulties of performing the piece; 
- Devise personal learning strategies;  
- Recognize and relate the various sections of the song to be performed; 
- Re-elaborate their own studies in a metacognitive way; 
- Develop the ability to listen; 
- Develop levels of autonomy in a vocal performance;  
- Reproduce and re-elaborate a rhythmic-melodic sequence by intervening on the rhythmic, melodic, and dynamic aspects. 

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