Clef reading tournament
This activity is based on a technique called STAD (Student Teams-Achievement
Division). It involves four components: teaching, team study, tournament,
celebration.
This activity is used to practice intervalic reading, conducive to clef reading and transposing instrument reading. In previous classes, the teacher has taught and drilled the elements necessary for intervalic music reading. Groups of three students are formed. The teacher distributes sheets to each group with the same 4 or 5 simple, short, modal pieces (white keys only), where one hand features a simple accompaniment such as a drone in a familiar clef (treble or bass), and the other hand features a melody written in an unfamiliar clef (in any C clef, or in a "custom" clef where middle C is, say, on the second space). The melody in the unusual clef features intervals up to an octave. The team practice begins. Each group works for 15 minutes. One member of the group keeps the time. The group can choose its own practice method, or can use some or all of the following teacher's directions:
a. find out the range of the melody (find and name the top and bottom notes)
b. scan the piece for difficult intervals (usually intervals larger than a 5th) and figure out what they are
c. play the piece ignoring the rhythm, while each member names the upcoming interval before playing the corresponding note (e.g. starting on C (member A) "fourth up..." [everyone plays F], (member B) "third up" [everyone plays A], (member C) "fifth down" [everyone plays D], etc.)
d. perform the piece individually for the group using the notated rhythm, and receive comments.
After the preparation, there comes the tournament stage. Members of any two
groups compete by playing the same piece. A third group judges the accuracy
of the performance. Accurate performances will earn points for the group.
The group with the most points gets a prize. After the tournament, each group
discusses briefly their group work.
This activity may be repeated on another day, after the students have practiced additional reading material. The prospect of earning more points for the group should encourage extra practice time.