My Daughter/ Ear Training.......She's 13...

[gainiac]

Ok.........

I've been enlisted to help with her ear-training, she takes vox lessons and wants to audition for performing arts high schools.

I've been torturing her with following me up and down various arps, phrases and such. Within her range of course.

Typical for a 13 year old, she don't like to concentrate, so I'm doing this in 15-30 minute bursts with her.

Any singer specific advice that any here can offer?

[sosomething]

Yes.

If she's tonally-impaired, help her find another hobby. Otherwise she'll spend her whole life competing against others to whom it comes naturally.

[Bryan T]

Are you ear-training or voice-training?

(Wow, that was my 8,000th post)

[tone4days]

1st - patience (or a shot of makers before you start - and one after as your reward) :D ... good call on short duration workouts ... if you can do it 20 minutes twice a day every other day, that'll be great ...

2nd - interval training is good ... start easy by playing the two notes within the same octave:

giving the interval a name (say "this is a major 3rd"),

then play C - E - C - E - C (long slow whole notes so she can really hear the pitch centers)

then play C and have her sing the phrase 'la' to the pitch C

then play E and have her sing the phrase 'la' to the pitch E

then play the 2 notes in a row (C - E) and have her sing 'la' to both pitches

go through different intervals and be sure to change the root note around (all within her range of course)

(aside - i once read a post somewhere that gave common melodic examples for each of the intervals in the first octave - the octave was 'somewhere over the rainbow', other examples were 'happy birthday', 'twinkle twinkle', 'here comes the bride', etc ... having common reference points might help in this too)

you can do the intervals below the octave also

scales are good too - up and down ...

then melodic phrases for intervallic nimbleness

at some point proper vocal technique will be important and i dont know anything about that ...

adam has a point though, no sense excavating a sub basement with an iced tea spoon

my sons both play violin ... they have decent mechanics, but they'd be way better on guitar because they get their intonation from their mother :D .... they get their stubbornness from her too seeing as they both still play :D

t4d

[khromagi]

Yes.

If she's tonally-impaired, help her find another hobby. Otherwise she'll spend her whole life competing against others to whom it comes naturally.

Ignore the advise above, drive and practice beats whatever little advantage come naturally.

[triple_vee]

earmaster.com has a ear training program and has a help section for instructing children and a built in tutor. i'm going to get my kids on it. it's pretty cool, it keeps high score like a game. i think the kids will enjoy the format.

solfege.org has a similar program for free (open source), but i had stability problems with it. YMMV.

[kidmandude]

Do, Re, Me, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do

Hit middle C for her. Then modulate all around starting with a fresh root note once middle C is 1st completed...

[gainiac]

Are you ear-training or voice-training?

(Wow, that was my 8,000th post)

Ear...........

[gainiac]

Ignore the advise above, drive and practice beats whatever little advantage come naturally.

The voice is there, beautiful natural vibrato as well. She has a great teacher, we're just crunching a bit at the moment as well as getting her serious about how to organize her practice.......If I didn't hear something I'd talk to her about it.

[gainiac]

earmaster.com has a ear training program and has a help section for instructing children and a built in tutor. i'm going to get my kids on it. it's pretty cool, it keeps high score like a game. i think the kids will enjoy the format.

solfege.org has a similar program for free (open source), but i had stability problems with it. YMMV.


Cool idea, I'll check it out!

[Bryan T]

Ear...........

I would work with her to hear and label all of the intervals (ascending and descending). I'd work on major and minor triads in root position and the two inversions.

If she's working on solfege, you could do exercises that reinforce that. Perhaps have her read a melody while you play it. Play it correctly some of the time and incorrectly some of the time. Have her identify whether you get it right or not.


I'd also encourage you not to ignore rhythm.

[gainiac]

I


I'd also encourage you not to ignore rhythm.

I always reinforce that. Foot-tapping required.

[crzyfngers]

lucidology posted this a while back...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl2d4zS56cY