Skip to main content

Melody: Arithmetic

Goal: To use arithmetic concepts to combine individual pitches into four note melodies (through speaking, singing, and playing, out of tempo, while focusing on the three forms of minor in keys other than C minor).

Out of Tempo

Addition

Beginning: Stepwise

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, add three stepwise notes.”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate Stepwise and Leaps

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, add three stepwise notes and add one leap.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced: Leaps and Steps

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, add three notes that leap and add one step.”
  2. Students do so

Subtraction

Beginning: Stepwise

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, remove the note that leaps” (Teacher includes a note that leaps).
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate: Stepwise and Leaps

  1. Teacher prompts, “Remove one stepwise note and the note that leaps.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced: Leaps and Steps

  1. Teacher prompts, “Remove the step-wise note.”
  2. Students do so.

Multiplication

Repeat each combination two to four times.

Beginning: Stepwise

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, sing four notes one note per measure in stepwise motion.”
  2. Students do so

Intermediate: Stepwise and Leaps

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, speak three stepwise notes and add one leap.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced: Leaps and Steps

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, speak three notes that leap and add one step.”
  2. Students do so.

Division

Beginning: Stepwise

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, speak four stepwise notes.”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate: Stepwise and Leaps

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, speak four notes and divide (group) them into two groups of two notes so that one pair leaps.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced: Leaps and Step

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, speak four notes and divide them into one group of three notes and one note.”
  2. Students do so.

In Tempo

Teacher chooses a tempo, time signature, one of the three forms of minor, one or two notes per measure until students are comfortable with the exercise.

Addition

Beginning: Upward versus Downward and Stepwise (using three notes)

  1. Teacher sets up as above and prompts, “In the key of x minor, starting on scale degree y, sing or play four stepwise notes.”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, sing or play three notes stepwise and add one leap.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, sing or play three notes that leap and add one stepwise note.”
  2. Students do so.

Subtraction

Beginning: Stepwise

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, remove the note that leaps.”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate: Stepwise and Leaps

  1. Teacher prompts, “Remove one stepwise note and remove the note that leaps.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced: Leaps and Steps

  1. Teacher prompts, “Sing three leaps and one step and then remove the stepwise note.”
  2. Students do so.

Multiplication

Repeat each combination two to four times.

Beginning: Stepwise

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, sing four notes in stepwise motion, one note per measure.”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate: Stepwise and Leaps

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, sing three notes stepwise and add one leap.”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced Leaps and Steps

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, sing three notes that leap and add one step.”
  2. Students do so.

Division

Beginning: Major and minor seconds

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree y, sing four major seconds and turn them in to four half steps (divide them in two).”
  2. Students do so.

Intermediate: Tri-tones and minor thirds

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree 4 or 7, sing a tri-tone and then two minor thirds (divide in half).”
  2. Students do so.

Advanced: Octaves and tri-tones

  1. Teacher prompts, “In the key of x, starting on scale degree 4 or 7, sing and octave and then two tri-tones (divide in half).”
  2. Students do so.