Let It Go

Welcome, my dear solfeggists!


I think I've blogged about this general topic before, but I tend to have troubles with hanging onto stuff that doesn't help me.  Sometimes it's tangible stuff (why are there paystubs from a job I had in 2006 living in the trunk of my car?  Because.), maybe more often it's emotional stuff.  Sometimes I blame it on having a weirdly accurate memory about some things, but the truth is that my mind enjoys (???) reliving situations that it can't reconcile to its own satisfaction.  It grabs on like gangbustas, refuses all distractions, and really concentrates on being upset.  Yeah, I know...healthy, right?  I bet I'm not alone...


This afternoon, I had a conversation with a professor who affirmed something related I've begun to suspect about listening to post-tonal music in general.  In order to enjoy it, I personally have to consciously choose to let go, be less judgy, and let myself not know exactly what's going on or what's coming next.  I have to give up, and in order to do so, I have to on-purpose go find the white flag and run it up the pole.  This is tricky -- unraveling a well-established, intentionally-honed skill set and replacing it with calm awareness is definitely not a simple task.  I'm starting to see that hyper-analysis musically is very much related to my habit of hyper-analysis of situations, people, etc., and that both have a way of getting in the way of me enjoying my life.  


The long-run antidote?  I'm not sure.  I bet it has to do with both effort towards changing a mental pattern and relaxation towards (if one can relax directionally...maybe that contradicts the whole idea of relaxation) the fact that I have the pattern.  After all, I know a lot of neurotic people -- there must be some kind of genetic advantage to being that way, or there wouldn't be so many of us swimming around in the gene pool, right?  


In the short term, however, try this exercise for the week:


All Levels:


Select a piece or two from the list below (or a piece by another composer whose work you find a little difficult or intimidating):


Paul Hindemith - When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
Bela Bartók - Cantata Profana
Arnold Schoenberg - Gurre-Lieder
Gyorgy Ligeti - Lux Aeterna
Karlheinz Stockhausen - Stimmung 


(roughly in order of accessibility)


Track down a recording (you can buy them on iTunes for cheap, or your local university library or a good public library will have them) and set aside some time to listen.  Sit someplace comfortable, turn off your ringer, close your laptop.  Listen.  Exercise your non-judgy muscles.  Pay more attention to what happens to the sounds than you do to what the sounds themselves are (a tip stolen fair and square from my aforementioned professor).  If your ear needs a break, take one.  Try listening to the whole thing more than one time if you can.  Observe how your experience changes.  


It all sounds a little abstract, I know, but I think we can handle it.  Enjoy!

The Body Remembers

Greetings, Solfa-practitioners!

Today in Colorado, it is the rare, beautiful kind of September day that I've seen almost nowhere else in the country (though occasionally in Portland, OR). Just warm enough, but with a hint of delightful coolness that telegraphs colder weather to come. Please remind me of how I went on and on about how gorgeous Colorado weather is next April when I'm whining about the blizzards.

And, I've had yet another run-in with alternative medicine that ties into our solfa labors. Yesterday I went to an alternative clinic and had a treatment that's based on the idea that our bodies (the gut in particular, as it turns out...go figure) are pretty smart. Their smartness, in fact, is smart enough to circumvent our minds at times, meaning that sometimes, our bodies are holding onto things that have happened to us that our conscious minds may not even remember or recognize as significant. This being the premise, getting the body to release the stress/fear/injury that our minds may not be aware of is the key to unraveling lots of inexplicable problems. Speaking as a person who has had a lifelong struggle with various health problems that don't behave as the typical M.D. expects them to, I find this idea to be a tremendous relief. Speaking as a voice teacher, I'm inclined to say (respectfully, of course): DUH! How much time do we singers spend unraveling the coping mechanisms our muscles/jaws/necks/shoulders/you name it have come up with in order to compensate for other underlying issues? And how difficult is it to re-program those mechanisms, and how often have we said to ourselves, "Ugh! My shoulder/neck/jaw just has a mind of its own!"? I have a feeling most of us can relate to this.

In our own practice of musicianship, how can we best work with/around obstacles like this? In the 2011 summer class, I think this came up a number of times as we talked about how to prepare class assignments most effectively. In general, my advice is to try something one way no more than three times, and if it still isn't working on the third attempt, stop and change your strategy (and/or ask yourself if you've possibly misunderstood the assignment or looked at the wrong example). Why? Because struggling over and over with the same task attempted in the same way is essentially teaching your body that the task is a struggle, and that it will always be difficult and never easy. And even if you eventually get through it, when you get into class the next day and attempt the task there, your body will likely remember the panic and frustration of the process and undermine your attempt. Am I saying that it's always a bad thing to struggle? Not at all. But, if you struggle in only one way and refuse to step back from a problem and come at it from a slightly different perspective, chances are you won't understand it completely. Struggle is worthwhile when it is strategic, when you have gone through a process to determine that your effort is indeed being spent in the best and most efficient fashion, and when you know for a fact that what you're working to learn is actually truly what you want to know.

I sort of liked last week's method for dividing up tasks, so I'm going to follow a similar pattern this week.

Harmonic Analysis Intensive

Look at your Music for Analysis book, examples #186 (p. 126), #193 (p. 132), and #200 (p. 137).

Now, the first two examples have a similar problem, and it can be easily solved if you follow my rule about playing through any example you analyze before attempting the analysis. The question you need to ask yourself as you listen is: "What key is this example really in?" Make sure you really believe in your answer before you start going hog-wild with Roman numerals -- in each case, the key signature is misleading. Once you've made a decision, make sure that your progression makes sense by the numbers -- if something sounds normal, but looks weird, chances are that something is wrong. So, if you find yourself in that situation, immediately stop and re-assess rather than pushing through and finding yourself in a frustrating mess.

The third example is a good candidate for solfa chord analysis, in my opinion. Once that's done, you can easily add Roman numerals where it's appropriate -- meaning in the places where the numbers actually work. If you get into a situation where the numbers move in a strange way, but the harmonies actually sound ok, don't worry about the stupid numbers. This is pre-Mozart stuff, and while Handel's stuff is pretty functional, he still takes a jaunt to the wonderful world of modality every now and again....it's no cause for alarm.

Rhythmic Intensive

In your Ottman, look at chapter 15, section 3 (pp. 252-54). Two part exercises with syncopation...don't panic! I'd recommend doing about 2-3 of these in a sitting, fewer if you find them difficult, more if you find them easy.

First, have a little talk with yourself about how to best take on some of these. I highly recommend learning one part at a time while conducting. I also recommend taking out ties for the sake of practice if necessary and tapping on two different surfaces so you can keep track of both parts. Or, you may choose to speak one part and tap the other...that can also be helpful. I started my musical life by taking piano lessons, so it feels natural to me to treat the two staves as right hand and left hand of a piano piece.

Second, if you do run into problems, be creative. Figure out what it is that's causing a train wreck -- don't just blindly start over from the beginning more than 3 times. Use your noodle. Isolate difficult elements. Work backwards. Use syllables if you need them.

Melodic Intensive

Grab your Ottman and flip toward the back of the book. There are several exercises back there that are much more visually forbidding than they are difficult, once one has made some savvy tonal choices.

19.7 (My initial instinct was not to change solfa at all in this example, but if jumping to a "fi" gives you fits, feel free to do a brief switcheroo. I'm still trying to figure out what this piece is doing in the "remote modulation" chapter since it's a canon, but I'm sure there must be a good reason)

21.16 (You'll notice right away, I'm sure, that the piece begins and ends in E-flat major, and I'd recommend practicing those bits first. Then, starting in the second line, make some decisions about where to shift to new keys...I used a total of three key centers for the whole example...remember to look for enharmonic relationships and let the tritone be your guide).

21.64 (this little devil is entirely E-centric...sometimes major, sometimes minor, with a few dashes of modal inflection here and there. Try playing the lower voice while singing the upper voice...that should actually make it easier)

In the spirit of not creating struggle, I've tried to give a little bit less work this week. Hopefully that means you'll feel like you have time to walk away from something that's frustrating and come back to it later when you feel more energized.

Good luck, and good health!

Like cures like

Hello, my dear solfa singers!

It's a three-day-weekend! Hooray!!!

I have lately had occasion to have a bit of exposure to homeopathic medicine. You know, I've taken echinacea and goldenseal before, maybe even used a tincture or two, and my mom had this friend when I was growing up who grew her own kombucha (long before this video came out), so I'm not a total neophyte, but this time around (prompted by yet another round of extremely unpleasant abdominal pain...and can I just take this moment to say that when one's body wants attention, it frequently chooses not to fight fair), I encountered this principle:

Like cures like.

Ok, so in my case, I have these really nasty pains that come on without warning and feel like there are iron bands digging into the sides of my stomach while an army of angry chihuahuas also chew on it from the inside. I couldn't find anything specifically for the chihuahua problem, but thanks to a dear friend, I've been taking something that can actually cause a pain like iron bands if taken by a healthy person, but when taken (in extremely diluted and small quantities) by someone who already has those pains, it's supposed to cause the body to right itself. Essentially, it's the same principle as vaccines (or the hair of the dog) -- give yourself a little poison, your body rushes in to deal with the intruder, and in doing so, it fixes the problem you had to start with. And, while I retain a little healthy skepticism about the whole thing, it did work for me. Maybe it's placebo...but I feel better, so I'm ok with that.

And, just in case anyone is worried, I do promise to get myself fully checked out by a gastroenterologist soon.

So, naturally, I thought of this concept in terms of musicianship, and as it turns out, the principle appears to hold true. If you have trouble with rhythms, you have to give yourself rhythmic exercises to work on. If speedy solfa is your Achilles' heel, you have to sing more fast passages in order to improve. And so on. So, this week's battery of exercises will be organized a little differently with this principle in mind, and feel free to select from multiple categories as you feel the need.

Rhythm Intensive

Take a look at Ottman, chapter 15....and let's have some fun with syncopations!

Speak through while conducting: 15.3, 15,5, 15.6, 15.10, 15.11, 15.16, 15.19, 15.20 (plus more, if desired)

On p. 257, look at the text on the bottom of the page, and select 2 melodies from each category to prepare and sing. If you are a rising level 2 and the chromaticism has you worried, you may choose from only the first two categories.

Melodic Leap Intensive

If you get stymied by leaps, either because applying the solfa quickly is hard or because you're afraid you won't sing the correct interval, this section is for you!

First, there are several interval exercises you can do to help yourself -- I like this one because it's all pentatonic, but actually pretty challenging:

Sing (the solfa, and then the interval name on the same notes -- I'd start in A or B-flat):

d r major second; r m major second; s l major second;

m s minor third; l d' minor third;

d m major third;

r s perfect fourth; m l perfect fourth; s d' perfect fourth; l r' perfect fourth;

d s perfect fifth; r l perfect fifth; s r' perfect fifth; l m' perfect fifth;

m d' minor sixth;

d l major sixth; s m' major sixth;

r d' minor seventh; m r' minor seventh; l s' minor seventh

Sing that exercise until you can do so fluently -- if you have trouble decoding it from the text above, call me, and I'll sing it for you.

Additionally, sing through these Ottmans:

9.3, 9.6, 9.8 (note that it goes on to the following page), 9.26, 9.37, 11.25, 11.26

Quick-draw Solfa Intensive

If you feel like spitting the syllables out accurately in scalar passages is your particular cross to bear, look no further.

First, practice pentachords in sequence:

drmfsfmrd rmfslsfmr mfsltlsfm fsltd'tlsf sltd'r'd'tls ltd'r'm'r'd'tl td'r'm'f'm'r'd't d'

Start out at a moderate tempo, and gradually increase your speed. For added challenge, leave out the last note in each grouping and go immediately on to the next grouping.

And, sing through these Ottman examples:

12.4, 12.7, 12.24, 12.27, 12.52, 12.58 (pretend you're in F major in treble clef)

Enjoy!

Knowing what to ignore

My dear solfa friends,

Greetings! I hope the ravages of Irene have run their course for all you east-coasters, and that life is quickly getting back to normal.

My last first week of school as a student is now behind me, and predictably (as all students know), it came with a few bumps in the road. In fact, there's kind of one central bump I've been wrestling with quite a bit lately. That bump is a combination of two related issues:

Getting tied up in negativity -- about myself, others, political situations, you name it

and

Not knowing where to put my focus.

These are fairly standard human problems, I think, and maybe they're even more standard for artist types -- because we tend to be sensitive souls, and many of us are basically hardwired for perfectionism because we notice a lot of subtlety and feel responsible for it. I think folks who grew up with parents, guardians, or teachers who tended towards the strict side also relate strongly to these issues because we're used to operating from a diagnostic perspective -- the main reason we heard from close authority figures was because something was wrong, and basically, there was (and is) always something that could be better, so we're conditioned to constantly seek out and weed out problems. The probable result of either (or both...heaven help us) of these situations? Harsh, constant self-criticism that gets translated into the ways we relate to other people and situations. It's exhausting. I'm exhausted just from writing all of that.

So, what does one do? Especially when the criticism inside gets echoed by criticism outside, and then it seems like the entire world is against you. What do you do?

Well, first off (and this is so difficult to do, and even more difficult to gauge when you're actually doing it), make a friend. That friend is yourself. I'm not saying that self-criticism is a bad thing, nor am I saying that we all ought to walk around in the world feeling like we're always right (because if you did, the entire world would turn into Boulder, CO....jes' sayin'). I'm saying that, when the chips are down, things are looking ugly, and the oxygen masks start falling from the panel above your seat, you have to care enough about yourself to put on your own darn mask. Have your own back. In the heat of the moment, practice non-reaction as much as possible, and then go away and think about it. That's the great thing about being a musician rather than a brain surgeon -- if you choose not to make an immediate decision about something, or if you change your mind later, probably no one is going to die. Probably. If, upon reflection, you want to change the way you handle a similar situation in the future, that's a choice for YOU to make for YOU on YOUR time.

Second, read this. Seriously, read it. It's pretty genius.

Finally, use non-emotionally charged activities to train yourself to ignore things that aren't helpful. That might sound either abstract or kind of silly, but I have a feeling it works. Why? Well, because I have the easiest time following all of my own advice (see above) when I am in the head-space I use for sight-singing or analysis. You know the head-space I mean...non-emotional, task-oriented, strategic -- still human, still musical, but not so busy with myself that I can't be present with the task (or the person or the conflict or the difficult conversation) at hand. Try this:

Rising Level 2's

Take a look at this:

http://oliver.prygotzki.de/privat/imc/cpdl/praetorius-wachet_auf/Praetorius%20-%20Wachet%20auf%20a%202.pdf

This little piece has a lot of visually forbidding things about it that might get you all hot and bothered....however, don't worry. Ask yourself:

What is familiar and easy about this piece (it's in C major, it's in 4, there are only 2 parts, the melody is very singable, etc.)?

What is the best way to isolate small parts of the piece and deal with a little bit at a time (i.e., isolate the rhythm, look at only one section at a time, etc.)?

Notate on your own score the parts of the piece you personally find easy. That way, when you're reading through, you'll recognize when you're in friendly territory.

Each day, choose one or two difficulties within the piece and come up with a creative solution that makes the difficulty seem easy. If you get frustrated, walk away for a few minutes or look at a different section, and come back to the tricky bit. Change tactics. Don't beat your head against a wall. Play to your strengths.

Rising Level 3's

Look at this piece:

http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/images/7/77/Weelkes_-_Hosanna_to_the_Son_of_David.pdf

Before you do anything else with it, listen to it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC2WTqIbp5Y&feature=related

Cool, isn't it?

Take another listen with the score (use the first link, even though they're singing it in a higher key in the recording -- the score is just a little nicer to look at than the one in the video), and make a little textural map for yourself -- where is the homophonic material? How much imitative material is there really? Is texture tied to text in some important ways?

If you try to visually determine from the score which solfa to use at any given moment, you may wind up a bit frustrated, because there are some funny twists and turns in the piece, and the key signature is sometimes profoundly unhelpful. Instead, I'd recommend that you give yourself one more listen to the recording with score in hand and circle the spots where you hear definite cadences. Then, work backwards from those points to determine your solfa choices.

Try to sing through each part and mark which keys/modes are in play. For fun, you may even want to do a solfa chord analysis of the homophonic sections -- you'll have to make some key decisions in order to do that, but who knows? Your harmonic analysis may actually wind up informing your key area/mode decisions, and thereby your musical decisions. That's right folks, I'm suggesting that musicality can and should be informed by analysis and vice versa. It's a two-way street, and it doesn't even have to be unpleasant. You can even change your mind. Who knew?

Rising Level 4's

Look at this piece....Rheinberger, if you've not heard of him, was a contemporary of Brahms.

http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/images/4/4b/Rheinberger-Abendfriede.pdf

Now, I'm not going to give you a recording like I did for the 3's....if you find one, please feel free to use it like I had them use it, if you wish. However, there's no need for panic with this piece either, even without the aid of a recording.

Scan your way through the piece. Take note of the places where accidentals appear, especially where they are repeated. If you had to guess, what key(s) do you visit? Do the cadences reflect your suspicions? In general, how does the bass line (and therefore, the harmony) move?

Using your own musical discretion, divide the piece into manageable sections. Sing through each part -- if you can, sing one part and play another. Once you've sung through all the parts and made some solfa decisions you feel comfortable with, do a Roman numeral analysis. Do the numbers behave like they're supposed to? Do you think you might want to reconsider some of your key area choices in light of the information the analysis gave you?

So yes, I think solfa and analysis can actually serve as a backdrop to positive behavioral changes that can have a lot of impact on the way you feel about your life as both a musician and as a person. The fringe benefits of a musical life aren't just for our students -- they're for us. The music can be our refuge, too.

Enjoy!

I get by...

Greetings, solfa friends!

So, astrologically speaking, we are about to cross from the creative, fun-loving sign of Leo into analytical, hard-working Virgo (disclaimer: I am not saying that Virgos are no fun, nor am I inferring that Leos are lazy good-for-nothings...hopefully you're all aware that when I start talking astrology, my tongue is usually firmly in my cheek). School is also starting up for many of us....coincidence? Perhaps not... And, I'm in denial. Big time. And when I say denial, I mean the sad kind that isn't quite convincing enough to prolong the glorious dream that is summertime. Tomorrow morning, I know I am going to need to haul myself out of bed, make myself presentable, and go be somebody...when I would so much rather have just one more teensy week of watching The View while wearing waffle-weave pajamas and sipping tea on my couch.

The only thing preventing my descent into full-on whinery is also the carrot I dangle in front of my eyes to keep me moving: my wonderful circle of friends up on campus. Now, I know that the work I'm doing is also wonderful, and I'm lucky to be doing it, but the idea of work seems pretty lame when juxtaposed with the waffle-weave-clad-couch-ensconced wonderfulness described above, no matter how great the work is. And ain't it just how that is sometimes? Sometimes you need inspiration and motivation with skin....in the form of people who will hug you and prod you and tell you over cocktails that you need to get your behind in gear, that it's dumb to think you can't do it, and who promise to help you persevere because they can see that you need their help.

So, while last week's post was a plug for discipline, this week is all about having the wherewithal to reach out for help when you need it, and encouraging you to involve others in your endeavor to grow as a musician. We all need it. We all need to reach out and let others help us sometimes, because without this, we will not only lose steam, we'll lose perspective. It's part of having ZK's big four: a well-trained ear, a well-trained heart, a well-trained hand, and a well-trained intelligence. It's part of having a balanced musical and human life -- and I don't know about you, but it's become really clear to me lately that I don't want to get to the end of all this and have to say that I majored in music and minored in life. We are humans first, and humans need other humans to be healthy....and we can't exactly be the kinds of artists and craftspeople we want to be if we aren't healthy to start with. So:

All Levels:

Find a buddy for this week's assignments. If you can track down someone with whom you can get some actual in-person time, that's ideal. But phone, Skype, FaceTime....all of these will work in a pinch! Your buddy doesn't have to be in the same level as you -- heck, s/he doesn't even have to be in the program!

Rising Level 2's

Confer with your buddy and choose parts for these duets:

http://www3.cpdl.org/wiki/images/0/0f/Schubert_Duette.pdf

Go nuts with the dynamics and the overall shaping of these little pieces. Have a scholarly discussion about the harmonic language. If you get ambitious, take a stab at the German.

Rising Level 3's

Bust out your Classical Canons book at take a look at:

2b (Note that this is a diminution canon at the fifth -- for practice purposes, you can both practice 2a on your own, and the person who eventually takes the high part can transpose it up a fifth),

14 (Confer with your buddy to choose D = re or D = la)

30 (Conduct in 4! Don't let those half notes push you around!)

44 (Conduct in 4! Don't let that weird opening measure trick you into choosing a tempo that is too quick -- in fact, read through the rhythm of the whole piece one time without the first three notes and confer with your buddy before you make a firm decision about tempo)

104 (Another one to conduct...and to confer over)

Rising Level 4's

Ok, so this is a big bite, but I think you all can handle it...

Dig up your 15 2-part Exercises and take a look at nos. 12 (which we analyzed and learned together), 13, and 14.

Using your analysis of #12 as a guide and in conference with your buddy, take a stab an analyzing and singing both #13 and #14. Here are some hints:

In both:

Solfa changes don't necessarily need to be simultaneous, but consult with your buddy because you may find that both parts being in the same key sometimes provides moral support...and by moral support, I mean a friendly tonal/harmonic underpinning that will help your buddy find his/her notes help both of you have good intonation.

In #13

The theme is the first four bars plus one quarter note. It eventually occurs in: i, v, III, and VI. There is a suspicious-looking C-minory thing in the second-to-last system, lower voice, but I think you should just stay in B-flat until the second measure of the last system when the E-naturals return.

B-natural is not ALWAYS an indicator that you should change solfa.

Some of the solfa changes in this one are quite brief.

In #14

The first four bars are the theme, and the repeated note is exactly what the key signature leads you to believe it is. When the upper voice enters, you will want to call the repeated note something else because of the B-natural looming on the horizon....also because it's not a "real answer".

You will make it as far from the home key as E-flat Major/C minor in the flat direction (but only in the lower voice) and as far as A minor in the sharp direction.

Good luck!

Our daily bread

Hello much-missed students!

....yes, it's true....I miss you all!

So, I have spent this past week house/dog-sitting and re-acclimating to life at high altitude after my long sojourn on east and west coasts, respectively. School starts up for me a week from tomorrow, and like many of you (I'm sure), I've started to get anxious about it. This is supposed to be a big year -- the year of comprehensive exams, dissertation projects, final orals and GRADUATION....and the thought of all the work standing between me and that goal (see word in all caps) is staggering, and it makes me want to freak out.

There, I said it.

Many of you had a similar reaction to reading Kodály's "Who is a Good Musician?", and I think I can safely say that this feeling of freak-out is a common human phenomenon. It happens to everyone, and I think most of us tend to think our freak-outs are some sort of secret flaw that no one else has, and that's not true.

We also tend to think that only special people will live to achieve monumental things in their lifetime, and that you have to have been born with some kind of one-in-a-million genius in order to do so. Part of that is too much TV or something...

No, seriously...

At pretty much every major milestone in my life, I've had this irresistible urge to wander the streets looking for a phone booth that contained my unitard, cape, and superpowers, all of which I clearly needed in order to check off the next item on my list....and you'll probably be as disappointed as I was to discover that there is NO phone booth.

Anyhow, I think another part of it is a refusal to acknowledge our own empowerment, our own human ability to transform ourselves through transforming our behavior. We'd rather not believe that work is just work. I'm not saying that there aren't things in life we can't do, and probably we have a much better shot at prowess in some things than others, just from our genetic predispositions.

But, the truth is this: for the most part, it's just work. The daily grind is the path to greatness. There may be some kind of miraculous transformation or unprecedented revelation waiting for you in the wings, but do you know how it'll reveal itself? Day by day, in the business of doing what needs to be done, probably with very little fanfare, and probably when no one else is watching and when you yourself have perhaps forgotten why you've bothered -- that is when the magic happens. It doesn't live in some big genius/talent storehouse. It comes to you like your daily bread, and you have to trust that each day will bring its proper allotment as you do your daily work in order to earn it. Some days you'll feel like you're going hungry. Some days you'll feel too tired or depressed to put in the time. But, if you're patient and diligent and gentle with yourself along the way, you'll discover that you can transform yourself, and that no one can take it away. That's why I'm so serious about this weekly blog business...it's an investment that cannot fail. There's no way not to make good on the time you've spent and the effort you've used.

So, this week:

Rising Level 2's

In your Ottman, sing through:

11.24, 11.25, 11.26, 11.27, & 11.28

Identify any tricky spots after your initial reading of each melody, isolate those spots and creatively problem-solve your way through them. Hint: look for arpeggiated harmonies, melodic and rhythmic patterns, and places to strategically use your audiation chops.

Once you've sung through all five, do a little phrase/form analysis of each melody. How are the melodies similar to one another? Does the national origin of each melody seem to be reflected in unique phrase structure? Are melodies from areas geographically close to one another more similar?

Finally, choose one or two of these melodies and harmonize them. Sing and play, by yourself or with a friend.

Rising Level 3's

Take a look at these Ottman examples:

13.19, 13.22, 13.25

From an initial scan, determine if you'd like to change solfa at any point -- my advice would be to change if you sense a cadence in the new key, or if you do multiple arpeggiations of a chromatic chord in the original key (i.e. something that looks like a major II, aka V/V). Did your solfa choices work for you? If not, is the solution more practice, or is it to change your approach?

Additionally, look at examples 13.20, 13.23, and 13.24.

Sing through each, and then harmonize portions of the melodies as indicated in the textbook. Do you agree with Ottman/Rogers' harmonic choices? Did you come up with an alternative you like better? What's the easiest way to figure out what a V/V in the key of D is (hint: see parenthetical statement above or look at your secondary dominant planet handout to spell in solfa, then translate into letters)? How would you harmonize the final cadence of 13.24?

Feel free to share your findings!

Rising Level 4's

DISCLAIMER: I avoid this chapter of Ottman during the summers, mostly because the question of modulation in such short passages often causes tremendous confusion or bitter arguments, while studying modulation in longer chunks or imitative contexts is usually easier and less emotionally draining. If you experience distress from the following exercise, please submit a complaint to the management.

Look at the following Ottman examples:

14.5, 14.6, 14.17, 14.19 (note that the fi in the last line isn't a modulatory fi), 14.24, and 14.30

In each case, determine where each modulation occurs in each piece, noting that you should only need to move in either the dominant direction by one fifth or the subdominant direction by one fifth (meaning that you're looking for fi and ta). Note also that some of these excerpts modulate away and some end in the new key. Devise a solfa change plan for each example before singing through it. After the initial reading, decide whether you think your initial assessment was correct or if you should strategically alter it. Try to reach a point of fluency with each example.

Enjoy, my dears, and remember...in order to gain mastery, all you have to do is put in the time to make solfa your daily bread.

A new year carol

Hello, my long-lost solfeggists!

So, we are now one week into the 49-week cycle. You will have noticed, perhaps, that I missed week 1 -- sort of intentional on my part, but mostly due to my quick jaunt to Portland, OR for the wedding of the first of my siblings, my older brother. A good time was had by all, I think....in fact, dancing with my younger brother was sort of a cultural education in itself, but I digress...

On the last day of classes, my dear Loyola students were kind enough to collaborate with me in gathering some "solfa aphorisms" -- it brought me back to my days in girls' chorus when we (being the littlest bit dorky) carried around what we called "autograph books" (a la Laura Ingalls Wilder) to collect little sayings from our friends. Don't judge....we were homeschoolers, so we didn't have yearbooks. Anyway, here are some of the sayings that we came up with just a bit over a week ago, many of which transcend solfa and the musical realm:

"Let us take our children seriously! Everything else follows from this...only the best is good enough for a child." (ZK, paraphrased)

Live a little. Music doesn't belong in a china closet.

Modes are messy.

Solfa class is just like therapy....a place to share your troubles. When you talk about your problems, they become easier to solve.

You cannot be a great teacher without giving a little of your heart to every student and in every lesson you teach.

Chromaticism is just a splash of color.

Sometimes anger is just a part of caring.

Solfa is like a workout for your brain.

Listen. It's better than making noise.

We teach people. We teach music. Remember to love both.

Teach your students as if you were teaching your own children.

You choose what you take with you.

You never know for sure what seeds you plant will wind up taking root and flourishing.

Being a good teacher to yourself is a necessary step to becoming a good teacher of others.

The British Invasion would've really taken off if they had used solfa syllables.

Your teacher knows better than you at this moment.

Drinks are better than drama.

Sometimes sitting with failure is more valuable than a thousand successes.

C, D, E.....as easy as ut-re-mi!

You have both your strengths and your weaknesses for a reason. Embrace them. Know them.

Obviously, some of these are more serious than others, some are mostly inside jokes, and some are firmly in my favorite touchy-feely realm. However, I have to say that I think it's valuable to reflect on our recent experiences in the solfa classroom in ways that are both comical and serious, both concrete and hopelessly abstract, and both practical and merely ideal. After all, solfa is a musicianship course, and we all know that our personal experiences and reflections and senses of humor are inextricable from our artistic behavior.

As we ease into this new year, and in the spirit of all of the above, I invite you:

All Levels:

Take a moment sometime this week to write down what you enjoyed about this year's solfa experience, and record the ways in which you know you've grown. Brag. Revel....just a little.

Then, take another moment and write down the things you wish we would have spent more time with in class, the gaps in your own experience that you'd like to have spackled up, and the goals you have for yourself before embarking upon the next phase of your musical training.

If you feel comfortable, please share either or both of the above lists with me. I cannot overstate how important it is to me that each of you feels that this course is supposed to be for YOU, to help YOU grow and succeed. Believe me when I say: if it lies within my power to help you, I want to do that. Also, knowing what you want to work on during the year will really help me guide my posts here on the blog -- at the moment, I sort of follow my nose and try to give you all a nice variety, but if there's something you'd like me to focus on, I'd be glad to do that.

And, just so I don't feel totally soft-core about this week's post:

All Levels:

Each day, select 2 Ottman examples to sight-sing (one in major, one in minor), using the principles we discussed this summer....most importantly, DON'T STOP! If you're wondering what chapter(s) to use, try:

Rising 2's - ch. 6, 8, or 9

Rising 3's - ch. 11, 12, or (if you're feeling frisky) 13

Rising 4's - ch. 13, 7 (if you'd like to practice alto clef), or 20

Enjoy, my friends, and please do consider sending me some feedback -- just like at Burger King, I'd like you to have it YOUR way.