Melodies are an important part of music.
Melody is a collection of musical notes that are arranged in succession logically and harmoniously, and are the key components of any song. They are made up of different tones in a scale. Any student can learn the concept of melody, whether they are an aspiring musician or are taking a basic music theory class.
Hand Signals and Do Re Mi
Traditionally, designating notes to hand signals has been very effective in teaching melody. Along with these hand signals, the words Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do have been assigned to different tones in the scale. Hand signals provide a visual cue when singing the scale. The hand signals are: Do-clenched fist, turned sideways, Re-flat, open palm held at a 45 degree angle; Mi-flat, open palm held parallel to the floor; Fa-thumbs down; So-open, flat palm held vertically; La-relaxed, open hand; Ti-index finger held at 45 degree angle; and Do-clenched fist, turned sideways.
Call and Response
Call and Response involves a teacher singing the melody, and then having the students mimic what they have heard. This is effective because it allows students to develop an ear for intonation, adjusting their singing tone to the desired melodic output. It also reduces the listening dependence on instruments, training the ear to be more flexible.
Using a Map
To teach melody and read sheet music, a teacher can plot the scale on large paper or a map. The teacher points to a note, performs the corresponding note, and then has the students sing it. Then, the students sing whatever note the instructor pointed at without tonal help from the instructor.
Using Colors
Similar to hand cues and maps, colors create visual association with melodies. There are several different instruments that assign scale to colors. This can include, but are not limited to, bells, xylophones and all metallophones.
Tags: palm held, Call Response, degree angle, different tones, different tones scale