Strategies to Develop Students’ Conceptual Understanding and Singing Accuracy of Pitch

Abstract

Students’ skill development in the production and discrimination of music pitches is a goal for most music education programs. The development of these skills can begin with students’ earliest music experiences. Music activities addressing pitch should be structured and sequenced in ways that are most effective in helping students develop conceptual understanding as well as performance ability. These activities can also help prepare students for future achievement with more advanced pitch skills. To facilitate learning, teachers should incorporate a variety of activities and techniques, such as singing with a neutral syllable, singing individually, using visual and kinesthetic aids, using classroom instruments, selecting repertoire judiciously, and using effective questioning techniques that lead students to cognitively attend to and discover characteristics of musical pitches.