Musical Dictation

This revised and expanded third edition includes new musical examples and dictations covering the entire continuum of musical development from classical to modern. It also includes definitive audio performances on CD of each of the 51 musical dictations, keyed by track number to the musical notation in the text.

Drawing on decades of teaching experience and the collective wisdom of dozens of the most creative theorists in the country, Michael R. Rogers's diverse survey of music theory--one of the first to comprehensively survey and evaluate the teaching styles, techniques, and materials used in theory courses--is a unique reference and research tool for teachers, theorists, secondary and postsecondary students, and for private study. This revised edition of Teaching Approaches in Music Theory: An Overview of Pedagogical Philosophies features an extensive updated bibliography encompassing the years since the volume was first published in 1984. In a new preface to this edition, Rogers references advancements in the field over the past two decades, from the appearance of the first scholarly journal devoted entirely to aspects of music theory education to the emergence of electronic advances and devices that will provide a supporting, if not central, role in the teaching of music theory in the foreseeable future. With the updated information, the text continues to provide an excellent starting point for the study of music theory pedagogy. Rogers has organized the book very much like a sonata. Part one, "Background," delineates principal ideas and themes, acquaints readers with the author's views of contemporary musical theory, and includes an orientation to an eclectic range of philosophical thinking on the subject; part two, "Thinking and Listening," develops these ideas in the specific areas of mindtraining and analysis, including a chapter on ear training; and part three, "Achieving Teaching Success," recapitulates main points in alternate contexts and surroundings and discusses how they can be applied to teaching and the evaluation of design and curriculum. Teaching Approaches in Music Theory emphasizes thoughtful examination and critique of the underlying and often tacit assumptions behind textbooks, materials, and technologies. Consistently combining general methods with specific examples and both philosophical and practical reasoning, Rogers compares and contrasts pairs of concepts and teaching approaches, some mutually exclusive and some overlapping. The volume is enhanced by extensive suggested reading lists for each chapter.

This text demonstrates presentation styles for developing aural, keyboard and writing skills, as well as examining the theoretical and pedagogical conventions of musical education. This revised edition, coming 20 years after publication of the first, responds to the new trends in pedagogical study, highlights the transcendence of the canon by international music styles and popular music, and takes a fresh look at the current state of American academia. It also features an additional chapter by William E. Lake on the benefits of technology in the classroom.

Melodic dictation plays an important role in music theory classes, but instruction is often based on tradition rather than research. Dictation teachers and students do not just need more exercises and drills; they need to see deeper into the materials, consider how we connect to them, and practice wisely. Building Better Dictation Skills offers teachers and students the “why” and “how” of melodic dictation, through research-based exercises aimed at developing proactive musical listening. During dictation, students must actively involve themselves in the unfolding of an unfamiliar melody—using all of their musical skills in a concerted effort—to get into the composer’s mind and understand what is played. The author’s published research, on which this book is based, provides a level of insight unlikely to be discovered simply through drilling more melodies. Building Better Dictation Skills provides music educators and students with a concise, specific, and affordable resource that focuses on what they really need: dictation strategies aimed at learning beyond the “right answer.”

Originally published in the 1940s, Paul Hindemith's remarkable textbooks are still the outstanding works of their kind. In contrast to many musical textbooks written by academic musicians, these were produced by a man who could play every instrument of the orchestra, could compose a satisfying piece for almost every kind of ensemble, and who was one of the most stimulating teachers of his day. It is therefore not surprising that nearly forty years later these books should remain essential reading for the student and the professional musician.