As one who has actively arranged vocal music for more than four decades, I have chosen to teach music by rote. This method remains my choice, much to the dismay of countless musicians who learn to sing and perform exclusively from sheet music. Originally employed as a means of convenience, this teaching/learning "by ear" process has served to sharpen the musical skills of many devotees. I speak from experience, having worked with some of the most amazing vocalists on the planet - - with a video example below.
Our singing weekends for churches, known as Praise & Harmony Workshops, are based upon the principle that ear-training is a powerful way to teach entire churches, especially beginners, how to sing in harmony. Ear-training CDs have become essential for this purpose, as well as arranging everyone into voice parts -- sitting in sections while learning to harmonize. We regularly witness stunning results as churches greatly improve their congregational singing. This is a beautiful and rewarding experience!
Here is an example, featuring Acappella, that goes well beyond outstanding learning-by-ear skills. The setting for this video was a rehearsal for a concert in Michigan. On the day this video was shot, Wayburn Dean had never sung "Glory And Honor" before. A few minutes after we asked him to try singing the lead vocal, we handed him the lyrics -- and amazingly, here is what happened:
Our singing weekends for churches, known as Praise & Harmony Workshops, are based upon the principle that ear-training is a powerful way to teach entire churches, especially beginners, how to sing in harmony. Ear-training CDs have become essential for this purpose, as well as arranging everyone into voice parts -- sitting in sections while learning to harmonize. We regularly witness stunning results as churches greatly improve their congregational singing. This is a beautiful and rewarding experience!
Here is an example, featuring Acappella, that goes well beyond outstanding learning-by-ear skills. The setting for this video was a rehearsal for a concert in Michigan. On the day this video was shot, Wayburn Dean had never sung "Glory And Honor" before. A few minutes after we asked him to try singing the lead vocal, we handed him the lyrics -- and amazingly, here is what happened:
Wayburn's stellar vocal quality and impressive interpretive skills are totally unique. However, we contend that teaching beginners how to sing harmony is much easier than most musicians understand.
There are churches in which virtually no one can read music, yet their singing abounds in four-part harmony. I am a strong proponent of emphasizing musical literacy while equipping churches (not just a choir) how to read music; but from an early age, my personal experience has been to learn "by ear" first, while tackling the music theory afterwards.
There are churches in which virtually no one can read music, yet their singing abounds in four-part harmony. I am a strong proponent of emphasizing musical literacy while equipping churches (not just a choir) how to read music; but from an early age, my personal experience has been to learn "by ear" first, while tackling the music theory afterwards.
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