Building Choral Excellence : Teaching Sight-Singing in the Choral Rehearsal

Designed for both the practicing choral director and the choral methods student, this is a compact and comprehensive overview of the many teaching methods, strategies, materials, and assessments available for choral sight-singing instruction. Sight-singing is an important, if sometimes neglected, facet of choral music education that often inspires fear and uncertainty in student and teacher alike. Written in an accessible style, this book takes the mystery out of teaching music reading. Topics covered include the history of sight-singing pedagogy and research, prominent methods and materials, and practical strategies for teaching and assessment. This is the only book to provide such a wealth of information under one cover and will become an essential part of every choral conductor's library. Designed for both the practicing choral director and the choral methods student, this is a compact and comprehensive overview of the many teaching methods, strategies, materials, and assessments available for choral music education that often inspires fear and uncertainly in student and teacher alike. Written in an accessible style, this book takes the mystery out of teaching music reading. Topics covered include prominent methods and materials, practical strategies for teaching and assessment, the history of sight-singing pedagogy, and research on sight-singing instruction ... This is the only book to provide such a wealth of information under one cover and every choral conductor will want to own a copy. The history of sight-singing instruction in the United States is composed of many different movements and methods, often occurring simultaneously, that waxed and waned depending on the personalities of their advocates or on prevailing educational philosophy.