Page 15 - CJOct25

From Groans to Grins: A Play-Based Approach to Teaching Music Literacy

crew members need to identify the imposters. In this IV, V) for major songs. This is a kind of extension of
concept, students find an imposter in harmonic nota- focused listening but involves students harmonizing
tion. To start, display an image that has five chords. with chords where they hear a change. After rehearsing
Four of them are the same chord (e.g., C Major in var- what their harmonies might be, the teacher might have
ious inversions, on different clefs, or a broken chord students share with the class and have the class agree
instead of a stacked chord) while one is something dif- on one harmonization. The teacher should explain
ferent (e.g., a G major chord). Students must identify that any time the chord root is Do, it is a I chord, and
which option is the imposter and explain why. Having so on. Students can then practice singing in harmo-
students explain their choices helps mitigate random ny underneath the folk song. The teacher might hold
guesses. To differentiate the images, consider putting up 1 finger for a tonic chord, 4 fingers for a sub-dom-
a differently colored border around each image so that inant chord, and 5 for a dominant chord to help stu-
students can choose the “Blue” or the “Yellow” image dents track the progression. Once students understand
as the imposter. Sequentially numbering each image is how these harmonies fit with melodies, they can extend
a second option that will increase accessibility for stu- the practice to melodies that they have composed. For
dents with colorblindness. example, ask students to write a musical question that
ends on Sol and harmonized by a V chord. Then they
Synthesized Literacy: Focused Listening (full class) can write a musical answer ending the song on Do and
Many students listen to popular music but pay little harmonized by a I chord. They can sing through their
attention to musical components of the music except song and fill out harmonies using the same process as
29
for melody and lyrics. Therefore, focusing students’ with the folk songs.
listening to other components of familiar music can
build harmonic literacy. For example, the teacher can
pick a familiar song and ask students to try and vocalize Conclusion
the bass line or the guitar part. As students direct their Music literacy and sight singing are challenging ac-
ears, they can become more aware of different layers tivities. Students often get frustrated and disengage,
of music. The teacher can divide the class into differ- and teachers rationalize boredom by emphasizing mu-
ent groups and assign different musical components to sic literacy’s importance to being a well-rounded mu-
listen to. Limit the song to just one verse or chorus; this sician. A play-based approach to music literacy builds
way, once students have workshopped their individual on students’ social motivations. Furthermore, breaking
parts, they can combine them to perform an arrange- music literacy down into smaller components like au-
ment of the chosen song. ral, visual, and synthesized literacy can help teachers
diagnose and address where students need more prac-
Synthesized Literacy: Harmonizing melodic compositions tice. Applying these literacies to the musical domains
(individuals/small groups) of rhythm, melody, and harmony gives teachers an op-
If students have some experiences writing melodies, portunity to scaffold skills in ways that allow more op-
perhaps from some of the aforementioned activities, portunities for student success. Finally, prioritizing play
they might consider harmonizing those melodies with and games reduces the stakes of learning skills and bol-
chord roots or full chords. To facilitate learning this sters the ensemble’s opportunities to build community.
skill, teachers might sing some simple folk songs that By weaving play and games into choral rehearsals,
can be harmonized with a few chords (e.g., “Twinkle educators not only spark joy and creativity but also
Twinkle Little Star” or “Hot Cross Buns”) and see deepen musical understanding, proving that learning
if students can harmonize the song by singing chord and fun can—and should—go hand in hand. When
roots. Consider encouraging students to be “verbal teachers embrace play as a serious strategy for music
processors” and sing their chord roots out loud to see literacy, they empower students to take risks, stay en-
if they work. gaged, and discover their musicianship in ways that are
Start by limiting their options to Do, Fa, or Sol (I, both meaningful and memorable.

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3 13