Visual and Auditory recognition of pitch location
using a movable tonic, focusing skills, master steady beat,
hearing pitches in the minds ear, distinguishing pitch patterns,
developing a team atmosphere, mastering pitch intervals,
developing pitch ensembles, introduction and playing of
pitched instruments, playing instrumental canons/rounds,
transferring vocal reading to pitched instruments, developing
the concepts of major tonalities, mastering the home
Overhead projector or computer projector, transparency
of Pitch Warm-up, pointer, any melodically toned instrument.
you begin using the Pitch Warm-Ups, students should
have an understanding of how notes move on the staff (steps
and skips). This can be introduced using the Pitch Warm-ups
and reinforced with a Relay Race - see Relay
Races. Students should have been introduced to
the singing voice (the expected sound) - see Finding
the Singing Voice in the TEACHING
INDEX at musicnotes.net
with the Pitch Warm-up written in the same key as the
song to be read.
Each step is repeated for mastery!
Read title of Pitch Warm-Up. - BEGIN
WITH - FINDING Do-Mi-So
by reading staves one through four the students should
succeed in reading line #5 without the answers.
up the students voices by having them imitate
a siren going very high and low.
listen as the teacher hums an ascending glissando/scale
stopping on a comfortable pitch for the beginning
students to repeat step #3 and stop on the same pitch.
(this is the beginning Do)
step #5 and stop on the same pitch singing the syllable
pointing to the beginning of the first staff, repeat
step #6 then sing the first line.
is different about line #2?(we
sing all the pitches as we go up the staff, but we hum
some pitches as we go down the staff, which pitches
do we hum?)
singing/humming the pitches on line #2.
pointing, have students sing/hum the pitches on line
#2. (teacher hums pitches
with students, then students must be successful on their
is different about line #3?(we
hum some pitches go up the staff, but we think the pitches
as we go down the staff) "Which
pitches do we hum and which pitches do we think?)
how you can hear a pitch in the minds ear, by
having the students close their eyes and hear their
favorite song in their head, or their minds ear.
singing/humming/thinking the pitches on line #3.
pointing, have students sing/hum/think and pitches on
line #3. (teacher hums the
omitted pitches with students, then students must be
successful on their own)
is different about line #4?(we think pitches going up the staff and think pitches
going down the staff, which pitches are we thinking?)
singing/thinking the pitches on line #4.
pointing, have students sing/think the pitches on line
#4. (teacher hums the omitted
pitches with students, then students must be successful
on their own)
if Do/One is a space or line)
What pitches did
we sing on staff #4?
Is Do/One a space or a line?
Where is Mi/Three, a space or a line?
Which space/line? (the
next space/line up from Do/One)
Where is So/Five, as space
or a line?
Which space/line? (the
next space/line up from Mi/Three)
If Do/One in a space or
line, where will Mi/Three be located, a space or a line?
Which space or line?
If Mi/Three is a space or line, where will So/Five
be located, a space or a line? Which space or line?
What is the pattern for finding Mi/Three and So/Five
if Do/One is a space or line?(SPACE-SPACE-SPACE)
or (Line - Line - Line)
While pointing, ask students to call out the pitches
for line #5.
the students to sing line #5.
- Have students play Pitch Warm-ups on instruments; Orff,
tone bells, keyboards, piano, recorder, glockenspiels, etc.,
as a class or individually during center time.
students become accustomed to the flow of the Pitch Warm-Ups,
steps should be omitted to match the students abilities
and eventually the Pitch Warm-Ups will be replaced by the
Pitch Numbers or Pitch Syllables formats for the song being
read during the class lesson.