Solfege. What is it and why does Yamaha use it?

I'm sure many of you parents have often wondered what solfege is.  I know all of you remember what movie made solfege popular - The Sound of Music - (remember "Do a Deer"?)  Solfege has been around in music for many, many years.

Definition:

Solfege itself is the singing of scales, intervals, and melodic exercises to solmization syllables.  The term also has been used to encompass all aspects of the teaching of basic music skills.  Solmization is the designation of pitches by means of conventional syllables rather than letter names.  For example, in Yamaha, the note 'C' is called DO.  This is called fixed do solfege.

History:

Chinese, Indian, Greek, and Byzantine cultures used early forms of solmization , some which are still in use.  The system that has survived into modern Western use, first recorded in the early 11th century, is traditionally associated with Guido of Arezzo.  Guidonian solmization is based on the text and tune of the hymn Ut queant laxis, (Lois can play it for you!) in which the first six lines begins one step higher than the previous lines, thus forming a hexachord.  (Don't worry about that term.  A hexachord is just a collection of six pitches!)  Guido's syllables were ut, re, mi, fa sol, and la. Ti (or Si) was added to the original six in 1600.  Here is the hymn:

Solfege and Yamaha:

Solfege is widely used all over the world.  Yamaha calls solfege "the child's inner teacher."  By internalizing pitches, intonation (tuning), expression, phrasing, and articulation, the child is guided to express music independently.  An added bonus is the acquisition of absolute pitch, or relative pitch.  Solfege is the essential factor of any kind of music education.  Through Yamaha, the children become actively involved in music and can enjoy creating music the rest of their lives.

Sources:
1.  Randel, Don Michael ed. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music; Cambridge, Mass, 1986.
2.  Junior Music Course Teaching Guide, Yamaha Music Foundation, Japan.

Notes on the Grand Staff

If you're like the majority of the parents at Jensen's Yamaha, you have not ever taken any formal music lessons.  This can make class challenging sometimes, but don't worry - we're here to help!


Let's first just look at a keyboard or piano to understand how the notes are organized.


The low notes on a piano are on the left side (think Ls for left and low).  High notes are on the right side.

<---------------------------------------------Low notes   Middle DO (C)  High notes ----------------------------->

Now if you look at this chart, you can see how the notes on the piano relate to the grand staff.  The grand staff is when you have two staves that are joined together - this is where most piano music is notated.   It is easy to see how the notes are moving up the grand staff as the notes get higher.  Also notice that middle DO is in the middle of the keyboard as well as the middle of the grand staff!

1. staff (pl. staves) : a set of 5 horizontal lines and 4 spaces that each represent a different musical pitch
2. grand staff : when you have two staves that are joined together

When we start in JMC Book 1, the first songs look something like this (read from left to right):

Recognize the song?  Yes, it's "Hot Cross Buns"!  The first repertoire piece in JMC Book 1.  Notice that there is only one staff (that's what we call the 5 lines) and a G clef (or treble clef).  We use the G clef because we are playing the notes above middle DO (or middle C).


By the end of JMC Book 1 and the beginning of book 2, we start to use our left hand (LH) as well.  Here's what changes :

1. The songs are notated on the grand staff. 
2. The top staff is always for the right hand (RH), the bottom staff is for the LH.
3. Most beginner songs will have the G clef (or treble clef)  in the top staff and the F clef in the lower staff.   This is because most of the notes played by the RH will be the notes above middle DO (C) and most of the notes played by the LH will be below middle DO (C).

When you have a grand staff, you still read from left to right, but now both hands can play at the same time.  At the beginning of this song, you'll notice that there are notes for the RH to play, but if you look directly below in the F clef, there is only a rest.  The LH does not play at the beginning.  


Don't worry about why right now, but just know that there are bar lines that divide up the staves into equal parts.  In the example above, the bar lines are blue.  We call these equal parts bars or measures.  


The LH has it's first note in the third measure.  It lines up with the note RE in the RH - that means you play them at the same time!  


So there you go!   Please let me know if you have any questions or if this is too much information!  


You can also check out this website http://www.musictheory.net/.  They have animated music theory lessons, however, they will be using the letters instead of solfege (but you can use the chart above!!)

Organization of Yamaha Courses

JMC, JXC, YMC, MW.... so many letters - what do they mean?

Just recently, I was having trouble filling out our quarterly report for Yamaha.  Courses get updated, sometimes the names change - now we have new courses - again, new names!  (My confusion actually facilitated the creation of a brand new courses chart out in the corporate offices!)  I know that parents have questions too - here are some examples:

• My child is in Junior Music Course (JMC) and just turned six.  Does she switch classes?

If you look at the chart below, you'll see that the most important thing is how old your child is when they start music lessons.  Once they are in that track, they stay there, moving up to the more advanced courses with their original class.  

• Why can't my child's friend at school join my child's class in JXC?

Depending on when your child started lessons, they have anywhere from 2-5 years of experience by the time they are in the Junior Extension Course (JXC).  Their friend at school is probably elementary aged, therefore, they would need to start in the New Young Musicians Course (NYMC) because they do not have any experience.

• Can my 4 year-old and 6 year-old be in the same class?

No - this is extremely important.  The reason that we are so particular about how old your child is when they start is because our courses are developmentally appropriate.  The 4 year-old is a preschooler - the pre-operational stage of child development.  The 6 year-old is in the next stage - operational.   In these two stages, there are vast differences in all the categories of development : mental, physical, emotional, and social.  I'll go more into these developmental stages in another post - just know that each of our courses are specifically designed for each developmental stage.

• I didn't start my older child until they were 6.  Shouldn't I wait until my younger child gets to that age?

No!  One thing that stood out as I looked at this chart was how much music your child can receive if they start early!  If your child starts at age 3 in Music Wonderland, they'll be in their third year of music lessons before an elementary aged child has even started.  We have noticed a depth of understanding in the children who have started in our Music Wonderland program.  It's one of our favorite courses to teach - to see the joy and excitement these tiny kids have when they get to go to "Music Wonderland" - it's like a real adventure!  Having siblings in different tracks can also make it easier not to compare one child to the next.  They'll get their very own songs - not the same as their older sibling.

Yamaha Music Educational System Course Chart 2012

What other questions do you have?  Post them below!

Private Lessons Vs. Group

Coming to classes every week for over two years can get tiresome, we know (I took Brynn to class every Saturday at 8:30AM!!!)  So instead of weekly class, we're trying a new JXC Summer Camp and we've got some really fun things planned.  In addition to camp, each student is taking two private lessons over the summer.

I know parents are always wanting their child to get this special one-on-one attention, but over the last couple of weeks, I've noticed a few things.

1.  Group lessons are fun.  My own son seems almost sick to his stomach worried about taking a private lesson.  You should see the look on his face when we just talk about scheduling it.  This has made me realize what a wonderful environment he has had in group lessons all these years.  He never seems worried at all when he has to go to class - he loves it!  That made me realize (even though I already knew it!)...

2. Private lessons can be stressful!  I've seen it in other students as they come in for their lesson.  It is like a they've been switched with their timid, quiet, hesitant identical twin!  Gone seems to be that innate enthusiasm I see every week in class with their friends.  I have never thought of myself being a scary person, but think about it from their perspective.  They have to come in and play for me by themselves - there's nowhere to hide - all the pressure is on them!  What would you rather do - play a song all by yourself for your teacher, or make music with friends?

3.  It depends on the child.  Don't get me wrong - I do value having the time to help one student individually and completely see the benefit in private lessons (in addition to group, not a replacement), but I am more convinced that it varies child to child.  Yamaha Music Foundation has recently designed a new course to give more options to our advanced students.  This fall, we are going to be piloting a new Junior Ensemble Course.  This is specifically designed for the child that really enjoys being in group classes and may not be suited for the rigors of private lessons.  Up until now, the only option for students finishing Junior Extension Course (JXC) Book 4 was the Junior Advanced Course.  This course requires students to attend one hour a week group lessons as well as a 30 minute private lesson.  Now, the students and parents will have a choice of which track to follow.

The value of group lessons is at the core of what the Yamaha Music Education System.  These tiny glimpses into the other side (private lessons only) has helped reinforce this unique characteristic of our courses.

Live, Laugh, & Love

I'm sure that you can take these three words and apply them towards anything, but I think the connection to music is strongest! It's hard to imagine any part of our lives where there isn't music.

Teaching children is such an eye-opening experience, and I realized that I have so many a-ha moments during my teaching that I would like to share them with you - my students' parents. I hope this becomes a place where you too can share your own insights and wow moments that you observe. Children have such an amazing ability to bring us back to right now - for that's all that matters.

So here's what I think about those three words:

Live - I want my students to be musicians for life. I help nurture this gift that stays with them forever. It may be as simple as humming along with a song on the radio, playing the piano that they thought they forgot how to play, supporting arts in their community, or just enjoying listening to someone else play music.

Laugh - Music is fun, especially with friends. I know that they get that feeling in class and hope that they keep having fun with music - being in a band, singing in a choir, playing a song with a sibling, writing songs.

Love - These early experiences in Yamaha will help nurture a livelong love of music. Sometimes children may not realize what that feeling is until later - when their own choices in life show that love of music. There comes a point where they realize that their friends don't understand music the same way. They have learned a second language that only few can truly hear and express - and that is truly a gift.