The Musical Stave
evolved hand in hand with Classical Music development. As the scores get longer they become harder to be memorized or able to be repeated the same each time if it is not performed regularly. Therefore has to be notated/scored. The invention of printing allows the works of classical composers to be distributed widely.
It is based on the Major scale tonality that starts at middle C. (tonality is a feeling generated by a sequence of sounds that reflects a style or culture of music).
It is a feeling that when repeated enough times will become a tool either through listening, singing or playing it. Western cultures use this scale for their construction of classical and popular music. Doh Re Mi reflects the tonality.
It closely connects to the harmonic overtone series that reflects the cosmic phenomenon of sound frequencies that smaller partials respond sympathetically vibrate in kind also relative to gravity/mass.
***
History of the Musical Stave
Leesa, a Director of an Early Childhood Centre summarizes a series of workshops given by the author. 2013.
"The musical stave evolved from medieval civilization. The Western cultures adopted the ancient Greek invention, the 7 alphabets for representing music letters which are specific sound frequencies.
Between 1000 and 1300's the notation evolved started with musicians using their hands indicate these notes to be higher and lower notes by hands up and down, then moved to onto a blank piece of paper with high dots and low dots to indicate notes. Then they become more precise using a piece of paper with a line in the middle they would indicate that as a starting note, for example that could be a C anything above the line would be higher and thing below would be lower. Refining the process even more they used a line to represent each letter. Every time they wanted to go higher or lower they would just add a new line, this was very simplistic way to notate.
every time they reviewed the process they would refine it even more, so save room, they now decided to use the space in between the lines as letters. Now we had letters every where which became more complicated for people to read. One of the problems this caused was that when teacher wrote the 7 notes A for example would begin on a line, when repeated as a higher note it would be in a space, which caused more confusion for students.
Later on in the 1300's the musicians held a convention to discuss the many different styles, they wanted to have a common notation for all musicians as every country was different. A German and Italian System was created called the musical stave. The convention decided to accept this as the best system. Although it was adopted at the convention it still took 300 years to be universally accepted by Western culture.
As science evolved they found there were five more musical letters BUT they couldn't call them letters as such as this would throw the whole system out. The 5 letters were within the 7 letters. How could they squeezed them in? The musical stave is based on 7, they couldn't change the stave - too many songs had been written - so they invented key signatures. Key signatures are formulas to bring the extra letters in the form of sharps and flats. Sharps are the raised note of the adjacent letter and flats are the lower note of the adjacent letter. The 7 seven letters plus 5 letters created 12 notes that underline full music maths for music theory. Music maths runs on a base twelve system.
When teaching music, the keyboard/Piano has always been the traditional instrument used to teach, bringing out the sound of the letters on the musical stave for sight singing and sight reading. The black keys on the keyboard are the extra five extra notes hidden within the stave. When looking at the stave students don't get a visual representation of the notes because the extra notes are hidden. We by pass the keyboard by using the A to G song, the song explains the 7 letters. The song promotes interactions and excitement; children are able connect to the musical stave from the beginning of the program... Sharps and flats can be introduced around age 4,5,6 years old in the advanced section of the program if required.
The A to G song provides the sounds to activate the musical stave without going through the complexities of the keyboard. Just like the regular ABC song children have been learning for years to help them the alphabet, now we have the A to G song that help identify pitch and musical notes.
Never before has this been taught in early childhood-Children will be able to recognize the stave on sight, identify the 7 musical notes and by singing the song created for this program children will be able to directly relate to pitch and notes sight singing and sight reading the musical stave. Students will become familiar with the stave you will be able to point to it and the children will be able to respond spontaneously. As well as using the A to G song we will be using placards and reference posters for children to look at while they are singing.
We all know 0-5 are the most important years in a child life, this is the time when the most synapses are forming in the brain, the more the child is exposed to the A to G song more are form.
This music program will encourage children to be confident and creative, expressing all kinds of sounds. Students will acquire the necessary ingredients and tools to become successful in sight singing which allows students to recognize and sing each letter intuitively. This will give children a strong foundation for learning a musical instrument or even creating music. Musical ability has been shown to increase performance in other subject areas such as science and maths".
***
evolved hand in hand with Classical Music development. As the scores get longer they become harder to be memorized or able to be repeated the same each time if it is not performed regularly. Therefore has to be notated/scored. The invention of printing allows the works of classical composers to be distributed widely.
It is based on the Major scale tonality that starts at middle C. (tonality is a feeling generated by a sequence of sounds that reflects a style or culture of music).
It is a feeling that when repeated enough times will become a tool either through listening, singing or playing it. Western cultures use this scale for their construction of classical and popular music. Doh Re Mi reflects the tonality.
It closely connects to the harmonic overtone series that reflects the cosmic phenomenon of sound frequencies that smaller partials respond sympathetically vibrate in kind also relative to gravity/mass.
***
History of the Musical Stave
Leesa, a Director of an Early Childhood Centre summarizes a series of workshops given by the author. 2013.
"The musical stave evolved from medieval civilization. The Western cultures adopted the ancient Greek invention, the 7 alphabets for representing music letters which are specific sound frequencies.
Between 1000 and 1300's the notation evolved started with musicians using their hands indicate these notes to be higher and lower notes by hands up and down, then moved to onto a blank piece of paper with high dots and low dots to indicate notes. Then they become more precise using a piece of paper with a line in the middle they would indicate that as a starting note, for example that could be a C anything above the line would be higher and thing below would be lower. Refining the process even more they used a line to represent each letter. Every time they wanted to go higher or lower they would just add a new line, this was very simplistic way to notate.
every time they reviewed the process they would refine it even more, so save room, they now decided to use the space in between the lines as letters. Now we had letters every where which became more complicated for people to read. One of the problems this caused was that when teacher wrote the 7 notes A for example would begin on a line, when repeated as a higher note it would be in a space, which caused more confusion for students.
Later on in the 1300's the musicians held a convention to discuss the many different styles, they wanted to have a common notation for all musicians as every country was different. A German and Italian System was created called the musical stave. The convention decided to accept this as the best system. Although it was adopted at the convention it still took 300 years to be universally accepted by Western culture.
As science evolved they found there were five more musical letters BUT they couldn't call them letters as such as this would throw the whole system out. The 5 letters were within the 7 letters. How could they squeezed them in? The musical stave is based on 7, they couldn't change the stave - too many songs had been written - so they invented key signatures. Key signatures are formulas to bring the extra letters in the form of sharps and flats. Sharps are the raised note of the adjacent letter and flats are the lower note of the adjacent letter. The 7 seven letters plus 5 letters created 12 notes that underline full music maths for music theory. Music maths runs on a base twelve system.
When teaching music, the keyboard/Piano has always been the traditional instrument used to teach, bringing out the sound of the letters on the musical stave for sight singing and sight reading. The black keys on the keyboard are the extra five extra notes hidden within the stave. When looking at the stave students don't get a visual representation of the notes because the extra notes are hidden. We by pass the keyboard by using the A to G song, the song explains the 7 letters. The song promotes interactions and excitement; children are able connect to the musical stave from the beginning of the program... Sharps and flats can be introduced around age 4,5,6 years old in the advanced section of the program if required.
The A to G song provides the sounds to activate the musical stave without going through the complexities of the keyboard. Just like the regular ABC song children have been learning for years to help them the alphabet, now we have the A to G song that help identify pitch and musical notes.
Never before has this been taught in early childhood-Children will be able to recognize the stave on sight, identify the 7 musical notes and by singing the song created for this program children will be able to directly relate to pitch and notes sight singing and sight reading the musical stave. Students will become familiar with the stave you will be able to point to it and the children will be able to respond spontaneously. As well as using the A to G song we will be using placards and reference posters for children to look at while they are singing.
We all know 0-5 are the most important years in a child life, this is the time when the most synapses are forming in the brain, the more the child is exposed to the A to G song more are form.
This music program will encourage children to be confident and creative, expressing all kinds of sounds. Students will acquire the necessary ingredients and tools to become successful in sight singing which allows students to recognize and sing each letter intuitively. This will give children a strong foundation for learning a musical instrument or even creating music. Musical ability has been shown to increase performance in other subject areas such as science and maths".
***
The keyboard or the piano is the main instrument to explain the musical stave, and also provide the pitch for the 7 letters. The strings, brass and wind instruments can also provide the pitch, but unable to demonstrate the 7 letters and the sharps and flats to be logically visible. The harp can provide both but is too expensive to be used as a teaching tool. The guitar too can do the same but is too confusing as it has 6 strings where each string is like another keyboard.... it is hard enough just to explain one, and also each string has a different starting pitch adding more to the complexity. So in the end it is back to the keyboard (which is one string of the guitar), and has the closest association to the music reading tool. Even though the sharp and flat letters are in scientific terms to be of equal value with the white keys, they are shown as black keys and squeezed amongst white letters. Adding to the visual complexity for the child to contend with when dealing with music theory beyond the key of C. (This is overcome with Innovation 2 which we shall discuss later on another page).
to be somewhat competent, requires over two years at the least to feel confident to connect with the musical stave..... Thus this leaves all early childhood staff a virtual impossibility and able to feel confident in front of children to explain the musical stave, as no such specialized training is included in their course.... thus results in not being able to teach children reading music. Also children are very observant - if you are half cooked, or unsure, they will wander off. Thus the reason why as far as I know not a single childcare centre can say they actually can help children to connect to the musical stave. What they imply is that they have a music programs that teaches movement, dance, sing, and beat percussions, etc...... or indicating that a music discipline is dealing with it (still as vague as ever)... as far as I/we know from many early childhood staff that have linked up with us,, it is always omitting the very core ingredients/data that formulate making music literacy so be able to connect with musical stave and music teachers. No one is to blame for missing the Engine in music making, as it is a historical problem due to lack of innovations or no real solution to address the Musical Stave problem. It was never designed as a tool for Early Childhood's Music Learning.
Breakthrough allows all Childcare Staff to 'Break the Ice" able to access the Written Musical Language through a song making the Musical Stave user friendly, by Rejuvenating and Revitalizing it, to be easily comprehendible straightaway through familiarity of the Music Literacy Song housed in the Music
Literacy Pantomime. Kids participating in this play will be putting them on a par to the learning of
English and Math Literacy
to be somewhat competent, requires over two years at the least to feel confident to connect with the musical stave..... Thus this leaves all early childhood staff a virtual impossibility and able to feel confident in front of children to explain the musical stave, as no such specialized training is included in their course.... thus results in not being able to teach children reading music. Also children are very observant - if you are half cooked, or unsure, they will wander off. Thus the reason why as far as I know not a single childcare centre can say they actually can help children to connect to the musical stave. What they imply is that they have a music programs that teaches movement, dance, sing, and beat percussions, etc...... or indicating that a music discipline is dealing with it (still as vague as ever)... as far as I/we know from many early childhood staff that have linked up with us,, it is always omitting the very core ingredients/data that formulate making music literacy so be able to connect with musical stave and music teachers. No one is to blame for missing the Engine in music making, as it is a historical problem due to lack of innovations or no real solution to address the Musical Stave problem. It was never designed as a tool for Early Childhood's Music Learning.
Breakthrough allows all Childcare Staff to 'Break the Ice" able to access the Written Musical Language through a song making the Musical Stave user friendly, by Rejuvenating and Revitalizing it, to be easily comprehendible straightaway through familiarity of the Music Literacy Song housed in the Music
Literacy Pantomime. Kids participating in this play will be putting them on a par to the learning of
English and Math Literacy
