How many of you have tried introducing the sound of intervals by saying, “This is the interval at the beginning of ___,” only to face the blank stares of your students because they do not know that piece? This most commonly happens in my studio when I have introduced the song for the 6th as “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.” It seems that no child really knows that song any more, so I’ve had to adapt and use the piece “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” which is not necessarily an improvement for some students!
But, little did I know that there is a tremendous resource out there that can take away the headache of finding well known songs. A teaching friend of mine recently wrote me to tell me that EarMaster.com will create a list of sample songs for every interval. What’s wonderful about this list is it contains many samples for each interval and a link to a sound or video file (usually a Youtube video) that demonstrates that interval in that particular song. So, if you are looking for a song that uses the ascending Major 6th as its beginning interval, you can choose 1 of 8 pieces, each of which can be listened to immediately. The list contains both ascending and descending intervals.
Students can go to this site and create their own handy interval reference chart choosing only songs that they know. They can then print the list from the website to store in their own assignment book. The site even features a “Today’s Challenge” box in the upper right hand corner that asks what the beginning interval is of the song on the featured Youtube video. The answer is on the bottom of the page.
This is really quite handy. I would definitely encourage you to check it out!
#1 by Carrie Isaac - January 11th, 2010 at 22:34
I *still* think “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” when thinking about 6th intervals, thanks to you!
Also: Here Comes The Bride, There’s a Place For Us… and I can’t remember what the others were supposed to be!
#2 by Wendy - January 12th, 2010 at 09:28
That’s awesome! I’m so glad to have been the one that taught you and many of my other students “My Bonnie.” If nothing else, at least I can drill those little pieces so much that it becomes a part of a student’s musical vocabulary. Thanks for telling me that they are still with you!
#3 by Jennifer - January 21st, 2010 at 09:30
What a great site. Thanks for sharing! I love that they can choose the pieces they are familiar with and then print their custom list. Brilliant!