On Using the Solfege System for Sight Reading Music
As we all know, the Suzuki approach to learning is modeled upon the way a baby learns his/her mother tongue. That is, a newborn hears the mother speak (even in utero) and hears the language of his environment. Little by little this baby creates sounds, syllables, words and then phrases and sentences to then be able to speak fluently the same language around her. I was born in the USA, and so my first language is English and I only have a small vocabulary in Japanese. While I was studying in Matsumoto, Japan at Dr. Suzuki's Talent Education Institute, I was jealous of those American children who were growing up in Japan and speaking fluent Japanese in their piano lessons!
Once we learn to speak, we then develop the skill of reading. We may start the alphabet soon in a child's development, but not unless the child has at least a minimum vocabulary as part of his verbal skills. From birth to speaking in sentences, it may take three or four years before we believe that child is ready to read.
In the Suzuki approach to learning music, we similarly delay the skills of reading until the student has acquired a minimum fluency on her instrument. We create ear training opportunities and teach the beginning tools of sight reading in our musicianship classes, and throughout the Suzuki School's history we have been using solfege as our system for reading the notes. Why is that?
Solfege syllables are very conducive to singing, and identifying and combining note patterns is like combining syllables into a longer word. These patterns are also connected to the ear because they are based upon speaking and singing the patterns. The repetition of these patterns become units that can then be combined into more complex long musical phrases. Patterns can likewise be fragmented to create a series of seemingly unrelated note patterns, but the well trained use of solfege enables better intonation and precision in quickly analyzing these patterns for better musical expression.
Solfege starts with what we hear and asks the student to be able to sing what he hears. From there the student learns how to write on the staff what she hears and sings. For this reason, we advocate all students learning how to read treble clef. A more traditional method of teaching reading, starts with the note written on the page and the teacher shows how to play that note on his instrument. The traditional method also focuses on what notes the student knows how to play on his instrument and translates that to how it is written on the page. Thus a viola student might only learn alto clef or a double bass student only learns bass clef. The link that is missing is often the "inner hearing" -- the ability to hear the note that the student sees on the page BEFORE it is produced on the instrument. Thus, understanding of the "grand staff" which incorporates reading all pitches at the frequency they are produced will help the student better understand the context of their own instrument's notation.
We are currently striving to improve our SSN students' ability to read music through developing a "good ear." When I attended the summer Suzuki Institute in Montreal, the Suzuki teachers would repeatedly say that the students who use solfege have better intonation on the violin. In Canada where there is bilingual French and English, the solfege system is often used, as it is in many countries throughout the world. As in learning a second language, solfege requires practice and environmental reinforcement to develop fluency.
We are planning a parent session to help you guide your students to become better sight readers in music and to work with you so that you may also develop better sight reading skills. As always, the Suzuki learning triangle creates the nurturing environment in which your child is supported in all his learning. In this journey, we are so grateful to the parents who are so willing to spend their time and energy in support of your home learning environment.
Sachiko Isihara
Executive Director