Do-Mi-Sol ID: Practice identifying Do, Mi, and Sol, given Do. Here's the drill. Try to get as many correct in a row as you can without hitting the reference note between notes. Keep at it until it gets easy and you don't need the reference note anymore. 

Too easy? Excellent. You can customize this exercise to include as many pitch options as you'd like; increase the range, change instruments, etc. Here's the customizable drill. Click the gear icon in the top right corner to update your options. 

Like this drill? MusicTheory.net has an app called Tenuto. You can download it for on-the-go ear-training practice!

Tuning Do-Mi-Sol: Practice skipping between Do, Mi, and Sol in different keys against a sounding drone pitch. Sing slowly and focus on your intonation. 

• Improvising with 1, 3, and 5. 

  • • Point & Sing: Open the major solfège ladder. Practice stepping and skipping between 1, 3, and 5 as a classmate or instructor points to each syllable. Have students come up to improvise melodies by pointing to syllables on the ladder that only skip or step between 1, 3, and 5. 

    • Improvised Melodies: Looking at the solfège ladder as a visual guide, make up a 3–5 note melody that steps or skips between scale degrees 1, 3, and 5. Have your partner pick up on the melody by starting with the last note of your segment (e.g. Do-Mi-Fa-Sol, Sol-La-Sol-Do, Do-Ti-Do, etc.). 

• Singing "My Girl": Listen to the first verse of "My Girl," then sing it with solfège. Do the same with the chorus. Note how the chorus hook outlines a major triad built on the tonic! Here's a link to the score. 

• Transcribing Oklahoma: Transcribe the second verse from "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," the opening number from Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein III's 1943 musical Oklahoma. The number introduces the audience to Curly, one of the story's protagonists, who works as a cattle driver. This rendition is sung by Gordon McRae from the 1955 film adaptation. Begin your transcription of the 2nd verse at 0:43 in the recording. Here's a link to the Handout.

Repertoire for Practice

• Sight Reading & Dictation: 

  • • Rhythm: Continued work with 8th note values and rests. 

    • Melody: Skips between 1, 3, and 5 in the major mode. 

• Transcription: Excerpts for transcription that are stepwise and include skips between 1, 3, 5 in major.