The Dictation Resource is a free, open educational resource, created with the goal of reducing textbook costs for music theory students. The website was launched in 2020. Additions to the website in 2021 were supported by a grant from the Textbook Alternative Program at Rowan University. Each semester, The Dictation Resource saves Rowan University music students tens of thousands of dollars in textbook costs over the purchase of new materials. 

The website currently contains dictation and ear training assignments for a four-semester aural skills curriculum in Western diatonic and chromatic harmony. In part, the sequence of chapters roughly follows the order of topics in Berkowitz et al. A New Approach to Sight Singing, but the website will work with any sight singing text that follows a scale degree approach. 

The Dictation Resource works on both computers and mobile devices. To access audio files on mobile devices users may need the Google Drive app.

The Dictation Resource contains the following materials:

Melodic Dictation Exercises – These consist of single voice melodies in a variety of keys, clefs, and meters. In general, exercises 1-5 in each chapter use midi piano sounds, and exercises 6-10 use a variety of instrument sounds in their native clefs. Students are provided with clef, key and key signature, meter signature, and starting note for each exercise. Within each chapter exercises are not sequenced, and instructors are encouraged to choose the exercises from the chapter that best suit the level of their students.

Rhythm Dictation Exercises – Chapters that focus on rhythmic elements contain single-voice rhythm dictation exercises using midi piano sounds.

Pitch Pattern Exercises – Most chapters that focus on melodic elements include a pdf of common pitch patterns in movable-do solfege and accompanying ear training exercises. Students can practice singing and identifying the pitch patterns as a preliminary to completing corresponding dictation and sight-singing assignments. 

Harmonic Dictation Exercises – Generally, exercises 1-5 in each chapter are focused on harmonic materials are in chorale-style in a variety of keys and meters. Students are provided with the key, meter signature, and starting notes, and the Roman numeral for the first chord. Instructors should specify to students what elements of the dictation to complete (i.e., bass line and Roman numerals only, outer voices, or all four parts). Later exercises in each chapter use a variety of textures and instrument sounds, generally with a slower harmonic rhythm. There are no prompts given for these exercises. Students could be instructed to complete only a harmonic sketch of these examples or could be tasked with transcribing them in their entirety.

Preliminary Progressions – These sections provide notation and audio of common chord progressions in chorale-style in the key of C major or minor, allowing students to familiarize themselves with the sound of the chord progressions before they begin work on harmonic dictation.

The Dictation Resource Answer Key – The answer key is provided only to instructors, who can request it here: Answer Key Request

While The Dictation Resource was mainly designed as a source for homework and outside of class practice, the materials contained within the website and the answer key can be used and adapted in a variety of ways. These materials are shared through a Creative Common License, which allows their use for non-commercial purposes as long as they are attributed and shared under the same license. 

Here are some suggestions for using and adapting the materials:

·      Students could sing or identify pitch patterns in class.

·      Students could identify the various preliminary progressions in class.

·      The audio files can be downloaded, shared through different course management systems, modified to add count-offs, change tempo, etc.

·      Answers to select exercises can be copied and pasted to share with students.

·      The answer key could be a source for in-class dictations, sight-singing exercises, or piano or instrumental performance.

·      Harmonic dictation answers could be adapted into analysis exercises for worksheets, tests, quizzes, and study guides.

·      In a fundamentals class, answers could be used for practice with note-naming or key signature identification.

·      Composition assignments adapted from the answers could include melody harmonization, writing melodies over the harmonic progressions, composing a new ending to a given melody, etc.  

Questions? Suggestions? Errata? Please contact Adam J. Kolek at kolek@rowan.edu