Integral Aspects of Harmonic Hearing in the Process of Sight-Singing

Abstract

Harmonic hearing is a significant characteristic for professional musicians, hence its development is one of the most important tasks in musical training, precisely in teaching solfeggio. The paper debates the basic hypothesis that at an academic age, the level of development of harmonic hearing with the students of music is significantly correlated with the success in sight-singing. The research was realised on the sample of the students at the Faculty of Arts in Niš (N = 42). The data were collected by questionnaires and examination, whereby the grades in the level of harmonic hearing and sight-singing were awarded. The results show significant positive correlation between the grades (r = .37, p ˂ .05), which confirms the basic hypothesis. The paper additionally considers the elements which can formally and informally influence the development of harmonic hearing and examines the importance of various aspects of an analysis of sigh-singing melodic exercises. To sum up, we pointed to the necessity for applying integral aspects of harmonic hearing in sight-singing and developing skills and competences for participation in various music activities.

Building a mental toolbox: Relationships between strategy choice and sight-singing performance in higher education

“…It is probably why most strategies we listed were linked to pitch rather than rhythm in almost all categories, including the use of musical knowledge. This result is also consistent with findings from Nikolić and Kodela (2020) , who found that results from a harmonic perception test correlated with sight-singing results. The authors also discovered that students who engaged in musical analysis also had greater success in sight-singing.…”

“…In addition to understanding melodies either as distances (intervals) or functions (scale degrees), musicians can also analyze melodies harmonically, which has been correlated with sight-singing performance ( Nikolić & Kodela, 2020 ). Yet, most choir textbooks do not include such strategies ( Floyd & Haning, 2015 ), which could mean musicians who would benefit from them do not learn these techniques.…”

Experiential and Cognitive Predictors of Sight-Singing Performance in Music Higher Education

“…Musicians with stronger RP would presumably be able to hear mentally and sing written notation more easily. There could also be a critical period for developing strong tonal automated schemas leading to better sight-singing performance, as suggested by Nikolić and Kodela (2020) . Indeed, early learners may master tonal vocabulary (like chords and common patterns) better than late learners.…”