SongCycleS Music Studio
The SongCycleS Music Method
a description and bibliography of its many benefits to the students
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1) A wide range of contemporary music is included, such as classical music, but also including rock, jazz, Latin, country, world folk music, religious music of different faiths, patriotic music, Christmas music, musical theater and opera, commercial music, and children's music.
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2) All exercises are based on real culturally important tunes and songs, no matter how basic the level is, so all exercises actually form a part of the repertoire.
3) Included with the 113 exercises is a catalog of around 250 culturally important songs and tunes that can be accessed from the Studio computer during lessons. They are notated in Finale 2008 computer music notation software, so they can be printed out in any key according to the needs of the individual student.
4) Sequential teaching of standard music notation and chord symbols. Pitches and rhythms are introduced easy step by easy step to build very strong sight readers and improvisers.
5) All exercises have lyrics, so they can be taught by ear, as well as by reading, and each instrument's version of the book also serves a vocal sight singing method book.
6) Accompaniment CD recordings have melody and rhythm tracks, and the rhythm track can be played without the melody part to practice soloing or improvisation.
7) Comprehensive fingering charts, showing the complete chromatic scale, are included for each instrument.
8) Each instrument, violin, viola, cello, string bass, bass guitar, guitar, harp, voice, piano, mandolin, and harmonica, is used on all strings and all registers from the beginning. All instruments learn both melody and rhythm parts.
9) Each exercise comes footnoted with a discography / bibliography so that the student listen to, read, or watch the culturally important works that the exercise is derived from.
10) Appendices showing the relative pitch solfege syllables, major and minor scale patterns, the circle of 5ths, rhythm trees in common time signatures, and a list of the tunes used to make exercises in the sight reading sequence.
11) The final exercises 65-113 all come as culturally important tunes notated as duets with a counterpoint / harmony in the second staff. This allows the Method to be used as an orchestra ensemble class repertoire.
12) The Suzuki, Orff, Dalcroze, Kodàly, Applebaum, jazz education methods, and traditional studio pedagogy methods were all synthesized to create a method using the best of all of them.
Dr. Smeall has authored his own method book,
The SongCycleS Music Method. This method book teaches reading both standard notation and chord symbols. The Method combines the best and proven teaching and learning methods and is student tested. It can be used to teach any age group, and this makes it ideal for pre-school/ parent partners. The sequence of exercises is the same for each instrument, violin, viola, cello, string bass, guitar, piano, harp, drums, voice, and mandolin, so it can be used an ensemble class textbook.
