JOAN YAKKEY'S MUSIC TEACHING METHOD AND MATERIALS: JOAN YAKKEY ON MUSICAL LITERACY

domenica 6 febbraio 2011

JOAN YAKKEY ON MUSICAL LITERACY

The YAKKEY METHOD for MUSICAL LITERACY

Music Professor Joan Yakkey http://www.myspace.com/maestroyakkey was born in New York City and lives in Florence, Italy for over 40 years where she taught piano at the State Music Conservatory for over 37 years. Since 1980 she has been teaching and conducting choirs at the School of Music of Fiesole http://www.scuolamusica.fiesole.fi.it/ . Over the years she has created and experimented her own teaching materials developed as an innovative all-inclusive method for acquiring musical literacy in both children and adults.

The method is new for most people but it has been used by Joan Yakkey for over 30 years, and by hundreds of her students, with affirmed success. The basic concept lies in the simple and innate procedure that explains written musical notation as one creates melodies, counterpoint and rhythms in acontemporary, 21^st century idiom. It is useful for individual use, class teaching or group projects in Music Schools. Other well-known didactic methods (Orff and Kodaly and others) are referred to in the Yakkey Method with the intention of providing a bridge for music teachers who only wish to update their teaching methods without abandoning their personal knowledge and experience.

The Yakkey method includes the following materials:

1. THE LANGUAGE OF MUSIC: Sight-singing albums in contemporary polyphony based on the Fixed Do system used in Southern European cultures, but which incorporate movable reading skills similar to those taught by the Movable Do system (Kodaly method), only with the substitution of a Movable Clef system, a century's old tradition in Southern Europe. The method is indicated for beginning choral singers ages 6 to adult. This is the link to download the albums: LANGUAGE OF MUSIC SIGHT SINGING SERIES

2. SIGNS AND SOUNDS: 5 music coloring books to sing and play for children ages 5 – 14. In these books the children write their own music and learn to navigate among the various notes and rhythmic note values in various clefs.

In the first book, indicated for children 5 - 8 years of age, the children learn the basics of musical notation (without clefs) and are asked to draw different types of designs, placing musical notes on them or on a musical staff. The music is then sung and interpreted on the piano or on melodic percussion instruments (Orff instruments).

The second book asks the children to copy graphic designs and place notes on them. They then have exercizes where they must color notes on one or two musical staff lines (each note has it's own color). The third book also contains many graphic drawings that must be interpreted in musical notation that the children fill in. The volume also contains many songs with lyrics and notes to color. The fourth book is a study in the C clef, the student reads notes on one line at a time. The line is then replaced on a musical staff. It also contains exercizes in 2 and 3 parts, to be sung or played, and contains explainations of rhythmic values. Games are included along with many opportunities to compose original music. The fifth book explains the G clef and other more complex factors of musical notation such as: rhythms, transposition, tonalities and intervals. Here too there are many songs to sing using names of notes (solfegge) or lyrics.

3. MAGIC MUSIC CARDS: 600 Laminated colorful Music Cards with rhythms and melodies in various languages, for an enjoyable experience with over 100 musical games and activities. A Teacher’s Guide and materials can be ordered for group and solo study.

Description of CARDS:

RHYTHM CARDS LEVEL I: INTRODUCTION TO BASIC RYTHMS

Four sets of 6 different colored Rhythm cards in different meters.

RHYTHM CARDS LEVEL II: GAMES IN MULTIPLE MEASURES AND PHRASES

Four sets of 4 cards, each in a different time signature and a different color.

MELODY CARDS LEVEL I . INTRODUCTION TO BASIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MELODIC INTERVALS, RHYTHMS AND NOTATION, WITH THE AID OF ANALYTIC TITLES

These are 64 cards with analytic titles in English and Italian (other languages can be requested). Demonstration Sheets are provided in large print for each set. Laminated Teacher’s Guides with all cards printed are included for convenience.

MELODY CARDS LEVEL II . INTRODUCTION TO SPECIFIED INTERVALS

These are five sets in different colors of 40 different cards, each with a different melodic motif for a total of 200 cards. Each set presents motifs with specific melodic intervals. The Time signature is not considered. Students generally use one card per game, complex games use more than one set together. Demonstration Sheets in large print are included for each set. Laminated Teacher’s Guides with all cards printed are included for convenience.

MELODY CARDS LEVEL III . MIXED INTERVALS, FOUR TIME SIGNATURES AND VARIED KEY SIGNATURES

These are three groups of 4 sets of 28 cards for a total of 336 cards. Each group is in a different key signature, each set within each group is in a different time signature and a different color, repeated for all 3 groups. Each card presents the equivalent of two measures of music. Students use one card per game. Demonstration Sheets in large print are included for each set. Laminated Teacher’s Guides with all cards printed are included for convenience.

Suggested GAMES to play with the Magic Music Cards:

Guessing Games - The Memory Game - Be a Composer Follow the Conductor/ Be a Conductor

Making Chamber Music (instruments and voice) - Discover the Card

Playing in the Orchestra (with use of instruments such as Orff’s) - Singing the Cards

Invent your Song - Theme and Variations - Dictation games

Game: Don’t Stop or you’re out - Guess your friend’s cards - Opposite melodies

The Mini choir - The Oratorio, the Cantata, the Opera

Rhythms walk and run - Guess the Missing measure - The medieval motet

All that Jazz - The Gospel choir - Be an arranger

Get hired as a performer- Publish your score - Create a story

Develop your lyrics - The Madrigal singers - The instant operetta

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MAGIC CARD GAMES

Here are some examples:

Using cards from RHYTHM 1, each child receives one set of 6 different colored cards in one time signature chosen from 2/4 - 3/4 - 4/4 - 6/8.

Step 1: Each card is learned by repeated the rhythm with Ta - Ta, with imaginary solfegge names, with words like proper names.

Step 2: Cards are put together and performed one after another, first 2 at a time until all six cards are played in one phrase. Children then cahnge then change the order of the cards and then perform them again.

Step 3: The teacher plays music on the piano repeating the rhythm of one card, the children must guess which card is being played.

Step 4: The teacher performs 5 cards only and the children must guess which card was not played.

Step 5: The cards are put in a certain order, the teacher performs them making a mistake on one card, the children must guess the card.

Step 6: Seven cards are perfomed (one card is repeated) and the children must guess which card this was.

Step 7: Cards are performed on rhythmic instruments or by clapping etc in two groups, one group repeats a single card (an ostinato) and the other group reads them all as before.

Step 8: Cards are sung in two groups with solfegge notes, one group repeats one card as an ostinato while the others improvise on all the six cards of the set.

Using cards from MELODY 1. These are 64 cards with captions over various melodies in different rhythms. The teacher has a bound book where all cards are presented in large print for group study. The purpose of these cards is to use a caption to analyse the melodic motifs and thus facilitate the comprehension and memory of the music on the card.

Step 1: All 64 cards are distributed to the students. Reading from the book where cards are printed large, the teacher explains how the caption corresponds to the melodic motif on each card.

Step 2: The teacher sings or plays each card randomly, one at a time, and each child must search among his own cards to find it.

Step 3: Making the tour of the class, each child makes up a little story that pertains to a card, then performs the card himself. The next child continues the story performing a card that is pertinent.

Step 4: The children copy one or more cards on music paper and then they invent another personal card that complements the one chosen and drawn. For example, having copied the card with the caption "the airplane takes off" with a scale of notes that ascend, a corresponding card could be "the airplane lands" a child must design the corresponding card with a scale that descends.

Step 5: Reinforcing Memory: exchanging turns, each child sings or plays a card while the others guess the caption.

Step 6: Children invent a short melody or motiv, they write it and sing it. Together they decide what caption to put over it.

Step 7: Children have several cards and sing or play them one after the other without hesitation.

Note: the cards do not require knowledge of note names or speciifc rhythmic values or time/key signatures. The interpretation of each card's motif is left to each child's imagination as long as the notes are performed in proportionate length and pitch.