Step and skip recognition to strengthen the note-reading skills

2020-09-15

Note reading. We all could agree that reading music is an important skill for any level of musician. Simple drilling of the note reading on the staff is not necessarily the best strategy and might not be the greatest for some types of learners too. In order to excel in reading we teachers must employ different strategies. One of them is step and skip recognition.

Keyboard steps and skips

It is essential to introduce steps and skips concepts using a keyboard. Let’s say a student has already mastered the keyboard pattern, and music direction and is familiar with the music alphabet. For a student like this, what might be the next step? Right, introducing steps and skips by moving up and down the keyboard. Children like learning this concept as it is easy to understand therefore they grasp it quickly.

Keyboard steps and skips

Music alphabet steps and skips

Next phase of learning – music alphabet steps and skips. Use alphabet cards and play a variety of games. For example, Piano Heroes Note Reading Card Games.

Notation steps and skips

Last to mastering steps and skips recognition is studying the music score. The most relevant way is to find the steps and skips in the piece, a student is currently playing or getting ready to learn. For example, ask the student to visually study the score, and find and circle all the skips in mm 1-4.

Step and skip notation