Sight Singing
Made Easy
An Online Introduction
to Sight Singing
Next course starts 18 April 2024.
‘The teacher’s easy manner gave me the courage to have a go even if I wasn’t getting things right. By my own reckoning I have made huge progress since I began the course.’
– M. Byrne
‘Sight singing is a skill that I thought was beyond me, but when it was broken down and explained well by an excellent teacher, and then practised of course, it’s amazing how quickly it became second nature!’
– R. Fitzpatrick
Course Description
Sight singing is the skill of turning written music into sound (and song), by making sense of such elements as rhythm, intervals, key signatures and phrasing. Anyone who has ever studied voice or sung in a choir knows the importance of sight singing. But it is a valuable skill for all musicians to develop, since it will vastly improve your ability to read music at sight, as well as your pitch sense and rhythmical accuracy.
Waltons New School of Music’s Sight Singing Made Easy course combines essential music theory (treble and bass clefs, notes and note values, time signatures, frequently used terms and signs) with a practical approach to sight singing informed by the music education philosophies of Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967).
The course will simultaneously develop your music reading skills and practical sight singing – incorporating such elements as pitch, tuning, rhythm and solfège (do-re-mi, etc.). And you will learn to use ‘inner hearing’ to picture how notes sound without actually hearing them. Once your aural skills are developed, sight singing at the correct pitch becomes simple.
While a lot of ground is covered each week and homework given, the approach is both enjoyable and student friendly. This course is for anyone who has ever wanted to pick up a song or a piece of sheet music and sing. It’s easier than you think!
Students concurrently enrolled for lessons or courses at the New School receive a 20% discount off the fee for Sight Singing Made Easy.
Questions about the course?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
Requirements
Participants in this online course should purchase the following materials (available from Waltons Music or most good music shops) before the first class:
- An Introduction to Sight Singing, Part 1 by A. Forbes Milne
- A spiral-bound A4 music manuscript book
They will also need:
- An internet-connected laptop, computer, tablet or smartphone. (A laptop or computer with webcam and microphone is recommended, as it will have the largest picture.)
- Ideally, internet speed at least 1.5Mb per second. (You can test your speed using Measurement Lab’s Speed Test.)
- Headphones or earbuds, if possible.
- Free Zoom software or app.*
* If you haven’t learned music with Zoom before, please see our printable Zoom for Students information sheet for information on how to download and set up Zoom for music tuition.
Before the course begins, the teacher will email you a Zoom meeting invitation that includes a meeting ID and password to join the first class.
Sight Singing Made Easy is one of the New School’s group courses. We also offer private sight singing lessons for students at all levels. See Theory • Musicianship • Songwriting Tuition for more information.
Lenka Dobai
Hailing from Slovakia, Lenka started music at an early age, singing from the age of three and playing piano from the age of five. She studied classical music, piano, spinet, choral singing and Gregorian singing and practice as an undergraduate at Kosice State Conservatory and than earned a Masters in Musicology from Comenius University in Bratislava. (Her thesis was on the music and sound of Frank Zappa.) During her studies she began teaching piano and voice, and she continued her teaching practice when she moved to Dublin. (She has since returned to Slovakia and continues to teach online from there.) With the New School, she has taught a wide range of students of all ages and skill levels, and several of them have won prizes in our annual Scholarship Competition. Lenka is also a member of the renowned vocal ensemble Silver Kites, which focuses on new and experimental music. Their aim is to perform an exciting and diverse range of vocal and interdisciplinary work and to take choral music to places it simply hasn’t gone before. Lenka also teaches piano, voice and our Music Fundamentals course. She has taught with the New School since 2012.
Amy Morrison
Amy studied in Trinity College Dublin (where she received both a BA in Music and a Professional Diploma in Education), the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary (where she received an advanced diploma), and most recently in Dublin City University (where she completed a Masters in Choral Studies, graduating with First Class Honours). As a teacher, Amy has worked extensively in secondary school, music school, and workshop settings with students of all ages, teaching Junior Cert. Music, Leaving Cert. Music, theory, musicianship, piano and voice. She is also very involved with the Post-Primary Music Teachers Association, where she has been a member of the Conference Team at their annual conferences, and from 2018 to 2020 she served as Vice-Chairperson of the Association. Amy is the current Chairperson of Kodály Ireland, having been heavily involved as a member of the organisation’s committee since 2018. She is continuing her studies by completing the International Kodály Certificate with the Kodály Institute, alongside certificate courses with the British Kodály Academy and the National Youth Choir of Scotland. Amy also teaches our Leaving Cert. Music and Music Fundamentals courses.
Reviews • Testimonials
‘The course is challenging [and] great fun. The teacher is very helpful without being patronising, and the material progresses quickly.’
– N. Casey
‘An excellent introduction to sight singing for beginners – a lot simpler than I thought it would be!’
– S. Delaney
‘This course is a great way to learn sight singing with an excellent teacher. I’ve sung with a few choirs over the years, but I always had to learn the music either by ear or with recordings. What a pleasure it is now to just pick up a written song or piece of music and sing it! ‘
– N. Waters
Have you taken – or are you taking – this course? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.
2023-2024 Third Term
Course Schedule
10 weeks, 18 April – 20 June 2024
Thursdays 5.30 – 6.30 pm
Teacher: Lenka Dobai
Course Type: Online
Tuition Fees
Full Fee: €160
Discounted Fee: €128 *
* Students concurrently enrolled for other other lessons or courses with the New School receive a 20% discount off the tuition fee for this course.
Enrolment
Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the course fee. Places are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. Many of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.
Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.
Questions about the course?
or call us on (01) 478 1884.
