Verbal Association Part 2: Building a Musical Vocabulary

In Part 1 of this article, I explained the basics of verbal association as a level of learning in Gordon’s Skill Learning Sequence. In this article, I will endeavor to describe the ways in which Gordon and his contemporaries have taken the theory and created practical applications to help students build a musical vocabulary through Learning Sequence Activities. In Part 3, I will explain ways that all of this content and context can be reinforced throughout normal day to day and week to week instruction.

Reminder: Learning Sequence Activities vs. Classroom Activities

In my article Two Teaching Modalities, I describe the differences, similarities and co-dependencies between Learning Sequence Activities and Classroom Activities in an MLT-inspired classroom. In Learning Sequence Activities, we devote a short chunk of time each class - roughly 5 minutes - to the active teaching of tonal and rhythmic musicianship. In Classroom Activities, we reinforce, review and apply the musicianship concepts to the songs, dances, games, and activities that are already happening in our classrooms. 

I use these slides as a visual reminder of the syllables for each meter. They are available for teachers here.

Rhythm Solfege

As explained in Part 1, MLT practitioners use a beat-function solfege system to label the rhythmic sounds in their audiation. So you might say something like, “When you audiate DU as the macrobeat, and DU DE as the microbeat, the music is in duple meter.” If it were my class, I would have half of the class chant DU while the other half chants DU DE, and then switch a few times. 

All of this information needs constant review, repetition, and reinforcement. Many MLT teachers use audiation prompts to review vocabulary and big ideas.

As soon as students have had sufficient experience with duple meter, the parallel information is taught in triple meter. All other vocabulary, including additional rhythmic functions (divisions, elongations, etc.) and their associated syllables are taught as necessary.

Tonal Vocabulary

After students have heard and performed music in both major and minor tonalities, have found their singing voices, and can echo patterns at the Aural/Oral level, they are ready for verbal association.  Just as we did with meter, we need to label both context and content. 

Tonalities and Resting Tones

Just as meter is explained to students in terms of the microbeats that they are audiating, tonality is explained to students in terms of the resting tone they are audiating. 

In the teaching of this concept, a teacher can establish tonality using Dr. Gordon’s tonal sequence. 

A very simple explanation like “Today, I ended on DO, so we are in major tonality” will suffice. No theoretical explanations of half steps and whole steps are prudent at this level of learning. 

Tonic and Dominant Functions

Also at this level, students are taught both the names of the primary harmonic functions (tonic and dominant) and their associated syllables. 

Once students have a good handle on the vocabulary, and have engaged in Learning Sequence Activities and Classroom Activities in major, the parallel instruction is initiated in minor tonality. 

Learning Sequence Activities and General Teaching Techniques

Keeping in mind that Learning Sequence Activities only account for approximately 5 minutes of each class’s instructional time, one must be as efficient and consistent as possible in their teaching. 

I outline some general teaching procedures for Learning Sequence Activities in my article, A Beginner's Guide to MLT. Below are some suggestions specifically related to the Verbal Association level of learning. 

Establishing Context

If we remind ourselves of the MLT 3: Skills, Context and Content, then we must pay attention to context in everything we do. Nothing musically that we do happens in a bubble devoid of musical context, and pattern teaching is no exception. 

For tonal context, Dr. Gordon uses a tonal sequence to establish tonal context (see above). In my GIML Elementary General Level 1 certification course, my instructor Dr. Alison Reynolds referred to this as a phone number we should remember: 565-4327-1. The numbers in this case refer to scale degrees. 

By establishing context, we not only provide students a tonal anchor, but we offer them a problem-solving tool (Taggart) that they can use later in order to establish context for themselves. 

For rhythm context, Dr. Gordon suggests that chanting macrobeat/microbeat combinations establish rhythmic tempo in a satisfactory manner. 

Duple Meter: Du-De Du, Du-De Du. Du-De Du, Du-De Du. 

Triple Meter: Du-Da-Di Du, Du-Da-Di Du. Du-Da-Di Du, Du-Da-Di Du.

Name the Function

In this generic type of LSA, students hear a pattern performed by the teacher, and instead of echoing, they name the function that they hear (or, if they do not hear a function). 

There are many possible variations and specifications on this technique. Watch how master MLT teacher Jennifer Bailey of Sing To Kids fame administers these types of LSAs. 

Tonal Learning Sequence Activities at the VA Level

Just as in rhythm, after the Pre-LSA vocabulary (name of tonality, resting tone, tonic and dominant syllables) has been taught, teachers are ready to administer the “LSA Proper” and go into Go-mode. There are several types of LSAs that happen at the Verbal Association level: First Pitch, Resting Tone, Echo the Pattern, Name the Function

First Pitch and Resting Tone

As was done at the Aural/Oral level, the techniques of having students only respond with the first pitch or the resting tone was designed by Gordon to break the cycle of imitation and force students to audiate. This time, however, they use tonal solfege. 

With the first pitch technique, students are forced to keep the first pitch in their audiation while hearing one to two others. With the resting tone technique, no matter what they hear, they respond by singing DO (or LA for minor). This is especially difficult (and powerful) when they hear a dominant pattern, and need to keep DO (part of tonic function) in their audiation. This seemingly simple technique sets up audiation very elegantly. 

Watch this video from my YouTube series, The Literate Musician, to see an example of how you might teach these types of LSA to students:

Echo the Pattern

This process is very similar to the Aural/Oral level, however at the verbal association level, we add syllables to the patterns. 

Name the Function

In this technique, students listen to a pattern, take a breath, and name the harmonic function that they hear. The specific way that students respond varies from teacher to teacher. Some teachers have the students sing the tonality and function (“major tonic”) on the root of the chord. Other teachers just have students speak the function (“tonic”). Other teachers have students respond by singing their more informal verbal associations “one” or “five” on the chord root, although this is not recommended for very young students who have preconceived notions about numbers. Here is the way that Jennifer Bailey does these types of LSAs:

Other LSA Reminders

Alas, there are many other considerations when administering Learning Sequence Activities at the verbal association level (or any level!). These include:

All of these concepts are discussed in depth in my article, A Beginner’s Guide to MLT. 

In addition, I highly recommend taking a 2 week level 1 certification course with The Gordon Institute of Music Learning in Elementary General Music. You will learn all of these techniques (and more) from a highly qualified instructor in a very supportive setting, all the while working on your own musicianship and audiation skills.