Aural perception

Most of your work requires you to have very good aural-perception skills. Musicians, songwriters, composers, arrangers, conductors and musical directors apply these skills for recognizing how more advanced intervals, chords, scales and chord progressions are used in music.

Apply advanced skills

  1. Focus on applying improved aural-perception skills in rehearsals or other practice activities
  2. Follow the conventions of language and terminology
  3. Discuss application of aural-perception skills with peers and incorporate new ideas and techniques into your music practice
  4. Develop a sense of relative pitch
  5. Use appropriate sound and tone production
  6. Produce a controlled sound with variations in tone as required
  7. Monitor and adjust intonation as required
  8. Recognize intervals, chords, scales and chord progressions in selected area of specialization
  9. Use appropriate sound and tone production for instrument or voice
  10. Produce a controlled sound with variations in tone as required
  11. Develop increased awareness of the subtleties and variations of tone colour available on voice or chosen instrument and their use in performance
  12. Apply acoustic principles to your own performance
  13. Maintain correct tempi in movement sequences
  14. Maintain musical sensitivity, awareness and phrasing in movement sequences.

Set personal goals for extending your skills

  1. In consultation with your tutor and Director, identify the applications of aural-perception skills most relevant to your music practice
  2. Determine how you could improve your mastery of rhythmic, melodic and harmonic music structures
  3. Identify the genres and styles in your music practice that need attention for refining your aural-perception skills
  4. Identify relevant sources of information
  5. Identify your personal strengths and weaknesses as a means of improving your skills
  6. Prepare a plan for refining your skills, including personal goals, a timeline, and criteria for measuring improvements
  7. Discuss your plan with your supervisor and incorporate feedback as required
  8. Organize yourself: work to your personal goals.
  9. Monitor your progress against the plan
  10. Discuss your progress with your supervisor. Act on feedback and ask for help if you get stuck.
  11. Evaluate overall effectiveness of learning methods in improving your skills.

Expand methods for the aural recognition of music

  1. Analyze conventions of language and terminology in the context of improving your aural-perception skills
  2. Expand ways of hearing music, as well as listening for and naming relevant music structures
  3. Expand knowledge of music-writing conventions connected with aural skill development
  4. Research information on musical styles, elements and forms/structures
  5. Hear and recognize complex music structures accurately
  6. Explore more advanced rhythmic, melodic and harmonic structures connected with aural skill development
  7. Discuss with peers ideas and techniques associated with aural-perception skills
  8. Follow the conventions of music language and terminology within your selected styles
  9. Solve any problems as you go
  10. Plan to do tasks in a logical sequence
  11. Apply technical skills to analyze:
    • scales
    • chord sequences and music systems
    • rhythms
    • time signatures
    • beat patterns of musical organization relevant to specialization