Sight-reading: Love at First Glance

At Crescendo Music School, we recognize sight-reading as a crucial component of our musical education journey. We consistently find excitement and passion in discovering new songs and exercises to play. Employing a structured methodology at the instrument promises gradual effectiveness, ensuring success and joy for the players. Our vocabulary patterns continually evolve, incorporating new elements each time to be considered and learned, ultimately facilitating fluent performance.

The following description elucidates the purpose of sight-reading practice in instrumental studios. While sight-reading may initially evoke discomfort and present challenges, I/we encourage to our students to embrace this difficulty and integrate sight-reading practice into their regular musical routine.

Keep the Flame Burning: Hands and Keys Invisible in Space

Developing a sense of touch and spatial awareness on the piano is akin to navigating in darkness, yet the score serves as our guiding light. Glancing up at the score and down at the keys disrupts the flow of phrasing ideas and tempo in the music we aim to perform. Therefore, maintaining the “illuminated torch" of the score without fixating on the keys offers the optimal approach to enhancing sight-reading and practice. Our brain processes all elements in real-time, assimilating inputs such as decoding notes, rhythm, timing, tonality, dynamics, fingering positions, and articulation, which are then translated as a output into playing the notes at the moment of execution. Keep your focus on the landscape of the score without looking at the keys.

Cognizance of the Terrain: Cultivating Sensory Memory

In my memory of piano lessons in Geneva, Switzerland, I recall my teacher instructing me to transcribe all of Bach's fugues by hand, fostering my understanding and memorization of the pieces. Subsequently, she had me perform them entirely in darkness, covering my eyes with a scarf - "Those were the days”. While, I won't subject my students at Crescendo Music School to the same experience, I do appreciate the rationale behind it now.

Today in my observation, the first articulation technique to learn for sensory memory is "legato" - smoothly connecting and adhering the fingers to the piano keys, navigating the black keys together and gliding over the white keys without visual aid. In these moments of darkness, we transcended barriers and absorbed our surroundings. Progressing, for example, for beginner students, gradually from C, G, and F major positions, both hands utilised the thumb as a pivot, traversing octaves seamlessly, akin to a 'deja vu' experience.

Walking slowly in the darkness: Practice with precision

When traversing through darkness in an unfamiliar environment, it is imperative to proceed with caution; running increases the risk of stumbling or losing one's way. With only a small lamp or torch to illuminate the path, each step must be deliberate and measured, allowing for steady progress. Similarly, achieving proficiency in sight-reading demands precision: accurately executing nineteen percent of the musical elements, maintaining the correct tempo without interruptions, and refraining from guessing notes.

Both novice learners and experienced musicians understand that effective sight-reading practice involves gradually reducing speed. This method enables the conscious absorption of musical information, note by note, in real-time. I propose three strategies for achieving the appropriate tempo in sight-reading exercises:

Firstly, adhere to the tempo indicated in the musical score, measured by a metronome in beats per minute (BPM). For example, Allegretto - moderately fast (98 - 109 BPM).

Secondly, aim for a tempo midway between the target speed and a slower pace. Instead of 98 BPM, commence at 70 BPM.

Finally, the most recommended approach is to initiate at a very slow tempo of 50 BPM while vocalising the beats of the time signature audibly. This facilitates the meticulous decoding of all musical elements and fosters an internal sense of timing.

Once this learning process is complete, we can gradually increase the speed with accuracy and confidence. Eventually, with familiarity of the terrain, we may even be able to run in the darkness.

Exploring the Unknown: Scanning Ahead in the Score

Scanning ahead in the score involves gaining initial familiarity with recurring patterns in the score and identifying new musical vocabulary to guide the initial reading. Macro scanning extends to examining sections such as introductions, A, B, C, and Coda (Ending) within the piece. It encompasses understanding key signatures, accidental sharps/flats, and dynamics fluctuations, which dictate when to play louder (Crescendo), or finally, softer (Diminuendo). Preparing the score beforehand involves analyzing how to read and develop ideas, integrating all elements to aid in the flow of interpretation.

Micro scanning occurs during sight-reading, anticipating the next bar through a cyclic process of input and output involving the decoding of musical elements. Anticipating the next bar while finishing playing the current notes is integral to this process. To facilitate this scan within the cyclic space and tempo of the piece, it is necessary to focus on the current notes being played. This involves identifying the "core note" or "target note", which stems from a preceding note referred to as the "antecedent," and the subsequent movement, termed the "consequent." This latter note serves as the future "core note" as the music progresses, enabling the anticipation of appropriate fingering techniques and hand positions in real-time.

Embracing the Unknown: Implementing a Structured Methodology

At Crescendo Music School, we emphasize the importance of integrating sight-reading into your daily practice routine. Practice and the end of the daily session allow us to prepare for future programs, encompassing scales, technical exercises, and songs. Sight-reading is a vital skill that fosters confidence and precision in real-time musical performance.

We encourage dedicating 10 minutes each day to sight-reading exercises, focusing on anticipating challenges you may encounter during piano lessons. Employ a structured methodology, breaking down music passages into smaller sections to facilitate gradual improvement.

Remember, the journey of piano learning is continuous. Maintain patience, persistence, and embrace the process. Practice playing slowly to foster tranquility and mindfulness in your musical journey.