Sight Reading, Fright Reading, or Sight Guessing? by Gary Gribble
It is imperative that students develop a musical vocabulary that encompasses notes, rhythm, dynamics, stylistic concerns, knowledge of phrasing, and all of the aspects that go into a quality performance. This should be a regular part of your rehearsal routine.
Sight reading during a festival or contest can be a rewarding experience or it can be an exercise in frustration for all involved. If you spend the majority of your rehearsal time working only on your performance literature, then your students could become too dependent on you for all the details and could be falling behind in developing the skills necessary to produce quality musical performances at sight. It is imperative that students develop a musical vocabulary that encompasses notes, rhythm, dynamics, stylistic concerns, knowledge of phrasing, and all of the aspects that go into a quality performance. This should be a regular part of your rehearsal routine.
As skills develop, address the upcoming sight reading evaluation by making sure that you include sight reading practice in your regular rehearsals. Sight reading is a skill that must be developed and it can NOT be improved by simply reading down a couple of pieces days before the contest. Create a sight reading folder of music at the same level that you will perform in your event. Begin reading works using the same parameters that will exist on the performance/evaluation day. Teach the routines and time limits (if any) before you get in the actual sight reading room. Have a concrete plan of study for your students. My personal plan that I teach students relates sight reading to going on a driving vacation:
1. Study the road map. Look through the piece for repeats, 1st and 2nd endings, D.C. or D.S.markings, coda skips, etc. One of the most common mistakes is getting to a repeat sign and having no clue where to look on your part.
2. Locate major points of interest (like those billboards advertising places you simply MUST see during your trip). These are your key signatures, time signatures, tempo markings, and style indications.
3. Look for interesting things on the roadside. Dynamic markings, style markings, articulation symbols, accidentals, etc.
4. Examine your destination (know where you are going). Look at the ending of the piece. Often, there are some interesting or unusual things at the end.
5. Begin your journey. Look through the piece for complicate rhythms, technical passages, etc. Study these spots first. After you have looked through the most challenging spots, quickly glance straight through the piece. Try to decide if your part is melodic in nature or more likely an accompaniment.
As the director, you need to be able to relate the work to your students in a clear, logical manner. It is confusing when you skip around and backtrack during your explanation. Talk about things in a sequence, having students physically point to the major aspects as you describe them. Point out all significant elements of a segment before moving ahead. Discuss key, tempo, meter, rhythmic issues, melody, counter-melody, and accompaniment. Point out repeats and have students locate the key locations so that they know where to go musically. Indicate phrasing and explain how you will deal with fermatas, caesuras, or other special considerations. Move quickly, but be thorough. If allowed, you might have students count, sizzle/tizzle, or finger & move air to simulate playing. Try and leave a short period for questions after your discussion. I always ask my students to “monitor me” and if I skip a major aspect, to ask about it during this period. This will alert everyone of an important point that could have become a performance issue if left undiscovered.
I also like to show my students how I will visually define major rehearsal markings while conducting (for me it is a larger than normal two arm downbeat). With younger students, I might hold up one finger just prior to a first ending or two fingers as we approach a second ending. As we practice sight reading during class, the students get more attuned to the non-verbal signals and are more capable of watching the conductor as they read. It is also important not to stop during sight reading practice. You want to create a situation that is as close to the “real thing” as possible.
Remember, your students will only be able to demonstrate the skills that they have spent time developing and are comfortable performing. It is entirely possible to have a high quality performance in the sight reading evaluation setting, but only if you have outlined and rehearsed all of the necessary components. With advance preparation and skill development, your students will approach sight reading with greater confidence and less possibility of “silly mistakes” in the excitement of the moment. You will be able to focus more on relating musical aspects to them rather than trying to teach rhythms and musical terms during your study time, and your evaluator will thank you for bringing a quality performance into the sight reading room!
Gary D. Gribble has been the Director of Bands at Pope High School since its opening in 1987. Under his guidance, the Pope Band Program has earned a national reputation for excellence in all areas of performance.
Mr. Gribble earned his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Georgia State University. He also holds an Associate of Science Degree in Commercial Music from Georgia State. Prior to his arrival at Pope, he taught one year at Redan High School, and two years as Assistant Director of Bands at Lassiter High School.
Mr. Gribble has served as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician around the country. He has designed marching shows for bands across the southeast. His articles have been published in both "Fanfare" and "Today's Music Educator." He was on staff as a choreographer and production assistant for the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. The Pope Marching Band was awarded the 1992 "Sudler Shield of Marching Excellence". Mr. Gribble Was named to the Bandworld Legion of Honor in 1999.
