Improve Your Aural! Grade 5 (Revised): Book & CD

This workbook cuts through the assumption that ear training happens separately from playing. By weaving together listening, singing, writing, composing, and instrumental practice, Harris creates a genuinely integrated experience where students discover how all these skills reinforce each other. The two included CDs anchor the listening activities in real sound, making abstract concepts concrete and immediately applicable.

Focused and engaging without feeling like drill work. The variety of activities keeps students invested, while the progressive design ensures they build confidence step by step. The CD provides the anchor that makes listening tangible rather than theoretical.

This book is designed for Grade 5 students across instrumental disciplines who are ready to develop listening skills with more sophistication and independence. It works equally well for students in band, orchestra, or private studio settings and supports those preparing for exams or simply wanting deeper musicianship alongside their playing.

• Use the recorded CD excerpts as a reference point during student listening activities; replay them multiple times if needed to help ears develop familiarity with the target sounds before students attempt written responses.
• Encourage students to sing passages aloud before writing them down, as this bridges aural perception and physical muscle memory.
• Connect the composing and playing exercises to repertoire students are already working on, so they hear these ear-training concepts reflected in their own instrumental practice.
• Create accountability by having students check their answers against the CD and discuss what they heard differently on a second or third listen.

Assign sections of this workbook as part of weekly instrumental lessons or rehearsal preparation to strengthen ear training across your ensemble without requiring additional class time. The singing and composing components integrate well into ensemble rehearsals, where collective listening and response can reinforce individual work students do at home.

• Interval recognition (melodic and harmonic)
• Chord identification and harmonic analysis
• Rhythmic dictation and notation from recorded examples
• Melodic dictation across phrase lengths
• Transposition and key relationships
• Singing accuracy and musicality from notation
• Compositional thinking through guided exercises
• Connection between listening, notation, and instrumental execution