Improve Your Aural! Grade 7-8 (Revised): Book & 2 CDs

This workbook refuses the false choice between ear training and playing. By weaving listening, singing, writing, and composing into a single progression, Harris creates a resource where students experience how all their skills reinforce each other. The included CDs and fill-in-the-box format keep momentum high and make assessment straightforward.

Purposeful and encouraging. The progressive design means students feel accomplishment as they complete each section, while the variety of activity types keeps the work from feeling repetitive or academic. The pairing of workbook and recording creates a sense of real musical dialogue rather than abstract drilling.

Grade 7-8 students ready to move beyond basic interval recognition and into the integrated listening and musicianship work that supports independent practice and ensemble playing. This book works equally well for students in mixed-ability ensembles and for individual lessons where you want to build aural skills systematically without pulling focus from instrument technique.

• Schedule the listening activities during ensemble warm-ups, working through one or two exercises before rehearsal proper begins so students arrive at repertoire study with active ears.
• Pair the singing exercises with whatever instrument students play; having them match pitch vocally before playing it builds the ear-hand connection Harris emphasizes throughout the series.
• Use the composing and writing tasks as exit tickets or homework assignments between lessons, creating accountability without requiring class time.
• Rotate students through activities in small groups during sectional rehearsals so you can observe their responses and adjust pacing to your ensemble's needs.

Use this as your foundation for aural development during the fall semester, working through 2-3 activities per week during sectional or small-group rehearsals. The skills built here transfer directly to sight-reading and ensemble intonation by winter concert season. For programs without dedicated ear-training time, assign one activity weekly as homework and spot-check progress during private lessons.

• Interval recognition and singing across registers
• Melodic dictation at grade-appropriate difficulty
• Chord identification and harmonic listening
• Rhythm notation and syncopation recognition
• Understanding scale degree function and tonality
• Compositional decision-making through creative writing tasks
• Connecting aural understanding to instrumental playing