Are you teaching perfect pitch?

[aangeles]

Just wondering how many parents on the forum is actively teaching their kids perfect pitch apart from learning a musical instrument? So far, I know of the following methods/programs:

1. Music Play using tuning forks from rightbrainkids
2. "Doman" approach using flashcards while playing notes on an instrument
3. Eguchi method
4. We Hear and Play program
5. The Ear Training Companion Chordhopper game
6. Tune Toddlers CDs

Are you guys using any of these and how is it working?

[Skylark]

WE using Russian based program by Zeleznovi, as well as bits and pieces from different programs    Cant wait for LMs of course, which will bring it all together 

We like the Russian program approach and see that it is really effective. The idea is that simple songs are sang, then sounded out as solfeggio, then played and given an opportunity for a child to incorporate percussion, then simple notes/perfect pitch games played...

[PokerDad]

I'm not a musician and cannot read or play music. I did, however, get a program at the library about training perfect pitch a few years ago. The reviews on it are either love it or hate it. According to the author, the key to obtaining perfect pitch is to use synesthesia. This means associating one sense with another, and in this case, a particular note with a color, texture, or other modality that is unique to that note. This allows the person to distinguish or produce it at will.

Not sure how you would incorporate this, but thought I'd chime in with the little information I could. Good Luck!!

[Kris2010]

I am the opposite of a musician and was hoping to find a way to give my son a fighting chance at better pitch, tone, and even appreciation of music.  I've been  anxiously awaiting the Little Musician.  I didn't even know all of these programs existed.  Thanks for the info.

[Mandabplus3]

We have just started using soft Mozart and it will teach perfect pitch. It contains a note guessing game for practice and teaches how to play piano in an intuitive man nor. It teaches enough pitch to be able to transpose any song to a diffent scale by ear. It also teaches us (yes children from 2 to adult!) to hear the music and pick out the notes to play it. To me this is the ultimate aim of teaching kids music. It allows them to have fun with music and master am instrument for life. www.softmozart.com there are other threads in this forum on it and a group of us from Brillkids has just started to learn and share our experiences in their forum.

[aangeles]

Thanks for your replies!   

I started using the Doman method for teaching perfect pitch when Ella was 16 months old. Subsequently, I added on Music Play and Tune Toddlers CDs. We started Soft Mozart when she was 2.5 years old and we are progressing steadily through the curriculum. Then we started Suzuki violin about 2 months ago and I noticed that she would try to tune her violin by herself before beginning her practice. She usually gets it really close! Apart from this, I have no way of checking whether the perfect pitch activities I do with her are actually working or not so I thought of asking on the forum.

PokerDad, do you remember what the program was that you found at the library?

[Mandabplus3]

Crikey! I would say a kid who has a go at tuning their own violin after only two months of lessons has perfect pitch or is well on the way towards it! Wow that's amazing, and you say she gets it close too! Probably with more time or persistence she would get it spot on! I think you can pat yourself on the back mum what you are doing is obviously working! The only evidence my kids have ever given me that they can even tell the difference between pitches is when they complain about my singing out of tune Ok I am joking but out of tune singing is something they can hear so something must be sinking in. I only recently decided to teach them perfect pitch ( well near perfect will keep me happy) when I learnt that that is the key to playing an instrument by ear. Since I can't do this myself ( yet!) I never thought it was a teachable skill! I will never assume anything is natural talent again!

[jane_dmitrova]

I got a question. Is it not enough just to listen to "good" music, i.e. classic or opera? I am not a musician myself and I thought that if a child will be listening only this music he will get this perfect pitch and music taste. Correct me if I am wrong.
For example with my son we have been listening classic music since he was born (just background), some time ago we started to listen to opera and now we are listening to violin concerten (because we are learning how to play violin) and fluit music + CDs with children songs in many different languages. Will it help to develop perfect pitch? Or we need to follow a program or listen to specical CDs?

[aangeles]

@Jane: I don't know the answer to your question. Which is why I am hedging my bets and and am using Doman, Music Play, Tune Toddlers, etc in addition to listening to a lot of music plus Soft Mozart and Suzuki violin. And, of course, I am waiting with bated breath for the release of Little Musician!  It may sound like overkill but the good thing is, all of this early musical exposure has made her really love music. She is the one who initiates violin and piano practice every day and will ask to play her instruments several times a day. She has a great sense of rhythm and is hopefully on her way to developing PP. Plus, all of the programs I am using really just takes a few minutes each day so I don't really see any reason not to do them.

[Mandabplus3]

I am hoping someone else will answer your question more expertly but from what I have learnt recently what you are doing is laying the groundwork or making the brain connections that will allow your child the ability to have perfect pitch, with out this early life experience it is difficult to learn perfect pitch as an adult. Some say it's impossible but I don't think so myself. . I doubt that listening to good music will be enough to bring this to the forefront however, the violin lessons could well be enough though!
Please mention to your violin teacher that you are interested in enhancing your childs ear/ sound recognition in an aim for long term perfect pitch. The teacher can then introduce activities such as guess the note or copy this tune by ear, which will confirm  perfect pitch abilities.
Also if you don't get the answer here pop over to soft mozaart forum where I am sure you will get an answer.
What you are doing is helping long term so don't give it up!

[Kimba15]

I have been using tuning forks from RB kids but I have not seen any difference yet in the kids. I am starting miss s on soft mozart, after christmas.

[fiz]

I think tuning fork is one of the best deviceto teach perfect pitch. My daughter was joining a group class this year January, back then she hadn't developed her perfect pitch and in the class her teacher would emphasize a lot on pitching, so I  uneasy when almost all kids in the class were able to answer if the chords was A, or C chords, C7 chords, or A minor and so on, hence  I tried to look for device to correct her pitching, and after using tuning fork for a month,  and as a  full 9 month had passed to now,  I  could proudly say she has developed perfect pitching........I also  discover it is not ideal to teach the  child's pitch hearing with piano alone since it produces frequency in many degrees and depends very much on which key position you are in,  contrast to tuning fork that only produces ONE constant wave frequency, so much so that she coud identify any SHARP keys too after training her with the fork. 

[TeachingMyToddlers]

OKay Fiz, a HUGE Congratulations to your and your child!! Now spill all of your secrets Just kidding, but we want details!

Exactly what did you do with your child? What brand of tuning forks, how many times per day, presented in what manner, how old is your child now, how many months before you first began to see results, what specific games were played, what kind of exposure where they given, what school are they enrolled in (schichida? Henguru?)  etc etc. Tell us everything!! Pretty please. 

[iwini]

Teachers generally in India trained for some pitch level and voice modulation ,that's only thing what I know and  use for my students and my 2.7 toddler.But no idea about the question and basically the music.But i find my kids are very attentive when I express the things with voice modulation.

For right brain development,should mothers and teachers learn music.
because mothers and a good teacher always can go any level of her abilty for better learning process.
Thanks for your voluble   question.

[fiz]

Hi  TeachingMyToddlers,

She joined "Harmony Road Music Course".  Neither did she join Heguru nor Shichida at the moment. But after a year's of accompanying her in the class ( now 5), I think the music instructor's constant emphasis  on  solfege singing as well as   hearing placed important part too besides tuning forks.

I bought my tuning forks from right brain kids, approximately RM750. In the kit there were instructions to use. The basic procedure is to hit the forks on rubberized surface, first let the child know which key is being hit, i.e. Whether it is key C, D or D# and so on, then, bring the forks closer to the child's ears and ask her/him to spell the correct keys after several rounds of practice,  if they can't, practice again. ( This is a pretty easy game, so I advise not to over drill them)   I recalled my daughter was able to do it after a week plus, nonetheless I continued for a month, though not daily. The duration to practice is about 20 to 30 minutes daily.

Now not only  she is able to sing solfegg after listening to some classic piece without actually doing sight read, but she can also do sight read as well.  And her piano teacher told me she has picked up piano in advanced speed.   One thing for sure is she is speedier,  when she first joined piano this year 28/01, she was indeed a  novice, but after all efforts laid, she has learned very fast to her age with fast pace,   and I believe able to "HEAR" correctly any keys should be our concern. sometimes she could sing solfege straight away after hearing a piece of music.








 

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