Best pedagogical method?

[mrdolinman]

Hi all,
I'm just getting started, and I'm wondering whether there is any guide/directions regarding the best order in which to practice the activities. Should I simply start with Interval comparison and complete that, and then move on to Interval identification etc....Or, should I be mixing it up, and integrating the activities together? This is my main issue at this point: there doesn't seem to be any guidance with regards to method or pedagogy. There surely seems to be everything one would need in order to train your ears, but how, and in what order does one proceed? Am I missing this somewhere? If it is not included, I would highly recommend including a structured lesson/activity progression. At this point, I feel like I have a plethora of tools, but I'm not sure if I'm heading in the right direction.

[Quentin]

Hi,

Here is an excerpt from the manual of EarMaster which comes with a few suggestions:

1. Beginners could choose the Interval Comparison and Rhythm imitation activities as a starting point.
2. After having completed a number of lessons in those activities, you could also include the Interval identification, Melody imitation and Rhythmic Sight-Reading.
3. Later on, you could also include Chord Identification, Scale Identification and Rhythmic Dictation.
4. Finally, include the remaining activities to your training routines.

There are many pedagogical approaches to ear training, so there is no general rule as to where to start. But I do agree with you that it would be great to also have some sort of introductory course for beginners with a more linear approach.

[mrdolinman]

Well, I feel a bit embarrassed. Who would've thought to read the manual? Ironically, I've been doing pretty much what the manual suggests. Thanks Quentin! If anyone else has some recommendations for different pedagogical approaches, I'd be interested to hear from you. Thanks.