Do, Re, Mi: A Very Good Place to Start
The Use of Solfège in Singing & Music Education
Don’t worry; there is no gimmick here. It’s not one of those “for only four easy payments of $19.95, and you too can learn to read music.” Instead, I want to reiterate how much sounding out music’s notes, and rhythms in a phonics approach of solfège can be an asset to you wherever you are in your church, school, homeschool, or other community involvement. Forget telling people about music through fine arts surveys and music appreciation classes. Why not let them taste good music by reading it themselves? How can you get them to read it? By giving them the phonics of music.
Solfège
Even if you don’t read music, you likely know of Julie Andrews and her famous role in The Sound of Music. She sang her “Doh, Re, Me”1 number and sang about what a good place to start that was. This post is not meant to explain the how and why of solfege. That’s for another day. Instead, I wanted to encourage you to use it.
You don’t have to use shape note hymns or attend sacred harp singings. Those things are in the same vein as trying to get people to be able to read and sing music for themselves. Instead, I would say, if you want to teach a new song or hymn, write in the solfege and have people sound it by singing the solfege before singing the song on words. Why? The solfege helps them internalize the music inside of them instead of just parroting back the melody if it is played from a keyboard in a choir rehearsal or sing-along.
Additionally, I would sing all songs with what is referred to as “moveable doh,” where “doh” is whatever the tonic key signature is. For instance, if there is one flat in the key signature of the piece, that is commonly called “F major.” Therefore sing it in F=doh. If the key signature is still one flat but sounds darker and not major, it’s likely in a form of minor (or some other modality). In that case, still sing it in “F doh.” It’s just that home will no longer be “doh.” Now home will be “la,” and you can sing the solfège “in minor” by simply singing the same solfège as major.
You may be wondering why I delved into that nerdery. Some people out there are gluttons for punishment and insist on singing solfège where “doh” is always the home, whether it is major, minor, or otherwise. That’s just unnecessary and unhelpful, in my opinion. If you have the choice, don’t do it. Instead, sing in “moveable doh” and “la-based minor.”
Sound it out
The whole point is for folks in your community to “sound out” the music notes and even the rhythm. Yes, there is a solfege equivalent for sounding out the rhythm syllables in music. If you want to get folks to read music, this is the best way I’ve found in a church choir, children’s choir, adult choir singing Bach, and elsewhere. You will need to have some experience of it. I suggest trying it yourself first. If you are a music teacher, I suggest pursuing some Kodály inspired teacher workshops or training.2 If you are not, but want this for your community, then find a skillful musician to assist. They are out there. They may need someone smiling and asking for their help to remind them that they can be of service in this.
Two-Week Training Each Summer
Suppose you or someone you know would benefit from music literacy training to help with music-making in your local community. In that case, I teach musicianship for a Kodály music teacher training program each summer at New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. It’s called the Chenaniah Summer Music Institute because Chenaniah was the chief Levite in the Old Testament in charge of music because “he was skillful.” We want to train others who are skillful to lead music in their school and church communities in like manner. For more information, visit our website at music.nsa.edu/csmi. Feel free to email me at jrichey@nsa.edu if you have questions. I would love to discuss the program and see if it is a good fit for you or someone in your community.
Do or Doh is pronounced “doe” not “doo.” I’m modifying the spelling of “mi” to “me” for the benefit of voice readers that might be reading this post to you.
Zoltán Kodály (the last name is pronounced CODE-eye) was a Hungarian musicologist and composer who believed everyone could be taught to read music through singing first and foremost.