Success Music Studio

How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score - Graduation Choir

How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score: Part 3

Facebook
Twitter

Estimated reading time 4 minutes

Table of Contents

Introduction

Do your students get confused by space note D at the bottom of the treble staff? Or do they have a problem with space note B on the top of the bass staff? Read more to learn how to switch from color coded notes to special mnemonics, allowing students to graduate from the color coded music score.

  • This article is part 3 of our 5-part series. Here are parts 1 and 2:
    1. How to Graduate from Color Coded Music Notes: showed how to use contour lines to read steps without colors.
    2. How to Graduate from the Color Coded Sheet Music: talked about transitioning from color coding to clef mnemonics.
  • In this post (part III), we’ll discuss what I call edge notes. The edge notes consist of the outside space notes at the upper and lower edges of the staff – thus the name.
  • Music teachers use clef mnemonics to teach the lines and spaces on the staff. However, students get no special mnemonics for the ledger lines or the edge notes. We will correct that oversight today for the edge notes.
  • In addition, part 4 will discuss the ledger lines. Finally, part 5 will talk about using flash cards to teach ADD, LD, ASD, and special needs students.

This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.

How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score - Girl Playing Violin - What's the Difference Between Practice and Play on an Instrument? - How to Color Code the Elusive Alto Clef

How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score: Color Coding Review

How Long Does It Take to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score?

It takes time to graduate from the color coded music score – how long depends on the instrument. Click here to learn more.

Graduating the from Color Coded Music Score: from Color to Mnemonic Phrases

Edge Notes

  • Let’s describe edge notes in more detail. Edge notes occupy the spaces between the outside staff lines and the first ledger line above or below the staff. The ledger lines appear only when needed. If the ledger line is absent, the edge note will look like it clings to the bottom of the staff or sits on top of it.
  • For example, the treble clef D (between middle C and the E on the bottom line of the staff) is an edge note. With middle C absent, the D hangs off the staff like a drop of liquid.
  • This makes it look different from either the inner staff notes or the ledger line notes. That is why I gave edge notes their own category with their own mnemonics.
  • In fact, the mnemonic phrases you’ll use have been derived from the appearance of the color coded edge notes. By this time, students graduating from the color coded music score will have worked with colored notes for years. The appearance of the colored notes has therefore been stored in the student’s long-term memory. Also, they will have learned the names of the notes associated with the colors.
  • The mnemonic phrases use this sensory data, stored in episodic memory, to enable students to remember the names of the edge notes. Thus, the student can use the mnemonic to recognize the note even after the color has been removed.
How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score - Brass Concert - How Do I Organize a Recital Concert

The Mnemonic Phrases

  • The example below shows the colored edge notes along with the mnemonic phrase you’ll use once the color has been removed.
  • You can see that the G on top of the treble staff has been color coded green. Since the staff looks a little like a fence, we use the mnemonic, “An emerald sitting on a wall.” Likewise, the highest B on the bass staff has the color blue, so we use the mnemonic, “A blueberry sitting on a wall.”
  • As I mentioned above, the D hangs below the treble staff. In addition, the student already knows that D has gray for the color coding. So, we’ll use the mnemonic phrase, “A little drop of water.” Finally, the F that hangs below the bass staff has been colored pink, so we use the phrase, “A little pink bead.”
  • When students can recognize the edge notes without the colors, they’ll have successfully completed step three for graduating from the color coded music score.

Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.

How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score - Part III - Edge Notes Treble Clef
How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score - Part III - Edge Notes Bass Clef)

Concluding Thoughts on Graduating from the Color Coded Music Score

  1. I said above, “…they’ll have successfully completed step three for graduating from the color coded music score…” However, you can work with contour lines, clef mnemonics, edge note mnemonic phrases, and ledger line mnemonics at the same time.
  2. The order for “graduating” often depends on the student and the content of the sheet music.
  3. Keep in mind, if a student struggles with an aspect of the graduation process, you can always reapply the colors. However, don’t give up on the process of graduating. It sometimes takes a while to complete.
  4. In the end, most students will graduate from the colors, even most autistic, LD, and special needs students.

© 2022 Geoffrey Keith

Newsletter Signup

Join me for in-person or online lessons today!

Back to the Color Coding category blogs page

Back to the Successful Music Student blogs page

Glossary

Do You Want Advice on Teaching a Music Student with ADHD - Violin and Sheet Music - What Are Some Signs of a Twice Exceptional (2E) Child - How Do I Organize a Recital Concert - Shatter the Perfectionism Chains in Music Lessons

Do You Want Advice on Teaching a Music Student with ADHD?

Do you teach music lessons? Do you want advice on teaching a music student with ADHD? Teaching music students with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) can be challenging. However, some basic information will make it much easier. Keep reading to get the teaching tips. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Read More
What’re the Basics of an Accompaniment in a Song - Keyboard Player

What’re the Basics of an Accompaniment in a Song?

Do you want to know what a song accompaniment is? Do you want to know the basics for writing them? An accompaniment is an arrangement for the backing instruments that support your song’s principal melody. Keep reading “What’re the Basics of an Accompaniment in a Song?” to learn more about what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Read More
How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score - Girl Playing Violin - What's the Difference Between Practice and Play on an Instrument? - How to Color Code the Elusive Alto Clef

What’s the Difference Between Practice and Play on an Instrument?

Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between practicing and playing? Practicing will be a important part of your growth as a musician. According to the “New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,” studies have found that the best pianists and violinists needed 10,000 hours of practice to master their instruments. Not that you need 10,000 hours to start playing decently, but the master musicians do show us the importance of practicing. So, do practicing and playing get the same results? Read more to learn, “What's the difference between practice and play on an instrument?” Estimated reading time 2 minutes.

Read More