Is Teaching Note Names With Jingles Good, or Bad?
There seems to be a common misconception that the best way to teach students how to read notes on the bass and treble staves is through the use of jingles. I’m sure you’re familiar with (and/or have used) some of these widely known jingles, or the myriad of other variations which exist: * Every Good Boy Does Fine (or Deserves Fudge) * All Cars Eat Gas (or Cows Eat Grass) * Great Big Dogs Fight Animals (or Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always) * F A C E The funniest jingle that I’ve seen so far is “Good Burritos Don’t Fall Apart.” I had to laugh a bit with that one. (chuckle, chuckle) As funny as these can be I’m going to try to sway you away from the “dark side” of using jingles. Contrary to this commonly held belief there is a much better method for teaching and learning note names — and that is through the use of landmarks and intervals! Now, before I go too far let me say that using jingles can teach a student to read note names. But, through my teaching experience and university educati
