Piano Performer Magazine 
SINGING MUSIC THEORY
Article by Chai L. Chien (MGBH)
Music theory makes the music world go round.
This is the motto I like to say at the start of my piano lesson. I find that kids may or may not know what music theory really is. However, if it is explained in their terms such as “chords are like transformers that change into different entities” or “arpeggios are like a skipping song” where I show a demonstration skipping a step or stairs as I sing “ar-pe-ggio,” they eat it up like a delicious cupcake.
But when an older student learns theory, it becomes a daily chore in a sense. They have to use their brains and think about music as a concept, mentally combining note functions rather than what is written on paper. Therefore, theory needs to be explained visually (written on paper) or sung.
Throughout years of teaching, I have been pondering the following: if teaching music theory supposed to be musical, then why are we not teaching in a sing-a-song fashion?
I found that utilizing this principle positively transforms theory learning experience for my students. I often take a familiar song such as “Heart and Soul” or use the “I, vi, IV, V” chords and sing “How many sharps does A major have?” In turn, my students respond in a singing fashion: “Three sharps, three sharps”. Thus, I engage them in a familiar tune where they get to learn theory at the same time. As time goes by, the tune gets stuck in their heads and they just sing the entire song – all 12 major keys.
Here are some of the topics and explanations I like to use when explaining music theory.
Scales: What goes up must come down
Chords: Transformers in disguise
Inversions: Bottom, Middle, and Top
Intervals: I am Here and You are There
Major vs. Minor: Happy vs. Sad Baseball teams
Arpeggios: Skipping song or flying over fingers
Sharps: Ouch, it’s sharp!
Flat: Flat tire on a bicycle
Number of sharps and flats: Drawing of the letters for visualization
“Any questions so far?” I ask my students after a brief visualization of a concept. But silence takes over as theory is sinking into their minds. Hopefully, they are thinking about mathematics rather than what they will be eating for dinner that night. In this case silence is golden because it is the time used to absorb what was just explained.
And then, the epic question pops up: why should one learn all that theory if playing a song is just about coordinating hands? Well… It sure does make a teacher’s life a little easier in trying to explain how to play a passage. Instead of showing every time “this is how it’s played,” the teacher can communicate the answer through a theoretical concept. Once a student is able to grasp concepts and learns to think “general to specific”, he/she is on the way of truly understanding the mystical structures of music theory. And as a pedagogue, you will, finally, be free to focus on teaching what you love – the art of playing music.
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