Welcome!
COURSE ACCESS IS LIMITED.
The reason for this is to give incentive for you to maintain a regular practice routine throughout. Please keep in mind that there is no such thing as ‘cramming’ for a musicianship exam. You are developing skills over time. So, you must think to practice regularly. You will have access to the materials for this course for the 8 weeks that we meet.
After that time, access will discontinue.
Performance Ear Training is a collection of time based Study Concepts designed to teach you specifically ‘how’ to study in order to develop an innate, physical response to musical sounds and relationships.
It’s based upon an evolving set of proven Study Concepts first outlined in Donovan Mixon’s critically acclaimed text Performance Ear Training published in the year 2000 by Advance Music.
The course is taught live online via Zoom with your teacher Donovan Mixon. Make sure to be on time, ready with a keyboard, and blank music paper for notes.
Participation is key to your success. This is a safe space for trial and error…also for questions. Donovan loves questions that allow him to get elbow deep into the process of learning.
Be prepared to practice at least 60 mins each day. It doesn’t have to be all at once. In fact, two 30min practice session would probably work better that a single extended one.
Manage Your Practice
Ongoing assignments are practice routines you do each day such as:
Writing
Make writing your assignments a routine part of your practice. Write & Sing in different keys each day.
Patterns
Practice the major scales each day with the assigned pattern.
Hold a low ‘do’ as you sing slowly each segment of the pattern.
Tendency Tones
Practice singing the row from a different place each day. Make practice dictations to use for the next day.
Interval Studies
Practice as prescribed from memory. Use S.T.P & I.H.
Harmonic Basslines
Study to sing the progressions slowly and smoothly from memory.
Repertoire
Sing each song everyday from memory at least once.
Reading
Your goal is to perform from beginning to end without stopping!
