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What is Tonal Harmony?Tonal harmony is the foundation of most Western music, from Bach to jazz standards. At its core, it is a contract between composer and listener: if you follow its rules, the listener will always feel a sense of home—a tonal center called the tonic.

This sense of direction comes from how chords function and move within three main regions of tonality:

The Three Regions of Tonality

Every chord in tonal harmony has a function—a role it plays in the story of tension and release. These functions are grouped into three regions:

Tonic (Home Base)

The point of rest, least tension.

Where the music feels settled.

Example: C major in the key of C.

Subdominant (The Journey)

Transitional, moderate tension.

Feels like moving “away from home.”

Often described as “the mountain” in hymns, descending back to tonic.

Dominant (The Tension)

The highest level of tension.

Creates expectation to return to tonic.

Think of it as “the storm at sea” before returning to safe harbor.

The Circle of Fifths & The Harmony Map

The circle of fifths organizes all 12 tones and shows how chords relate to each other. By building triads on each scale degree in C major and C minor, we can classify every chord into one of the three regions.

The V7 chord (G7 in C) always sits at “1 o’clock” on the map.

The IV chord (F in C) is always at “11 o’clock.”

The I chord (C) is always at “12 o’clock.”

This fixed placement means that no matter what key you’re in, functions always live in the same place.

Harmonic Progressions & Cadences

Music is a journey through this map. Each path between regions creates a recognizable cadence:

V7 → I = Perfect Authentic Cadence (dominant to tonic).

IV → I = Plagal Cadence (subdominant to tonic, “Amen” ending).

ii → V7 = Subdominant to Dominant motion (the backbone of jazz progressions).

These are the main roads of tonal harmony. Exploring alternative “roads” is what reharmonization is all about.

A Real Example: “Sweet Home Alabama”

At first glance, the famous progression in Sweet Home Alabama seems to move from dominant → subdominant, which doesn’t establish the key strongly. This illustrates how important functional paths are in determining the real tonal center of a piece.

Key Takeaways

Tonal harmony organizes chords into three regions: tonic, subdominant, dominant.

Each chord function has a fixed place on the circle of fifths map.

Cadences are the most effective paths, guiding the listener’s sense of key.

Understanding these paths is the first step toward reharmonization.

Practice It Yourself

Try mapping out all diatonic functions in every key. Start with C major and C minor, then expand. Use worksheets like the one in The Art of Reharmonization or explore interactively in Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro.

FAQ: Tonal Harmony

What is the difference between tonal and atonal harmony?

Tonal harmony is built around a tonic (home note or chord), while atonal harmony avoids a central key, giving equal weight to all pitches.

Why is tonal harmony important for musicians?

Tonal harmony provides structure, creates tension and release, and helps listeners follow the “story” of a piece. Without it, music can feel unstable or directionless.

How do I know if a chord belongs to tonic, subdominant, or dominant?

Classify by function: tonic chords provide rest, subdominant chords create transition, and dominant chords build tension. The circle of fifths (and tools like Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro) make this classification clearer.

Is tonal harmony only for classical music?

No. Jazz, pop, gospel, and rock all rely on tonal harmony. The cadences and functions are universal, though each genre applies them differently.

How do I practice tonal harmony?

Practice ii–V–I and IV–I cadences, analyze songs to identify functional regions, and use worksheets or apps to map chord functions in all keys.

Want to dive deeper? Check out the full Art of Reharmonization book or explore tonal harmony interactively with Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro.

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15 Fun Solfege Games For Music Class Solfege is one of the most powerful music education tools, but it’s not often ignored or underutilized because it’s more complicated than rhythm and other tools. 

It doesn’t have to be complex; it can be a ton of fun! 

I wanted to share 15 of my favorite solfege games that I use regularly in my classroom. These are tested by real kids in real classroom situations. Try some out and let me know which was your favorite! 

Read more: The Busy Music Teacher’s Guide To Solfege

#1 You Can’t Trick Me! 

Sometimes, all it takes to move an activity from an exercise to a “game” is a little competition. Choose your bank of 5-7 targeted solfege patterns. Now, be all dramatic as you tell your students that you’re going to trick them…guaranteed. 

Every pattern (or repetition through the set of patterns) they sing correctly with solfege, hand signs, and don’t get tricked is worth a point. If you trick them, you get a point. First one to 7 points wins! 

If you make this all silly and dramatic, they’ll be way into it. Just like any other game! I often fake crying, drop my markers, etc., as they get them right to engage them with humor even more. 

Do this with echoing, decoding (turning neutral syllables into solfege), reading, or any other normal exercise you do with solfege. It’s amazing how something so simple really gets them focused! 

#2 Sing It – Solfege It – Think It  

Take a well-known song. Make sure it’s one that only uses solfege the students already know. In fact, it’s better if you’ve sung it through with solfege in the past before trying this game. 

Have students a) sing through the song without you, b) sing the solfege and hand sign without you, and then c) hand sign without singing through the song without you. When they can do all three without much difficulty, you’ll know they’re ready. 

Now, tell them that they’re going to sing the song on repeat, but when you hit the (insert your preferred instrument here—I use a triangle), they need to switch to singing solfege. Then, when you hit it again, they switch to thinking. If you hit it again after that, they switch back to singing. 

Start easy. Make the switch happen naturally with the phrase. Then gradually make it harder by changing the frequency of the switches. If the kids are really good at this, let another student be the leader! 

#3 Solfege Train

This is an improvisation game just like the Rhythm Train game I’ve talked about at presentations before. 

Want some PD that actually applies to you? Check out my available workshops and share it with your administrator. 

Easy Mode –  Students sit in a line or circle. They need to think of a 4 pitch solfege pattern using notes they know. Once they have this, you go along the line with them and have them share their ideas to a steady beat. If there is a hesitation, the train derails, and we must start over! 

Medium Mode – Students are not given time to prepare a pattern. They must make up a 4 pitch solfege pattern to the steady beat using notes they know. When you reach the end of the train, work your way back up again. Students are NOT allowed to repeat the pattern someone else just said. 

Hard Mode – Same as above, BUT every time the train repeats, the beat gets faster. 

Super Duper Hard Mode – Same as hard mode, but students MUST start their pattern with the same pitch of the previous pattern. Alternatively, make it a rule where they CAN’T start the pattern with the same pitch. 

#4 Mystery Song

Choose a well-known song and present it as a mystery to your students using only solfege. They must figure out the song. This can be done in various avenues of solfege learning, including: 

Teacher singing

Teacher hand signing only

Students reading

Students reading the song backwards

Teacher pointing at a solfege ladder or music street

Student being given measures that are mixed up, and they must sort them

Teacher humming patterns for the students to decode and write

#5 Hula Hoops / Solfege Piano

Spread hula hoops out around the room (also works with laminated pieces of paper that have solfege written on them). Students sing a song and walk around the room. At the end of the song, they must stop on the nearest hoop. 

Each hoop or paper is assigned a specific solfege pitch. This is the only pitch they can sing. The teacher sings patterns for them to echo (or hums, and they decode if you want to make it harder). Students echo the pattern but only sing the pitch they belong to. 

Repeat where students must pick a new hoop. This way, we build variety and musical independence! Do as many times as you like! 

To make this a solfege piano, we can also make a large piano on the wall or floor. Keys are labeled with the solfa. Now it’s the same game as above, but students end up on a key rather than a hoop. 

#6 Decode Race

Split students up into groups of 3-5. Give them a whiteboard with staff lines on it or use a laminated piece of paper with large staff lines on it. Have them practice writing specific solfege patterns, so you make sure they understand what they’re supposed to do. 

Now, tell them it’s time for a decoding race! You will hum, play, or sing on a neutral syllable a solfege pattern. They must work in their group to decode the pattern and put it on their staff board together. Once they think they’ve gotten it, the whole group must raise its hand. Award the first group to get it right 3 points, and the others who get it right get one point. 

Repeat for a while and then crown the winner! 

#7 Arrange This! 

Make several sets of cards with solfege patterns on them. I recommend somewhere between 7-10. Split students into groups that fit the number of sets you have. If you only have 5 sets, then split your class into five groups. But for this activity, the smaller the group size, the better. 

Hand out the solfege cards and ask groups to arrange 4 of them into a song. Then, they need to practice it as a group. Encourage them to try several versions of the arrangement. After they’re happy, they can share with the class. 

Extension: You create a 4-card pattern to use as the principal theme in a Rondo form. Student examples as the episodes. Have the whole class sing your pattern, and each group sing their own. Play on xylophones or boomwhackers for even more fun! (Also, record and post this to families; it’s always a hit!)

#8 Solfege Hop Scotch

I was reminded of this activity while writing this article—it’s been a while since I’ve used it! The only reason I haven’t brought it back sooner is that it takes a little prep work, and my classroom floor tends to make plates or papers slide around.

Here’s how it works:Create a long hopscotch-style path, either by drawing with chalk outside or laying down paper plates inside. On each square or plate, write a solfege pitch (I like to begin and end with Do). Students line up and take turns deciding which pitches they’ll step on or skip. As they jump their way through the path, they must sing each pitch they land on.

#9 Class Solfege

This is a simple activity that I’ve used with my students for years now, and every time, they eat it up! First, ask students to pick a single solfege pitch from the ones they know. 

Once they’ve picked one, have students make a line at the board (or at your computer where they’re ready to write the pitches) and write their pitches all into one long rhythm. If you’re not focused on writing, you can just have them sing their solfa and write it down yourself. The idea is that everyone picks a note, and we combine it into a single LOOOONNNGGG class song. 

Once the song is down (I often pick the last pitch of Do or Sol—La if minor—if a student hasn’t already), we sing through it together. We sing through it backwards. Then, I play a simple chord harmony with it while they sing the solfa. Finally, I write it down in Flat.io to use for later. Often, I’ll bring this song back to add some layered ostinati too, and we can brainstorm lyrics. 

#10 POISON Pattern

Ah, yes. The infamous POISON game. I almost didn’t add this one to the list since so many people know and use this, but then I thought: what if someone doesn’t, and I miss out on this chance to introduce it to them? 

The POISON game can be played with solfege or rhythm at any level of concept. All your students need to be able to do is echo patterns after you (or decode them from neutral syllables if you want more of a challenge). 

Start by having your students echo you. After a few patterns, highlight one for them on the board by writing it down. Now, explain that this is the POISON pattern. If they sing this pattern when you do, they are OUT or the class loses a point or the teacher gets a point (you get the idea). 

Switch the pattern around. Speed up the tempo. Decode patterns instead of echoing. Lengthen the patterns from 4 beats to 8 and beyond, and tell them if the pattern is inside somewhere the 8 beats, they can’t say that part only. There are infinite variations to this, and almost every one is a blast! 

#11 Add One (And One, And One…) 

Start by writing four pitches on the staff (or whatever mode of delivery you prefer). Have the students sing and sign them with the solfege hand signs. Then, add another pitch. I like to set up a random picker from something like a wheel of names and choose with that. Students now sing five pitches. Spin and add and add and add and see how far they can go! 

#12 Sing Only One

This one’s a classic—and one of my favorites! You can use it with any song or set of solfege patterns, as long as your students are already comfortable reading and singing together with ease.

Start by displaying the solfege for the song or pattern and singing it all the way through as a group. Then comes the challenge: students must sing through it again, but this time they can only sing out loud on one pitch. For every other pitch, they show the hand sign and sing it silently in their head.

This kind of audiation is fantastic for strengthening pitch retention and developing an inner sense of steady beat.

Keep rotating through the pitches the song uses—trust me, as students get older, this gets trickier (and sometimes that’s what makes it even more fun!).

#13 Four+ Corners

Make your life even easier by taking a game kids know and adding a solfege twist! Print off paper/cards/posters with a solfege pattern on it and post them up on your walls around the room. Play music (bonus if it’s a concert song you need them to listen to or sing along with) and have them move around the room. 

When the music stops, the students quickly find a spot. Each spot takes a turn singing their pattern. Now, here’s where there may be some variety: 

If you have an IT person – Have the person with their eyes closed sing a random pattern, and this group is out. 

If you don’t have an IT person – Plug your patterns into a random picker and let that choose who is out. 

Repeat until you have a winner! 

I don’t LOVE having an IT person because they often hesitate. Worse, there are always those kids who will complain that the IT is cheating or picking on them. Sticking with a random picker eliminates this issue. (Almost anyway—I still get kids who think the random program has it out for them!) 

#14 Double It

Go through several songs you know with solfege that the students know well. Then, discuss which songs have similar pitches. Talking works OK for this, but I like to pull them up and display them side by side. 

When you have two songs the kids say are similar, split the class in two and have them sing the songs with words and then with solfege at the same time. It’s almost like you’re experimenting to discover partner songs (songs that create nice harmony when sung together at the same time).

Does it have to be perfect? No! In fact, this opens up great talking points on what makes songs work well together. 

#15 Shift By…

Write or display the melody of a song (known works better, but an unknown song will be a tougher challenge!). Make sure the entire melody is on one looong line. Ask students to sign and sing the solfege. 

Then, take the first pitch, erase it, and move it to the end. Essentially, you’re shifting the melody over by one. Have them sing it again. Repeat until you go all the way through the song. This is surprisingly hard, especially if you keep the rhythm values (which I recommend trying sometimes). 

Transition magic! Display your song, but start with it shifted over already. Then, when you shift over 5-7 times, all of a sudden, it’s the next song you want to play! 

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The Complete Guide to Solfege for Elementary Music TeachersDo, Re, Mi, and all their friends have been around for the past 1,000 years for a reason: they’re among the most powerful tools for music educators at any level when it comes to developing the inner ear.

The power isn’t in the words themselves—though these syllables are used around the world, creating a kind of universal musical language—it’s in the sound concept. With solfege, we label pitch relationships and build students’ abilities to:

Sing in tune

Read music

Sight-read

Transpose

Improvise more creatively

…and much more!

In this complete guide to solfege for elementary music teachers, you’ll find a solid foundation of what solfege is, how it works, how to use it in your classroom, and practical ideas for developing students’ musical literacy and independence. Let’s get singing!

What Is Solfege?

Solfege is a syllable system that helps musicians connect their understanding of pitch relationships with sound and language.

In short, it’s a tool for singing and reading pitches in music. The commonly used syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti.

The system dates back to the 11th century and a monk named Guido d’Arezzo. As the one responsible for preparing singers for mass and other services, he needed a faster way to teach reading and singing. From that challenge, solfege was born.

The original syllables came from the first syllable of each line of a Latin hymn: ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la.

Yes, you read that right—“ut” was the starting pitch. (Not exactly the most singable, right?) It was later replaced with “do.”

You’ll also notice the absence of “ti” in the original system. It wasn’t because Guido preferred coffee (pun intended). At the time, people believed the tritone (the augmented fourth) invoked the devil. Leaving out the seventh scale degree meant avoiding any risk of demonic possession.

Eventually, musicians overcame that superstition and added the syllable “si” for the leading tone. But this created confusion with “sol.” To resolve it, most teachers now use “ti” instead—a practice so common you’d be hard-pressed to find a music educator who doesn’t!

Fixed Do Vs. Movable Do In Solfege

There are two main solfege systems: movable do and fixed do. 

Fixed do is a syllable replacement system. In this system, you use the syllables as a straight-up, 1-to-1 replacement for the common pitch letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. 

In this system, the following syllables are exchanged for the letters:

Letter PitchFixed Do – Soflege EquivalentCDoDReEMiFFaGSol / SoALaBTi

Movable Do is a relative pitch system where the note Do changes to match the tonic scale degree of whatever key you’re in. For example, if you’re in the key of D major, then D becomes Do, E becomes Re, F# becomes Mi, and so on. 

This system is used by the majority of music teachers as it emphasizes the intervallic (interval) relationship of the pitches and helps singers and instrumentalists more accurately place their notes from only a starting pitch. 

In the elementary music world, movable do is much more practical as you’ll be able to switch keys with any of your songs without needing to worry about students learning new syllables or mixing up all the chromatic and altered pitch nonsense. 

Benefits of Teaching Solfege to Elementary Students

Teaching music to young children can sometimes feel overwhelming, but solfege offers a clear, engaging framework that makes music accessible and fun. By giving students a simple set of syllables tied to pitches, solfege turns an abstract concept into something concrete they can see, hear, and feel.

One of the biggest benefits of solfege is how it builds pitch accuracy and inner hearing. When children sing do, re, mi, they aren’t just memorizing notes—they’re learning how to audiate, or “hear the music inside their head.” This skill forms the foundation for strong musicianship later in life.

Solfege also strengthens music literacy. Instead of treating notes on a staff as random dots, students connect symbols to syllables and sounds. This bridges the gap between singing and reading, making it easier to progress into sight-singing and instrumental playing.

For younger students especially, solfege pairs perfectly with movement and visuals:

Hand signs that show pitch direction.

Floor ladders or posters that represent steps.

Games and call-and-response activities that get the whole body moving.

These tools support different learning styles and keep children engaged.

Finally, solfege encourages confidence and participation. Because every child can use their own voice, it levels the playing field in the classroom. Instead of worrying about “getting it wrong,” students join together in singing, which promotes teamwork and joy.

It’s not just about teaching notes—it’s about giving young learners a lifelong tool for listening, singing, and creating music with confidence.

Common Tools And Visuals For Teaching Solfege

Solfege is powerful because it’s not just about singing syllables—it’s about connecting sound, sight, and movement in ways that help students internalize music. Elementary students, especially, thrive when they have concrete, hands-on tools to make abstract concepts feel real. 

Curwen Hand Signs (Kodály Influence)

One of the most recognizable solfege tools is the set of Kodály-inspired Curwen hand signs. Each solfege syllable is paired with a specific hand position held at a specific level of your body, showing direction (high vs. low) and creating a visual memory for students.

Hand signs allow students to see the pitch contour.

They encourage active participation—everyone can join in, even without instruments.

They work beautifully for warm-ups, transitions, or full lessons.

It can be used without singing for inner hearing / audiation practice.

Solfege Ladders and Visuals

Younger learners often need something tangible to help them “see” pitch movement. Solfege ladders, posters, or wall displays give them a roadmap for where pitches sit in relation to one another. Some people will also use a Music Street Story with houses on a hill to visually show how the solfa fit together. 

Large classroom displays make it easy to reference during group singing.

Floor ladders or interactive charts can turn solfege practice into a fun, physical game.

Printable versions allow for individual or small-group practice.

Try pointing at the visual without saying a word to see if your students can sing on their own!

Color-Coding and Manipulatives

Many teachers add an extra layer of clarity by using colors to represent pitches. Pairing solfege with manipulatives helps kids engage multiple senses at once. 

America has a forgotten tradition of using shape notes to show which pitch belongs to which syllable. It’s a hangover from when few could read well and even fewer could read music. Flat.io has a font for using these shape notes AND the color-coding system. 

Examples include:

Boomwhackers or handbells color-matched to specific syllables.

Flashcards that pair syllables with colors and notes.

Magnetic boards where students can arrange pitches in order.

*This strategy is especially useful for visual learners and for keeping activities playful.

Body Movement and Kinesthetic Learning

For many children, music clicks when their whole body is involved. Using movement not only keeps lessons lively but also helps students internalize the physical “shape” of the scale.

Ways to integrate kinesthetic learning include:

Jumping or stepping on the floor to represent pitch direction.

Using scarves or arm movements to trace pitch contour.

Assigning different parts of the body to specific solfege syllables.

This is a powerful tool for wiggly, high-energy classes, and it helps reinforce memory through muscle movement.

With your younger kids, try the body solfege method. Use large motor movements instead of hand signs: 

SolfegeBody MovementDoHands on lapReHands on hipsMiArms across your bodyFaHands by your mouthSolHands on your headLaHands making “large eyebrows” just above your headTiHands pointing straight up

3 Steps For Teaching Solfege To Beginners

It’s no secret if you know anything about me that I’m a big fan of the Kodaly approach for introducing concepts. The Prepare-Present-Practice model (PPP) makes perfect sense to me, and it follows both the research into how we learn and how we learn to read. 

It’s all based on the idea of sound before symbol. We want to have students explore and build an understanding of the sound concept (rhythm or pitch) BEFORE we label them. 

Think about it like this: it’s easier to build a correct habit than it is to unlearn a bad one (and then RELEARN the correct one). 

For this reason, we approach and build an understanding (Prepare) first, then label the concept with the syllable/solfege and visual/staff (Present), and then further develop skills with scaffolding practice (Practice). 

Prepare

During the prepare phase we are exploring a specific pitch or solfege concept kinesthetically, aurally, and visually. We usually use neutral syllables and general body motions to prepare the correct concept. We’ll also use visual icons rather than actual staff to show intervals as well. (More on all this later…)

Present

Once students have a firm grasp on the idea of the pitch, we label it with the correct solfa, the hand sign (if using them), and then how the pitch fits on the staff in relation to the other solfege pitches. This last doesn’t always have to be on the same day, often, it’s later. 

Practice

After labeled, we practice echoing, decoding, writing, reading, audiating (inner hearing), arranging, composing, and improvising with the solfege using known songs and patterns as well as unknown ones. 

9 Classroom Activities & Games For Teaching Solfege In Elementary Music

There are an almost-infinite number of games and activities to help learn solfege pitches in the elementary music classroom. But here are just a few of my favorites: 

#1 Show Body Levels

Get a bank of 5-7 patterns using the solfege you want to teach ready. Have these where you can see them (the students will be responding aurally). Sing a pattern and while you do so, choose a body movement to follow the contour of the pattern. 

For example, if you’re practicing Mi-Re-Do, specifically, you might choose to do stomp for Do, pat for Re, and tap head for Mi. Have the students echo you while singing the patterns. 

Note: If you’re in the Prepare step of the solfege, you’ll want to use a neutral syllable or replacement word for the targeted solfa until they’ve got it down. 

After you go through all of your patterns, ask students for their ideas. Explain (or even better, use questions) that each movement was a low, middle, and high level for each pitch. Give students a chance to pick a motion, and then echo through all of the patterns again! Rinse and repeat! 

#2 Sing From Pictures

Take some pictures and arrange them at different levels to make patterns using the solfege you’d like to work on. Make sure to tell your students which one it starts on and hum the pitch for them before they sing. 

Create a bank of 5-7 of these patterns. I’m not super cutesy with the pictures, but I do like to connect it with a song they’re working on. Here’s a simple example of a sol-mi pattern I made in Google Slide. The song it’s related to is Star light, star bright. 

Have them go through the bank of patterns and sing each one. If you’re at the point where you’re using real syllables and hand signs, go for it. If not, have them use their neutral syllable (like “doo” or “bum”) and just point at the images. 

#3 Puzzle Patterns

Once again, create a bank of 5-7 pitch patterns using the solfege you want to practice. (Sensing a pattern here?) Print them off on sets of cards where the pattern is on one side and the answer is on the other. Laminate them if you want them to last. 

Split students up into groups of 2-5 (your choice). Explain that one student will have the card and quiz the others on how it should be sung. Encourage the use of solfege hand signs. Once one is done, pass the cards to the next leader, shuffle them up, and start over. You should circulate to check for work and help groups as needed. 

#4 Sing Only One Pitch

This is one of my favorites! You can do this with any song or set of solfege patterns you like! BUT the students need to be able to read and sing as a group pretty fluidly. 

Display the solfege for a song or set of patterns and sing through it all together. Now, the students must sing through it but ONLY sing one of the pitches. For the rest, they must show the hand sign and sing it inside their head. This audiating really helps to build pitch retention as well of the sense of unheard steady beat. 

Rotate through all the pitches the song uses! As kids get older, this becomes harder and harder (but sometimes that makes it more fun!). 

#5 Guess The Mystery Song

Easy version: Display the solfege to a known song. Have students sing through the solfege and then try to guess which song it is. 

Medium Version: Display the solfege to a song, but written backwards. Sing through it forwards and then backwards. Ask which one was a known song and which song it is. 

Hard Version: Display the solfege to a known song. Give them the starting pitch and ask them to sign it but not sing it. Ask them what the mystery song is. 

Super hard version: Show a solfege ladder or music street image. Sing the first pitch, then point at the pitches of the known song. Ask them which song it is. 

#6 Solfege Hop Scotch

I forgot about this activity until I started writing this article. I haven’t done it in a while because it requires some prep work and/or a floor that doesn’t force plates or papers to slide everywhere (mine does!). 

Go create a long hop scotch-style pattern either using chalk on an outside sidewalk or using paper plates on your floor. On each square or plate, write a solfege pitch. I like to start and end with Do. Students form a line and must choose which pitches they’ll jump on or skip. As they jump through it, they need to sing the pitches.

#7 Double Solfege Hand Sign Challenge

Students sing and match the hand signs you show them. They do this while you show the signs, not echo. Do this as a whole group for a while (moving slowly). 

Then, split the class in two. You show hand signs with both hands, but now your hands aren’t doing the same hand sign. Move only one hand at a time (for your sake and theirs). This is wonderful for developing part-work skills AND forcing singers to become more independent in their singing. 

Want more part-work? Check out these 10 solfege rounds!

#8 Memorize The Patterns

Show a song or group of patterns. Make sure the notes are split up into measures. Have the class sing the entire song or group of patterns. 

Now, each time you do it, erase one more measure. Eventually, they’ll have to perform the entire pattern from memory! 

#9 Boomwhacker Whackiness

Split your students up into groups matching the number of pitches you’ll use for this activity. For example, if you’re using Do, Re, Mi, Sol, and La, each group will be five people. Now, have them each get a boomwhacker matching the pitch (in this case, we’ll be sticking with Do=C). 

Sing a pattern using solfege (or on a neutral syllable for a challenge). The group must then figure out how to play the pattern using their boomwhackers while singing the solfege. When they’ve got it, they must perform for you. 

This can also be done with patterns written on cards or students composing their own patterns for a whole other level. Additionally, I also love using hand bells for this purpose—although everyone playing at the same time gets a little crazy! 

Get Your Students Singing!

Hopefully, I’ve given you a bit of a start on using solfege in your classroom. It’s a useful tool with almost limitless potential to better build students’ pitch awareness, singing ability, and reading fluency. Let me know if you have any questions! 

Keep on singing!

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