I had the opportunity to take a look at Musical U and was immediately impressed. There is a LOT here and it’s presented in a way that is very clear and easy to navigate.
There’s a ton within Musical U, but for this review I’m going to focus on some of the materials that will help piano teachers gain the skills to play more creatively.
You’ve heard me say it before, but a well-trained ear makes it so much easier to play creatively. With a good ear, it’s easier to take the melody you hear in your head and reproduce it on your instrument.
Musical U teaches Solfa and its practical application.
Solfa is usually where I start with my students. In Musical U’s Solfa module, there are 8 lessons filled with instructions and exercises to help you learn solfa.
I loved the way Musical U explains how useful solfa is. Solfa helps you understand the relationships between pitches so that you can more easily recognize and identify what you hear.
I particularly liked the exercise shown in the screenshot below. It has you sing the solfa syllable names while singing the notes:
And after you’ve completed the solfa lessons, there is a quiz you can take.
Musical U teaches Scale Degree Recognition
Okay, so after you’ve learned solfa, the next step is to learn how to recognize these pitches when you hear them. Musical U has done a fantastic job creating exercises to help you.
There are 6 lessons within the Scale Degree Recognition module. In the lessons, you’ll find “Training Tracks” that you can listen to and sing along with, and then when you think you’re ready, you can take the quizzes.
Check this out–they’ve provided training tracks for both male and female voices. How cool is that?
Musical U teaches how to Recognize the Notes of a Melody
I really loved what I saw while reviewing this module. Now that you know solfa and can identify the notes you hear, you’re ready to start recognizing an entire melody–which is exactly what you’ve been wanting to be able to do!
I love how this module holds your hand and helps you make steady progress without overwhelming you before you’re ready. As you can see in the screenshot below, the first Training Tracks are only 4 notes long.
As you progress through the module, the Training Tracks gradually get longer and more complicated. And along the way there are quizzes to help you assess how you’re doing. There are six lessons within this module that will help you learn to recognize a melody.
Who is Musical U for?
Musical U isn’t designed for kids, so this isn’t a resource you invest in for your students. This would be an investment for yourself if these are skill that you want to develop.
Many piano teachers regret that the lessons they received when they were younger focused a little too much on sight reading and neglected skills that enable improvisation, freedom and fun at the piano.
I think Musical U could be a great resource for anyone who wants to develop musical skills that will allow them to play more creatively.
If you’re interested in learning more about Musical U, you can click here to visit their website.
Disclosure: I received free access to Musical U in exchange for my honest review of the material. I do not receive monetary compensation from Musical U.