These guidelines represent the minimum requirements for certification and licensure along with examination standards at each level. The learning process is left to the teacher’s discretion; other topics not listed here may arise during training, and topics from later levels may be introduced earlier. Students will physicalize, sing, hear internally, analyze, read, write, and improvise in Dalcroze Solfège. The examinations will require students to demonstrate their knowledge of the following subjects through reading, singing, writing, analysis, improvisation, and physicalized gesture. Musical compositions will illustrate the subjects during the actual teacher training courses. Students must have at least 10 class hours in the corresponding Dalcroze Solfège courses to take each level exam. In many cases, students may require more than 10 class hours to pass their level exams, and this may require outside training (workshops, private study, online training, etc.). It may also require that a student take more than one summer to finish a given level. Dalcroze Education is highly individualized in order to meet the needs of each student; therefore, students may need different amounts of time to fulfill exam requirements. It is important that students discuss their progress and readiness with the instructors within their specific training program.
- Subjects will be taught through the Dalcroze Strategies and Techniques at each level of study.
- Throughout the program the subjects will invite different types of expression and nuance:
- Affect, Mood
- Dynamics, Articulation, Accents, Texture
- Tempo:
- Fast, Medium, Slow
- Changing Tempo
- Accelerando, Ritardando
- Breath, Flow, Momentum, Energy
Solfège Level 1
Introductory Credential in Dalcroze Education
- Scales
- C to C Scales/Do to Do Scales though 3 sharps and 3 flats, also from the point of view of each scale degree as C-natural as ^1, ^2, ^3, ^4, ^5, ^6, and ^7
- Polychords and Intervals
- Dichords and Trichords and their corresponding intervals
- Harmony
- 3 triad qualities (major, minor, diminished)
- {rn:I, IV, V7, vi, ii}
- Authentic, Half, and Deceptive Cadences
- Sight-singing
- Major keys through 3 sharps and 3 flats
- Mostly scalar motion with some disjunct motion
- Basic rhythm patterns/modes focusing on simple meter
- Melodic Improvisation
- Focus on major keys
- Antecedent and Consequent relationships
- Motif
Solfège Level 2
Applied Credential in Dalcroze Education
- Scales
- C to C Scales/Do to Do Scales through 4 sharps and 4 flats in Major
- C to C Scales/Do to Do Scales through 3 sharps and 3 flats in Harmonic Minor
- Polychords and Intervals
- Tetrachords and their corresponding intervals
- Harmony
- Major and minor triads in inversion
- Sequences of descending 5ths
- {rn: i, iv, V7, VI, iio}
- Further application of cadence study
- Sight-singing
- Minor keys through 3 sharps and 3 flats
- Mostly scalar motion with some disjunct motion
- Basic rhythm patterns/modes focusing on compound meter
- Melodic Improvisation
- Focus on minor keys
- Motivic development
- Ornamentation: appoggiatura, neighbor tones, etc.
Solfège Level 3
The Dalcroze Professional Certificate
- Scales
- C to C Scales/Do to Do Scales through 7 sharps and 7 flats in Major and Harmonic Minor
- Chromatic Scales (in at least 3 different keys)
- Polychords and Intervals
- Pentachords and their corresponding intervals
- Harmony
- In major keys: {rn:V7/V, V7/IV, V7/vi} (optional {rn:V7/ii})
- In minor keys: {rn:V7/V, V7/iv}, (optional {rn:V7/III})
- Continued work with sequences of descending 5ths
- Inversions of {rn:V7} and resolution to the tonic in Major and Minor
- Sight-singing
- Major and minor keys through 7 sharps and 7 flats
- Mostly scalar motion with leaps with more advanced disjunct motion
- More complicated rhythm patterns in simple and/or compound meter
- Some applied chords or chromatic alterations
- Melodic Improvisation
- Changing phrase lengths e.g. 2+2+4, phrase extension
- Basic chromaticism (e.g. chromatic neighbor and passing tones)
- Modulation to dominant, subdominant, and/or relative Major/Minor; see appendix for
examples
Solfège Level 4
Examinations will include at least one exercise from each of the subjects in bold below that is new material found in level 4 (Modulating C to C Scales, Polychords, Harmony, Sight-singing, Improvisation, and Dictation). Representative activities in the examination must include at least one scale activity, one polychord activity, one harmony activity, one melody activity, one improvisation activity, and one sight reading activity. Students must be prepared for any of the material below, but not all of the material will be tested. Individual training programs will design activities as they see fit; the examples below serve to illustrate the subjects involved. Each training center will handle dictations in their own way. Melodic/Rhythmic dictations will be evaluated under the “Melody” section of the examination form and averaged with other melody activities, while harmonic dictations will be evaluated under the “Harmony” section of the examination form and averaged with other harmony activities.
- Scales to be sung and identified when played
- a. C to C / Do to Do Scales
- i. Review: Major Keys through all 7 accidentals
- ii. Review: Harmonic Minor Keys through all 7 accidentals
- Natural and Melodic minor can be addressed separately, not necessarily
- within a context of the C to C / Do to Do scale format
- iii. Review: Chromatic scales
- iv. Modulating C to C Scales to All Neighboring Keys
- Polychords, interval fillers, and their corresponding intervals; these might include:
- Harmony: (the following subjects will be covered in major and minor keys through at least 4#s and 4bs)
- a. Aural recognition/identification/demonstration of harmony in writing, in gesture, and/or other creative means according to the teacher
- i. Review: Diatonic Triads and Seventh Chords in root position and all inversions
- ii. Review: Resolution of Dominant sevenths in all inversions
- iii. Applied Chords/Secondary Dominants (and possibly diminished 7th chords) in Root
- Position and 1st Inversion
- Major keys: {rn:V7/V, V7/vi, V7/IV, V7/ii, V7/iii}
- Minor keys: {rn:V7/V, V7/iv, V7/VI, V7/VII, V7/III}
- b. Chromatic harmony
- i. Neapolitan ({rn:bII6})
- ii. Augmented 6th chords (Italian, French, German)
- c. Progressions and sequences to be sung (e.g. Descending 5ths, Descending 3rds, 5-6 technique, descending 5ths & 3rds, etc.)
- i. Diatonic Triads and Seventh Chords
- ii. Applied Chords/Secondary Dominants
- Sight-Singing (treble and bass clefs are required; any other clefs are optional)
- a. Repertoire may include:
- i. Review: surface chromaticism (passing and neighboring chromaticism)
- ii. Applied Chords/Secondary Dominants
- iii. Modulation to All Neighboring Keys
- b. Repertoire genres may include:
- i. Solo Singing
- A Cappella Singing
- Sing and Play at the Piano (art songs, duets, etc.)
- ii. Collaborative Singing
- Art songs with piano
- Duets, Trios, etc.
- Chorales
- Improvisation
- a. Rhythmic Skeletons (Creating a Melody Based on a Rhythmic Motif or Phrase); this may include examples in Simple and/or Compound Meter including those subjects covered in License Level Eurhythmics. This could include:
- i. 1 Voice (for example: conduct and sing)
- ii. 2 Voices (for example: clap one voice, improvise a melody for the other voice)
- a. Melodies that Modulate (major and minor keys through 4 accidentals):
- i. Forms
- Review: Binary
- Review: Ternary
- Rondo
- ii. Modulation to Closely Related Keys
- b. Sing and Play at the Piano: play a chord progression and improvise a melody vocally
- Melodic/Rhythmic Dictation
- a. Review: Melody could include surface chromaticism that might suggest applied chords, mode mixture, etc.
- b. Student must correctly notate the melody with correct rhythms on staff paper in treble or bass clef.
Solfège Level 5
The Dalcroze License
Examinations will include at least one exercise from each of the subjects in bold below that is new material found in level 5 (Modulating C to C Scales, Polychords, Harmony, Sight-singing, Improvisation, and Dictation). Representative activities in the examination must include at least one scale activity, one polychord activity, one harmony activity, one melody activity, one improvisation activity, and one sight reading activity. Students must be prepared for any of the material below, but not all of the material will be tested. Individual training programs will design activities as they see fit; the examples below serve to illustrate the subjects involved. Each training center will handle dictations in their own way. Melodic/Rhythmic dictations will be evaluated under the “Melody” section of the examination form and averaged with other melody activities, while harmonic dictations will be evaluated under the “Harmony” section of the examination form and averaged with other harmony activities.
- Scales to be sung and identified when played
- a. C to C / Do to Do Scales
- i. Modulating C to C scales to any key
- b. Other Scale Forms. This may include examples such as:
- i. Pentatonic scales
- ii. Whole tone scales
- iii. Octatonic scales
- iv. Other scales, for example:
- Blues
- Modal
- Exotic/Synthetic (e.g. Enigmatic Minor Scale: C-natural, D-flat, E-flat, F-sharp, G-natural, A-sharp, B-natural, C-sharp)
- Others?
- Polychords, interval fillers, and their corresponding intervals; these might include:
- i. Hexachords (Heptachords in inversion)
- Harmony: (the following subjects will be covered in major and minor keys through at least 4#s and 4bs)
- a. Aural recognition/identification/demonstration of harmony in writing, in gesture, and/or other creative means according to the teacher
- All elements in level 4
- Other possibilities according to individual instructors.
- b. Chromatic harmony and their standard resolutions to be sung, for example:
- i. Fully-diminished 7th chords including
- Diatonic resolutions
- Enharmonic resolutions (i.e. resolve a dim-dim 7 in 4 different keys)
- Sight-Singing (treble and bass clefs are required; any other clefs are optional)
- a. Repertoire may include examples from level 4 plus:
- i. Modulation to Distantly Related Keys; these might include:
- Use of mode mixture modulations
- Use of chromatic chords such as the Neapolitan and Augmented 6th chords as pivots
- Use of chromatic chords as enharmonic modulations
- ii. Melodies that use other scale forms (Octatonic, whole-tone, etc.)
- b. Repertoire genres may include:
- i. Solo Singing
- A Cappella Singing
- Sing and Play at the Piano (art songs, duets, etc.)
- ii. Collaborative Singing
- Art songs with piano
- Duets, Trios, etc.
- Chorales
- Improvisation
- a. Rhythmic Skeletons (Creating a Melody Based on a Rhythmic Motif or Phrase); this may include examples with Simple, Compound, and/or Complex Meter, including those subjects covered in License Level Eurhythmics. This could include:
- i. 1 Voice (for example: conduct and sing)
- ii. 2 Voices (for example: clap one voice, improvise a melody for the other voice)
- b. Melodies that Modulate (major and minor keys through 4 accidentals):
- i. Forms
- ii. Modulation to Closely Related Keys
- iii. Modulation to Distantly Related Keys (ternary forms only)
- c. Sing and Play at the Piano: play a chord progression and improvise a melody vocally
- Melodic/Rhythmic Dictation
- a. Melody should include a modulation to a closely related key.
- b. Student must correctly notate the melody with correct rhythms on staff paper in treble or bass clef.
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