Ronald Russo of Watertown, Connecticut, taught music in public schools for close to 35 years. As the developer of the elementary general music curriculum for Thomaston Public Schools as well as a band instructor at the middle and high school level, Ronald Russo drew on an understanding of the many ways in which children can learn to read music.
A number of strategies exist for teaching students to read music, and each has its adherents. Many use mnemonics, such as the "Every Good Boy Does Fine" phrase that numerous students have learned to remember the E, G, B, D, and F lines of the treble clef. Others start with keyboard geography and teach students how the letters A to G correspond to piano keys.
Taking the latter approach, students progress to steps and skips, which correspond to seconds and thirds in traditional music theory. Students come to understand how note names relate to musical sounds and to visible intervals on an instrument, and they can extend this knowledge to larger intervals of fourths and above.
Once students have basic notation awareness, they can begin to extend their knowledge by training their ears to hear and identify patterns. They can do this by listening to music, by reading the score, or by sight singing, which requires internalized knowledge of the patterns. Further coordination of the ear, eye, and hand can occur when the student joins an ensemble, as this can require him or her to listen as well as to read new music on a regular basis.
