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Sight reading
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Sight reading is the reading and performing of a work—typically, a piece of music, but sometimes also linguistic texts like drama—without having seen it before.
In musicTerminologySight TranspositionSome musicians -- self-taught guitar players, in particular -- can take a popular song and transpose the music to fit their voice range, ease of playing the guitar chords, or any other reason. They don't even have to know how to read music -- just knowledge to play the transposed guitar chords is all it takes to take a song that is "too high," or "too low," and tailor-make it fit one's voice-range.
Sight-PlayingAccording to Udtaisuk, "many [authors] use the term sight-reading for instrumental sight-reading performance." However, Udtaisuk and some other authors use the more descriptive term "sightplaying" (or "sight-playing") for instrumental sight-reading, because sight-playing combines two unique skill sets: music reading and music making.
Sight-SingingWhen singers sight read, it is often called sight singing. Some authors, according to Udtaisuk, use the term "sight-singing" for vocal sight-reading. As with sight-playing, Udtaisuk advocates and uses the more descriptive term "sightsinging" for vocal sight-reading, because sight-singing combines sight-reading and singing skills.
Professional UseStudio musicians (that is, musicians employed to record pieces for commercials, etc.) often record pieces on the first take without having seen it before. Often, the music played on television is played by musicians who are sight reading. This practice has developed through intense commercial competition in these industries.
, jazz musician, professor, and private instructor, describes auditions for University of North Texas Jazz Lab Bands as being almost completely based on sight reading: "you walk into a room and see three or four music stands in front of you, each with a piece of music on it (in different styles. . .). You are then asked to read each piece in succession."
This emphasis on sight reading, according to McNerney, prepares musicians for studio work "playing backing tracks for pop performers or recording [commercials]." The expense of the studio, musicians, and techs makes sight reading skills essential. Typically, a studio performance is "rehearsed" only once to check for copying errors before recording the final track. Many professional big bands also sight read every live performance. They are known as "rehearsal bands" though their performance is the rehearsal.
According to , score reading is an important skill for those interested in the conducting profession and "Conductors such as the late Robert Shaw and Yoel Levi have incredibly strong piano skills and can read at sight full orchestral scores at the piano."
surveyed over 40 professional associations regarding opportunities and requirements in music careers. They found sight reading, transposition, and improvisation among required skills for careers in instrumental performance including armed forces musician, orchestra musician, small ensemble musician, concert soloist, band musician, and clinician. Employment in music for worship including organist, choir director, cantor, and hazan require skills in sight-reading and open score reading. Sight singing and memorization are required for vocal performers such as dance band or night club vocalist, concert or opera chorus member, concert soloist, and opera soloist.
PedagogyAlthough 86% of piano teachers polled rated sight reading as the most important or a highly important skill, only 7% of them said they address it systematically. Reasons cited were a lack of knowledge of how to teach it, inadequacy of the training materials they use, and deficiency in their own sight reading skills. Teachers also often emphasize rehearsed reading and repertoire building for successful recitals and auditions to the detriment of sight reading and other functional skills.
Assessment and standardsIn some circumstances, such as examinations, the ability of a student to sight read is assessed by presenting the student with a short piece of music, with an allotted time to peruse the music, then testing the student on the accuracy of the performance. A more challenging test requires the student to perform without any preparation at all.
Washington State has piloted a classroom based assessment which requires 5th and higher grade students to sight sing from sheet music without the aid of instruments. It is suggested that students use solfege or numbering systems or fingering without instruments as aids. Sight singing is a learning requirement in the state at the 8th grade level. Most students and adults cannot sight sing, and many professional singers cannot sing by sight. However, in combination with an assessment which requires composing music on a staff as early as 5th grade, it is hoped that such a requirement will raise arts achievement. Pilot data show that many students can meet or exceed such standards. Other states are evaluating possible performance assessments as well.
In dramaSight-reading is also a much-needed requirement in drama, where it is often used in conjunction with improvisations to gauge a performer's ability to perform new works. It is particularly useful during auditions. A good drama sightreader is able to communicate with fluency and clarity and to project speech rhythms and rhymes well. He or she should also be able to bring out the intent, mood and characterization of a piece through appropriate articulation and body language.
See also
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