Teaching Intonation to Beginning Musicians: Setting Up for Success from Day One

Teaching Intonation to Beginning Musicians

Setting Up for Success from Day One

By Gregory Ristow and Leah Sheldon, sponsored by NAfME Corporate Member uTheory

Who doesn’t love a perfectly tuned triad? Intonation is an essential skill for musicians. Developing a sense of intonation early allows students to self-correct. But, waiting too long teaches students (and teachers) to ignore poor tuning, and eventually desensitizes the ears. It may seem scary, but with a structured approach, young learners can tune into the nuances of sound and pitch.

Creating a supportive environment where it’s normal to make adjustments is essential. Adjusting intonation isn’t about being right or wrong. It’s about listening to the group as a whole and adjusting to each other.

How do we approach teaching intonation so that beginners can understand it, and so that listening for and correcting intonation becomes a habit?

You can hear us discuss these ideas and more on this podcast episode of Notes from the Staff. And for more ear training and theory resources, check out uTheory.com.

Steps for Teaching Intonation to Beginners

Prior ear training and solfège sets students up for success. But intonation work—teaching them to play or sing in tune—should start once they’re able to produce a clear, characteristic tone. Good tone is key because tuning depends on it. A fuzzy or unsupported tone creates out-of-tune overtones that complicate the tuning process, even when the note is “right.”

A game plan is essential. Telling students, “Move your tuning slide out!” may improve things in the moment, but it won’t teach them to hear or make adjustments independently. Here’s a sequence to help musicians build their intonation skills:

• Basic Ear Training: Begin with exercises to help students hear larger pitch differences, such as high versus low notes. Gradually narrow the range between notes until students are listening to examples of the same pitch, with one slightly out of tune. Simple comparisons help students intuitively notice pitch differences.
• Physical Adjustments: Show students how to adjust pitch on their instruments or, for singers, with vocal techniques. Demonstrate how and when to make physical adjustments such as pulling out a headjoint or tuning slide versus adjusting pitch using airstream and embouchure. Teach alternate fingerings when possible. Help singers understand how breath support affects pitch. Even if a student can hear intonation issues, they won’t be able to improve them if they don’t know how to adjust the pitch.
• Tuning to a Drone: Have students match their pitch to a drone individually. Tuning to a fixed reference point will lead to tuning with others.
• Group Tuning: Once students are successful individually with the steps above, tune as a group. Start by having students focus on listening to their direct neighbors, then within their section, and eventually expand to other sections and the whole ensemble. This progression allows them to refine individual tuning while learning to tune within a larger context.
• Work with Tuners: Using tuners can be a good complement to using your ear to tune. They provide immediate feedback and can be especially useful for beginners. But students shouldn’t become dependent on them, since using them alone can mask whether or not a student is actually hearing intonation.

Technical Issues with Instruments

Sometimes, the problem is the student’s instrument. A poorly placed bridge, a loose spring, or a leaky key can impact tuning. Make sure instruments are well-maintained and that students are using proper technique before assuming that tuning issues are ear-based. A singer with possible vocal damage should see an ENT doctor to examine their voice.

Exercises for Practicing Intonation

1. “F Around the Room”

• • In this classic exercise, one student or section plays or sings a note, such as concert F, and passes it to the next student or section. The goal is to create a seamless, continuous sound when each student or section joins in without any noticeable shift in pitch. This promotes listening and blending within the group and encourages students to tune their pitch to what they hear. Next, add harmonies or build simple chords around the fundamental note. This teaches students to tune vertically (for harmony) and horizontally (for blending) within the ensemble.

2. Drones

• • Drones are great because their pitch doesn’t move, so students must bring their pitch to the drone. First, have students hum or sing with the drone to internalize the pitch, then match their own pitch to the drone, aiming to achieve a sound that “disappears” into it without compromising tone or technique. Reference the presence of “waves” or “beats.” Explain how the speed of waves indicates how much to adjust: the faster the beats the bigger the adjustment.

3. In and Out of Tune

• • Students alternate between tuning deliberately sharp and flat and then bringing their pitch back in tune. This “in and out” method strengthens their awareness of pitch adjustments and comfort with tuning changes.

4. Chaos to Calm

• • Students play or sing random pitches, then on a cue move to the same note. This helps students listen to each other, tune together, and center the pitch as fast as possible.

5. Waterfall Tuning

• • Students start with a single pitch, then slowly spread out into harmonies by intervals, such as a third or fifth, creating a “waterfall” of sound. This helps them practice tuning intervals.

6. Tuning Tendency Charts and Instrument-Specific Techniques

• • Each instrument has characteristic intonation tendencies, which vary by brand and student skill. Have students play each note in their range while watching a tuner, noting if each pitch is sharp, flat, or in tune on a tuning chart. Revisit this twice a year as their intonation skills evolve, or when they switch to new instruments.

7. Remington Long Tones

• • Remington exercises are excellent for developing steady pitch and relationships between intervals. (Even if we think of these as instrumental exercises, they’re great for singers, too.)

8. Singing and Solfège

• • Singing a part before playing helps instrumentalists develop a mental model of the pitch. Students benefit from singing in solfège (Do, Re, Mi, etc.) before translating those pitches to their instruments. And solfège helps singers build a concrete understanding of pitch and intonation, and hand signs help them connect it to their body.

9. Cupping Hands for Singers

• • Encourage singers to cup their hands behind their ears to hear their own voice. Alternating cupping and removing their hand can help them identify how their pitch differs from the rest of the choir.

Consistency Counts

Teaching intonation is more than “sounding good.” It fosters active listening, sensitivity to pitch differences, and provides students with the skills and confidence to correct themselves.

Address intonation regularly and early, even in beginner classes. Simple instructions and slight adjustments make a notable impact, and repetition ensures that intonation becomes second nature for students over time.

About the authors:

Gregory Ristow is associate professor of conducting and director of vocal ensembles at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the founder of uTheory. He has taught Dalcroze Eurhythmics to students from preschool through college, and his writing on music theory pedagogy has appeared in the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, the American Dalcroze Journal, Being Music: The Canadian Dalcroze Journal and Theory and Practice.

Leah Sheldon, Head of Teacher Engagement for uTheory, is an experienced public school music educator. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace University, Conservatory of Music. Leah currently teaches 4th-8th grade instrumental music at the University of Pittsburgh’s Falk Laboratory School, and has served as a middle school and high school band director, assistant marching band director, and kindergarten through 4th-grade elementary music teacher. In 2018, Leah was recognized by her educational peers and students in receiving the Teacher of the Month award through Partners in Education.

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