Structure of the paper

This paper will feature a general introduction on the Kodály method, focusing on the importance of singing and the impact singing has on the development of the inner hearing. I will focus on the importance of solmisation and the relation between sound and notation. 

I will then analyse the Colourstrings method, focusing on the way this Kodály inspired method uses singing and solmisation in combination with playing.

I will then argue on why not only singing is important but why singing and playing should be combined and how it can be practiced on the cello; I will then present a series of 40 sing & play exercises written by me for cello and voice.

At this point I will present my practice based part of the research and focus on the short term effects that practicing with singing has on the playing, when it comes to preparing a specific piece  (orchestral or chamber music). 

I will then come back to my research question and expose my conclusions. 

In the last chapter references can be found.

Throughtout this paper I will refer to letter note names with uppercase characters (C, D, E, F, G, A, B), whereas I will refer to sol-fa syllable with lowercase characters (d, r, m, f, s, l, t).

Introduction  

The objective of my research is to draw attention to the importance of developing and training musicianship skills; in this paper I will argue on why musicianship training should receive as much importance as studying the technique of an instrument. I will specifically focus on the effects that practicing exercises involving singing and playing on the cello, has on the development of a good inner hearing and musicianship skills.

I have decided to investigate this topic because it is something I am very passionate about. Before starting to play the cello as a kid, I have been attending Kodály inspired music lesson for several years. As of today I firmly believe that these early years of musicianship training have made me into the musician I am. The way I perceive, understand and feel music has been shaped through my education, and I am forever thankful for the knowledge I have acquired during these years; for this reason I strive to promote the importance of training musicianship skills.

One of the reasons I think this topic is very relevant nowadays is that not enough attention is drawn to the training of musicianship skills in instrumental lessons and specifically cello lessons, and I believe it is of crucial importance to provide a solid musical foundation that will allow the best possible musical growth of the student.

Research question and subquestions 

My research question is the following: “What are the effects that the practicing of exercises involving singing and playing has on cello playing?

In this paper I will discuss over the following subquestions:

1. Why is it important to address the development of the inner hearing when it comes to teach to play an instrument? 
2. How can we develop the inner hearing in relation to playing the cello?
3. Why is singing important for the training of the inner hearing?
4. Why is solmisation important?
5. How does the Colourstrings method implement the Kodály concept? Does it involve singing and solmisation? Does it present sing and play exercises? In what way can I take inspiration from the book for writing the exercises?
6. Why combining singing and playing?
7. In what way can I write exercises involving singing and playing on the cello?
8. How can singing and playing be used to prepare pieces from the cello repertoire? What are the short term effects that singing has on the playing?

Research method 

The methodology I have used for this paper consists of three main tracks:

1. I have used literature to support the first part of my research dealing with the long term effects that singing and playing has on the development of musicianship skills. This part of my research consisted in finding and reading articles, books and researches on the topic as well as an analysis of the Colourstrings method.
2. I have used practice based research to support the second part of my research dealing with the short term effects that singing has on playing when it comes to prepare a specific piece from the cello orchestral and chamber repertoire. I have asked 7 different cellists  (all conservatories or post graduate students) to practice the opening of the first movement of Brahms’ piano trio no. 1 using singing and playing. The participants had to send videos of their playing, keep a daily practice log and answer a questionnaire at the end of the week about their perception of the effects singing had during the week on their playing.
3. Both the literature and the practice based parts of my research have provided and supported me with knowledge that allowed me to write exercises for cello and voice. I will enclose in this paper as a PDF attachment a copy of the 40 exercises I have written. 

CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION

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