By this time in the school year, you know the procedure for the sight singing audition very well:

1. The tonic triad will be played in broken (arpeggiated) style which you will sing out loud using solfeggio syllables as it plays.
2. You will have 30 seconds to practice singing an eight measure example.
3. After 30 seconds, the tonic triad will be played again.
4. You will count-in at a slow to moderately slow tempo before singing your final reading.

However, what is easy to describe is not necessarily easy to demonstrate. Here are a few general tips to help you feel more confident for the sight singing version of your audition:

• Drill Your Key Signatures: Most often, the example begins on the tonic pitch (“Do”). However, practice identifying your key signatures a lot, so you’re not confused by a tricky one—especially if it doesn’t start on the tonic.
• Practice Daily: For most, sight singing improves more consistently over a series of weeks rather than a few days before the audition. Try practicing one or two letter names a day. For example, Monday could be A-flat/A major and B-flat/B major; Tuesday: C/C-sharp major (though C-sharp is highly unlikely) and D-flat/D major (D-flat is less likely than D), etc. Inevitably, you will have some key signatures that are very easy for you, so you will need to spend more time with the harder ones.
• Record Yourself: Audio record your practice and your final reading. When you listen to the track, judge yourself for correct rhythms and pitches. Are you singing at a consistent tempo? How is your intonation? Are you missing certain intervals or rhythm patterns regularly? Are you stopping too often?
• Record Yourself singing with the Answer Track: Most of you are using a computer program to practice sight singing. Record yourself singing with the answer track after you independent, final reading. Compare that recording to your previous, “final reading” recording. What improved? What can you improve easily the next time you practice?
• Record yourself without the Answer Track Again: Yes, one more time for the same example! Was the tempo for the final reading appropriate? Were you able to improve any pitches or rhythms you may have missed before? Were you able to keep singing even if you missed a pitch or a rhythm? Did you recover quickly when you made a mistake?

These tips should help you become more comfortable with the procedure and improve intervals and rhythm patterns that are frequently used in sight singing examples. Try to notice the same musical ideas used in your repertoire to inform your sight singing, too.

Finally, if you are really uncertain, remember this: Songs are composed of short and long notes that go up, down, or repeat in a stepping or skipping fashion:

1. If you are not sure what to sing next, sing a neutral syllable and focus on the direction of the pitches while demonstrating shorter vs. longer notes.
2. Don’t forget to look ahead at least one note at a time as you sing.
3. Keep your eyes moving forward past bar lines and the end of the staff, too.

Again, even if you think you might miss the next note, focus on the rhythm, and try to sing in the correct direction—try not to sing higher if the next note is lower, etc. If you can do that, at the very least, we’ll know that you understand how the sound-graph we call music works!

YOU CAN DO IT! 😎

Updated: June 10, 2025