Does S-Cubed work with High School and Elementary singers?

On March 6, 2018, I received this message from a high school teacher who uses S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners.





I am so happy that I use this program! As a first-year teacher in a high school, one of the things I was most nervous about was effectively teaching sight-singing. I knew that many of my students had never done it before, and I didn’t want it to be a tedious part of the choral rehearsal that kids dread, especially since I wanted to sight-sing regularly. I also didn’t feel like a very confident sight-reader, either. I was able to modify S-cubed for high school kids, and set a great foundation for regular sight reading. My students enjoy the games and competition, and since we use the projector, they don’t hide in their books. Music in the Middle also helped me to set a really strong procedure for my class with a structured routine that flows seamlessly and makes the best use of my rehearsal. We work bell-to-bell, and the kids have grown consistently in their music literacy and tone! At our festival this year, we not only nailed the sight-singing with ample time to spare, we also added text, phrasing, breath marks, and balanced the sound across sections. We earned a score of 100 and used our spare time to show off some of our literature! I’m incredibly proud of the work my students have put in and grateful to have this resource.

Christa Fredrickson
Director of Choral Activities
Centennial High School
Las Cruces, NM
@missfredmusic

On the same day I received the letter above from the high school teacher, I received this message from a teacher who teaches 4th and 5th grade on my YouTube Channel:

When I created the program, I called it the "S-Cubed Middle School Sight Singing Program for Beginners" because I use the program in my classroom, and I teach middle school beginners.

I wanted to be honest about where I knew the program would work because of my own experience.

Since that time, I get the same questions over and over from both upper elementary teachers and high school teachers.

Will it work with my singers?

Here is my advice.

Read all of the product descriptions in my store on Teachers Pay Teachers. I've spent many hours preparing the descriptions so people know exactly what they will get when they purchase. Read all of the reviews, consider the evidence and make an informed decision so that you can spend your resources where they will be best used for your students in your setting.

If you purchase, start from the beginning and follow every step. ...Even if you believe you have some advanced singers... S-Cubed method needs to be followed step by step and cannot be rushed.

If you are a high school teacher who teaches beginners, then you still have to start from the beginning. You will likely move more quickly, so I recommend that you purchase the MEGA Bundle which includes the entire program.

If you are an elementary teacher who wants to explore S-Cubed and prepare your students for middle school choir, use this bundle. I call it the Elementary Bundle because it only includes the first five lessons of the program. Since most elementary music teachers don't see their students very often, this bundle will likely take the entire school year to present. It will lay a strong foundation in solfege for your singers, and they have fun as they learn how to use the hand signs.

I am so glad it appears to be working for teachers at many levels.

Keep sharing the news about this program with peers who teach all age groups!

Thank you for your support!

-----Update July 25, 2023

This is the perspective of Matthew Sawtelle- Long time S-Cubed User

Matthew Sawtelle

DIrector of Music for the Braintree Public Schools, k-12 (Braintree, Ma)

matthew.sawtelle@braintreeschools.org

Teaching Experience:

Braintree High School Choral - 2019 - present

Braintree South Middle School Choral - 2005-2019

Dudley Middle School Band - 2003-2005

Undergraduate Degree 

 Anna Maria College - Bachelors in Music Education - 2003

Master’s Degree

  Boston University - Music Education - 2007

C.A.G.S.

 American International College - Education Administration - 2015

 I came across S-Cubed when searching online for new ways to teach solfege to my students at the middle school level.  I went through college always thinking I would be a band teacher, and never had a focus on solfege.  I knew the basics, but it was not my forte.  I wanted to find a way to get the basics of solfege and sight singing instilled into my students.  I have always approached middle school teaching with the philosophy that students are only limited by what we think they are able to accomplish.  I saw the videos of Dale’s students at festival sight reading pieces with such accuracy and I was sold.  I purchased the S-cubed program the following school year and began implementation.  

Of course, there was some push back with trying something new, with my veteran students, but the outcome was the proof they needed.  I video taped the students working through the exercises in the start of the year, and then sporadically as the year progressed.  We finished the year with students sight reading 16 measure multi-part phrases, when they started off struggling on 4 measure unison.  I went back and showed the students the videos for them to see their own progressions, and they were sold.  I continued using this for the last five years or so that I was at the middle school level.  When I moved up to the director position, and was teaching high school, I thought my S-cubed days were done.  Then Covid happened….

As we have begun the rebuild, my students had lost not only their sight reading ability, they lost the continuity of classroom procedures.  We all have experienced it.  I went back to what worked with my middle school students.  From day one of position one, two, and three, to the forbidden pattern game, students were becoming engaged in class again.  They were asking for more sight reading examples, and forbidden pattern games.  At the high school level, I was able to progress much faster, since I was now seeing the students every day, instead of only three days out of a six day cycle like we did in middle school.

The basics that are instilled in the program were exactly what was needed for the high school students.  I did have to mark up the powerpoint presentations so they didn’t say anything about middle school on them, but the students were able to rebound as we pushed through each day.  Students who thought they weren’t able to sight read were suddenly getting their “lightbulb” moment.  I was able to rebuild and bring students to the state festival, had students being selected for All-State, as well as various choral groups across the south shore of Massachusetts.  

 I cannot praise Dale’s work with S-Cubed enough.  The simple approach to solfege and sight singing has been a tremendous help to my teaching.  It gave me a new confidence in being able to teach music, and also boosted the confidence in all of my students.  My students would not have progressed the way they did without the implementation of this program. I must say that in order for it to work, you need to buy in completely.  Do each unit as prescribed and work.  Don’t worry about how fast you progress.  As long as you are consistent, the process works.  It is proven.  If you don’t fully believe it from my own testimony, then try it out for yourself.  Own it!  Make it your own, and push your students beyond what they ever thought they were capable of achieving.