A Major Musical Music Major Problem

Assignment: Write out your process for doing melodic dictations.

My process for melodic dictations begins when I walk into class about ten minutes late because it's just too early in the morning for responsibility. My first step is to calm myself down and assess the situation. This involves looking frantically at the board, hoping to see both a bass and treble clef (meaning a harmonic dictation) and eventually being let down as I realize it's a melodic dictation. I rush to my seat and fumble around in my book bag, looking for a pencil and some paper. Next, I take three deep- but very quick- breaths and tense my entire body for roughly five seconds. I relax as I exhale; I am now ready to do a melodic dictation.

The next step in my process is to create a staff for me to do my dictation on. I have to draw a staff on my own notebook paper because I am a poor college kid and can't buy fancy staff paper. Unfortunately, this step takes until about two hearings into the dictation. After that step, I panic and look around for someone nearby who I can copy- which is nobody, because no one is good at melodic dictations. Especially when they're atonal. For the third hearing, I usually start at the beginning and attempt to write each note as it happens. This lasts for about three notes before I get too far behind. I then sit and wait for the last note and count how many beats it is. From there I am able to work towards the middle measures, and when the two ends finally meet up, I can use the last hearing to make sure everything is correct. Then, I turn in the dictation to my TA. My last step is receiving the dictation a week later and finding out that I earned a 57- a new record.