Foundational Sight Singing
Reviewed by Sean Taylor, Associate Professor, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 1/1/26
Comprehensiveness
The book covers examples in all keys and most time signatures that students will encounter in repertoire.
Content Accuracy
The content of the book is accurate. There were no noticed errors in content, directions, or exercises.
Relevance/Longevity
The content of the book is relevant and current with best practices. It would be best if the author took a stronger stance advocating for moveable Do (or numbers) and use of a metronome rather than only suggesting them.
Clarity
Terminology used is all accurate and comprehendible.
Consistency
The progression of each chapter and concept is consistent and clear.
Modularity
Each module focuses on one concept. Breaking them down further may not allow students to fully grasp the concept, but that is not detrimental since modules are appropriately sized.
Organization/Structure/Flow
As a comprehensive textbook, It is not clear whether this text in intended for students with some sight-singing knowledge or if they should come in fresh. Some basic concepts, specifically compound time signatures, aren't addressed until chapter 6.
Interface
The interfaces used in the text are simple and effective.
Grammatical Errors
There were no noticed errors in grammar.
Cultural Relevance
There were no noticed references to culture in this text, and therefore also no noticed insensitivities.
Commentsregarding the melodies used by the author, it is challenging to create melodies that are singable by all voice types that may be enrolled in a class, but a concerning majority of the melodies reach to an extreme low range, making them quite difficult/frustrating/impossible to sing for soprano, tenor, or higher alto/baritone voices. That could cause students to become unnecessarily frustrated as they are developing their musical skills and vocal skills as part of the target demographic of this text.