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DouDou is the most innovative way for a child or adult to learn to sight-read music the easy way.
Since young, I had difficulty sight reading music myself. My teacher had not found an effective method of teaching me how to read music appropriate for my level.
In my life-long career as a music director and teacher, fellow teachers, whom I have met with in all parts of the world or worked with in my schools, have experienced similar problems teaching students to sight read music. As a local music school owner since 1988, I have been determined to search for a way to teach students to sight read music a much easier way.
I realized the solution was before us the entire time, with preschools, swim schools and ballet schools having used them for years. Thus, the DouDou teaching method had begun its journey about 8 years ago. Since that time, we have been conducting extensive research and study programs in all my schools with the participation of many of my fellow teachers, students and parents.
I cannot stress enough that music is learned through the ear, not through the eye. We all fall into the same trap teaching a student to read and play music. However, while a student can learn to read a music note, playing the note does not mean anything in the musical sense. It’s only a sound, a pitch.
Most of us do not realize a music note appears on the music score content in several different components. The note represents the rhythm and pitch in one score. Therefore, when a student reads and plays that particular note, he or she needs to:
- analyze the rhythm
- analyze the pitch
- process in his or her mind which finger to use
- then determine on the keyboard, or any other instrument, which key or string to play
- finally, play the note
That was just one note. Next, they must perform the same procedure in order to play the second note with continuity. For most of us, this can be torture.
The DouDou method splits the same note into two components in different ways to express a complete musical phrase. One will start with not keyboard playing, however just clap the rhythm of the melody line. That is, no staff line will associate with the notes. Then, one will read and sing, again without playing any instrument. Lastly, the student will play the keyboard or other instruments.
Before this process, the student will go through a series of ear training:
-By-Ear Clapping: the student will repeat the clap of the teacher’s clap. This will enhance the student’s sense of rhythm.
-By-Ear Singing: the student will repeat what the teacher sings. This will enhance the student’s sense of rhythm and pitch.
-By-Ear Playing: the student will play the phrase that the teacher plays. This will completely enhance the student’s sense of rhythm, pitch and playing without reading the music.
Then follows is the sequence of teaching a student to sight-read DouDou style, which is By-Sight Rhythm Clapping, By-Sight Melody Singing, then ultimately, Sight-Reading on the keyboard.
The most important point is that students are taught all of the above at the most basic level. In other words, they should begin learning with the C note, quarter note and quarter rest only, and no more.
Learning the DouDou method is the easiest way, and I call it the “No Load and Happy” learning method.
This series of books supports the examination system Musicianship Assessment (MA), which is governed by the Association for the Assessment and Certification of Musicianship (AACM).
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