This book teaches how to read chant, following the practice of scribes using red ink for the Fa staff line and Green ink for the Do line.

Since knowing where the half step intervals are is key to singing chant and understanding the modes, this approach works.

As one activity you may do with this book:

When teaching a class, go to Radio Shack online or in the store and buy two packs of magnets that look like washers - they have a hole in the middle. Take the home and slide them onto a wooden pencil. Orient them so that the magnets repel each other as you start putting them on the pencil. Then turn the 4th magnet (FA) so that it is attracted to the 3rd magnet (MI). Then continue adding repelling magnets - 3 more ending with TI - and then one more oriented to attract (DO).

You now have the modern major scale. The leading tone action is shown clearly as there is no space between MI-FA and TI-DO while all the other intervals are separated by space as they are by flat keys on the piano.

Now, add an attracting oriented magnet and from the other end, remove the top magnet. What mode is this?

Adding and taking away one from each end displays each of the modes and the half steps in a very clear manner for your students.

You could apply green nail polish to the DO magnet and red to the FA magnet edges if you like.

The book - a student version to be colored and a teacher version already colored - is available to purchase or download for free at www.thecatholicchoirbook.com.

You may want to download the color teacher's book to your ipad (the books are PDF's) and print out the student pages from your printer for students.