Ward Method
  • Nick B.
    Posts: 3
    I'm curious about the Ward Method, I need a curriculum for a co-op of c. 50 home-schooled Catholic Children for an 'EF' parish. Is anyone using this curriculum in their parish/school? Has it been successful? Is it recommended? Do you modify/supplement with other methods?
  • henry
    Posts: 244
    I've been using the Ward Method for a couple of years in our parochial grammar school. I was never trained in it, I just bought the Teacher's Edition and taught from there. I do skip some parts. As to whether or not it has been successful, the title of the book is "That All May Sing". I still have many children who are atonal after all these years. However, all are doing pretty well at sight singing using the Ward solfege method. Not to the point where I can hand them a piece of music and they can sing it, but better than children who have had no training, I think. I do supplement it with some old general music textbooks that we have. In addition, a good chunk of their music period is devoted to learning music for Mass.
  • JPilcher
    Posts: 1
    I have studied three of the four courses offered in the Ward Method and have taught it for three years. I highly recommend it on all levels. I have taught adults and youth, in both a generic parish setting and in an elementary school to Pre-K thru 5th graders. I'm also using it as the basis for teaching my adult schola, which concentrates on Gregorian Chant and polyphony; it is a wonderful base to work from to teach the modes.
    Across the board it is effective at improving pitch, tonal recognition and music line within choral pieces and general sight-reading. It captures the interest of the non-musical and those who have had little training in music, and opens up church music in particular to the "average joe" in the pew.
    I highly recommend the method and the classes to learn how to teach it. You really need the classes to fully understand the method as the text books do not give you the "guts" and excitement of the magic of this method.
    I have been teaching for 35 years and find it an invaluable tool to all of my music work. I now find I cannot separate it from the way I teach and conduct. It is truly an inspired method.
    Janis Pilcher
    Music Director of large parish in SC
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