Major & Minor

It can be challenging for some students to take a listening assessment. For that reason, I have simplified listening to major and minor by characterizing major as happy and minor as sad. Of course, this is a huge oversimplification, but I have found it can be helpful for students who are just beginning to listen to the differences. Before assessing the students, make sure to give the students lots of practice. It can even be done over several lessons, where at the beginning or end of the class period, you play a couple of examples and have the students identify if the songs are in a major or minor key. You could play scales, chords, or excerpts of instrumental songs. To help students be successful, choose upbeat songs for major and moody songs for minor.

Below, there is a major & minor sign you can hang up – and cards you can hand out to students (They can be printed on both sides of the paper). As they listen, they can hold up the correct card.