For pupils from the Octave Class who are motivated to learn sight-singing. They may be either beginners, or pupils who sang in Quint Class Plus during the previous year. Each pupil will start or continue at their own level.

The training for sight reading is called solfège. The eventual aim of solfège is to be able to sing any melody you see in notes directly, without having heard it first. This is a fantastic skill for any singer. But it takes a lot of ear training. You also have to learn to understand how the music you sing forms a system (music theory).

The Octave Class Plus offers solfège training in small groups.

We use a method entitled Nachtegaal (Nightingale), written by Caro Kindt, a conductor of highest level children’s choirs. Each pupil works through this course material at their own pace.

Please note: without doing your homework you cannot succeed! You should practice for at least 10 minutes three to four times a week. That ensures good progress, but 10 minutes daily is even better.

You can start in Octave Class Plus at any time during the school year.

If a pupil has learned a lot in Octave Class Plus and has completed part one of Nachtegaal, they might like to sing more music and more challenging pieces and perform in front of an audience. That will be possible from 2021 onwards, in the Delft Youth Choir.

Octave Class Plus