Tonal dialogue invites children to engage with tonal much as they do with language—interacting with an adult who understands and models the language, encourages imitation, and prompts independent making of meaning. Tonal dialogue begins with the response of the resting tone, progresses to short tonal segments that include the characteristic tones of the tonality anchored by the resting tone and dominant tone, and ultimately moves to melodic improvisation.
Tonal dialogue activities are presented with a short melody on a neutral syllable that immerses students in the tonality, followed by short melodic segments with silence after each for student response. Melodic segments include simple rhythms that reinforce tonic and dominant anchors. The tempo is broken for the melodic segments, and a very deliberate breath starts each melodic segment and period of silence. Breath summons tonal knowing as well as generating the energy for vocal production. It provides for the student to mobilize and compress tonal audiation, leading to greater tonal understanding and more precise, in-tune delivery.
As with rhythm dialogue, the teacher may need to simply leave room for the student’s response until the student begins to fill the space with tonal dialogue. If a student’s response derails the tonality, the teacher can offer a melodic segment that re-defines the tonality. Some students will repeat the teacher’s delivery; some will contribute their own tonal segments. Some will respond with the resting tone. Some responses will be obviously within the tonality, yet without discreet pitches. All are fine responses and part of the process of learning to dialogue tonally. Sometimes, the teacher might offer a tonal segment that clarifies what the teacher thinks the student is trying to deliver. Sometimes the teacher offers a tonal segment slightly beyond the student’s ability, expanding the student’s tonal vocabulary.
Tonal dialogue serves music learning best with one student at a time, but it can be very effective with a class, first with the class repeating the melodic segments of the teacher, and then with everybody delivering their own patterns in response to the teacher’s. Language interrupts tonal dialogue, derails the tonality, and defeats the purpose of the activity. Explanations about tonal dialogue are not needed, but rather, the creating of an ongoing tonal narrative, with all responses accepted within the experience. Modeling, interacting, and conversing tonally teaches tonal far more than words. Non-verbal communication, such as offering the hand as a microphone to invite individual response, can be effective. The experience of dialoguing vocally one-on-one with a more developed musician can serve a lifetime of music making, giving voice to ever-growing tonal skill.
