Interval Warm-up
Warm-up · Choir · Grades 4-12 · 5 to 10 min
Hear and match the distance between two notes -- seconds out to the octave -- one interval at a time, both up and down. Sing it or play it; the point is to fix the SOUND of each interval in the ear.
The rights, in plain language
This is our own original warm-up — a generic, public-domain music-theory technique written out in our own words, free to use, print, and teach at your school with no royalty and no fee.
Print as many copies as you need, and use it in your classroom and rehearsals — free, with no royalty and no fee. Keep the Free School Music credit on any handout you copy. For the full terms, see Licensing & rights.
How to use this warm-up
Run it at the top of rehearsal or class. Read it here, or print it — or save it as a PDF — straight from your browser for the rehearsal room. It is free, with nothing to sign.
What this warm-up is
Hearing and matching the distance between two notes — a second, a third, on out to the octave — one interval at a time, both ascending and descending. Intervals are basic music theory shared by all music; this is our own plain routine for drilling them, and it works whether your students sing or play.
How to use this warm-up
Best sung, because singing forces the ear to lead, but it works on instruments too. Establish a home note (the tonic) first so every interval is measured from something solid.
The exercise, step by step
- Sing or play the tonic and hold it a moment so everyone has it in their ear.
- From that tonic, move up a major second, then back to the tonic. Then a major third and back. Then a perfect fourth and back — working outward one interval at a time.
- Do the same going down from the tonic, since a descending interval is a different skill from an ascending one.
- Once the plain intervals are secure, mix them: the leader calls “up a fifth” or “down a third” and the group answers from the tonic.
Teaching tips
- Anchor to a familiar tune. Many students find an interval by remembering the first two notes of a song they already know — let each student pick their own anchor tune; the trick is generic and the choice is theirs.
- Always return to the tonic between intervals early on, so nothing drifts.
- Ascending and descending are separate skills. Give both equal time; descending is usually the weaker one.
Variations
- Two at a time: one half of the room sings the tonic and holds it while the other sings the interval above, so the two notes sound together as harmony.
- Name that interval: the leader plays two notes and the group names the distance — the same skill in reverse.
- Leaps within a key: sing from any scale note to any other, naming the interval, to connect ear training to reading.
What it builds
The core of ear training: a player who knows the sound of each interval can tune faster, sight-read more accurately, and hear their own mistakes. It is the difference between guessing at a leap and knowing where it lands.