The Musician's Guide to Aural Skills: Sight-Singing

by Joel Phillips, Paul Murphy, Elizabeth West Marvin, Jane Piper Clendinning

Overview

A real-music approach to integrating aural skills and theory

What began as a conversation between two colleagues about music theory textbooks has grown into a leading music theory and aural skills curriculum. The Musician’s Guide to Aural Skills helps students develop critical musicianship skills through a repertoire of real music that your students listen to and perform. Designed to link aural skills with what students do in the theory classroom, the two volumes—one for ear-training and one for sight-singing—are closely coordinated with The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis, with sequence and topics aligned so that students maintain the same pace in their theory work and aural skills practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324119203
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2026
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Joel Phillips is professor emeritus of music theory and composition at Westminster Choir College of Rider University and recipient of its Distinguished Teaching Award. His compositions are published by G. Schirmer, Transcontinental, GIA, and Shawnee Press. A long-time member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, Phillips served five years as Chief Faculty Consultant for the Advanced Placement (AP) Examination in Music Theory and is the longest-serving College Board presenter for AP Music. Phillips is a founding member and past president of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic and a former editor of the Society for Music Theory’s Newsletter.

Paul Murphy is Professor of Music at Muhlenberg College. He is author of the Spanish/English edition of General Rules of Accompaniment: José de Torres's Treatise of 1736 and has published articles in Theoria, Studies in Medievalism, The American Dalcroze Journal, and the Journal of Music Teacher Education. He holds a Certificate in Dalcroze Eurhythmics from Carnegie Mellon University and has many years' experience as an accompanist for ballet and modern dance.

Elizabeth West Marvin is Minehan Professor Emerita of Music Theory and former dean of academic affairs at the Eastman School of Music. She has published in the areas of music cognition, music theory pedagogy, theory and analysis of atonal music, contour theory, history of theory, and analysis and performance. She is past president of the Society for Music Theory and past co-chair of the Advanced Placement Music Theory Test Development Committee. Marvin is the 2012 recipient of the Gail Boyd de Stwolinski Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Music Theory Teaching and Scholarship.

Jane Piper Clendinning is professor of music theory at the Florida State University College of Music. She has published articles reflecting her interests in the history of theory, theory and analysis of twentieth-century music, computer pitch recognition, and computer applications in music. Her current research interests include theory and analysis of popular and world musics. She has served as the chair of the Advanced Placement Music Theory Test Development Committee and as an AP reader, and is a regular consultant at AP workshops and summer Institutes.

Editorial Reviews

"There is simply no other textbook on the market that compares with respect to the emphasis on real music, the scope, breadth, clarity, and integration with theory and keyboard skills."

Tim Pack

"The integration of written and aural skills texts is its greatest strength. To my knowledge, this is the only text that integrates the two areas to that extent."

Gary Don

"It knits aural skills more closely to a complete musical fabric instead of it being a purely one-line melodic topic."

Rebecca Jemian