Sight-Reading
14 Day Jump-Start
Day 5
4 Steps to Flawless Sight-Reading
1. Start with materials that are at your reading level — if the materials you are using to practice
sight-reading are too advanced, you’re going to feel stuck and frustrated, and you’re not going
to be consistent about practicing this essential skill.
2. Look before you leap — scan through your music before you begin
a. Check the time signature (2/4 time? 3/4 time? 4/4 time?)
b. Check the key signature (are there any sharps or flats?)
c. Look at the starting notes
i. Is it hands together? Hands separately?
ii. What is the starting note for each hand?
iii. Which finger is each hand starting with?
d. Scan through the entire excerpt, looking at the notes
i. Where is the music going up?
ii. Where is it going down?
iii. Are there any repeated notes?
iv. Are there any intervals to keep an eye on? (seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths, etc.)
e. Scan through once more, looking at the rhythms
i. Quarter notes?
ii. Half notes?
iii. Whole notes?
iv. Anything else?
3. Count 1-2 measures before you begin (and then keep counting). There are a few methods for
counting that you may find helpful:
a. Naming the direction of motion (up/down/same) and then filling in anything longer than a
quarter note by counting the additional beats
b. Naming the notes and then filling in anything longer than a quarter note by counting the
additional beats
c. Metric counting — counting the number of beats in each measure (2 beats for 2/4 time, 3
beats for 3/4 time, 4 beats for 4/4 time)
4. Keep going, no matter what happens — perfection is not the goal; steady, fluent reading is
a. Benchmark: 80-90% accuracy while keeping a steady beat
b. Not hitting the benchmark? Rescan and start more slowly
c. Still not hitting the benchmark? Find easier excerpts
Self-Assessment
After each sight-reading session, ask yourself the following questions to gauge your progress:
Did I complete the preliminary scans?
What went well?
Did I keep a steady beat and play without stopping, no matter what happened?
Did anything give me trouble?
How can I improve tomorrow?
Trouble-Shooting Common Sight-Reading Pitfalls & How to Fix Them!
I keep stopping when I make a mistake. → Keep going no matter what! Perfection isn’t the goal—fluency is!
I’m hesitating too much before playing. → Try setting a timer for 30 seconds to scan—don’t overthink it!
I feel overwhelmed by too many details. → Focus on notes first, then rhythm. One step at a time!
Today:
Have you been doing the scan before you start? If not, be sure to start creating this important
habit today
Name the landmark notes in the first exercise, and say “up/down/same” out loud in the
remaining exercises (even for the skips)
Briefly write down how the exercises felt ‒ Did they feel difficult? Were you able to keep going
even when you made a mistake? What went well and what gave you trouble? Save this for Day 14
so that you can track your progress
1. Time signature?
Day 5
2. Key signature? Sharps? Flats?
3. Starting notes + fingers?
4. Scan for: intervals + rhythm
5. Count 1-2 measures before you begin
Accuracy Check: On a scale of 1-10, how confident did you feel with these exercises?
