There is no need to write down music. Most of the world's musical traditions are passed on by ear alone and have never been written down. However, the western tradition gives us a fantastic notation to use. Besides this, notation in some form can

• Provide an ideal solution to remembering music from one session to the next.
• Provide thorough documentation of either individual or group work.
• Help in the planning out of a piece of music that you are making up.
• Give a link between music and the visual arts.
• Help in teaching children to read and write.

Graphic scores

There are several ways to use the different styles of graphic score.

• You can prepare scores for pupils to interpret. This is often best in the early stages.
• An individual pupil can prepare a score for a group to interpret.
  This helps develop a sense of structure and compositional skills.
• Groups can prepare scores and exchange them, interpreting each others work.
  As a cooperative learning exercise, this has it all.
• Individuals or groups can prepare scores of previously prepared work.
  This can be a much more interesting way of recording and preserving compositions than using a tape machine.

Here are three types of graphic score. You may find one particular type fits your needs or you may want to design your own type of score that gives the information which you require.

Graphic score 2

This score is best used to control one musical element, most obviously volume. The thicker the line, the louder the sound.

Graphic score 3

This score is very similar score in 1, but it gives the opportunity to arrange the musical elements in the form of a composition.
Any range of elements can be used.

Making your own notation

Devising more specific ways for writing down music can be enormously productive. You may or may note be able to read music yourself. It does not matter. The vital thing is to work out how to show this list of qualities that you need.

• Which instrument or voice is playing?
• When do they start and stop?
• How high or low are they?
• How long or short?
• How fast or slow?
• How loud or soft?
• How does everyone fit together?

Here are photos of a couple scores quickly created on one of our staff training courses, as was the one at the top of this page. They were made on paper from a flip-chart pad.