As a music educator, there’s always that moment when you realize your go-to examples are, well, a bit dated. I distinctly remember the day it hit me: I was officially using “old” music references in my 6th-grade chorus class. And yes, this realization came in my very first year of teaching at the ripe old age of 24!
We were choosing songs for our spring “pop” concert, and I suggested “Go The Distance” from Disney’s Hercules. A student innocently asked, “Why do we only perform old music?” I was taken aback! “Old music?” I protested, flipping to the title page to proudly declare it was from 1997. A quick (and slightly embarrassing) mental calculation revealed that Hercules was released 16 years prior – long before my students were even born.
This experience isn’t unique. In music education, especially when teaching vocal techniques and musical intervals, we often rely on cultural references that simply don’t resonate with today’s students. My attempts at a Julia Child impression to demonstrate open vocal tone? Met with blank stares. Now, I encourage students to “sing like a British owl,” which, for some inexplicable reason, works wonders. It’s clear: to effectively teach this generation, we need to adapt to their cultural landscape and understand their musical world.
The Challenge of Stale Musical References
Nowhere is the issue of outdated cultural references more apparent than in the classic examples we use for teaching musical intervals. While some melodies are undeniably timeless, like “Here Comes The Bride,” many are so antiquated that they are irrelevant not just to current students, but to generations before them.
Take “Love Story,” traditionally used to illustrate the minor 6th interval. While a beautiful song, you’d be hard-pressed to find a student today who recognizes it, let alone can hum it! When I asked a few students about “Love Story,” they immediately thought of the Taylor Swift song – a completely different melody altogether.
The reality is, we need to update our repertoire. We need fresh, relatable examples – Musical Songs that resonate with younger generations. This means incorporating contemporary pop hits alongside classic tunes to make learning musical intervals engaging and relevant. While “Willow Weep” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” have their place, it’s time to get more creative and tap into the musical songs that students actually listen to.
In many of the examples below, the target interval occurs between the first two notes of the song phrase. However, in some, it appears later in the melody. Look for the bolded syllables to identify the target interval. Songs where the interval is at the very beginning are often easier to recognize and learn from.
Here’s a revised list of modern musical song references to help you teach and learn musical intervals, making ear training more accessible and enjoyable.
Minor 2nd
Reference songs: Minor 2nd
Ascending, Descending:
“She Will Be Loved” – Maroon 5 “I don’t mind spending every day”
Major 2nd
The major 2nd interval is fundamental – it’s the sound of the first two notes of a major scale, “do-re”. Contextualizing it with popular musical songs helps students recognize it in various musical styles.
Reference songs: Major 2nd
Ascending:
“Today was a Fairytale” – Taylor Swift “Time slows down” (major 2nd interval is between first two words)
Ascending:
“Happy Birthday” “Happy birthday to you” (the interval between the first two notes is a perfect unison, while the target interval – major 2nd – is between the second and third notes!)
Descending:
“Friday” by Rebecca Black Any time she sings “Friday” in the chorus.
Minor 3rd
Reference songs: Minor 3rd
Ascending, Descending:
Brahms’ Lullaby “Lullaby and good night“
Ascending:
Katniss and Rue’s whistle signal in “The Hunger Games” First two notes of four note pattern (G – Bb – A – D)
Descending, Ascending:
“Poker Face” – Lady Gaga “Can’t read my, can’t read my poker face”
Ascending, Descending:
“Firework” – Katy Perry “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?” (Minor third ascending interval between first two words, minor third descending interval between “ev-er“)
Major 3rd
Reference songs: Major 3rd
Ascending:
“Some Nights” – fun “Some nights I stay up” (also in the “Whoa – oh”)
Ascending:
“Today Was A Fairytale” – Taylor Swift “Today was a fairy tale” (major 3rd interval is between first two syllables)
Perfect 4th
Reference songs: Perfect 4th
Ascending:
“Rolling in the Deep” – Adele “I could have had it all“
Ascending:
Bridal March “Here comes the bride”
Ascending:
Amazing Grace “Amazing grace” (perfect 4th interval is between first two syllables of “amazing”)
Tritone
Reference songs: Tri-tone
Ascending:
The Simpson’s Theme Song “The Simpsons”
Ascending:
“Cool” – Gwen Stefani “It’s hard to remember how…”
Ascending, Descending:
“Purple Haze” – Jimi Hendrix Opening guitar riff
Ascending, Descending:
“YYZ” – Rush Opening guitar riff
Perfect 5th
Reference songs: Perfect 5th
Ascending:
Star Wars Theme Song Opening melody, first two notes
Ascending:
“Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga “Ra ra ro ma ma”
Ascending:
A-B-C-D / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep “A B C D E F G”
Minor 6th
Reference songs: Minor 6th
Ascending:
“Johanna” – from Sweeney Todd “I feel you Johanna”
Ascending:
“We Are Young” by fun “So let’s set the world on fire“
Ascending:
“Yeah” – Usher In repetitive synthesizer tune, it is the second wide interval. It goes perfect 5th, then minor 6th.
Major 6th
Reference songs: Major 6th
Ascending:
“Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen “Hey I just met you and this is crazy”
Descending:
“Man in the Mirror” – Michael Jackson “I’m starting with the man in the mirror” (major 6th interval between first two words)
Minor 7th
Reference songs: Minor 7th
Ascending:
While challenging to find in contemporary pop, “Somewhere” from Westside Story remains a prominent example of the minor 7th.
“There’s a place for us” (interval between first two words)
Ascending:
“Away in a Manger” “The little lord Jesus asleep on the hay”
Major 7th
Reference songs: Major 7th
Ascending:
“Don’t Know Why” – Norah Jones “I waited ’till I saw the sun” (major 7th interval between first two words)
Ascending:
“Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory “Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination.”
Octave
Reference songs: Perfect Octave
Ascending:
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO “Party rock is in the house tonight”
Creating Your Own Interval Reference Song Library
This list is a starting point. The most effective way to learn intervals is to personalize your reference musical songs. Think about the musical songs that immediately come to your mind when you hear each interval. You’ll likely discover many songs where the target interval appears right at the beginning. This “first two notes” method is a great way to build your own custom library. Even passively listening to music and actively identifying intervals will gradually expand your collection of personal reference musical songs.
Hopefully, these updated musical song examples are helpful and inspire you to create your own set of interval references! To further your ear training, explore the Ultimate Guide to Interval Ear Training or check out the interval training modules at Musical U.
