Curwen hand signs are visual cues for teaching pitch and note placement in a music class. The traditional hand signs look like this:Traditional Hand Signs.
Here's a link that will explain the benefits of the Curwen Hand Signs in detail: The Effect of Curwen Hand Signs on Vocal Accuracy of Young Children.
Paula Winans, educational director for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, conducted a choir using these modified hand signs. The large movements appealed to the choir members.Younger students find these modified Curwen Hand Signs fun and entertaining. These hand signs can be used as a call and response warm up activity, or to reinforce pitch placement in melodies. Another possible activity is Secret Song.
| Image | Sol-fa | description |
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so | palms facing back, above head |
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fa | fists above head, thumbs pointing down |
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mi | hands horizontal, over eyes |
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re | hands crossed over bridge of nose |
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do | fists over nose |
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ti | pointers at nose |
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la | hands curved under chin |
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so | low so at chest height |
These large movements can be refined until you are no longer using both hands, or placing them on your face! If you need to challenge your exceptional students with their Curwen Hand Signs try this: Hand Sign quiz.
John Curwen has an interesting biography. If you want to learn more about him: John Curwen.
I hope you can use these in your music classroom. If you have any questions or comments please contact me. Fred Zimmerman