Lines & Spaces Chant - Quick Tip - Band Directors Talk Shop

Quick Tip!

Use the Lines & Spaces Chant to help your students learn the lines and spaces…in a FUN way!

FACE, FACE
These are the Spaces of the Treble Clef!
EGBDF, EGBDF
These are the Lines of the Treble Clef! (HUH!)

ACEG, ACEG
These are the Spaces of the Big Bass Clef!
GBDFA, GBDFA
These are the Lines of the Big Bass Clef! (HUH!)

Have them change pitch a little (low to high) on “EGBDF” and GBDFA” to help them remember that E and G are on the bottom lines of the staff. They should still use a chant voice, bust just add a little inflection.

If you do both chants back to back, omit the Huh! at the end of the treble clef chant and only add it at the very end of the bass clef chant. Also, students can add motion to the “Huh!” Be creative! The options are endless!

Have them say “big bass clef” with the deepest, lowest, booming voice they can.

Click here to view and print the Lines & Spaces Chant – there is a “director version” with the rhythm marked & a student version with just the words.

Do NOT give the students a copy of the rhythm-marked version. Teach by rote – monkey see, monkey do. Then separately teach the lines and spaces as you normally do. This should be used in addition to your normal theory teaching.

It includes both treble and bass clef. You can have flutes just learn treble/tubas learn bass or you can have them all learn both if you have combined classes.