sight reading music

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablemusic

   the skill of playing or singing music you have not seen before from written notes

   Grammar: Uncountable: say 'good at sight reading music', not 'a sight reading music'.

   Patterns

   • good at sight reading music
   • practice sight reading music
   • sight reading music is difficult

   Sight reading music is a skill that every orchestral player needs.

   She spends twenty minutes a day practicing sight reading music.

   The exam includes a test of sight reading music.

2. 2phrasemusic

   the act of reading and performing a piece of written music for the first time

   Grammar: Often used after verbs like 'do' or 'test' in music lessons and exams.

   Patterns

   • do some sight reading music
   • test someone on sight reading music

   The teacher asked us to do some sight reading music at the start of the lesson.

   He was nervous about the sight reading music part of the audition.

Common combinations

good at sight reading music

The pianist is very good at sight reading music.

practice sight reading music

You should practice sight reading music every day.

a sight reading music test

The choir had a sight reading music test before the tour.

sight reading music skills

Good sight reading music skills will help you in any band.

Synonyms and how they differ

sight-reading

The shorter, more common form; add 'music' only when the context is not clear.

prima vista

A technical Italian term used in formal music teaching for reading at first sight.

Word family

sight-read verb

To perform music from written notes without practicing it first.

sight-reader noun

A person who is skilled at reading music at first sight.

Commonly confused: sight reading music or reading music?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sight reading music”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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