Teacher Appreciation Week Arioso Harmonic Backing Track #1 - John Feierabend
Arioso Harmonic Support Track: Turn Your Sundae Order Into a Song!
Looking for a fresh way to help your students explore Arioso? Here’s your chance to turn a simple moment—like ordering ice cream—into a powerful musical experience.
Try This: Sing Your Ice Cream Order!
Here’s the Arioso Harmonic Support track. One of my favorite ways to use it is by pairing it with a member-submitted aria, like this one, set at an ice cream shop. If you haven’t tried this activity, I dare you: walk into your favorite spot, order your ultimate sundae… and sing it.
Don’t have any doubts, press play on the track, and give it a go. It’ll show how naturally your musicality flows when supported by this groove. I dare you: walk into your next class, turn on the track, order your ultimate sundae…and sing it—so everyone can hear what an amazing, jaw-dropping sundae you just ordered.
Major Tonic and Dominant Loop
For a different “flavor” try out this Dorian backing track
Dorian Tonic and Sub-Tonic Loop
Why This Track Works
This backing track is perfect for beginner improvisers because it’s built on Western music’s most fundamental harmonic relationship: tonic (I) and dominant (V).
That’s it. No complicated modulations or jazz extensions. Just the essential harmonic tension and release that supports melodic creativity.
“Melody without harmonic insight and harmony without melodic insight is an incomplete experience.”
— Dr. John M. Feierabend
According to Dr. Feierabend, the path toward harmonic understanding begins by helping students hear and discern the relationship between tonic and dominant, then introducing subdominant (IV) as a third option. From there, we explore other tonalities like harmonic minor, natural minor (Aeolian), and modal tonalities commonly found in improvisation and folksongs.
Classroom Ideas: Arioso with Ice Cream & Viral Videos
Want to try this in class? Here’s a fun and easy Arioso activity:
- Play the I-V harmonic backing track in the background.
- Display an ice cream shop menu (real or made-up).
- Invite students to sing their sundae order using Arioso.
Are they shy about singing their order? No worries! Show them the “Giorgio at Sonic” viral YouTube clip—an iconic real-life Arioso moment. Or, use the “Old Oaken Bucket” episode from the Lomax DVD, where the grandmother character only speaks in Arioso. It’s hilarious, engaging, and permits students to cut loose.
Pro tip: I’ve left this episode as a sub plan before, and when I returned, the class was noticeably more comfortable with improvisation!
Lomax the Hound of Music, “The Old Oaken Bucket” episode
The Bigger Picture: Arioso and Circle Singing
If you were at FAMECON24, you might’ve caught my session with the amazing Davin Youngs of The Reset and Voxus. We explored Bobby McFerrin-style circle singing—a group-based, big-kid version of Arioso that easily brings spontaneous vocal creation into the classroom. It was a truly memorable experience—and I’m just getting started.
️ Save the Date: FAMECON26 in Chicago-Oak Lawn July 17–19, 2026
The next FAME Biennial Conference is already on the calendar—FAMECON26 in Chicago-Oak Lawn. It’s going to be the best 32 hours of music education anywhere.
- ✈️ Fly into Midway Airport—super convenient!
- Put it on your calendar now—you won’t regret it.
Final Notes
- Download the Arioso harmonic support track and let it become the band behind your students’ musical imaginations.
- Try it with your class today, and let us know what you think!
- ✨ More tracks are on the way—each designed to unlock a different creative response.
