What Is Solfege and Why Should I Learn It?

Even if you don’t realize it, you probably already know what solfege is. If you’ve seen The Sound of Music, you’ve heard the solfege syllables: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do—the sounds of a major scale. Many people recognize these sounds but don’t fully grasp just how powerful solfege can be for ear training, improvisation, transcription, and overall musicianship.

Our brains are wired to make connections, bundling multiple pieces of information together so they become faster, more efficient—even instantaneous—to use. With music, most people don’t consciously identify each pitch they hear, but our brains naturally categorize tones by their function within a key. Solfege gives each tone a name, facilitating this natural process of bundling and unlocking what can feel like a musical superpower.

Though solfege training has been used with children for centuries (the system itself is nearly 1,000 years old), Jazz Night School is dedicated to helping adults get the most out of this timeless tool. With that in mind, we’ve developed a two quarter course called Ear Power, which uses solfege as one of its core foundations.

In Ear Power, you’ll get to know the twelve solfege tones one by one while exploring your personal connections to them. Maybe “fa” feels round to you, or “ti” seems to pull toward “do.” Some learners experience colors, sensations, or other associations with certain tones. Rather than overlooking these natural responses, solfege helps you harness them.

By pairing these associations with structured ear-training exercises, Ear Power connects your conscious understanding with what your brain already knows. As you become comfortable with all twelve solfege syllables, you’ll hear how they relate to each other and to the key they operate in—strengthening your ear training, improvisation, and overall musicianship.

If you’ve already studied music or jazz theory, solfege will integrate seamlessly into your knowledge base. If you’re brand new, it is also an excellent starting point, helping you build musical understanding with sound—rather than abstract theory—as your guide.

Jazz Night School is a vibrant, welcoming nonprofit music education program, home to hundreds of passionate learners. Whatever your level—beginner, intermediate, or advanced—we have a place for you. Along the way, you’ll join a community of dedicated jazz students and artists who share your love of learning.

If you’re ready to start your solfege journey and new to Jazz Night School, sign up for a free skills assessment today! (This is not an audition—it’s simply a way for us to get to know you and make sure you’re placed in the class or combo that best fits your goals.)