Let’s get philosophical

So, this week the question was posed about aural learning in music and if it is in fact, musical. I didn’t think about it at first, but I have been struggling with this question all year. I entered a music class where the previous teacher did almost everything by rote and aural training. A method that was completely different from my “tried and true” classical upbringing. You learn the notes, their values and how to play them on your instrument. Simple. Or so I thought, when I tried to begin to teach the students how to read music. It was a much harder hurdle to overcome than I thought and I began to think, am I wrong? Is learning aurally just as musical? Does not knowing how to read music make someone less of a musician?

I don’t know if I have an answer to that question at the moment. I actually don’t know if I will ever have an answer to that question. The classical musician in me wants to turn my nose up to the thought of not being able to read or write music. I think to myself, “What kind of teacher would I be if I did not teach my students how to truly communicate through music?” Though, on the other hand, I think, “Am I doing them a disservice for forcing notation down their throat and not just playing music?” It’s an internal debate that has been raging on and on. I think of the 8th graders getting ready to go to high school and think about those that want to continue with band. What is it going to be like for them when the teacher pulls out a score and says, “Let’s take it from bar 25.” I can feel the student’s instant panic when they realize that they have no idea what is happening. But is this a reason to focus on reading and writing notation? I don’t know! The internal struggle continues. #MFlearn19 #Iteach