Learning an instrument will hopefully become natural
Musical autonomy To become musically autonomous one needs to have absorbed music on a deep, sub-conscious level. A long time ago a teacher of mine said, “The real instrument is here,” as he pointed to his ear. I now understand what he meant. Once we get past the physicality of playing a stringed instrument (which is not to be underestimated, nor is it insurmountable) the language of music becomes our final goal. There are only 12 notes and a finite number of chords and progressions. We work at training the ear to hear the differences and to understand the relationships from one note/chord to the next. I associate it with learning another language. I have learned Portuguese and Spanish and traveled to countries that speak only these languages. While I was preparing for my journeys, taking lessons and practicing, I thought that I was going to be able to communicate. However, when I arrived in Brazil and the Dominican Republic I realized that I was unable to communicate. Confined to my limited vocabulary and my memorized “common sentences”, I had no way to think and interact on the spot. But what I had the hardest time with was hearing what people were saying. No one had taught me how to really listen: I could not tell where one word ended and another began. People either spoke too fast for me or the different regional dialects threw me off. But I gradually learned to hear the words, then the sentences, and then the ideas. I learned to improvise – to come up with new ways of speaking on the spot. These are the same things musicians are working on: developing a strong musical ear -understanding the underlying structure of melody, chords, and rhythm – all to be able to communicate with other musicians. Understanding all of this reduces dependence on written music and helps to make it become a more natural, spontaneous and autonomous activity.
Develop a Holistic Approach to Learning Music
At times I am amazed at the degree to which students can learn and grow through their musical pursuits. I have seen music open doors in students’ lives – socially, academically, psychologically, and professionally. Learning music can be a positive force in one’s life beyond the time spent actually playing an instrument because music has the power to engage the whole personality – talents, quirks, limitations, and all. In lessons I look for ways that music can be integrated more fully into students’ lives, such as identifying the best ways to incorporate practicing into one’s other commitments, learning how to channel one’s emotions and life experiences into music, helping find settings to play and practice music with other people, and relating the musical learning process to other areas of experiences like sports, careers, or languages.