The Need for an Alternative: From Fantasy to Reality Myths
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“It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of education
have not entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry;
for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation,
stands mainly in need of freedom.” My long career as a music teacher and performer has given me ample opportunity to become confused by a lot of strange ideas people have about music and learning. For example, most people in our Western culture make a clear distinction between “musicians” and “non-musicians.” People who place themselves in the former category may feel a little superior, while those who believe in their hearts that they belong to the latter are in awe of those who are “musically gifted.” Lots of these people then act amused or ashamed as they declare with conviction that they are “tone deaf,” possess a “tin ear” and don’t have a musical bone in their body. Most people agree that music is a hard “subject to teach” – you need such specific training, or it’s too hard to win the kids over – and wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. I’ve seen devoted music teachers subscribe to tunnel-vision pedagogies that don’t speak to the real musical needs of their students and therefore, shut them out. These kids never make the connection between what goes on in the music classroom and what goes on in the rest of their life. When that happens, the frazzled music teacher needs to come up with management strategies for maneuvering large groups of students through the pedagogical hoops while children in those classrooms devote their heart and soul to out-strategizing the frazzled music teacher. The most common and disturbing of the images I’ve seen is children with abundant natural musicianship who, after being exposed to conscientious music teachers using respected methodologies in schools as well as private music lessons, begin to get the idea that being musical means something that they can’t or don’t want to do. When parents, as they often do, ask my advice on how to choose lessons for their children, I ask them what they hope their children will gain from taking music lessons. They say that it’s a wonderful thing to have music in your life, and that experience in the fine arts will balance the academics studied in school. They believe that learning to play an instrument gives children a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem, and that the routine and structure of lessons fosters discipline and other desirable work habits. Mostly, they know that taking private music lessons is an accepted and admired part of our culture, and that conscientious parents who can afford lessons do this for their children. If lessons truly provide the enriching, joyous and rewarding experience that they should, why do so many children become disinterested, discouraged and disillusioned, often after a few lessons? Why do so few adults have positive recollections of their own private lessons while so many feel musically dysfunctional? The answer has to do with the very nature of a traditional lesson, and the assumption that this is the most valuable, if not the only, way to learn music outside of a classroom. From Fantasy to Reality What about her parents? What motivated them to sign their daughter up for music lessons? Did she beg them for lessons or do they know other children who study instruments and want Elizabeth to have that chance too? What do they hope she will gain from the experience? Maybe there is hope that lessons will reveal talent - even genius! Lessons are often begun as a result of some inspiring event or exciting image of what it will mean to be able to play music. The problem, often, is that whatever the original motivation was, it doesn’t match the reality of conventional approaches to music learning. Between the fantasy and the reality lies and enormous chasm, and when a bridge cannot be built, the child risks tumbling into the abyss of failure. |
© Meryl Danziger 2004