In my role as an examiner I always find it disappointing when candidates play their pieces tolerably (or even very) well and then fall down (sometimes dismally) on the other areas. I hear the cry of “but how can you possibly devote ‘quality time’ to technique, scales, sight-reading, aural, memory, improvisation, theory, composition (the list seems endless) in a ‘normal’ lesson span? There are simply not enough minutes”.
Perhaps those precious minutes that go to make up a lesson (or practice session) are simply not being used as effectively as they could. I would like to discuss a new approach to teaching musical instruments that I have been developing over the past few years. I call it “Simultaneous learning”.
Let’s ponder the question, “Why are some people more musical than others? ” The answer, to a degree, lies in their genetic inheritance and therefore, literally, in the way their brains are connected. However, nature must be supported by nurture. Those who, by virtue of sensitive, caring and imaginative parents, would have had an early upbringing rich in creative activities (anything, for example, from singing and dancing, drawing and painting to playing with building bricks or jigsaw puzzles) will be in a very much more advantaged position than those subjected to an early life empty or starved of such activities. Through such activities, strong connections are formed in the brain, and with the aid of sensitive and aware teaching, which will further strengthen them, the type of connections that lead to “musical thinking” are developed.
So what is “musical thinking”? The answer is to be found in the way musicians make intuitive and instinctive connections between all the various elements that go to make up music. When musicians read music, they hear it in their “musical ear”, they understand key and rhythm, they perceive balance and sonority, structure and meaning. When they hear music, they instantly “know” about it. This “knowing” is similar, if somewhat more complex and multi-layered, to the way we might know, say, a grape or a plum – it is a kind of holistic knowing. In an instant, we know what a grape is (whether we have one in our hand or not) – we know what it looks like, feels like, and tastes like, and what its constituent parts are. Anecdotal evidence tells of Mozart’s excitement when a composition became fully formed in his mind – he was able to “see” the entire work in an instant – the ultimate in holistic thinking. This kind of musical thinking can only operate to its fullest when the whole brain is being accessed. For a very small number, who are genetically set-up with an unusually generous number of neural connections, this will happen more naturally; for others – the majority – effective teaching can help to cause the pupil to make the necessary mental connections and relationships to help bring about development of true musical thinking.
So how can the teacher help? What is the teacher’s job? It is not simply to teach the instrument or to teach pieces. It certainly ought not to be a process of correcting pupil’s mistakes – a form of passive (or reactive) teaching that is boring and demotivating for both teacher and pupil alike. It should be to teach pupils to become better musicians – and this can come from the process I call simultaneous learning.
Many lessons are taught in a rather compartmentalised way. Lots of work on pieces, and then, if time permits, a scale or two, possibly some sight-reading, and aural test work. But this is far from ideal, and pupils are not being taught to become independent musical thinkers.
To get into the spirit of simultaneous learning, write down all the activities you feel ought to be part of a lesson and begin to make two or three connections between them. For example, sight-reading and scales (many patterns in sight-reading are simply different scale patterns); then find connections between scales and aural, aural and pieces, pieces and memory, memory and improvisation…. the more you think, the more connections you will begin to make. In fact, the number and kinds of connections between the various activities are virtually infinite – it just takes a bit of effort to begin the mental process. Once you are thinking along these lines, lessons begin to take on a new lease of life. Teachers are no longer reacting work done, but are setting the agenda. One idea leads to another in a much more musical way. The process of teaching becomes much more imaginative – a lesson becomes a voyage of discovery – and both pupil and teacher become positively motivated, fired up with a real excitement for learning.
Most pupils find learning and playing pieces the most obviously enjoyable part of their work. So pieces must remain the central focus of the lesson. But it is how the pieces are taught that really counts. All good teaching will have had at least some preparation. In preparing to teach a particular piece it is important to identify the musical ingredients: scale, arpeggio and other melodic and rhythmic patterns for example, markings and other instructions. And it is important to know the piece. We then begin to teach not the piece, but the ingredients. We are continually making connections into aural, technical work (including development of key sense through scales) memory, sight-reading, improvisation, composition and theory. In this way the skills, related knowledge and subsequent musical understanding become linked and a much more powerful and effective form of education has taken place. We are teaching the language, we are teaching our pupils to see and understand; to hear and understand. We are teaching them music,
As a teacher, I used to
become frustrated at having seemingly taught
a pupil something and then finding that they could not then apply that same
knowledge in a different context. For some reason, effective learning had not
taken place. In a good simultaneous learning lesson there must be
a good deal of dialogue – the asking of searching questions designed to
encourage pupils to develop connections and think for themselves. Pupils must
be encouraged to solve their own problems. Teachers guide and direct. This is
how progress is really made and it will allow pupils to transfer knowledge and
understanding much more readily.
So how might a
simultaneous lesson unfold? There is an infinite variety of possibilities. You
may base the lesson on an unseen piece of sight-reading; you may base it on
improvisation or composition related to the piece being learnt. For now, let us
assume we are dealing with an elementary pianist who has prepared a C major
scale and the first half of a carefully chosen Allegretto in C.
We begin by singing (there should always be singing in lessons), then
performing the scale. The pupil is questioned: was it rhythmical? Was the tone
even? Were there any technical faults? Any remedial work to be suggested by the
pupil. Getting pupils to take ownership of their playing is essential if we are
to produce independent musical thinkers. Next, some very simple improvisation
in C major – free if you like, or perhaps based on a melodic phrase from their
piece (but keep the music out of sight!) Recalling the improvisation discuss
the range of dynamics used. Now try a second improvisation but making use of a
different or perhaps greater dynamic range. Discuss other interesting aspects
of the improvisation. Could it be improved? How? Perhaps a technical point may
have emerged which can now be explored through either more improvisation or
some favourite exercise. Next, move on to the piece – but still keep the music
book shut. Can the rhythm of the first few bars be clapped? How much can
actually be played from memory? Work at however much (or little) is memorised. Any
particular feature (be it melodic, rhythmic, a particular marking or stylistic
idea) can now be explored by talking about it and putting it into different contexts
(still the music is out of sight). Perhaps play a melodic fragment in different
keys, exaggerate or alter a marking,...the variety of possibilities are only
limited by the imagination. Now finally open the music. Read the music through
silently, in the head first, before playing it. Try singing the right-hand line
and playing the left. Then (assuming there is nothing the pupil may really find
difficult and again after silent reading) sight-read a further few bars. It
doesn’t matter if the silent reading was not a hundred percent accurate at this
stage. The very fact of trying will develop all sorts of musical skills. Again,
talk about and work at the ingredients of the new section. Never simply “teach
the piece”. Now decide on what is to be the focus of the week’s practice and
talk about how practice is to be undertaken – simultaneous learning should be
assimilated into practice just as it is in lessons. More work on C major –
perhaps it is to be played at different dynamics or using particular rhythms
found in the piece; beginning to think about composing their own Allegretto in
C (perhaps they might improvise different ideas or work on the first few bars)
and more work on their piece – with as much memory work as possible. Pupils
should keep a practice notebook, noting down the various different ideas they
had during their sessions. Practice thus becomes a creative and imaginative
experience – not a half-hearted, mindless twenty minutes that pupils would
rather be spending doing something else!
So, in such a lesson (and its related practice sessions, which must be clearly connected in both spirit and content) we have included technical work, aural, improvisation, rhythm, composition, scales, memory work, sight-reading and the development of other aspects of musicianship. Music has been at the heart of the activity throughout with the “piece” acting as the point of departure.
Once a teacher/pupil team embark on this kind of learning the horizons become increasingly wider. The imagination of both parties is being accessed – and that is where music really lives. A music lesson should have very little to do with correcting mistakes, with showing pupils how pieces “go”. Simultaneous learning is about making connections. Through teaching pupils to make these connections, we are really developing their musical ability. It is certainly more of a long-term approach and it will take a bit of courage, but the rewards will be considerable. We are developing pupils’ musical independence – the likelihood of them “giving up” is diminished and we are endowing them with a unique gift for life.
Let’s now consider applying the principles of Simultaneous Learning to more advanced teaching. The transition should be smooth and turbulence-free and if we have already begun to embrace a more holistic and imaginative approach to our teaching, it will be exciting and rewarding both for pupil and for teacher. But I am not re-inventing the wheel – the ideas, strategies and teaching concepts are already very much the domain of many skilful, thoughtful and imaginative teachers. I am simply drawing these together in a more formalized manner and thus defining one approach into the teaching of our more advanced pupils.
I am sure we would all agree that the underlying direction of all good music teaching (from beginner onwards) is to broaden and deepen our pupil’s musical thinking and to develop their ability and confidence to make their own informed choices in all aspects of musical development. Simultaneous learning, from the very first lesson, will certainly begin to achieve these ends. As pupils progress, more areas of learning enter the arena and other areas develop and begin to play a more central and demanding role. So, in addition to further developing aural, key-sense, scales, technique, theory, rhythm, sight-reading, (and all their various relations!) we might now begin to see the gradual emergence of practical analysis, stylistic conventions, historical context, harmony and the growing need to develop a pupil’s ability to mould their own interpretation. Make a new list of all the elements of music teaching – now including all the “advanced” areas (both those I have suggested and any others that may occur to you) and, as we did earlier, make further connections between each of them. This is how the mind enjoys working. As you teach, you will continually see more and more vistas opening up and increasingly more imaginative routes down which to steer your pupils.
As our experience grows, we soon begin to recognize, even among our very elementary pupils, those who will go on to take music seriously, passing through to the high grades and perhaps on even further. Of course as teachers of integrity, we deliver the same quality of teaching to all our pupils, but human nature (together with a whole host of “other” reasons) will cause some pupils to shine – almost despite our efforts! These pupils will be more likely to go to concerts and actively listen to music. Also, as we begin to detect a real glimmer of enthusiasm, we should encourage them to build a collection of recordings of music they will eventually play. These various “broadening” activities will bring about many advantages: pupils will begin to develop their own internal perception of the sound world and potential of their instrument or voice; they will know that Bach, Mozart, Beethoven or Shostakovich piece prior to learning it – perhaps even for a number of years. It will have become part of their experience. “But they’ll play it just like Murray Perahia” is a comment occasionally thrown back at me – my answer is simply “if only…” The sum total of their own musical experiences, the potential of their “ear” and technique, will of course produce a performance quite different from Maestro Perahia’s; but what they would have learnt, by knowing his (and, hopefully, other interpretations) will be considerable. Of course, we all need to be able to learn music without any prior knowledge – this ability also develops with experience. We do however need to instil an approach that will ultimately generate this successful study of unknown pieces. How might this work? How might we set about teaching a new work to, say, a grade eight piano pupil?
Let us take for example a Schubert Sonata movement – bearing in mind that the approach would be identical for any work and for any instrument. In the formative years there are considerable advantages for those pupils who know a work before they begin playing it. In many ways, learning a new piece of music is like learning a part in a play. It is always both fascinating and illuminating listening to a great actor talking about a big role. They will know that character virtually as well as they know themselves; they will be able to explain the whys and wherefores of the characters’ every thought and action. There is no doubt that getting to know music in this way will ultimately result in a much more personal and profound “relationship” with that piece – both during practice and performance. Great music deserves serious study.
So, pupils should listen to the music and listen intelligently. They must begin to develop ideas about the piece – what does it mean emotionally? what does it mean to them? what is the music saying? They must use their discerning ear to understand exactly what is going on. This is making real connections with aural perception. Make connections also with “practical” analysis. Yes it is necessary to understand the overall structure of the movement but get pupils to listen to how melodic ideas unfold and develop; how rhythmic patterns inhabit different melodic guises and how Schubert develops both within varying textures and sonorities. What is the significance of similar phrases sometimes ascending, sometimes descending? Once your pupil has developed some understanding of the music, make time to discuss the style; make connections with the historical context too, and, as a result, they will begin to develop their own personal approach to the music. If your pupil knows the music in this way, if they can talk about the music, intelligently and enthusiastically, they are well on the way to a very good performance.
Then, identify the ingredients. Just as we did with our simple pieces, but now more sophisticated ones – think about the technical, stylistic and musical ideas that add up to make the whole. These may lead into improvisations – to develop and overcome a technical problem perhaps, or to assimilate a point of style. Work out the various keys the music travels through and work at the scales and their related patterns in association with the music – not as unconnected, unmusical patterns given a few moments at the beginning or end of the lesson (or practice!). Try to work out what it is that makes this music “sound” like Schubert and experiment with short Schubertian improvisations. Perhaps this may involve making connections with harmony; it should certainly involve listening to other works by the same composer – perhaps other sonata movements or some of his songs. Try playing scales in the style of Schubert!
A number of weeks may have passed by now and we still might not have begun to play the piece, as it were, from bar one. Our work so far has been directed towards building up a “concept” of the music; acquiring a deep knowledge of the movement and its meaning. We would have identified, and perhaps learnt and memorized, the technically demanding passages. We would have listened to and made connections with other works by Schubert in order to broaden our understanding. We would have spent some “quality” time talking about the music. So now we come to putting it all together and developing an interpretation. Again we must remember the underlying philosophy of simultaneous learning – we continually draw and make connections with a wide range of musical and imaginative thinking, we keep our minds open and, as far as possible, we encourage our pupils take ownership of their learning. Aural remains the central source of developing an interpretation. There is of course no definitively “right” or “correct” way to play this, or any other, piece. And it is never our job to tell our pupils how something might “go”. We encourage pupils to use their ears to experiment and discover different solutions to each “musical problem”, and then through questions and discussion we ultimately lead them into making their final decision (with perhaps a little appropriate guidance from ourselves!) But this decision may of course not be final – by virtue of working in this way we broaden the range of possibility, and in performance their musical imagination might take them to a completely new, but equally meaningful, negotiation of a particular musical “corner”.
Thus by teaching in this broader and more holistic manner, we have taught our pupil not simply to play this Schubert Sonata movement, but, much more importantly, how to approach music of this calibre and, in so doing, given them the necessary ability and confidence to learn other Schubert Sonatas on their own.
As in using simultaneous leaning with our younger and less advanced pupils, this approach may take a little more thought, more preparation, and more time, but the rewards are palpable. We are teaching our pupils to think musically and to think for themselves. We are not simply teaching them “the instrument” or “the piece”; we are teaching them to become artists and we are giving them the confidence to develop their own insights into great art.