Teaching Stringed Instruments According to Gordon’s Music Learning Theory

Abstract

Playing an instrument requires both executive skills (physical skills) and audiation skills (mental-musical skills). String teaching, and instrumental teaching in general, have focused primarily on developing executive skills. Private lessons, master classes and string workshops are primarily concerned with the physical mechanics of playing. The teaching of audiation skills, however, has been largely ignored, or taken for granted. Instead of teaching audiation skills, much attention is given to teaching notation and music theory, often before the student has the necessary readiness to bring musical meaning to the notation. A music instrument can be no more musical than the person playing it, and musicianship must be learned through the ear. It cannot be learned from notation.
Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998) rocked the string world in the 1960’s when he demonstrated that the “Mother Tongue Approach” could be used to teach very young children to perform at a high level of proficiency before notation is introduced. Suzuki emphasized the importance of learning by ear before learning from notation, and learning executive skills one small step at a time in a carefully organized sequence. Suzuki teachers and students would benefit by incorporating aspects of Gordon’s Music Learning Theory into their lessons.

Edwin E. Gordon (1927-2015), American researcher, psychologist, and musician, developed Music Learning Theory, the only comprehensive theory of how audiation skills are learned. Jump Right In: The Instrumental Series is a beginning method for strings, winds, percussion and recorder. Based on Music Learning Theory, Jump Right In places equal emphasis on development of audiation skills and executive skills.
In this article, the author will discuss his own experience using Music Learning Theory and Jump Right In with string students, recommendations for further improvements in the next edition of Jump Right In, how Music Learning theory can be combined with Suzuki and other methods, and implications and applications for string teachers around the world.