CAN TALENT BE TAUGHT?

 

Have you ever wondered what makes some people good at music? Why does it come so easy to them?  Is it just natural talent?  Can talent be taught?  

 

I think that it can.  I think musical instinct can be developed.  I think that music is a language, and can be learned like a language.  How did you learn to speak?  By speaking with people who already knew the language.

 

Imagine if when you were learning to speak you were given phrases to speak and constantly corrected when you said them wrong, and weren't allowed to speak your own words.  How would you ever learn?  How would you develop your own voice?  You would either give up on speaking altogether or become a robot, incapable of expressing yourself.

 

Unfortunately this is exactly how so many teachers teach music!

Many music lessons involve teaching songs by rote, telling you the "right" and "wrong" notes to play.  This might give you a few songs to recite, but leaves you dependent on teachers, and in the long run may leave you empty and afraid of making mistakes, without a real connection to the music and without freedom.  

 

There is a paradigm shift that needs to happen in music education.  We have spent so long focusing on "playing things right" that we are in danger of losing the soul of music which is freedom, joy, and beauty.

 

Music is an art and should not be taught through do's and don'ts, but through exploration and self expression.  Would you teach a child to spell before they can speak?  What sense would that make?  Only after a student has learned to speak music will any instruction in techniques be useful - because they will allow the musician to express more - and then they will be absorbed easily.

 

My music lessons aim at developing more than just instrumentalists; I want to develop musicians, with an intuitive understanding of music.

 

So how do we do that?

​

IMPROVISATION IS THE KEY

 

Some people don't care about being a great improvisor. That's fine.  Some people just want to learn to play some cool songs (valid, and every song has something to teach us.)

 

However, I believe that by not learning to improvise musicians are missing a vital step, which makes everything else easier.  

 

Improvisation is your chance to say whatever you want to say, and just like learning a language, this speaking not only gives you freedom, but allows you to understand music from the inside out. 

 

So I teach improvisation to all my students.  Learning to improvise is foundational and will support whatever other things you want to learn.  

 

CREATIVITY STIMULATES UNDERSTANDING

 

I believe that the process of making stuff up is the best way to stimulate true understanding of music, even conceptual intellectual theory.  

 

For example, until you have tried to put together chords into a progression that sounds good to you, any theoretical discussion of scale degrees, or chord theory isn't going to make much sense.  But once you have attempted this process, suddenly that knowledge sticks BECAUSE IT HELPS YOU TO MAKE MUSIC!

 

My music lessons always include some form of songwriting, even for beginners!  This can even include simple forms of multitrack recording (it can be very fun to play along with yourself!)

 

INTRINSIC/EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION

 

Why do so many people give up on music?  They lose motivation.

 

Where does motivation come from?  A lot of teachers seem to think that motivation needs to be "extrinsic," a goal you want to reach, or a teacher scolding you if you don't do your homework.

 

However, I think that these forms of motivation (though they may work temporarily) are not the best way.  The best form of motivation is "intrinsic," meaning that the thing that you are doing is it's own reward.  What if instead of focusing on far off goals, we were able to enjoy every step of our journey?  What if we loved our music lessons for their own sake?

 

PRACTICE VS. PLAY

 

Many new musicians lose interest because they spend all their time practicing.

 

And when you're learning something new then there is always some practice involved, HOWEVER...

 

Why do we practice?

 

A lot of time it can seem like practicing is the whole deal.  But hold on: we don't call it "practicing music" we say we "play" music!  

 

Play is what makes you want to learn new things. You practice a new skill because it will expand your ability to play.  And you can play-right from the very start!

 

"Play a lot and practice a little.  Playing will show you what you need to practice." - Victor Wooten

 

THE 10 ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

 

I have yet to find a better description of music than the "10 elements of music" coined by legendary bassist Victor Wooten:

 

1. notes

2. articulation/duration

3. technique

4. emotion/feel

5. dynamics

6. rhythm/tempo

7. tone

8. phrasing

9.  space/rest

10. listening.

 

In many music lessons there is an emphasis on "music theory."  However, most of the time this "theory" is focused on only one element: THE NOTES!  

 

I believe this is a great loss to music.  In my music lessons I always try to teach ALL the elements!

 

JOY COMES FIRST

 

As a music teacher I try to be like a good jazz improvisor, staying aware of the student's needs and able to shift direction at a moment's notice to guide the student in a useful direction.

 

Instead of teaching the way we teach, teachers need to learn to teach the way that the student needs to learn.

 

Ultimately the student's experience is more important than performance or rapid progress.

 

Joy comes first.  The most vital thing for a beginner is to keep their freedom.  I have met too many people who have lost the joy of music by taking music lessons.  I have been the teacher that taught those bad music lessons myself.  

 

I always try to keep students happy, inspired, and wanting to learn.  My goal as a teacher is to make myself obsolete as quickly as possible.  I aim to give the student the skills they need to teach themselves.