Klarinet Archive - Posting 000448.txt from 2004/04

From: ormondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] general teaching of music basics; was, Music exams in U.S.
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 12:14:26 -0400

Patricia=A0wrote:

> I cannot see how anyone could garner any
> enjoyment out of simply learning pieces by
> rote, and not having a basic understanding of
> how keys are derived, and how they relate to
> one another.

Patricia, there *is* more than one way to enjoy music. I don't mean
--- not in the least! --- to deprecate music theory, but I do feel that
there's a danger in becoming so lost in theory and technique and
tradition that a person can lose sight of the non-intellectual 'gut
pleasure' that can come from music. And therefore education should not
ignore the "gut pleasure" aspect of music.

Again, I do not deprecate theoretical knowledge --- no more than I
deprecate how a good vocabulary can make a reading a novel more
meaningful. But it can be taken too far, and I simply want to point
this out.

Thus it can be fashionable to dismiss (say) some of Tchaikovsky with a
wave of the hand; but I *do* feel that something is lost in this
process, and the "gut" aspect of music shouldn't be excluded from music
education. Doing so narrows a person's view of how the world really
is.

Sorry if I offend, but I feel that this is a fundamental issue in music
that need mentioning.

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