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Re: For teachers: hearing and perception

Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2017-01-19 19:39

I'm glad you shared your story. I don't think I'm "neuro-atypical," but your story resonated with me. Like you, I had a very hard time with ear training classes in college. I knew it was one of my weak spots and worked on it every single day, but still struggled. You know the old saying "practice makes perfect"? It didn't help much in ear training classes, especially during my last term when I barely passed. I was more successful with sight singing. My singing skills were very poor at the beginning of college, but constant practice did help.

It's probably fair to say that our ears (in the musical sense) are all different. This might explain some of the differences between good conductors and great ones. The great ones have the innate skill to hear things that the good ones, even after a lot of practice, just can't detect. In the jazz realm, one will sometimes hear young people do some incredible things that sound more natural and satisfying than the improvising of older musicians who have studied jazz for years in formal settings.

Over the years, I've found ways to compensate for my weaknesses, and I doubt I'm the only one. You're right that some of our students come to us with similar issues, and we should employ a variety of strategies which could include explaining things in more than one way and playing simple melodies by ear. I also think singing before playing, especially for younger students, is a great idea.

Post Edited (2017-01-19 19:41)

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