The Core Concepts: Defining the Learning Methods
- Aug 20
- 7 min read
The Pitfalls of Rote Memorisation
Students often learn early music by multiple methods that include memorisation, sometimes without even realising it. This approach can seem effective at first because it allows a student to play a piece from memory, creating a false sense of security.
Similarly, writing letter names or finger numbers on piano keys or music can create the same illusion of knowledge. It works in the short term, but in the medium to long term, problems will arise, manifesting as boredom or a lack of interest in practising.
To prevent this, vigilance is required from the teacher and cooperation from parents, who can help by using additional resources both in lessons and at home. Speed is not a concern in the early stages; there is no "recommended time scale" for learning the basics. The time it takes is personal to each student and depends on the engagement of the student, teacher, and, in order to expedite a value-for-money and total learning approach , the parent or guardian.
When children first learn to read, they don't simply memorise the shape of a whole word. They learn the letters, the fundamentals, the sounds they make, and how to combine them to form new words. Children do more than memorise stories; they learn to create and write their own.
The musical equivalent of memorising stories is learning a piece note-by-note without understanding the underlying structure. Reading individual notes is like sounding out every letter in a word. This works for simple melodies but becomes unsustainable as music gets more complex, leading to frustration and disengagement.
Just as the alphabet is crucial in any language, note names are the musical alphabet. In language, an alphabet moves to words (selections of letters in a specific pattern); this also happens in music. At the elementary level of our Programme, students are introduced to three- and four-note patterns alongside scales and chords, which require a solid understanding before they can be further developed in an intermediate programme.
The Core Concepts: Defining the Learning Methods
At Stalybridge Music Academy, we use a combination of these learning methodologies to ensure the core concepts are not just taught, but truly understood. This approach empowers students to become independent musicians and to experience music as a meaningful part of their future. It provides validity to your investment in yourself or a family member, ensuring that the time and effort spent lead to lasting skills and a deep, personal connection to music.
1. Read & Play
This is the foundation of musical literacy. It's the ability to translate music notation directly into sound without an intermediate step of memorization. A student looks at a note on the staff and immediately knows which key to press, where it's located, and for how long to hold it. This method develops sight-reading skills, which are crucial for any musician, building fluency and confidence in navigating new music.
However, if not taught with due diligence, this process can become purely mechanical. A student might be able to 'read and play' without understanding the musical content. This is also open to misuse when well-meaning additions like finger numbers or letter names are written on the score. As with all shortcuts, this slows down the development of essential reading skills prolonging the length required to acquire essential learning and potentially promoting boredom and an unwillingness to continue to learn. To help circumvent this, a teacher exercises and complementary worksheets other than 'known pieces' to ensure knowledge is secure and that a student can work out new material independently.
2. Read & Write
This is the bridge from consumption to creation. Just as you learn to write words and sentences after learning to read, you learn to write music after learning to read it. In time, a student will be able to hear a simple melody and write it down using proper notation. Conversely, they can write a simple melody and then play it.
This method fosters a deep, internal understanding of music. It connects the aural (what they hear), the visual (what they see), and the physical (what they play). It's the musical equivalent of learning grammar and syntax. To this end, lessons should include simple exercises, from writing down a single note they've heard to composing a four-bar tune using a limited set of notes.
3. Rote Memorisation
Rote memorisation happens when a student, due to a lack of foundational knowledge, learns a piece purely by repetition without understanding its underlying structure. If a student hears or sees a melody repeatedly, they will be able to reproduce it from memory. The mental "file" is for the specific sequence of notes, not for the musical concepts like intervals, harmony, or rhythm. As a result, they'll have to start from a specific starting point each time.
While rote memorisation can be a useful tool for learning performance pieces, especially in a limited time or in the current examination system, it should not be the primary method. It builds musical memory of pieces but not musical understanding. This method becomes a dead end. When the music gets too complex with more notes, different time signatures, or modulations, it becomes impossible to hold it all in memory without a proper framework of reference, leading the student to lose interest, become bored, or simply stop playing and also may cripple a student’s creativity leading them to believe that their musical creation is unworthy in comparison to known composers.
4. Creating
This is the ultimate culmination of the other skills: the ability to use the language of music to express your own ideas or interpretations of established pieces. Students learn to use their knowledge of 'reading' and 'writing' music to compose their own or adapt other creator’s melodies, rhythms, and simple harmonies. Creating music solidifies all the other skills, turning passive knowledge into active understanding. It makes music personal and exciting.
Your teacher is trained to encourage students to take a simple melody they know and modify it. For example, they can change the rhythm, add a simple bass line, or play it in a different key. A powerful tool for this is the Circle of Fifths, which visually demonstrates the relationships between different musical keys and is invaluable for understanding harmony and composition.
Practical Strategies for Teachers and Parents
These helpful hints will ensure a successful and rewarding learning experience.
The ultimate goal is not just to play a piece perfectly but to understand it. This can be encouraged by asking questions before playing, such as, "What's the highest note in this piece?" or "Can you play this rhythm for me on one note?"
'Read & Write' activities are highly beneficial for understanding the music as it encourages students to identify patterns in a melody and copy fragments into a music journal for practice. These fragments can then be used in simple composition exercises. Using blank manuscript paper, they can write short, five-note phrases based on ideas from the piece, or even create a brand new melody using modes. This "wandering" exploration of notes is like taking a note for a walk, which promotes creativity and a deeper connection to the material.
It's important to balance all four methods. While memorisation has its place, it should be a tool used alongside, not instead of, reading, writing, and creating.
Finally, remember to focus on the process, not just the product. By fostering a mindset where mistakes are a part of the learning journey, you enable a student to make progress. Celebrate the effort and understanding, not just the perfect performance.
Glossary of Key Terms
Rote Memorisation: A learning method where a student learns a piece purely by repetition without understanding its underlying structure, focusing on the specific sequence of notes rather than musical concepts.
Read & Play: A foundational musical literacy skill involving the ability to translate music notation directly into sound without intermediate memorisation, developing sight-reading skills.
Read & Write: The musical equivalent of learning grammar and syntax; the ability to transcribe heard melodies into notation and to compose simple melodies that can then be played, connecting aural, visual, and physical understanding.
Creating: The culmination of musical skills, where students use their knowledge of reading and writing music to compose their own ideas or adapt existing pieces, turning passive knowledge into active understanding.
Sight-reading: The ability to read and perform unfamiliar musical notation immediately and without prior practice.
Musical Alphabet: Refers to note names (A, B, C, D, E, F, G), which are fundamental building blocks in music, analogous to the letters of an alphabet in language.
Three- and Four-Note Patterns: Basic musical groupings of notes introduced at the elementary level, forming the basis for understanding more complex melodies and harmonies (Mentioned in "Recent Posts" as related content https://www.stalybridgemusicacademy.com/post/whypatternsarethekey )
Scales: A set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch, forming the building blocks of melodies and harmonies.
Chords: A harmonic set of three or more notes that are heard as if simultaneously, forming the basis of musical harmony.
Circle of Fifths: A visual representation of the relationships among the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale, their corresponding major and minor keys, and the associated key signatures, invaluable for understanding harmony and composition.
Musical Notation: The system of symbols used to write down music, indicating pitch, rhythm, tempo, and other musical elements.
Manuscript Paper: Special paper with staves (five-line musical staffs) used for writing music notation.
Modes: Different ways of organising the pitches of a scale, each with a distinct melodic and harmonic character, offering variations for composition.
Tonic Sol-Fa: A method of teaching singing and reading music using solmisation syllables (do, re, mi, etc.) and a system of hand signs. (Mentioned in "Recent Posts" as related content https://www.stalybridgemusicacademy.com/post/unlocking-musical-potential-the-transformative-benefits-of-tonic-sol-fa-in-elementary-education )
Scientific Pitch Notation: A method of specifying musical pitch by combining a letter name (A–G), an accidental (sharp, flat, or natural), and a number (octave designation). (Mentioned in "Recent Posts" as related content https://www.stalybridgemusicacademy.com/post/scientific-pitch-notation)
