Possibilities for piano instruction

American Music Teacher, April-May, 2003 by Barbara J. Hendricks

When American Music Teacher asked several musicians and teachers to share their thoughts, hopes and concerns for music teaching in the twenty-first century, Ken Guilmartin, developer of the Music Together music and movement program, wrote about the exciting promises of new music making. His vision includes a restoration of the natural ability to speak the language of music by ages 3 or 4, which means that very young children will understand music and be able to audiate, that is, think musically.

Acquisition of these skills, in his opinion, is dependent not so much on innate ability as on proper environmental conditions. Guided by skilled early-childhood music educators, he believes, "The musically active family will be at the heart of this renaissance." (1) Families in the twenty-first century interested in participating in this renaissance will need to make informed decisions about when and how to establish the best environmental conditions for the music experiences of their children. Early-childhood music educators will need to continually re-examine old ideas and consider new ones to assure their teaching practices make good sense based on current research. Instrumental instructors will need to be mindful of and concerned about major issues in the music education field, so that along with parents and other music educators, they can work together in this period of new possibilities for developing independent musical thinkers who participate comfortably in music activities.

Instrumental instructors may be familiar with the gnawing feeling described by Guilmartin that somehow their job ought to be easier. Guilmartin does not advocate that children should work harder and achieve more, but believes that the work often is unnecessarily hard because of a lack of good development in early childhood. The result is that children often get lost in the methods, styles and techniques used to compensate for their developmental delay. Too many children never realize their potential, many quitting lessons in frustration. There is hope, however, because of extensive and focused research throughout the last fifty years on the development of music aptitude, that new possibilities in early childhood education and instrumental instruction can make Guilmartin's vision a reality in this millennium.

Instrumental instructors willing to become informed about and involved in developing readiness through a strong aural and movement foundation, and also willing to consider a "body-to-mind, ear-to-eye progression to playing an instrument" (2) will discover renewed energy and confidence along with the joys of seeing surprising results with their students.

The Nature-Nurture Issue

When does readiness begin? Is it innate potential or the result of a favorable environment, as Guilmartin suggests? Although conflict continues as to whether nature or nurture is more important, Edwin Gordon, well known throughout the world for his fifty years of work as a preeminent researcher and author in the music education field, clarifies this issue by saying it is reasonable to state that music aptitude is a product of both innate potential and musical exposure. He adds that empirical knowledge shows us that people are born with varying degrees of music aptitude. More importantly, Gordon states clearly, "Regardless of the level of music aptitude children are born with, they must have favorable early informal and formal experiences in music in order to maintain that level of potential. Further, unless they have favorable early informal and formal environmental experiences with music, that level of music aptitude will never fully be realized in achievement." (3) It is clear the earlier informal guidance and formal instruction occur, the higher the level at which a child's aptitude will stabilize. (4)

The Characteristics of a Favorable Environment

Play and Movement

What are the characteristics of a favorable musical environment? The answer to this question can assist you with developing your own early childhood classes or when recommending community programs to parents interested in developing their child's potential. Jennifer Hardacre summarizes her survey of past and current writings about young children by stating that play, "with its supposed benefits to the development of children, looms large in the world of early childhood education." (5) Mary Jalongo names play as the "essential style of learning during early childhood." (6) Suzuki's "mother tongue" approach to music education also advocates learning music using a playful, imitative approach.

The inclusion of movement in the musical play activities also deserves consideration. Patricia Shehan Campbell and Carol Scott-Kassner describe how movement is "the essence of children's play and the manner through which they come to know their world." (7) Gordon more specifically emphasizes the connection between rhythm and movement, stating, "Rhythm has its foundation in movement." (8) He recommends particular attention be given to the four movement elements labeled by movement specialist Rudolph von Laban--flow, weight, space and time. Each of these elements exists along the following descriptive continuums: flow as bound or free movement, weight as strong or gentle movement, space as direct or indirect and time as fast or slow. (9)