I used to think there was always a “proper” way to learn things, and when it came to music, that idea was even stronger in my head. That was why I decided to study music “properly”, and I always tried to teach music “properly”. But my idea of “proper” was challenged:
by witnessing many amazing artists doing amazing things so casually,
by learning about How Popular Musicians Learn,
by being taught by teachers whose approach to teaching did not seem “proper” but was very effective,
by reading about and trying out various approaches to education,
by learning songs by ear on instruments I had never played before,
and by reflecting on my own education.
In the past few weeks in our Music Curriculum 2 class, we have tried different approaches to learning songs. We tried listening to, discussing, analysing, and working out songs. This week, we each grabbed an instrument and played a song together straight away. We did all those things in one go and created a performance together with minimal discussion. Listening was at the core. And isn’t that the core of music?
It’s strange how I often forget that my own musical learning as a kid happened through informal learning. My dad’s friends used to get together and play music, and I would join them. That was how I learnt. Yes, it was a very different kind of music and a very different kind of social experience, but the idea was very similar: finding common ground (what we want to play), listening to each other, playing together, being in it all together (no one wins or loses; there is no comparison or competition), and doing it all at the same time (listening, performing, and creating/improvising).
So how did I forget, somewhere along the way, how effective and humane that approach was? Maybe because music education as a whole forgot about that approach for a while, and we were the products of that gap.
I have many things to say about this, but for now, here is my favourite moment of informal learning magic happening in real time. Thanks to Thomas Fienberg for capturing these moments.