Classical vs Modern – Part 2
The first, most superficial difference between classical and modern music is that classical music is old, and modern music is new. A more important difference is that classical music limits…
Classical vs Modern – Part 1
In an earlier post about the album It's A Beautiful Day, I quoted David LaFlamme's remarks about "the world of Classical music" at that time. His story illustrates the point…
Perfect Pitch Vs Relative Pitch
Most people think that ear-training has to do with perfect pitch. They think that you need perfect pitch for ear-training, or for picking chords and melodies out by ear, but…
Perceiving Musical Information
Music is often described as a language. Music isn’t a literal “language,” but it contains information, even if it isn’t information we can express in words. Lyrics and descriptions don’t…
The Limitations of Staff Notation
Standard notation has inherent limitations. There are many nuances in modern musical styles which staff notation can’t capture. You can play a piece of music perfectly, as it's written, while…
Interacting With Music
The most important single measure of your abilities as a modern musician is your ability to interact with real music in real time. It’s the key to learning modern music.…
Redefining Musical Literacy
Music educators write a lot about “musical literacy.” To classically-trained musicians, the definition of “musical literacy” is self-evident. It's the ability to read staff notation. Reading chord charts or guitar…
Modern Styles and Staff Notation
Let's look at the history of modern music in terms of its complicated relationship with standard notation. To understand why classical teaching methods are out of step with the needs…
Misconceptions and Biases in Modern Music Education
There are so many common misconceptions surrounding music and music education that it’s hard to know where to begin. The popular mindset around “music lessons” has roots going back to…
A Manifesto For Modern Music Education
Back in 2010, the UK government published a "Music Manifesto" which promised to "provide every young person with first access to a range of music experiences," and "provide more opportunities…