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Fascinating article in the Science section of today's Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/26/AR2009072602350.html.

Study results are showing that kids trained this way accrue other benefits to their musical hearing in addition to the perfect pitch skill.

Now I wish I had decided to attend the Conference.

This really looks interesting, Andrew. Thanks for posting it.

In my experience, students with perfect pitch do not necessarily play better. However, I've observed that either they are really good at piano, or they are just terrible--almost no middle ground to speak of.

Great article. This is why I teach kids from a very young age; the benefits of ear training are immeasurable. I do very similar activities like the ones described. For example, the chord exercise: I play repetitive C chords and students then tell me when I'm playing a different chord. They do this by way of motions (when they hear a C chord they clap; the 'other' chord, which happens to be a G7 is tapping on knees). Then I sing the pitches of each chord (do-mi-sol and then ti-fa-sol), which they repeat back to me. Later, they can sing the pitches without any hints. Then I'll had a third chord to the mix (F chord). I do this with kids from age 4 on up.

Melodic dictation is also great for ear training, using 'fixed do' solfege. I start first by using just two notes (do and re) and playing simple 3-note combos. As kids learn a new note each week or so we add more notes to the patterns I play. My 5 year olds can identify 3-5 note patterns (do thru sol) after just a couple of months of lessons.

I do think ear training greatly affects the way a student plays, particularly how quickly he/she can memorize a piece. Ear training helps students internalize notes and the pieces they play.

=========SNIP===========.

Melodic dictation is also great for ear training, using 'fixed do' solfege. I start first by using just two notes (do and re) and playing simple 3-note combos. As kids learn a new note each week or so we add more notes to the patterns I play. My 5 year olds can identify 3-5 note patterns (do thru sol) after just a couple of months of lessons.
====> I've had absolute pitch naturally as far back as I can remember, probably 8 years old. I learned movable "do" in high school, fixed "do" in college. For me, fixed "do" was much easier.

I do think ear training greatly affects the way a student plays, particularly how quickly he/she can memorize a piece. Ear training helps students internalize notes and the pieces they play.
===> I completely agree. "Keyboard Harmony" is a major plus as well as a little "form and analysis" as kids get older.

I havn,t read the article so forgive me if this is not relevant…

We adopted several special needs children. One had very little auditory perception skills. It had nothing to do with hearing loss. His mind could not distinguish between the sound of a door knock or a ringing bell. We worked very hard with auditory perception and developing that skill. His verbal understanding and cognitive testing improved tremendously.

It so closely ties to the benefits of musical study. I have a very full studio but will always take special needs students as I have seen the benefits or musical training on their cognitive growth.

Had I to do it over again I would study music therapy. I find it fascinating.

That's awesome
I find music to be very beneficial to a lot of special needs kids. Music therapy is way under utilized in my opinion. I'm thrilled to hear that you are using it, and it is working!!
PS: I'm a mom to 3 boys, 4 if you count the grown up lol

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Two questions:
1) Do people with perfect pitch do better in playing by ear than those who do not have prefect pitch?
2) Are there well known accomplished pianists who do not have perfect pitch?

Just a quick answer from my experience - absolutely no statistics
[1] I would imagine they find it easier initially. But someone with a well-developed relative pitch can end up playing by ear just as well, and with added advantages (eg hear a piece in one key, play it by ear in another key, or any key at all).
[2] I'm sure there are very very many. Most of the accomplished musicians I know do not have perfect pitch. They do however have well developed relative pitch.

Great insight into a new term for me, relative pitch. That makes sense, as I believe I may have a good relative pitch but probably zero perfect pitch.

Dear Music in Me,

I can't speak for others; only for myself.

I have perfect pitch and I believe it's a result of the voice training I did as a child. I studied music in Yamaha and they had a special course called JSAC (or was it JOC) where besides learning to play the piano, I was exposed also to singing and all sorts of lessons in improvisation, harmony and composition.

When it came to the singing, we sang doremi to the notes of the score BUT we did not move the syallables and pitch; C was always doe, D was always ray and so on. (I found from my friends that their teachers taught in relative pitch; i.e. when the tune was in C, c became doe and so on, and when the tune was in a different key, say G major/minor, G became doe, A became ray and so on and so forth. I feel that this may have contributed to their inability to acquire perfect pitch)

In time, I found that when I listen to any piece of music, I'm able to tell you what's being played and what the harmonies are. Music became very much a language; listening to a new piece of music, be it classical, pop, jazz or whatever, will never be boring since you can automaticallty break it down and analyse its structure. (though music with little melodic ideas can quickly become boring..)

Therefore, when it comes to playing by ear, people with perfect pitch will naturally do better.

However having perfect pitch is not without its drawbacks. I can attend concerts and if the instruments are off pitch-wise, the listening experience can be torturous for me. Also, when i play on a piano that's been tuned either to a higher or lower pitch, I find myself disoriented and have to consciously and constantly make an effort to look at the keys Im hitting because the sounds they produce are not in tune with what I am hearing in my head. You can imagine how horrible the playing experience is.

I can also do this - as can others with a good sense of relative pitch. I can follow the harmonic and melodic progressions just as someone with perfect pitch can, except that I may need to be told the starting key in order to name the progressions specifically. If I'm not told, then I more or less listen in whatever key seems reasonable (that is, I "decide" to hear the piece in A major, for example). Often it's the correct one or within a tone either way usually.

There have been some rather long discussions on the merits of fixed and moveable do. I am rather firmly in the moveable do camp, but I understand the arguments for fixed. You could probably find the discussions via a search.

I think discussions on perfect pitch are rather interesting, but I have yet to be convinced of a real advantage in having it.

Maybe playing guitar for over 45 years, helps develop perfect pitch.
I can tune a guitar to standard (or any other) tuning, within a few cents, either way.

Think of a favourite music recording, in a known key, and try to sing the first few notes, then play the recording, and see how close you get.
Many people who claim to be 'tone deaf', can often get closer than they imagined.