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One of the most alarming experiences with a student occurred recently, when I asked a student to sing back to me the melody she had just played. Usually we have a great time in lessons singing along, sometimes even making up funny lyrics to go along with the pieces, and she is never embarrassed to use her voice to sing in front of me. However, this time when I asked her to sing the melody she looked at me in absolute confusion--she had not heard the notes she had played, and had no idea even how to start singing this music.
This got me thinking.
So many students play with jerky rhythm, with uncorrected mistakes, or even pausing to scratch behind the ear at the most musically inopportune time. I have a hunch that many of my little ones NEVER hear what they are playing until they have the piece learned well enough to take their eyes off the score.
So I started teaching beginners by rote.
This was a big NO-NO in my college pedagogy course, but I've been teaching for ten years now, and decided to trust my instinct. Long story short--these students have made huge progress: they play with better posture, they play with better hand shape and coordinated arm movement, they play more musically, and they like it more. It's true, they can't recognize landmark G or F in isolation, but they CAN use the printed page as a sort of map for the music, seeing easily the direction and interval of the melodic motion. I think this sets a good foundation for teaching note-reading in its own way...
But I'm curious what you all think. How much teaching do you do by ear? It seems to me that many youngsters get started by watching older siblings play--Mozart is a good historical example--but I've also been told so many times NEVER to teach by rote, that it is crippling to the student's progress, etc. Looking forward to your responses!
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I think it's a great idea! I myself learned by rote and that's what made me a pianist today. I don't think I would have ever learned well, had my teacher only used printed notes on a page.
Although I teach all my students to read from the beginning, we do a lot of exercises and imitations by rote. My main purpose is to develop technique such as arm/wrist motions, build coordination, and experience a variety of articulation right from the beginning. I usually don't teach repertoire by rote, although I do have some special needs students who learn best that way.
The only people who are against students learning by rote seem to be teachers who are frustrated by transfer students who can't read
As long as you are teaching them how to read along side with playing by ear, you're actually going to do them a great service.
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Rote learning is the big undiscovered (or maybe it's an open) secret to learning to play the piano well - kids concentrate on what they are doing and the sounds they are making rather than being obsessed with being 'right' or naming the notes.
I'm really big on kids reading, but if the student can't play in flow then the reading is completely beside the point...... Rote learning is appropriate with all kinds of music, and it's only the music that is designed to teach reading that should be worked primarily from the page...... HERESY!!!
Teacher, Composer, Writer, Speaker Working with Hal Leonard, Alfred, Faber, and Australian Music Examination Board Music in syllabuses by ABRSM, AMEB, Trinity Guildhall, ANZCA, NZMEB, and more www.elissamilne.wordpress.com
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I agree (sometimes!). I usually use rote playing with kids that have a LOT of trouble following the notes, either because of learning style, skill, or just where their head is at on a given day. But I don't find that it's exclusively the best way to teach. Some of my students do much better with the music.
In the first few months of lessons I do a lot of copying games without any music or songs at all. I incorporate quite a bit of improv too, which really helps their movements.
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It would be interesting to hear how some teachers go about teaching a piece by rote - i.e. what is the procedure you use.
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Yes, I'm interested, too. I have a student who has a great ear, and who would prefer to learn by rote, but I generally insist he read the music. My fear is turning him into a trained monkey, who can imitate anything, but can't read notes or rhythms on his own.
The exception is if he is having trouble with a specific passage - namely rhythmic. (He has a great ear; no sense of rhythm. I have another student with a natural sense of rhythm, and no ear. If only I could merge them!) I also teach him certain fingerings (such as scales, chromatic scale, etc) by watching me, rather than trying to read it.
I'd love to hear more details on where you would use rote, and where you wouldn't.
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In one instance I used rote with a 9 year old who, after a few minutes of trying a new song with the book, I could see we were beating a dead horse.
I took the book away, told him we were going to play a copying game (he didn't know I was just showing him the song he had been trying to learn, which lessened any frustration). I demonstrated it to him 2 measures at a time, having him repeat me a few times until I could tell he was comfortable with each part. He's allowed to watch me and listen. Then we assembled it 4 measures and then 8 measures, so he was playing correct notes, rhythm, articulation and dynamics all by memory.
It was a 16 measure song, but I only taught him 8 bars by rote. I pulled the book back in for the last 8 bars and he read them almost instantly, with no problems like before. He even seemed to enjoy the song, asking if he could try it a few more times.
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I use very little rote teaching, and usually only at the beginning of method books. I want my students to read music off the page as soon as possible.
I am not against teaching by rote or "by ear," but I am against not teaching note reading. In order for students to play pieces well in the future, they must become fluent note readers. Just like reading English or any other languages in print--it is a skill that must be taught and developed to a certain fluency.
I've seen students who are the product of the "learn piano by rote" school. Their note-reading ability is 4 or 5 levels below the pieces they are being taught. I think that's the reason why many teachers avoid teaching by rote: You end up with students who play difficult music, but can't read music if their life depended on it.
Taking the analogy to languages one step further: You can teach a young child to memorize a poem by rote. But if the child never learns to sound out individual words (i.e., read), the child will never be able to read anything else.
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I am very agree with AZN. I teach student to read music on the first day of lesson. I play along with them, so, they are using their "ears" too when using their "eyes" to read the music notes on the page. At the end of the attempting a new piece, I usually play one time for them so that they know how the pieces sound like. So, that solve the problem that NWL stated: [/quote]I have a hunch that many of my little ones NEVER hear what they are playing until they have the piece learned well enough to take their eyes off the score.[quote] 10% of the time, I use rote too, only at certain part of the music that seems difficult to the students. For the rhythm part, if student cannot get it by reading, then they cannot get it. It doesn't matter how much I push them into reading rhythm. That is why I usually teach rhythm by rote and ask them to repeat after my clapping.
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I have a hunch that many of my little ones NEVER hear what they are playing until they have the piece learned well enough to take their eyes off the score.
So I started teaching beginners by rote.
I think you're right. You have to learn to listen to yourself; I think it is the single biggest milestone in learning to play a brass instrument. Until you hear yourself you can't make the necessary adjustments. Until you pointed it out I hadn't considered how much concentration being diluted hurts the hearing. Like driving when talking on the cell phone - you simply can't be as attentive, even hands free. Sounds like maybe you've removed some "CPU overhead" and let them focus on what they need to. Very innovative!
gotta go practice
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It would be interesting to hear how some teachers go about teaching a piece by rote - i.e. what is the procedure you use. I have been waiting for a response to this question as I also would like an answer. Does the teacher and the student keep changing places on the bench? Does the teacher lean over in front of the student? Does the teacher play in a different octave? Do you use 2 pianos? Or what? Ron
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I have been waiting for a response to this question as I also would like an answer.
Does the teacher and the student keep changing places on the bench? Does the teacher lean over in front of the student? Does the teacher play in a different octave? Do you use 2 pianos? Or what?
I thought I answered that above with... In one instance I used rote with a 9 year old who, after a few minutes of trying a new song with the book, I could see we were beating a dead horse.
I took the book away, told him we were going to play a copying game (he didn't know I was just showing him the song he had been trying to learn, which lessened any frustration). I demonstrated it to him 2 measures at a time, having him repeat me a few times until I could tell he was comfortable with each part. He's allowed to watch me and listen. Then we assembled it 4 measures and then 8 measures, so he was playing correct notes, rhythm, articulation and dynamics all by memory.
It was a 16 measure song, but I only taught him 8 bars by rote. I pulled the book back in for the last 8 bars and he read them almost instantly, with no problems like before. He even seemed to enjoy the song, asking if he could try it a few more times. But to further answer your more specific questions... When I incorporate rote teaching, the student usually stays at the bench. I'll play the notes in the correct octave, reaching in from the side so the student can see fingerings and watch my basic movement. I do not use two pianos.
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Or, a different approach, and maybe not strictly teaching by 'rote' but certainly not teaching from the page....
There's a piece of mine where the left hand plays the three black notes F sharp, G sharp and A sharp, while the right hand plays only the white notes B, D and F. When I teach this piece we do a lot of work first playing these two hand positions ascending - that's the only direction the right hand goes in the piece. We try it all the way from the bottom of the piano to the top.
Only then do we look at the page and, while there is some reading to do at this point, the student is completely confident of their notes in every register across the keyboard.
Another example would be where the same rhythm occurs throughout a piece. Before the book is ever opened the student learns to clap that rhythm, drum the rhythm, then play it in a variety of ways pertinent to the piece on the keyboard. Only once the gesture has been mastered is the music introduced.
Another time when 'rote' learning is useful is when 'reading' scores that are terribly modern in their layout. By breaking it down into what one actually needs to physically do - for example, 'play this note, then that one, then play those same notes again really quickly but very softly' (that kind of verbal description of what might look like complicated score-based instructions) - one quickly memorises the physical actions as actions, not notations, and can move straight into 'performing' rather than 'reading' the music.
The term 'rote' implies repetition, learning by copying without understanding.... But in the case of learning to play a musical instrument learning without a score when appropriate to the repertoire can produce brilliant performances while actually enhancing reading and enthusiasm for learning to read better.
Teacher, Composer, Writer, Speaker Working with Hal Leonard, Alfred, Faber, and Australian Music Examination Board Music in syllabuses by ABRSM, AMEB, Trinity Guildhall, ANZCA, NZMEB, and more www.elissamilne.wordpress.com
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How interesting to hear all of your explorations on the topic. I enjoyed reading all of your posts. Danshure's experience with teaching part of a piece by ear and allowing the student to learn the rest from the page is particularly interesting--it's as if a little bit of aural awareness unlocked the whole piece for the student. I will try this approach, it seems like a fabulous way to integrate "by ear" and "by eye" learning.
AZNPiano's comparison to language is apt--but I might be tempted to carry the analogy in a different direction. Just as we spend the first several years of speaking in our mother-tongue without reading a word, it might not hurt to delay the introduction of reading similarly in the study of music. Some students that read from the page sound as if they are reading a language they don't understand. Couldn't it help even more to teach all students the "language" of music before teaching them its notation? Perhaps we're not just "readers" of music but rather "actors" thereof--we need to understand the monologue before we can deliver it...
Thanks for the feedback. I too would be interested in the various ways many of you teach by ear.
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In one instance I used rote with a 9 year old who, after a few minutes of trying a new song with the book, I could see we were beating a dead horse.
I took the book away, told him we were going to play a copying game (he didn't know I was just showing him the song he had been trying to learn, which lessened any frustration). I demonstrated it to him 2 measures at a time, having him repeat me a few times until I could tell he was comfortable with each part. He's allowed to watch me and listen. Then we assembled it 4 measures and then 8 measures, so he was playing correct notes, rhythm, articulation and dynamics all by memory.
It was a 16 measure song, but I only taught him 8 bars by rote. I pulled the book back in for the last 8 bars and he read them almost instantly, with no problems like before. He even seemed to enjoy the song, asking if he could try it a few more times. I used that same strategy for my 6 year old who is playing a Primer peice for a recital in two weeks. I picked the piece b/c he played it well. It has totally collapsed with each week approaching the recital. He can't get his left hand to come in on time, is holding notes too long, is reading wrong notes--none of which he did weeks ago. So I took the book away and just played the first measure and asked him to copy me, until I had played most of the piece for him that way, measure by measure. He played it correctly when the book went back up. I am going to use this more often with him. I generally have my young ones tap the rhythm, saying finger numbers, note names, counting, etc., as needed, before we attempt to play a new piece.
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My students usually have at least one song they're learning by rote or by ear, or a combination of both (whereas they're usually learning five to eight by reading). I agree that reading is an essential skill for musicians to learn as well, but if I can teach my students to be able to pick out a melody by ear and put chords to it themselves, how much enjoyment will that bring to them and those around them? I know that most of my students will not go on to become serious musicians. Many will not last until high school. But that skill could stay with them.
I start off by teaching beginners a song section by section. As my students get more advanced, I start asking them to see if they can figure out what comes next. As they start to master picking out the melody, I teach chord theory and help them "play" with chords to find out what sounds right. I've played the melody before and instructed them to put the chords to it.
As for how I do it, as long as I know a song, I can play it without much trouble, at least the melody and often the chords too. So I play a group of notes an octave or two higher, and wait for the student to play it. If they get it right, we play it together. If not, I demonstrate again and point out where they missed. Then they try again. I usually make them do it a few times before adding on, and always instruct them to play it again immediately when they get home so they don't forget it. I usually do the rote portion of the lesson, if I do it at all on a given day, at the very end so they can do that.
The benefits are increased dexterity—kids can often play harder songs than they can read, so they practice moving their hands and using all their fingers early on—a greater sense of fun with music, and even better sight-reading skills because they use their ears in tandem with their eyes and brains.
I do have one student who has perfect pitch and can pick up pretty much anything by ear, given enough motivation. His reading skills are poor; he transferred to me hardly reading at all but able to play early intermediate stuff he'd picked up by ear from the Beatles and movies and stuff. As far as I know, no one taught him to do this, and his previous teacher didn't know he had perfect pitch, or never told him she knew.
I sometimes wonder if I'm doing the right thing with him, but I devote some time at every one of his lessons to teaching chord theory and to listening to whatever he's learned by ear that week. My opinion is that he is far more likely to become a member of a band, writing his own music or learning to play what the band's songwriter brings to their practices, than he is to become a concert pianist. He's very rock 'n' roll in personality and taste, and he's also taking percussion lessons and learning guitar from his grandpa.
Even if I utterly fail in teaching him to read music well, if I prepare him for that life and he goes in that direction, I'll feel like I succeeded. I hope to teach him both sets of skills, though, so he can be versatile.
Piano teacher since 2008, festivals chair for local chapter of NFMC, dabbling composer of pedagogical music
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I have a hunch that many of my little ones NEVER hear what they are playing until they have the piece learned well enough to take their eyes off the score.
Question: what makes you assume that it is memory that causes people, even young ones, to hear what they are playing? I see two independent things here. If I am working with an advanced students, I will immediately detect wrong notes, as they are playing, in things I could not begin to play from memory. On the other hand, I'm absolutely sure there are people who play from memory very accurately who can't do what I do. Playing brass, by the way, developed my awareness of pitch, not the piano. I'm a great believer in a second instrument or singing as a way to develop the ear. I'm not sure what you mean by "rote".
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I think before kids even START to learn reading, you need to teach them by ear. They need to learn solfege, need to be able to recognize I from V when you sing it to them. It makes everything so much better. And lots of exercises, like you sing something, and they sing it back. And when they start learning how to read, every time they get a new piece, start them off with making them sing it first. So THEY sing it - it works both ways, reading-wise and ear-wise.
I think it's true that people with better ears (people who can hear more things, or who have a very critical ear) end up being much better musicians.
If you just start them off as clunking keys on the piano, it's meaningless and, like you said, they can't really hear much.
"The eyes can mislead, the smile can lie, but the shoes always tell the truth."
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I'm not sure what you mean by "rote".
Me too.
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Rote means teaching by ear and by imitation. No printed page.
I teach many things by rote. With beginning students (when they're ready), I will have them make their own map of the rote piece. It's really interesting to see what images they come up with.
I always teach technique by demonstration. I want complete awareness of the body and sound relationship.
Last edited by Minniemay; 05/08/10 01:16 PM.
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