Innovative routes to teaching music theory to adults/adult learners. Roy Page-Shipp

1. The South African Society of Music Teachers SASMT NATIONAL CONFERENCE 3 - 6 APRIL 2014 Engaging with the Community Innovative routes to teaching music theory to adults/adult learners. Roy Page-Shipp

2. Woven from many threads • A physicist’s mindset • 60 y of solo singing but no sense of music theory • Attempt to get ABRSM Gr5 in 7 months • Discovery of a Mental Model as an aid • Potential for adult MT learners • Hence physics, music education, psychology and andragogy/geragogy all contributed • Please add – your centuries of teaching experience

3. Overview • One (adult) learner’s experience in learning music theory • Mental Models • The Keyboard Layout as a Mental Model • Adult vs Early Learning • Questions

4. Experience in learning music theory - challenges • Interest in Music studies post employment • Unable to sight-read – accomplished ‘faker’ • Treble stave F-A-C-E, Bass stave A-C-E-G • Decision to learn music theory (CvN) • Joined MAM 301 - Target ABRSMGr 5/6 (AH) • Very ignorant - Didn’t know 4-part songs usually in chords • Perception of vast amount of memorising needed – an intimidating prospect

5. Experience in learning music theory- Non-intuitive elements of M T • Note names in English: Crotchet/ quaver etc • ‘everybody else’ has it better” Noot/ half-noot!! • Grand Staff – confusing separation • Degrees – tonic, sub-dominant, dominant • Names of tetrachords (I, IV, V) • Intervals add a third to a third to get a fifth • ⅓ + ⅓ = ⅕ OR 0.33 + 0.33 = 0.20!!!!! • Marking intervals – not spaces between – includes both ends • ‘Use your keyboard!’ Fell on deaf ears.

6. Experience in learning music theory- The Whole Note assignment • All students required to illustrate a scale. • First up: 12 note Chromatic Scale (new to me) • Drew the Whole Note Scale – all intervals of equal length – 2 semitones. • Practicing illustration on key board –significance of movement to and from white to black keys and the different ‘gaps’ emerged. A MENTAL MODEL. • C, D, E, F#, G#, A#, C. (Mode of Min Transp)

7. Mental Models • Models essential in Physics – entities not directly observable • Some personal, some common • Bohr Model of Atomic Structure

8. Cavendish

9. Mental Models • Models essential in Physics – entities not directly observable • Some personal, some common • Bohr Model of Atomic Structure – all you need to know in Chemistry/Chem Eng • Familiar thinking paradigm for this learner • Mental Models a well-known concept in psychology • Concept expanded by Phil Johnson-Laird “psychological representations of real or imaginary situations.. eg relationship to another person, how electricity works, architect’s models…”

10. Mental Models - musicians • John Hinch – Fingers on flute • UPSO and Camerata: UPSO/ Cam/ Tot % • Keyboard layout: 37/ 30 /33 • Sounds in Mind: 55/ 53/ 54 • Pianists: Keyboard layout slightly less than Sounds in Mind • J New Generation Sciences 11, 2. (2013)

11. Mental Models in learning - RPS • Accustomed to the constructivist approach • Much experience in action learning • Career characterised by entry into new knowledge fields • An ‘accomplished autodidact’ used to learning on my own

12. Adult vs Early Learning • Children using praxis method (action learning) learn MT ‘parenthetically and contextually’ (David Elliott, Music Matters.) • Have ‘all the time in the world’ • Adults • don’t have/want to spend the time this way • need to feel ‘in control’ – no authoritative ‘teacher figure’ • capable of ‘big picture’ appreciation (helicopter view) • tend to find their own learning style • better at ‘chunking’ • Iritani example

13. Keyboard Layout as Mental Model • From Cmaj you can work out tts t tts • Circle of Fifths (another Mental Model) helps to place them on the stave • How does a perfect fifth differ from an augmented fifth. • It seems

14. How did the MM help this adult? • Helicopter view available • Overall grasp of how scales and chords are constructed – the ‘code’ was ‘broken’ • My comfort zone • Have some degree of control • Can memorise in my own way • The Mental Model is empowering!

15. John Powell’s Ugly Harp • How Music Works: A listener’s guide to the science and psychology of beautiful sounds JOHN POWELL • Great intro for adults – multi-stringed harp as mental model, (Lengths and pitches) Also explains Equal Temperament.

16. Conclusions • Keyboard layout as a Mental Model empowered one adult learner • Some evidence of the use of this model in accomplished young musicians -surprisingly (?) low in keyboard players • Consistent with what we know about adult learning • Does this mean that when teaching adults an early start on the keyboard – as described – will help? • Should other ‘big picture’ Mental Models also be considered? • What about music students brought up on memorised choral parts?

17. Questions From me: • Do you see any potential in this? Any from you?

18. Refs • Page-Shipp, RJ & Van Niekerk, C. (2013). A superannuated physicist's attempts to master music theory: Resolving cognitive conflicts and a paradigm clash. International Journal of Music Education. published online 5 November 2013. • Page-Shipp, RJ & Van Niekerk, C (2013). Mental Models in the Learning and Teaching of Music Theory Concepts. Journal for New Generation Sciences.11 (2) p57. Nov 2013. (OA) • John Powell.How Music Works, A listener’s guide to the science and psychology of beautiful sounds. Particular Books . Penguin 2010.