Music Learning Theory

1. Music Learning Theory By Nick Palmisano

2. Synopsis • Based on the research and field testing of Edwin E. Gordon • Comprehensive method to teach audiation • Can be implemented into any teaching style or level • Primary objective is to develop musicians’ tonal and rhythmic audiation

3. Audiation • The foundation of musicianship • When we hear and comprehend music when the sound isn’t or may never have been present. • A cognitive process where the brain gives meaning to musical sounds.

4. Types of Audiation • Listening • Reading • Writing • Recalling and performing • Recalling and writing • Creating and improvising • Creating and improvising while reading • Creating and improvising while writing

5. Stages of Audiation • Momentary retention • Initiating and audiating tonal and rhythmic patterns AND recognizing and identifying a tonal center and macrobeats • Establishing objective or subjective tonality and meter • Consciously retaining in audiation tonal and rhythmic patterns • Consciously recalling patterns organized and audiated in other pieces of music • Conscious prediction of patterns

6. Music Aptitude • Everyone has it! • Measured by a valid music aptitude test • Students are taught differently based on their musical aptitude

7. Methodology • Learning music is like learning a language • Listen • Imitate • Think • Improvise • Conversation

8. Whole/Part/Whole(Synthesis/Analysis/Synthesis) • Introduction • Detailed study of topic • Students have better understanding • Run through song • Rehearse smaller sections • Run through song again

9. Activities • The “Part” of the curriculum • Skill learning sequences • Tonal content • Rhythm content • Example - http://giml.org/mlt/classroom/

10. References • http://giml.org/mlt/about/