Posts Tagged study music
An Introduction to Music Studies
Product Description
Why study music? How much practical use is it in the modern world? This introduction proves how studying music is of great value both in its own terms and also in the post-university careers marketplace. The book explains the basic concepts and issues involved in the academic study of music, draws attention to vital connections across the field and encourages critical thinking over a broad range of music-related issues. • Covers all main aspects of music studies, … More >>
An Introduction to Music Studies
Tags: academic study, critical thinking, Introduction, introduction to music, marketplace, music, music studies, Studies, study music, university careers, vital connectionsRelated posts
Does Music Help Children
Why is Music Important for Kids?
This question has been debated for as long as time has existed. Even the great Greek and Roman philosophers approached the question: is music something that should be taught and does it help the development of children? Plato answered “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music and all arts are the keys to learning.” And again “what then is the education to be? Perhaps we could hardly find a better than that which the experience of the past has already discovered, which consists, I believe, in gymnastic, for the body, and music for the mind.”
In all cultures of the world music plays an important role. While these roles may change depending on the culture it is impossible to separate music from the life of an individual. While some may argue the role of music in our lives it is impossible to escape it. Even in the popular culture of Australia it is impossible to go shopping without hearing music. Music provides a means of communication and expression of culture and individual identity.
Children are immersed in music from birth and will be for their entire life. If this is the case why teach it? Is not the constant immersion in music enough? To this I say; is the fact that we witness the results of scientific principals on a day to day basis result in the understanding of those scientific principles? No it does not and likewise for music it does not either. The day to day encounters we have with music can move us but the understanding of this music can help us grow as individuals.
In many cultures the family plays the main role in music education. Families are most commonly the ones that teach children the music of their culture. As young children, we are commonly sung nursery rhymes. These provide entertainment for the child and often information in small repeated fashion. Children learn through the repetition and structure that the information was delivered in. many nursery rhymes teach fundamental life lesson and therefore sets music up as a means of educating. Children learn from music from a young age and will continue to for the rest of their lives. In a world where globalization and consumerism are dominating cultural identities are drifting into the background and children are more likely to be sung pop songs as lullaby’s than nursery rhymes. The benefit of nursery rhymes and progressive learning has become an issue. Children are missing out on fundamental learning opportunities.
The Mozart effect which gained a large following in the 1990’s claimed that listening to Mozart as a baby will make a child smarter. While this movement was short lived and there is little proof that it works there has been no denying that children who learn music will achieve higher in other aspects of their academic life. In earning music children learn to express their identities, gain confidence and develop sense of time and space. A research team at the university of Munster in Germany discovered that students who study music have more developed abstract reasoning skills which are closely linked to learning in the areas of science and maths.
I do not believe that there is any argument to this question…music is a vital part of a child’s education and should be taken seriously. Listening to music is not enough! A child must learn to think musically and that is what will help assist the development of the child and their academic development.
Tags: education, learn music, learning, music, music education, study music, world musicRelated posts
Online Music Theory Lessons – You Can Learn in a Much More Fun and Interactive Way
Let’s not beat around the bush When it comes to taking music lessons, it is not always easy to find the right teacher for your needs, nor is it easy to find a teacher whose schedule can accommodate yours, or vice versa. Often, students will miss too many lessons, most of the time for legitimate reasons. If you live in a small town, the level of expertise of private teachers might not meet your needs, or suit your learning style. Teacher – student relationships are the basis of a positive learning experience. Many people have wasted precious time trying to learn from books by themselves. This “adventure” most often ends up being very frustrating as the learners never really get to the level they wish to achieve.
Trying to study musical theory by yourself is like trying to invent a new math; you simply need the help of a teacher to explain concepts. Clearly, the search is frustrating and you can easily give up on your goal to learn music theory. Don’t give up! If you recognized yourself in one of the above scenarios, (which you probably did if you’re taking to the time to read this article), there is a solution. (Yes, now is the time when you can start feeling relief about not having to give up your goal). That solution is online lessons. A search over the Internet with simple keywords in Google will quickly reveal the vast amount of information and courses available. Quite impressively, the keywords “online music lessons” give 1 140 000 search results in 0.30 seconds!
Is it really that good? Some more popular subjects found in online lessons include how to learn the guitar, guitar scales for beginners and how to play the keyboard. You will also find online instructions on a variety of other instruments, such as woodwinds and brass. Those include proper fingering, breathing techniques and articulation. However, online lessons are far from offering tutorials on instrument playing only. Theory lessons teach important theoretical concepts in depth which every good musician should know and master.
You can literally find lessons on any aspect of music theory. Newer learners can study basic concepts such as note naming, simple rhythms, ear training, scales, intervals and chords. If you are at a higher level, you can find lessons on more advanced concepts such as complex and syncopated rhythms, 12 tone and modal scales, for example, the classic pentatonic scale often found in Claude Debussy’s music. Other notions include different quality of chords, transposition and compound time signatures to name a few other advantages.
On top of the vast availability of concepts made accessible through online theory lessons, many other advantages come into account: the fact that you can study anywhere, anytime and at your own pace is not a small one. No need to take a weekly scheduled lesson, especially for adults who have an active career, or for younger ones who participate in extracurricular activities or sports teams. Not having to travel to and from lessons is especially important for the adult who already needs to commute to work everyday, or for the parent who has become a private taxi service for their children’s numerous activities.
For many youngsters, the fact of doing interactive theory online will be enough to motivate them to further their musical interest. Moreover, it teaches the young learner to be independent and participate in his own education, thus learning to be a self-taught student, a skill that will be most useful in all areas of life. On top of that, he or she will be learning and improving on computer and Internet skills.
Most sites offer high quality lessons at a very reasonable price. You can even find video lessons, and take quizzes and tests. You get the results at the click of a mouse. The access to an instructor is available almost 24 hours a day on many of the websites. If you compare price versus quality and availability of the instructor, you can easily figure out that this is worth it. In fact, having an instructor available to you anywhere and at anytime… is priceless! The importance of the theory itself Why is music theory so essential? It is crucial to your overall musicianship and of your understanding of music regardless of the instrument you play. Consider yourself playing street hockey and being the best goal scorer on your team.
So, you decide to try out the local team at the arena… only you can’t skate. See where this is going? The same is true for the musician. You can learn to play an instrument quite well, but as long as you don’t understand and appreciate the theory behind it, your music playing will never really make any sense. You might be tempted to believe otherwise, but you will also realise how wrong you were for thinking so once you “see the light” behind the theory of the music. Quite a few things can be achieved by studying and understanding music theory. For example, understanding recurrent chord progressions with which you will become familiar will help you in memorizing a song, or in understanding “where the music is going”. You will gain a better understanding of rhythms and their interpretation, as well as a thorough understanding of scales and key signatures.
This facet is indispensable for every aspect of music and can not be stressed enough! It is the foundation of western music. Understanding time signatures in order to help you determine where the strong beat should be executed is also important. Mentioned above are a few basic concepts, but the more you study, the more you will discover and be enthralled! Yes, but… Things are just not the same in a traditional setting, with the one hour lesson per week, where you need to follow everyone else’s pace (frustrating if they are slower OR faster). In either case, you’re not getting your money’s worth.
The teacher is available to you (and to all the other students) only one hour per week. Imagine, if you are an older student, finding yourself in a class with young beginners… and you have a question. Perhaps you would feel shy to ask the teacher for clarification in front of all those young minds… But with an online setting, there would be no need to feel misplaced about asking a “stupid” question. (Although, we all know such questions don’t exist, right?) One obstacle Don’t panic! The only requirement to online lessons is, well, to have access to the Internet. But I’m thinking that if you are reading this at the moment, chances are this aspect is already taken care of. So, this website you are on right now maybe the answer. Best of luck with your online studies! Oh, one more thing, your going to love learning the pentatonic scale
Tags: chord progression, ear training, education, guitar, guitar scale, guitar scales, how to play the keyboard, learn music, learn music theory, learn the guitar, learning, lessons, music, music lesson, music lessons, music theory, music theory lesson, music theory lessons, online music lessons, online music theory, study music, teacher, teachersRelated posts