Preface
During my career as a composer and teacher of music theory, I have always wanted to write the kind of textbook that I would like to have studied when I was a student. Through more than thirty years of teaching in higher education, I have been interested in new books about music theory and aural skills. Alas, there was seldom anything unique. Most of the books that I reviewed had the same fundamental approach. My perception led me to ask, 'What if there were a book written in a conversational style that would be appropriate for practically any school age level, that would be fun to study, that would have large, clear, print and be easy on the eyes? What if it would afford "drill games" that would be simple to understand and implement? What if it could be very useful in teaching practically any musical instrument, particularly the piano? What kind of interest would such a book generate? Would elderly people enjoy teaching themselves how to read music and understand theory? Would school teachers enjoy using the book in general subjects or in music classrooms where children from ages ten to eighteen might study? What if the book were appropriate for students to use in teaching their little brothers and/or sisters? What if it could be used in college for teaching non-music and music major alike?' All of these questions led me to embark upon a new way of teaching music theory.
The book described above is now a reality entitled Creative Music Theory Skills. If it is used for small children, rote teaching will be practical. Most of the songs were composed with children in mind. It may be perceived that my theory materials are too advanced to be presented to children. It is my opinion that children are simply young, not stupid; they can learn anything that a teacher is smart enough to teach them. It is presumed that many of the musical terms from my book may be learned without being understood. Understanding will come with review. There should be no pressure placed upon students unless it is applied through competition while having fun with the numerous games included in the text. If music cannot be enjoyed, who needs it? My approach may be likened to a jigsaw puzzle. Many pieces may be needed before any real insight into the picture is garnered. My idea is not to spoon-feed information to students but to challenge them to think. They are required to think too infrequently, as if it might hurt them somehow. The mind is like any other part of the human being; it must have exercise.
The human subconscious mind is very similar to a camera. Under certain conditions, a person can read as many as 9,000 words per minute! Granted, it would take a movie screen to roll 9,000 words per minute past someone's eyes. The text would go at such a speed as to make' concentration practically impossible. Still, people put in such reading situations are able to achieve incredible test scores when examined on the material presented. The famous reading teacher, Evelyn Wood, taught speed reading concepts to the members of the United States Congress during the John F. Kennedy administration. She increased the
abilities of congressmen to read faster and with more comprehension than they had ever known. The brain can process about two million pieces of information per second!
My book contains no bibliography or footnotes. It is not intended to be the ordinary "scholarly work." As far as I know, the ideas put forth in this book are my own or based upon the numerous books I have read during my career in music. My copy of the Harvard Dictionary of Music, by Willi Apel, is always close at hand, and so are my copies of The Oxford Companion to Music, by Percy A. Scholes, and A History of Western Music, by Donald Grout, when my memory needs refreshing. It has been said that similar ideas to mine have been noted here and there, but I have not observed them. As the old adage says, "There is nothing new under the sun." In Creative Music Theory Skills, I propose something different, if not new, that everyone who has an interest in learning music can enjoy.
The earliest edition of this book will possess only four chapters and include the same topics that are covered in most basic theory books. For Creative Music Theory Skills, I have composed one song and one story for every month, during the Fall semester, that contains a major holiday. Most people are usually at home on holidays, so they can share my songs with their families. Students may teach my songs to their siblings. Rote teaching is perfectly appropriate and is encouraged for elementary school children. Some of my songs have "chord symbol accompaniments" for classroom teachers who are not very skillful at playing the piano. Some written note "accompaniments" are actually complete piano pieces and can be taught as such in piano studios. Piano teachers should teach music theory to their piano students on a regular basis. Speaking as a pianist, I believe that the pieces in my book are suitable for recitals and for helping to build keyboard technique.
It is appropriate to begin the study of my book at any time; however, since the school year for most people starts in late August or early September, the study of my book may well begin then. Simple elements of music are discussed in the first story. In the traditional approach to music theory, a topic such as "intervals" would be studied at length; then the teacher will move on to another topic. In my book, "intervals" may be introduced and studied in one chapter, then practiced in several other chapters so that the knowledge does not fade or perish. Once something is introduced, it may be referred to in several chapters. The songs connected to each chapter will act as vehicles to spark the desire for a knowledge of music theory and keep fresh what has been studied. In high school or college, the teacher may use the songs as sight-reading and analysis material. At whatever level, fun is an important element in my approach.
There are several stories to read in this book. All of the stories are mystery type tales, because they tend to hold the interest of young readers. Interest is vital to the study of almost anything! Some of my stories are the kind that are
told in the campgrounds when it gets very dark. Sometimes they are intense (in tents). These are the kinds of stories that linger in the memory. Each yarn has a message intended to inspire thought. The stories are intended to be used with the songs, so they are studded with creative ideas.
Sometimes my stories employ unusual words. A definition for every word that is infrequently encountered will appear immediately in the context of the story. The idea is to enable students to recall uncommon words due to their usage. A good dictionary will help students derive full meanings for certain words. Click the links below to find a sample of the format that is found in each chapter:
Accompanying every story and song is a music theory lesson. The theory lessons in my book are for the purpose of expanding aural skills, keyboard abilities, theory information and general historical knowledge. Teaching aural skills without teaching music theory is tantamount to teaching baseball without having any bats on hand. The aim of my text is to produce excellent musical results.
After the solfège hand symbols are introduced, all music examples (sets) are to be sung with syllables and hand symbols at whatever pitch may be comfortable for the singer(s). When my book is used in college, however, singing the pitches that are written in the music will help the students to achieve a solid feeling of tonality that will aid them in developing "acquired pitch." When it is necessary, the students may transpose the written notes to their respective vocal ranges.
If singing the musical sets correctly should require struggle and frequent attempts, so be it! Few goals are attained through just wishing; many are attained through hard work. While studying "Gage Ideas for Music Theory," the story being examined must be in hand for instant reference. It may be a good idea to separate the story from the book binding or to make a duplicate copy of the pages under study. Although there are many good sight-reading approaches that can be used with my book, I have chosen "moveable doh," because it is probably the most widely used system of solmization practiced in the world.
Although there are some advantages to so-called "graduated instruction," it is doubtful that all instruction has to be graduated. For instance, most beginning theory textbooks seem obliged to build up to the study of triads in their final chapter. It has been my experience that when there is a question raised by a student, an immediate answer should be afforded, whether it fits the teacher's lesson plan or not. The student's question is an expression of interest that means s/he is ready to learn at that moment. My presentation of theory materials is a "shotgun approach." Let us discuss everything at once and then review as necessary. If one is studying a language, s/he has to develop a vocabulary, perhaps through listening, before s/he can communicate. The alphabet and grammar have to wait. Music study is similar to learning a foreign language. If one can already play music by ear, s/he will have the same advantage as a person who speaks a language without knowing how to write in that language. A regular text devoted to the subject of music theory
should be acquired by those who are interested in a more graduated, traditional approach.
My stories are designed to teach one to read well in each of the four standard clefs: the treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs. The first chapter involves the treble clef and the final chapter deals with the bass clef. The alto and tenor clefs belong to the stories in the middle of the book. Since the treble and bass clefs are essential, I begin with an emphasis on the chapters devoted to those clefs. When my book is used in teaching non-music majors, a semester of 15 weeks will afford only enough time for a thorough study of the treble and bass clefs. Two semesters will be needed for a careful study of the entire textbook unless music majors are examining the materials.
Before one moves on to a song, s/he will need to know what each story, with its music theory, has taught. Darkened, highlighted words, specify music terms that must be learned. When review is needed, highlighted words will enable one to quickly find the topics they represent. Whenever there are italicized words, they either demand attention, distinguish foreign words, or imply dramatic accentuation.
