This is good of course, in that it means that music can take flight easily in those who have an ear for it and they can move on quickly to the joy of music-making, both on their own and with others. But this same skill can become a disadvantage when those same students want to move into more complicated repertoire or advanced improvisational music-making. Here, their lack of foundation in the theoretical language of music will impede their progress, and it will be frustrating for already advanced players to stop and ‘go back to the beginning’ to pick up the language and basic theoretical concepts they need in order to move forward with their playing.

nd it’s also why it is so important to teach instrumentalists to sing the melodies they play as part of their learning process. This connects their physical response at the instrument and their technical understanding to their innately human ability to express themselves with their singing voice.

eep theoretical ideas tied very tightly to some kind of practical knowledge.