a practical introduction to dr. edwin e. gordon’s music
TRANSCRIPT
A Practical Introduction to
DR. EDWIN E. GORDON’SMUSIC LEARNING THEORY
AUTHOR: ANNE KATHERINE DAVIS
Before becoming committed to research in the psychology of music, Dr. Edwin E. Gordon earned a Batchelors and Masters in String Bass Performance at Eastman School of Music, a second Masters Degree in Education from Ohio University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Iowa.
He played string bass with the Gene Krupa band. Krupa, with his friend Cosy Cole, started a school that had attendance from Peter Criss (Kiss) and Jerry Nolan (New York Dolls)!
He bacame a Professor of Music at Temple University where he held the Carl E. Seashore Chair for Research in Music Education.
A pioneer in music aptitude and the psychology of music.
Who was Dr. Edwin E. Gordon?
WHAT IS MUSIC LEARNING THEORY? • It is not about analytical music theory. It is a learning theory.
• Music is not a language but it has language learning similarities.
• The learning theory remains the same no matter what culture adapts it.
• Whole-part-whole and Gestalt theory.
• “The Big Five.” Kodaly, Suzuki, Orff, Dalcroze, and Gordon.
• Learning Sequence Activities and Music Moves for Piano.
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THE FOUR PARTS OF MUSIC LEARNING THEORY WITH PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES #1 AUDIATION
• It is not about analytical music theory. It is a learning theory.
• AURAL + IDEATE = AUDIATE
• “Audiation is to music what thought is to language.” (LSM).
Audiation means to think with meaning in music.
• 8 Types of Audiation and 6 Stages of Audiation.
• Audiation begins with exposure, develops through imitation, and culminates in anticipation and prediction of music.
#2 APTITUDE
• Aptitude is one’s potential for learning. It is not one’s music achievement.
• A teaching tool that enables us to know how much time, effort and encouragement a person needs in order to achieve.
• Normal distribution among the populace.
• Aptitude is multidimensional and developmental.
• Music Aptitude Profile (MAP) is meant for ages 9-19.
• Advanced Measures of Music Audiation (AMMA) takes about 15 minutes and works well for adults.
#3 MOVEMENT, SINGING & CHANTING
• Rudolf Laban
- Flow: free to bound - Weight: light to strong - Time: quick to sustained - Space: indirect to direct
• Tonality
- Variety teaches what something is by what it is not. - Do Major, La Minor, Re Dorian, etc., preserve interval quality. - Vocabulary acquisition is accomplished through patterns.
• Rhythm
- Variety teaches what something is by what it is not. - Gordon-Forseth syllables are based on how music is audiated. - Vocabulary acquisition is accomplished through patterns. - “Body conducting” or the “Watch Please” game develops understanding through layered movement.
#4 IMPROVISATION
• One concept at a time.
- Mashup: use parts of two (or more!) pieces to create a new piece. - Medley: play two pieces (or more!) without a pause between them, and don’t forget to create an introduction and a coda for the medley. - Create a duet part. - Change the dynamics. - Change the tempo. - Change the register. - Change the articulation. - Play it backwards. - Invert a motive. - Compose. Take small fragments learned from other pieces and activities to make an original piece.
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RESOURCES AND REFERENCES Bluestine, Eric. The Ways Children Learn Music. GIA Publications, 2nd Ed. 2006.
Gordon, Edwin E. Learning Sequences in Music. GIA Publications, 2012 edition.
Lowe, Marilyn White. Keyboard Games Teacher’s Edition. Music Moves LLC, 2020.
Lowe, Marilyn White. Music Moves for Piano. Music Moves LLC.
Shouldice, Heather. Everyday Musicality Podcast.
Shouldice, Heather. Research to Real Life: Practical Applications of Music Education Research for Teachers.
The Gordon Institute for Music Learning.
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A Practical Introduction to
DR. EDWIN E. GORDON’SMUSIC LEARNING THEORY