gordon approach
TRANSCRIPT
Logan Bloom
Active Approach: Edwin E. Gordon
Biographical Information
Edwin Elias Gordon (1925- ) is a contemporary researcher, pedagogue, lecturer,
and theorist in the realm of music education. His work is considered to be as influential
as that of Dalcroze, Kodaly, Orff, and Suzuki. He focuses on the psychology behind
music education on the basis of audiation and aptitude. He has written numerous books,
scholarly articles, and 6 highly regarded musical aptitude tests (Gordon Institute for
Music Learning).
Gordon studied at the Eastman School of Music where he earned his bachelor’s
degree in string bass performance in 1952 and master’s degree in 1953 (South Carolina
University Libraries). He got a job playing bass in Gene Krupa’s band and continued on
to earn his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1958 (GIML). In the following years, he
held positions as a Professor of Music at the State University of New York at Buffalo and
the University of Iowa. In 1955 he earned a master’s degree in education from The Ohio
University (SCUL). Later on, he was made Professor of Research in Music Education at
Temple University in Philadelphia from the years 1979 to 1997 where he received both
the Lindback Award and Great Teacher Award from the school (GIML).
Gordon has been featured on the NBC Today Show, in the New York Times, and
in USA Today (GIML). Some of his most prominent works include Learning Sequences
in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns (1997), Study Guide for Learning Sequences in
Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns (1997), A Music Learning Theory for Newborn and
Young Children (1997), Introduction to Research and the Psychology of Music (1998),
Rhythm: Contrasting the Implications of Audiation and Notation (2000), and Preparatory
Audiation, Audiation, and Music Learning Theory: A Handbook of a Comprehensive
Music Learning Sequence (2001) (SCUL). Gordon often states in the preface or
introduction to his writings that he attempts to avoid using the words “the”, “a”, and
“that”. Examples of this can be found in the foreword to Roots of Music Learning Theory
and Audiation (Roots of Music Learning Theory and Audiation 2) and the preface of
Untying Gordian Knots (Untying Gordian Knots 3).
Gordon has an immense appreciation for improvisation, stemming from his
experience touring with Gene Krupa. He relates it to language in teaching in that it does
not necessarily require notation as an aid. It allows children to make their own music on a
more human level (Pinzino 4).
Gordon discovered he has a great respect for children by conducting research and
doing the teaching himself in order to understand it. He maintains that the most important
work he has done throughout his career is working with children. He strives to cultivate
an understanding for the way children learn in order for future teachers to be as effective
as possible (Pinzino 5).
Gordon is known as and considers himself mainly invested in the areas of
research and theory and less in philosophy. However, his work reflects a strong
philosophy that all humans are capable of valuing music. One of his main focuses in his
research and teaching is testing for musical aptitude. Gordon contends in A Music
Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children, “because a day does not pass without
a child's hearing or participating in some music, it is to a child's advantage to understand
music as thoroughly as she can” (A Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young
Children 2) (GIML).
Pedagogy
Edwin Gordon’s work is highly regarded as equal among the likes of Zoltán
Kodály, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, and Carl Orff. His research and pedagogical methods are
unique among these major figures in the world of music education. Gordon’s methods
reflect the philosophy that all humans should be capable of understanding and performing
music to some degree. Gordon’s pedagogical methods revolve around musical aptitude,
audiation, and music learning theory. These concepts work together to build the
foundation of Edwin Gordon’s pedagogical methods.
Gordon developed a series of musical aptitude tests to make sure students receive
a music education appropriate for their individual ability and interest in music. He uses it
to identify what students already know or have learned and what they still need to learn
about music. He clarifies that the aptitude tests should not be used to prevent a student
from studying music, but rather to put that student’s natural ability in music into a
quantitative figure and to help parents and teachers make unbiased decisions about the
depth to which the student participates in music. Gordon contends that there is a
difference between music aptitude and music achievement. It is important to distinguish
that music aptitude is a form of potential energy, while music achievement is energy that
has already been released. In other words, music achievement is any knowledge of music
that a student already possesses or musical tasks that he or she has already accomplished.
Music aptitude is a student’s calculated capability of skills in the field of music. It is
affected by environmental circumstances (Introduction to Research and the Psychology
of Music 4-5). Going beyond the idea of general music aptitude, Gordon categorizes
music aptitude into two subcategories: stabilized music aptitude and developmental
music aptitude.
Gordon contends that between birth and age nine, a student’s music aptitude can
fluctuate. It can change for a child based on the circumstances of the child’s surrounding
environment. After age nine, the aptitude becomes stabilized. This is not to say the
student stops learning anything more about music after age nine. The only change is that
the level of natural ability in the student becomes constant.
Developmental music aptitude is the fluctuating stage of music aptitude that
occurs before age 9. During the development of The Musical Aptitude Profile, Gordon
administered the aptitude tests for meter and phrasing to a group of approximately 150
children between the ages of six and eight in Ottumwa, Iowa. The scores were compared
with those of a group of sixth graders who took the same tests, only the six, seven, and
eight year olds were allowed a parent to help them understand the directions and fill in
the answer sheet in the correct format. The scores were similar, but the circumstances
were different. Based on the data from the test results, Gordon determined that using the
same tests with children younger than nine as with children older than 9 is inappropriate
(The Nature, Description, Measurement, and Evaluation of Music Aptitudes 45). The
concept of developmental music aptitude states that there are factors relating to the age
and physical development of children that do not affect their musical aptitude, but affect
their scores on tests for musical aptitude. With this in mind, Gordon found it necessary to
design musical aptitude tests that would be objective and assess students fairly and
accurately. After all, these music aptitude tests were intended to compare the aptitudes of
students with each other.
One of the main purposes of Gordon’s music aptitude tests is to test for audiation,
a term coined by Gordon himself. Gordon defines audiation as the process of hearing
music silently, or when sound is not present. He specifies that the term ‘aural imagery’ is
inappropriate because imagery implies notation. Gordon suggests the term ‘aural
perception’ as a more appropriate synonym for audiation Furthermore, Gordon classifies
eight distinct types of audiation and six stages of audiation (The Nature… of Music
Aptitudes 13):
Types of Audiation
1. Listening to familiar or unfamiliar music
2. Reading familiar or unfamiliar music
3. Writing familiar or unfamiliar types of music
4. Recalling and performing familiar music from memory
5. Recalling and writing familiar music from memory or in silence
6. Creating and improvising unfamiliar music while performing
7. Creating and improvising unfamiliar music while reading
8. Creating and improvising unfamiliar music while writing
Stages of Audiation
1. Momentary retention
2. Imitating and audiating tonal patterns and rhythm patterns and recognizing
and identifying a tonal center and macrobeats
3. Establishing objective or subjective tonality and meter
4. Retaining in audiation tonal patterns and rhythm patters that have been
organized
5. Recalling tonal patterns and rhythm patterns organized and audiated in
other pieces of music
6. Anticipating and predicting tonal patterns and rhythm patterns
With audiation and aptitude in mind, Gordon created a sequence of teaching
music that incorporates both of those elements. This system, which he calls music
learning theory, is more concerned with the learning of music (how students learn) than
the teaching of it. The order of instruction is arranged progressively based on music
aptitude. Each topic becomes more difficult in order to accommodate music students of
varying abilities and aptitude. The goal of music learning theory is for students to audiate
at every level of the sequence. Music learning theory is arranged in three categories: skill
learning sequence, tonal content learning sequence, and rhythm content learning
sequence. These are three separate sequences that are meant to be taught in conjunction
with one another. Skill learning sequence is meant to be taught with either tonal content
either learning sequence or rhythmic content learning sequence. The two content learning
sequences are not intended to be combined (Learning Sequences in Music 34).
The skill learning sequence is based on two types of learning that Gordon points
out: discrimination and inference. Discrimination learning is in essence learning by rote.
It is based on aural skills, verbal association, partial synthesis, symbolic association,
reading and writing, and composite synthesis. Inference learning is comprised of three
parts, each with sublevels. The first part, generalization, is divided into aural, verbal, and
symbolic (reading/writing). The second part, creativity/improvisation, contains the aural
and symbolic subcategories. The third part, theoretical understanding, contains the aural,
verbal and symbolic subcategories. Each of these subcategories requires some degree of
audiation (Learning Sequences in Music 37).
Tonal content learning sequence as explained by Gordon is based on identifying
various modes in music. This can be accomplished with any of the skills in the learning
skills sequence, hence the need for the two to be taught in conjunction. The modal
classifications in Gordon’s tonal content learning sequence are major, minor, Mixolydian,
Dorian, Lydian, Phrygian, Aeolian, Polytonal/Polykeyal, and Harmonic. Gordon
incorporates a series of categories or functions for each of the modes. These categories
include tonic, subtonic, supertonic, dominant, subdominant, modulatory, chromatic,
cadential, multiple, expanded, and characteristic tone (Learning Sequences in Music
126). The following are examples of various tonal patterns (Tonal and Rhythm Patterns
11-12):
Major Tonic:
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Major Dominant:
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Major Chromatic:
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Rhythm content learning sequence involves breaking down rhythmic concepts
into general terms. Meter is considered either usual or unusual. Meters such as 4/4, 2/4,
3/4, 6/8, or 12/8 would be considered usual meter. Meters such as 5/4, 7/8, or 8/8 would
be considered unusual meter. Gordon refers to series of beats in which no beat is accented
and the beats are of equal length as macro beats. When macro beats are equally divided,
the result is micro beats. Meter is also specified as duple, triple, or combined. Paired
meter is when macro beats are audiated in groups of two. If macro beats are audiated in
groups of more three, it is called unpaired meter (Learning Sequences in Music 129-30).
Macro Beats:
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Micro Beats – Usual Duple Meter:QuickTime™ and a
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Micro Beats – Usual Triple Meter: QuickTime™ and a
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Macro Beats – Unusual Paired Meter: QuickTime™ and a
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Macro Beats – Unusual Unpaired Meter:QuickTime™ and a
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Gordon suggests that there are three stages of learning: introduction, application,
and assimilation (Learning Sequences in Music 211-2). Ideally this three-stage sequence
is used when teaching a specific piece of music. In the first stage, introduction, students
are introduced to a piece of music in terms of tonality and meter by hearing and
performing it in classroom activities. In the second stage, application, students study the
tonal patterns and rhythm patterns in the tonality and meter of the piece. It is not required
that they be the exact tonal and rhythm patterns found in the piece. In the third stage,
application, the music content and skills taught in the previous two stages are reinforced
throughout other classroom activities. Students should be able to understand and extract
meaning from the piece through audiation and additional classroom activities by this
stage. The application stage is the most important because it forces the students to audiate
through the reinforcement of the skill and content taught in stages one and two. This
allows the students to develop precision in their ability to audiate the piece of music they
studied. Additionally, the students should gain a specific understanding of the song from
the reinforcement. It will give the song meaning for the students.
In the classroom, the aptitude tests serve the purpose of allowing the teacher to
teach according to the individual musical differences of students. Gordon suggests that a
music aptitude test be administered to a class of students and for the class to be divided
into three groups based on the students’ scores. The groups should not be labeled, but one
group should contain students with lower scores, one with students with average scores,
and one with students with higher scores. There are no set criteria for the percentile
ranks, or ‘cutoff points’. The group of students with average scores should be the largest
group with relatively few students in the outside groups. The students in each group will
use tonal and rhythmic patterns that are consistent with their aptitudes as determined by
the test. The group with the lower scores will use easy tonal and rhythmic patterns while
the group with higher scores will progress more quickly to harder tonal and rhythmic
patterns (Learning Sequences in Music 232-6).
Gordon’s pedagogy revolves around his research in the topics of audiation, music
aptitude, and music learning theory. His three-stage approach to lesson planning
incorporates all of these concepts. Gordon’s goal in teaching music is for students to be
able to audiate by understanding the music and making connections between other areas
of the music curriculum. He believes in accommodating students of all levels and abilities
in the same classroom by testing for music aptitude and using the results to teach to the
needs of individual students.
Works Cited
Gordon, Edwin E. A Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children.
Chicago: GIA Publications, 1990.
Gordon, Edwin E. Introduction to Research and the Psychology of Music. Chicago:
GIA Publications, 1998.
Gordon, Edwin E. Learning Sequences In Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns. Chicago:
GIA Publications, 1989.
Gordon, Edwin E. The Nature, Description, Measurement, and Evaluation of Music
Aptitudes. Chicago: GIA Publications, 1987.
Gordon, Edwin E. [eegordon9997], “Roots of Music Learning Theory and Audiation.”
Scribd. Scribd, 18 May, 2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.
Gordon, Edwin E. Tonal and Rhythm Patterns: An Objective Analysis. Albany: State
University of New York Press, 1976.
Gordon, Edwin E. “Untying Gordian Knots”. giml.org. The Gordon Institute for Music
Learning, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.
The Gordon Institute for Music Learning. The Gordon Institute For Music Learning,
n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.
South Carolina University Libraries. Edwin E. Gordon Archive. University of South
Carolina. n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.
Pinzino, Mary Ellen. “A Conversation With Edwin Gordon”. Come Children Sing.
Come Children Sing, 1998. Web. 11 Feb. 2012.
Three Sequential First Grade Lesson Plans
1. The first lesson should involve students learning the song “The Bell Peter”. The
teacher should first demonstrate the song while having the students actively
respond by clapping quarter notes. After the first demonstration, the teacher
should teach the rhythms in the piece and have the students clap the rhythms
while he or she demonstrates again. This part should be done phrase by phrase. To
conclude the lesson, the students should clap the rhythms throughout the whole
piece.
2. The second lesson should incorporate the tonal content found in “The Bell Peter”.
The tonality is Aeolian. The teacher should isolate the intervals, or spots where
the notes in the melody change and write them on the board. The teacher should
lead the class in singing each tonal pattern on a neutral syllable independently.
Once each interval in the melody has been sung, the teacher should progress to
teaching the song phrase by phrase. To conclude, the class should sing the whole
song.
3. The third lesson should focus on audiation. The same piece, “The Bell Peter”, can
be used to demonstrate this concept. The teacher should begin singing the song,
stopping on beat three of the second measure (the word “is”). The teacher should
motion to the class to sing the next word. The teacher should explain that the
students knew what to sing because they could hear it in their heads. The teacher
should introduce the term “audiation”. To further demonstrate this concept, the
teacher should play a short I – IV – I – V - I progression. The teacher should stop
on the V chord and motion for the students to sing the root of the I chord to show
they know where the music is headed. To conclude, the teacher should explain
that the students can predict certain music.
Additional Sources
GIMLPublications. “Edwin E. Gordon Music Learning Theory Overview Part 1.” Web.
Youtube.com, 21 Jan. 2011. 17 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRUCZp9uYOM>
This is the first in a series of 12 videos on Youtube of a presentation Gordon made at Rhode Island College. He outlines his research and talks about how it can be implemented in the classroom. He lectures and answers questions on the subject of instrumentation, audiation, music aptitude, and components of music learning theory.
Gordon, Edwin E. “A Factor Analytic Description of Tonal and Rhythm Patterns and
Objective Evidence of Pattern Difficulty Level and Growth Rate.” Chicago: GIA Publications, 1978.
This study analyzes the responses of students to various tonal and rhythm music aptitude tests. The book contains all the tonal and rhythm patterns used in the study organized by tonality and meter. This is a good resource for a teacher to find tonal and rhythm patterns to use in his or her own lessons. Information about student’s reactions to these patterns is included in the study as well.
Gordon, Edwin E., Bolton, Beth M., Taggart, Cynthia C., Reynolds, Alison M., and
Valerio, Wendy H. “Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum. Book 1.” Chicago: GIA Publications, 2000.
This textbook series is organized by the four seasons, each with a list of songs and activities for the students to learn. The teacher’s edition has information about Gordon’s research and pedagogical approaches. The lesson plans and songs in the teacher’s edition have the tonal and rhythmic content specified.
Gordon, Edwin E. “Musical Aptitude Profile.” Chicago: The Riverside Publishing
Company, 1965.
This manual provides instruction and advice for administering music aptitude tests and interpreting the results. Gordon breaks the test down into the different categories of tonal imagery, rhythm imagery, and musical sensitivity and provides suggestions for adapting curriculum to suit the needs of students with higher and lower scores on the various parts of the test.
Gordon, Edwin E. “Primary Measures of Music Audiation (Kit).” Chicago: GIA
Publications, 1986.
This kit includes copies of answer sheets for a music aptitude test and a CD-Rom with audio for practice exercises, a tonal test, and a rhythm test. There are several booklets with instructions for administering the tests and interpreting the results.
There is also information on Gordon’s research relating to music aptitude. The purposes of the tests are explained in this material. The test format consists of identifying if two examples are the same or different.
Gordon, Edwin E. “Study Guide for Learning Sequences In Music: Skill, Content, and
Patterns.” Chicago: GIA Publications, 1984.
This book is unique in that it serves to test the reader on its content. The text is a series of questions, some multiple choice and some fill-in-the-blank. There is a comment for each question with information on the subject. The questions cover all of Gordon’s research and pedagogical techniques. Classroom techniques are addressed as well as the more theoretical research aspect of Gordon’s work.