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ACADEMY

EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES
The joy of learning to play music
v.3

Hein Van de Geyn

THE EAR ACADEMY PUBLISHING

Educational Principles Hein Van de Geyn

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Educational Principles Hein Van de Geyn

ACADEMY

EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES
The joy of learning to play music

Hein Van de Geyn

THE EAR ACADEMY PUBLISHING

3 of 4
Educational Principles Hein Van de Geyn

©2022 by Hein Van de Geyn

First published in South Africa in 2022 by The eAr Academy Publishing

all rights reserved

ISBN 078-0-9557163-0-0

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Educational Principles Hein Van de Geyn

table of content

1. What is education? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2. Homo Ludens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3. The goals of music education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4. The methods of music education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5. The ear’s structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

6. The mixed mode model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

7. The democratisation of music learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

8. The role of music teachers and coaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

9. The advantages of playing music for teens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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1. What is education?
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten
what one has learned in school.” - Albert Einstein

The process of learning is intrinsic for the human being. Learning means
surviving. The rst decades of a human life are lled to the brim with
learning: speaking, walking, listening, social skills, counting, writing,
dancing, playing, seeing and so on. And the desire for this learning comes
from within. No one tells the child to walk, to talk, to play and no one tells
the child to sing and dance.
Education in essence is the exposure to new realities and possibilities.
And many of these are being presented in a non-formal and organic way.
The sand on the beach, the chat with grandmother, the book with
dinosaur pictures, the photo of the moon, the arguing with your older
sister, the stories told by your dad. It goes on and on. And there is water to
play in, and there is a kite in the wind, and there is the hot water tap and
the pumping of the bike’s tire. And there is snow, and storm, and rain and
the sound of music.
An endless, ever expanding world that creates wonder, awe, fear, curiosity
and caution. It teaches us, and keeps on teaching us, about life. And the
curious mind will never stop investigating. The teenager that takes a clock
apart, the adult that takes art history classes, the retired person learning
Spanish or salsa dancing.
We must, as teachers, understand the above and realise that we are
playing a small and humble role within that process. And yes, we move
within structures and institutions that speak about learning outcomes
and boast pass rates. And surely some cognitive elds need mindful and

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progressive learning routes. To become a rocket scientist one needs to

build comprehension upon comprehension. And even so, we would hope a
rocket scientist is a happy and complete person, who loves to sing in the
local choir, who can cook a great pasta. A highly trained specialist thinker
is not automatically an active thinker. Education should strive for the
feeling and the thinking to merge. From this, idealism is born. Inclusive
thinking is warm, vital and creative. It is based on curiosity and
imagination.
There is more to intelligence than short answers to short questions. The
paradigm should be multi-dimensional, in which the importance of the
physical and the emotional being integrated with the cognitive is realised.
Children need to engage in activities that involve the hand, the heart and
the head. And in the arts, be it music, painting or sculpting, the integration
of these three essential pillars takes place in a most natural fashion.
Knowledge without creativity is stagnant and bleak.
In order to understand our basic philosophy it is important to realise that
there are 2 kinds of learning that take place:

- infantile learning - the process where one learns by trial and error,
where the complete learning experience is supported by a number of
sensibilities: hearing, seeing, imitation, intuition, fearlessness and
playfulness.
- mature learning - in which a task is understood by the brain and a
strategy is devised to get to a speci c and clear result.

Often the latter is used in western music teaching, and when

overemphasised it can lead from mild to severe problems in students. By
approaching learning in a mostly cerebral way the student is confronted
with a process in which he becomes dependant on the intellectual
understanding of all the elements of the music (which note, how long, how
loud, where on the instrument). By controlling these parameters of music,
a sense of security is built upon the execution of these parameters in a
controlled way. But as soon as the intellectual processing halters, the
whole thing might fall apart. A shame really, since trust in the more overall
momentum of playing might lead to a much less uptight process. We must
understand that the physical/acoustic language of music is in fact
impossible to describe in rational concepts only. These would only lead to

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a very abrupt and rough realisation of playing music, doing great injustice
to the medium itself. The subtleties of, even the simplest music are much
more sophisticated than our brain can ever instantly process.

The approach taken by many teachers whereby giving the students all the
well-explained elements of music and demanding a slow, deliberate and
precise learning approach (practise slow, count aloud, practise with a
metronome, build up the tempo, play correct, respect all dynamic and
articulation signs ….) leads to a sti ed and non-playful process. It
suppresses the ability of anyone to feel the placement of the notes within
the bar, to adjust volume on an intuitive level, use imitation as a guide to
get a certain result and learn through fearlessly trying something and
somehow managing it in a miraculous way. It is this infantile, yet holistic
learning that lies at the basis of speaking a language, in playing a sport and
in learning to play music on an instrument.
We don’t judge a kid on every correct word when he is making up a story.
We don’t explain the tensions in the biceps and the tendons used when
teaching someone to handle a tennis racket. We rst and foremost try to
have the learner build a holistic, natural and personal relationship with
the activity.

To be able to cope with the challenges of a future world it is crucial we

recognise the above. In these digital times, where learning can be done
through individual absorption of speci c isolated information, it is of
paramount importance that we expose our children to artistic activities,
preferably within social structures. That they get exposed to the vibrancy
and unstructured energy of the playground where they thrive on
imagination and sheer social and physical energy. The integration of hand,
heart and head; the delight of active learning, this is the basis that shapes
resilient, creative and free thinking people.

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2. HOMO LUDENS
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw

Ludus has no direct equivalent in English, as it simultaneously refers to

sport, play, school, and practise. Playing is an activity that is inherent to
humans and animals. During play a process of discovery on many levels
takes place. Physical play exposes social roles, it trains re exes, it requires
fast reactions to quick changing situations. It demands agility, exibility
and improvisational skills. Mental play demands thinking exibility as
well, making quick adjustments of strategy. The importance of the playing
of the game over the desire to win is very important. Although the eeting
and stimulating buzz of having outsmarted/outdone someone is a real and
an immediate high for anyone with some competitive tendencies; the
realisation though that the playing of the game is what made it fun and
worth it remains more important.
Play is not pure physical, nor is it purely biological. In play there is
something “at play” which transcends the immediate needs of life and
gives meaning to the action. Play has a meaning that implies a non-
materialistic quality in the nature of the thing itself. The fun of playing,
resists all analysis and all logical interpretation. As a concept, it cannot be
reduced to any other mental category.
Playing music is rst and foremost a joy. There is no absolute need to put
it on a rigid path where improvements need to be made. Once musicians
have the tools to play with other people they are ne really. If three blues
chords satisfy the player for decades: great. If the natural curiosity of the
player turns him into a learner - someone who wants to learn, not
someone that not necessarily need to be taught - then the road widens

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and can become the pathway for a life-long voyage in discovery and
improvement.
Inside the playground an absolute and peculiar order reigns. Here we
come across another, very positive feature of play: it creates order, it is
order. Into an imperfect world and into the confusion of life it brings a
temporary, a limited perfection. Play demands absolute and supreme
order. In music there are no questions. A quarter note is a quarter note; an
f# is an f#. No opinion, no thought process about these elements is
needed.
Summing up the formal characteristics of play we might call it a free
activity standing quite consciously outside “ordinary” life as being “not
serious”, but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It
is an activity connected with no material interest. It proceeds within its
own proper boundaries of time and space according to xed rules and in
an orderly manner. It promotes the forming of social groups which tend to
surround themselves with secrecy and to stress their difference from the
common world by disguise or other means. It empowers identity.
Aristotle's view was that music had a very de nite function technically,
psychologically and above all morally. It belonged to the mimetic
(imitative) arts, and the effect of this mimesis is to arouse ethical feelings
of a positive or negative kind. Playing music kindles these otherwise
perhaps dif cult to channel feelings.
The connections between playing and dancing are so close that they
hardly need illustrating. It is not that dancing has something of play in it or
about it, rather that it is an integral part of play: the relationship is one of
direct participation, almost of essential identity. Dancing is a particular
and particularly perfect form of playing. It is embedded in it, it embeds it.
The value of playing cannot be underestimated. The mechanisms used
and honed during any kind of play have an impact on perhaps all human
activities, be it logical thinking, problem solving, interacting, listening,
seeing, talking and learning.

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3. The goals of music education

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” - Plato

It is a shame that music education is often put side by side with other
learning subjects and thus is treated in a way that does great injustice to
the discipline.
Playing music, in the rst place, is an activity that connects, that is fun,
that brightens and lightens the world of the player and that around him.
The education of music therefore must have that goal in mind foremost.
There is no need for music education in general to be geared towards
excellence and the maximum speed of development. This would create
the impression that the student that does not reach that certain high level
is a failure, a bad music student. It is so important to realise the fallacy of
this approach.
Our most important goal should be to get the learner musician to play. To
offer help and guidance in their process of being able to play together, on
whatever level, with others. It’s not a matter of winners and losers; it’s a
matter of players.
From this perspective we must realise that the important tools a beginner
needs must cover a wide spectrum. Listening, remembering, reading,
playing by ear and using intuition, improvisation and variation are of
essential importance. Not the ability to play B major over 2 octaves at
break-neck speed should be the goal, but the ability to sit down with some
fellow musician and enjoy playing some music together.

It must be mentioned that the above is not trying to eradicate high

performance, or advanced instrumental goals. We merely try to

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emphasise that these goals are not the main objective, but might become
that for certain individuals. Just like the thousands of happy soccer
players out there whose lives are enriched by the game, the camaraderie,
the physical activity, the game element do not exclude the possibility of
some individuals seeking that level of excellence, and will train, and
practise and push until they get there.

So how should we as music educators approach this objective? I think we

could carefully map out the required abilities in order to play, and see how
we can create a teaching model that stimulates this wide scope of
necessities. A model that looks for the integration of a number of skills.

Some basic instrumental skills are a must. It will be important that a solid
foundation is laid in that eld. Although every good player will know that a
proper harmony between the body of the player and the body of the
instrument is very important, and necessary for a life-long of injury-free
playing, it is important not to bombard the student with too much
information about correct and incorrect physical approaches. Showing
your own playing, being a teacher, is already very powerful and nding
small openings from time to time to release some speci c information can
be very bene cial. The teacher must, however, believe in the intrinsic
desire of the learner of using his body in a relaxed and natural way. A hint,
a nudge here and there will guide. Think about how a child learns to walk,
to swim and to ride a bike. Again: do not pompously overly intellectualise.

Music reading skills work hand in hand with a few other skills: musical
memory and the use of the voice. Music notation is a closed structure
with clearly de ned rules; yet it is a rough representation of the actual
music being played. In that sense it walks hand-in-hand with written
language. The story only really comes to life when performed by an
involved reader with a deep comprehension and personal, emotional
connection to the written material. In music that connection must be
formed in the musical mind and will be helped by the instrument in
closest, most direct connection with that: the voice.

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The musical mind does not need notation per se, just like language. So the
realisation that in the hierarchy the playing, speaking is paramount and
the notation follows must be understood. In instances where the notation
leads, it is only through the process of audiation that the coarse notes in
the score become music in the mind of the player. It is from this inner
music that the playing stems. For a violinist this is much more apparent
than for a pianist; it is important to think about this.
Music education that disregards this process, and tries to get playing
results by pushing the eye-hand coordination kills the essence of music.
Oh, the musicality of the learner could surely observe the outcome of his
circus tricks and will derive musical satisfaction from it; but the order:
read (decipher) - play (execute) - feel (musically understand) is very poor
and alienating. The order to strive for is: read (decipher) - feel (musically
understand) - play (execute).

We must realise the importance of improvisational skills. These are

actually present in the meaningless whistling of the blacksmith, the
teasing songs of kids or someone singing a harmony part at the camp re.
Improvisation is not a learned skill, it is inherent to music itself. At the
moment we narrow the playing experience down to the execution of
written notes on a piece of paper, we risk to kill the improvisational
potential of the player. Singing, imitating and remembering are essential
tools. And improvisation lls the cracks of that process. Once a part of a
melody is forgotten, the free-spirited musician will simply sing “anything”
to keep the song going. Once a song is embedded in the musical mind, the
musician will nd a harmony part with pleasure, or will make a playful
variation around the melody. It is here that improvisation starts.
It must be realised that harmony plays a crucial, often hidden, role in the
above processes. The musical mind will hear basic harmonic movements
within. These form the base for the free-spirited musical excursions
mentioned above. When there is a discrepancy between the inner
harmony and the logic of the horizontal, melodic movement the musician
will be bothered by the experience and the process will be choked. For the
observing music teachers this must be deeply understood and dealt with.
The learner at that point reached the ceiling of his musical abilities.

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We all have this ceiling. Many can sing the melody of “We Wish You A
Merry Christmas”, few can sing the melody of Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”.
And most are on the move somewhere between those. On rst
observation we might want to associate the ceiling level with musicality.
And in some way this is actually very true. It becomes problematic though
at the moment we look at this perceived musicality as a somehow static,
as a predetermined talent. Musicality is not a gift, it is a dynamic
sensitivity to music. When trained, massaged, triggered and tickled it will
move, and keep moving all through life.
Improvisation stems from this dynamic musicality. And the more we are
able to, especially in the early years, elevate the musical ceiling the better
chance we give the young player to develop the freedom to improvise,
make variations, write songs and be a free-spirited musician.

The above goes hand-in-hand with the development of the inner hearing
skills. Once we listen to something that sits underneath our musical
ceiling, we will be able to understand it, sing it back, make variations with
it. One aspect of ear-training will try to move that ceiling step by step by
introducing a progressive stream of small doable phrases that increase in
complexity and length. Initially imitated by the voice, later by the
instrument and even later by the notation.
Another aspect of ear-training is the ability to read music and hear it
inside. Once “heard” it can easily be executed by the voice. It is very
important to realise that the execution should not be done on the
instrument, since that can lead to a mere eye-hand execution, which
obliterates the development of the inner-hearing.

It is this skill set that needs our attention as music teachers. A constant
eye on the development of all of them is the key. We are educating
musicians, not instrumentalists. As in language education, we are not
educating people to simply read existing material, and execute beautiful
handwriting and leave it at that. We want our students to become free
and wide thinkers; people that come up with their own, fresh thoughts
and we want to give them the means to express that. In music it is not

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different: we want to give our students all the possibilities to feel, hear,
imagine music in all kinds of shapes, create with it, make it their own and
express these personal musical thoughts through some kind of instrument
to the people around them. Music is a personal language, not the
execution of xed, notated musical ideas of others.

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4. The methods of music education

“I haven’t understood a bar of music in
my life, but I have felt it.” - Igor Stravinsky

We have to realise that musicality is a given. Everyone is musical, and can

develop their musicality through a life-long learning process. Surely a
certain natural disposition might be considered, but the old wives tale
that musicality is genetically determined is simply not true. Of course
children that grow up in a household with musicians as parents will, from
a very early - and even prenatal - age onwards, will be exposed to music on
a more sophisticated level. The development during the rst three years
of life is hyper important, so when judging the superior musicality of a
musician’s child at age 5 might lead one to the false conclusion that
musically must be inborn. It is however simply the result of a more
sophisticated, musical breeding ground.

Another misconception is the one that connects instrumental abilities

with musicality. Yes, instrumental growth will be positively affected by a
higher level of musicality, but it is the result of something that lies much
deeper and is more essential. We can meet very, very musical people that
are not able to play an instrument, and we can meet quite competent
instrumentalists that lack in musicality. Instrumental abilities are nothing
more than that: instrumental abilities.

So, what are the parameters within musicality? It starts with an openness
towards music and with that the ability to recognise the logic within it.
The patterns within music are essentially: pitch, rhythm, timbre and
dynamics. Pitch and rhythm are each connected to their own speci c

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reference. Pitch sits within tonality; and in cases without tonality, it

relates to the notes that surround it. Rhythm sits within a regular division
of time, and in cases without a regular pulse it will create its own inner
structure. Timbre and dynamics will be the inevitable by-products that
appear automatically, colouring the musical language and connecting it to
the human emotion.

Early music teaching, and in fact all teaching that strives to increase
musicality needs to address these two essential parameters of pitch and
rhythm. But it is of great importance to realise that the real understanding
of them and their integration is a larger, more holistic experience, a
feeling. To approach the understanding of these two parameters in a
cerebral way is as much besides the point as teaching a child about love by
explaining it to them in words. It ultimately is an affective sensitivity, not
an intellectual concept.

And the easiest and most direct instrument to build the relationship
between the outer stimuli and the inner understanding is the human
voice. So it is here that the essential music teaching starts. Singing, singing
and singing. We can then add clapping, walking and dancing into the
equation to enhance the musical experience.

Listening:
Listening seems a passive activity, but we must understand that each new,
previously unknown occurrence can be taken in and either understood or
rejected by the listeners musical brain. This does not mean we should
expose our students to easy music and build up the complexity in a
progressive way. Each learner is perfectly capable to experience a
complex outer world, and thus a complex musical world and connect parts
of it to his own understanding of, in this case musical, reality.
Young children can listen to simple tunes, but to Bartok as well as to Louis
Armstrong, The Beatles, Palestrina and Ravi Shankar. Obviously the more
alien the music is to the child, the more dif cult it will be for him to listen
attentively for a longer period of time. And again I must emphasise the
importance of non-frontal education. Simply let children solve puzzles,

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make a drawing, look at pictures while a rich variety of music is being

played in the background. Again: we do not need to understand things in a
cerebral way, we only need to incorporate elements of the complex world
into our own being as we see and feel t.
Obviously some form of attentive listening, perhaps enhanced with some
description, can be very bene cial. Simply pointing out geographical
origin, use of instruments, exposition of context can be helpful during
attentive and focussed listening.
Basically: let children listen to a rich palette of music, inspire parents to
have diverse music around the house; immerse the learner in an endless
landscape of music.

Singing:
Much music is singable. So let’s sing it. A simple song, a part of a more
complex instrumental piece, the rhythm of a drum or the sound of a car
horn or a coffee machine. All these sounds can be expressed by imitation
through the voice. Perfection is not the goal: connection is. The
mechanism that connects the inward stimulus of hearing to the outward
activity of singing needs to be as loose, free and unbiassed as possible. A
quacking duck, a siren, a song, a thundering drum or the washing of the
ocean all have the ability to activate us into expressing ourselves through
sound.
Imitation is a crucial tool. This is true in many learning activities. Imitation
is all-embracing; through imitation we learn the many, often hidden,
facets of an activity. By imitating the tune sung by a teacher, we not only
repeat the pitch and the rhythm; we also imitate the sound, the
in ections, the accents; we also imitate the use of muscles, the posture,
the breathing; we also imitate the emotion and embed this within our own
emotion.
As a teacher: sing, sing and sing. For them, with them, against them. Play
games, keep it simple, don’t search for perfection, search for connection.

Rhythm:
Obviously rhythm is embedded in melody, so the above speaks as much
about pitch as it does about rhythm. It is however possible to dissociate

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rhythm from its carrier melody (or is it the other way around?). Rhythm,
when standing by itself, can become very physical and therefore very
enjoyable.
Since rhythm is quite dif cult to approach consciously, we must approach
it from a physical and imitative angle. Although a student might be barely
able to play 8th notes, or even an eight-note triplet, he will be more than
able to imitate complex rhythms with 16th notes, syncopations, hemiolas
etc. It is through imitation we can activate that complexity. And don’t be
afraid as a teacher, don’t hold back. Quintuplets are easy, clapping the
pulse while singing exciting rhythms, walking around while clapping fancy
rhythms …. it is all fun, and it will stimulate the rhythmic part of the
musical brain and strengthen the regular inner pulse, so important in all
groove music.

Blending:
In executing and playing all the above, students will be forced to deal with
timbre and dynamics. Dynamics give contour to the musical expression,
timbre gives it colour. These two elements will be important for the
blending of the student’s expressions into the whole. In music, as well as
outside of music, this ability to hear the balance between the expressed
and the world that the expressed embeds itself into is very important. It
requires a constant ear for the whole, and appeals to the development of
a super fast feedback mechanism. This integrated, nely tuned playing-
listening mechanism is part of any competent musician. The physical
mechanisms involved to adjust the outcome of one’s own singing, clapping
or playing are impossible to control in a conscious way. They are
absolutely easily controllable by sensitive individuals.
In teaching we want to keep the students on their toes. Surprise them
with sudden dynamic changes; let the music swell beyond triple forte, or
whisper a phrase. Again, this aspect of playing, imitating music is fun. The
desire to assimilate, to blend, to play the game is overpowering. There is
no need to bore our students. We want to put a glint into their eye.

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Even when working with students that play an instrument, all the above
can still play an important role in the whole educational process. When
something is challenging to play: slow it down - sing it, clap it. Connect it
to the inner musical imagination. It will be easy to perform on the
instrument afterwards. More often than not we are not able to play
something convincingly, because we cannot imagine it clearly. To try to
control the outcome of a musical instrument through intellectual and
physical processes only, can be most frustrating. Once imagined musically,
and perhaps even imagined physically a phrase will be easy to play.

Instrumental methods should integrate the above as well. Intricate

ngering patterns or complex jumps can pose challenges; and carefully
strategic approaches are required to master these frontiers of the
instrument. The same goes for the execution of complex cerebral
patterns. In order for a student to master these convoluted tasks a mature
learning strategy surely will be the best approach. Clarify, slow-down,
execute slow and soft and push up the tempo gradually. This is a well-
proven strategy, and even in the extreme case that the abstraction of the
material cannot be “heard” by the student, this does not have to be
problematic for a well balanced and integrated musician. It might even be
fun to execute a small piece of music while by-passing the inner hearing.
Somehow like performing a magic trick. As long as teacher and student
understand the anomalous character of an event like this.

Instrumental learning bene ts greatly from a progressive and well-

thought-out approach. Music theory education will work best when the
content is offered in logical chunks that become more complex gradually.
What we need to deeply realise is that a musician is not a mere
instrumentalist with a certain amount of theoretical knowledge. A
musician is a person with a certain developed musicality, that can
understand music, decipher it, read it, imitate it, sing it and feel it. And if
expressed through an instrument, needs the abilities to use the
instrument to manifest this music.
And surely a certain symbiotic relationship will exist between the inner
musical world of the musician, and the instrumental abilities of that same

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person as a player. By performing music on a certain level of complexity,

the musicality will develop; and each individual will posses a unique
balance between being a musician and being a player.

Over the years I have observed that the “talented” ones, were the ones
that in some way mainly used infantile learning to get to an initial result.
And from that method the abilities arose to play by ear, to imitate complex
and sophisticated rhythms, to manoeuvre through a written music part
while playing in an ensemble. Essentially there was the ability to have the
listening to the outside world play as big a role as the listening to the
sounds of ones own instrument. This leads to slowing down naturally with
a band; it leads to the ability to skip a bar when the band would go the
wrong way somewhere, it would lead to creating music that feels right -
since it is incorporates imitation and assimilation into the playing process.
There is no fear of failure, there is no obsession with right-and-wrong.

To bring these individuals to a higher level is often problematic. Only

when they realise that mature learning has to start playing a part of the
the complete process, a more complete learning approach can lead
someone into becoming a great musician.

At a certain point - but only when the infantile learning has become a
fundamental part of the learner’s life and lies at the foundation of musical
decisions takes - mature learning is introduced as a way to master certain
subtleties, certain complexities; it is a strategy that must be learned in
order to nd a deeper layer within the music and in that process and from
the desire to become a master, the students comes face-to-face with
certain spiritual and psychological aspects of music. The surrendering to
the instrument, the acceptance of the fact that things might take one
thousand repetitions before they sound and feel good, the deep trust in
ones own musical and strategic choices. These realisations and processes
are the realm the master musician.

This beautiful process can be observed everywhere in the many worlds of

music. You see it in the Indian tabla master Ustad Zakir Hussain, you see it
in the impeccable and subtle playing of Steve Gadd, in the Ghanese
master drummer Tettey Addy, in the spiritual sound of John Coltrane, in
the profound, passionate beauty in the playing of Jaqueline du Pré. You
can be assured in the knowledge that all these masters have a strongly

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developed intuitive relationship with music and have sublimated this

through both methods of learning. Their process surely was full of
passion, of intuition, of fearlessness, of creativity and spiritual depth as
well as the thousands of hours of meticulous and highly disciplined
practising.

The responsibility of the music teacher is to always keep a keen eye on the
students and try to help them in keeping a healthy balance between the
ways to approach things. Always realising that there are more ways that
lead to Rome. Some students need to understand, some need to hear,
some need to feel, some need to imitate, some need to read; some need a
slow and deliberate approach, some need to be engulfed in a group of like-
minded players. And all this is unique to each student and can change at
any moment in time. Teachers must be empathetic, alert, open-minded,
intelligent, creative, sensitive, musical, passionate, observant and
philosophical. No small task; a vocation for life.

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5. The ear’s structure

“There is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full
of it, and you simply take as much as you require.” - Edward Elgar

At The eAr we have the student approach the learning from 7 different
complimentary angles. The goal is to have learners develop in a holistic
and all-round way so they can become well grounded, exible and happy
musicians.

We have our 2 central facets resonate with the holistic musicianship of

the student:

READING IMPROVISATION

It is in these 2 facets that the musician lives his music. Reading a music
chart to be able to be part of an ensemble - the main territory where
music lives is essential. Without that ability the musician is lonely and
handicapped. Improvisation, the ability to come up with notes and ideas;
the ability to express ones creativity is essential. Without it the musician
is sti ed and unfree.

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Embracing these 2 central facets we have on the one side the

development of the relationship with the instrument through a diverse
system:

TUNES ETUDES EXERCISES

Tunes expose a wide array of possible musical worlds and try to guide the
student in a progressive way through those. In the Etudes certain abilities
are isolated and material is written that polish certain elements of playing.
Exercises have the student think about and practise certain, quite
isolated, aspects of the playing of the instrument, or the playing of the
music.

On the other side we have the more general musicianship tools, that help
the student in embedding the music he is playing in a wider realisation:

HEARING THEORY

Audiation, the ability to hear something and connect it to the inner

imagination, to the instrument and to notation is being addressed in
Hearing. It is a tool that is very important since we must strive for
musicians that always connect the ear - through the imagination - to the
hand. We must assure that the student will realise that performing the
eye-hand trick leads to meaningless instrumental execution, devoid of

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understanding, personality, intuition and passion; alienated from the

maker of the music. Theory offers the knowledge needed to understand
the workings of music. It gives the student the tool to understand what he
is playing, it opens the doors to personal expansion into composition,
harmonic understanding, complex abstractions.

These 7 facets try to stimulate and inspire the student. They do not
suggest a hierarchy, they do not offer a xed learning path with a speci c
order. They simply expose a possibility of entry points - all connected and
all with the purpose to develop musicianship in the broadest way possible.

These 7 facets live on a playground - a eld of music on which the

students can move freely, following their intuition, curiosity or desire.
Some facets appeal to the mind, some appeal more to the ear; some
investigate the instrument, some give the satisfaction of playing with a
nice backing track and some invite the student to sink into ones own
creative, non judgemental world.

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A structure that is well grounded - following a hidden curriculum -

exposing some essential facets that will be integrated by the students in
their own way, at their own pace and will guide them to becoming musical,
happy, creative and able musicians.

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6. The mixed mode model

“Music expresses feeling and thought, without language; it was below and
before speech, and it is above and beyond all words.” - Robert G. Ingersoll

On-line education is booming, There are the many obvious advances like
the independence of class speed, the ability to study in remote places, the
ability to combine working life with studying at times that t the student’s
schedule.
There are disadvantages as well: a lack of interaction with the educator,
the power of being taken in by the dynamics of a class full of students
approaching the same subject and the student-interaction that comes
with that.
For music education the advantages are actually substantial. Playing
music is a physical as well as a mental process. Regular muscle training as
well as exercising the coded language of music, bene t greatly by daily
activity. The axiom: “to study 10 times 10 minutes is more bene cial than
practising 1 time 100 minutes” surely will ring true for most of us. On-line
music education can be of great help in that. Instead of the traditional
weekly music lesson in which the teacher is forced to address many
parameters of music learning in a one-on-one, and thus expensive, lesson,
the learner now can watch material at any time, play along, browse
through different learning facets throughout the week.
The disadvantages for on-line music education are quite impactful as well
though: to think someone can learn to play music in the isolation of his
own room is actually a fallacy. Music is a language between musicians and
between the musician and the listener. Music only comes alive really
when it is created within the context of the gathering of people that play
together.

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To create possibilities for students to actually meet and play together is

what The eAr tries to establish through a number of channels.

We recognise that it is especially young learners (12-18) that will be aided

enormously by playing together with others. The foundations are laid for
a life-long relationship with music and we have the responsibility to
facilitate the complete model as much as possible in order for our
students to become complete musicians. We therefore go into the high
schools and offer structural coaching to our eAr students, in that way
opening the doors wide for these students to receive the complete music
learning experience through a mixed mode model.

Once music teachers can realise that their efforts are now aided by the
on-line content they can become aware of the fact that they no longer
need to offer all the aspects involved with musical education, but can use
their knowledge in the most optimal and broad way. Through the website
students will train their ears, they learn about theory, they are offered
instrumental tutoring, learn to improvise and read. The website offers
them compelling practise opportunities as well. This means that teachers
are now taking on a somewhat different role and in fact become a music
coach. The coach meets up with small groups of students and coaxes them
into playing together. The coach will play an important role in being there
for the learners on many levels: guiding the group dynamic, answer
questions and open social doors.

The coaching takes place in two con gurations:

- mono-instrumental groups, in which up to 6 students, playing the same
instrument, play together, play musical games, practise together, work
on ear training, observe each other and receive a solid and basic
support in relation with their on-line endeavours.
- band coaching. Since there is a solid repertoire of well known songs
buried within the structure of The eAr, it is very easy to create groups
of players that will play that speci c repertoire. The site offers the
learning tools for the student to work with. The coach will be able to
get band-packs in which an array of minus-one tracks are present, in

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order for him to create the most bene cial blend of the student’s
playing and the use of backing tracks.

To get the young players to perform would complete the circle. Music
ultimately is a form of social interaction between people. It binds players
together, it connects listeners to musicians and each other. Music is a
fantastic avenue in the strengthening of communities.
Why do we play? We play to connect, connect our love for music to
others. From this essential function a myriad of potential possibilities
appear.

Once we have, through this mixed model, activated the young players all
we can strive for is for them to become self-supporting. They will start to
develop their own initiatives, will start to write or arrange music for their
own groups.

As a seamless team we put in motion, and perpetuate a musical engine

that will enrich the lives of many players and listeners alike. Strengthening
communities that embrace the soul of music and carry it in their heart.

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7. the democratisation of music learning

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which
human nature cannot do without.” - Confucius

Music has always been part of human life, and has functioned in religious
activities, at festive gatherings and during sad rituals; it has carried the
stories of people and uplifted their labour. Music in the western world
though has been hijacked by church and court over the last 1000 years
and under that patronage music has developed into a highly sophisticated
art form. Although the church opened their doors to all believers and
listeners, the education needed to become a musician or composer would
be possible for the privileged only. This was true as well in the non-
religious world. Composers and musicians moved in noble circles. Music
was there for the happy few, functioning within a small and elitist world.

During the 19th century, with the upcoming of a middle class, music
became part of the bourgeoisie as well. With that, a growing tendency to
the embrace the music of bygone years came about. This meant that an
alienation between the contemporary composers and the mainstream
audience became apparent. In the 20th century this tendency only gained
in strength.
During the 20th century, with the above divide in place, a new popular
music genre, mainly originating in the USA was embraced by many. From
the roots of jazz and Tin Pan Alley composers, a genre of easy digestible
music became predominant. Other genres like blues, polka, folk music
were present as well; depending on region and culture.

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The interesting thing is that music education was still dominated by the
“classical” model of one-on-one lessons that covered western classical
music as their repertoire, and followed well de ned pedagogical methods
that had been in place for hundreds of years. With the cost of private
lessons a certain elitist quality was still surrounding music education.

It is during the 50s and 60s of the 20th century that a revolution in the
world of music took place. Within a few years rock ’n roll became the
dominating genre. Music that was coming from and geared towards the
culture of the young. After centuries of boys wanting to dress like their
fathers, now fathers wanted to put on jeans and look like their sons. The
dominance of youth culture became apparent. Radio, TV and the
recording industry were ready to embrace this trend, and pushed this
democratic music genre into society with great gusto.

Many genres suffered, and went through dif cult times because the
interests in music shifted away from the established genres to the new
pop music. Curiously enough, music education remained calm and
composed and continued in the same fashion as ever. This meant that
fewer young players were interested and thus educated, there was less
demand for legit, classical performers and music education again stayed
behind in the elitist world of the bourgeoisie and upper class.

A lively informal music teaching culture arose though, to educate the

people who wanted to learn to play the new genre. The sales of guitars,
electric basses and drum-sets soared and we found ourselves in a divided
world where there was a high culture music and a low culture music. On
the one hand we had the traditional music schools (plus an army of private
teachers) that would continue to educate the “high”, proper and legit class
of musicians. On the other hand, often self-taught, musicians would teach,
in private or through music stores (USA), the “low” music of the day.
In tertiary education, like universities and conservatories, the new genre
was rejected vehemently and passionately frowned upon, especially in
conservative Europe.

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This situation was obviously becoming absurd, since it was clear that the
requirements to be able to survive in this new music industry, or be an
amateur player in it, we're different than those needed to play classical
music. It was not so that a classically trained guitar player would be able
to function in a pop band, or in the studio. Yet, there was a whole group of
highly successful musicians out there that had no formal education, thus
missed the tools to expand the genre, or to cross-over to other genres.
Luckily there were enough exceptions to this rather polarised view. And
within the world of jazz, the father of the pop genre, the amount of
educated musicians was great and growing.

In the USA during the fties, jazz found a way into the music departments
of universities. Europe followed suit a few decades later and at least some
sort of democratisation took place within the tertiary music strongholds.
Don’t forget though that in Europe we are now in the eighties!
During the end of the last century pop music became integrated in these
schools as well and somehow education had caught up with reality. The
desire to integrate the different genres is an on-going process and there is
still a lot of work to do in terms of the realisation that the musician of
today must be, at some level, a creative craftsman. Where in classical
music the studying is repertoire-driven and thus focussed on execution, in
pop and jazz music the studying is ability-driven and focussed on creation.
The philosophical question of “Why?” must therefore be addressed. Also
the study of aesthetics becomes very relevant. These issues have been
exciting in the visual art education since a long time; but are still mostly
ignored in tertiary music education.

In the amateur sector the current genres were embraced much earlier,
since the desires of the music-education consumers simply were leading
the processes more powerfully. The tensions were always there though,
since traditional music grading and the desire to have children learn
“proper” music remained. Democratisation led to a situation in which
much amateur music education took place in non-regulated schools and
organisations. The desires of the market simply pushed possibilities
forward.

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Over the last decade a new phenomenon has entered the arena: on-line
music education.
This area is roughly divided in two models:
- on-line education that mimics the traditional one-on-one teaching
methods and simply exposes a teacher in a room doing what he always
did: explain to the learner (through the camera) how things work. The
advantage is clear: many learners can now access this information and
go back to it when desired. The disadvantage is clear as well: the mono-
directional character of the lessons rob the education from its direct
feedback possibilities.
- on-line education that embraces new technological possibilities and
offers gami ed methods of learning to students. Although these
methods are fun, and will stimulate a large group of people (on a limited
amount of possible instruments), the embedding of the learned
material is often so minimal that there is no actual music learning going
on. The satisfaction of having learned to execute an isolated piece of
music might be apparent; we can hardly speak of a student acquiring
tools for him to become an independent and integrated musician.
Obviously mixed variations can be found.

The challenge of all the above has been taken into thorough consideration
in the model we shaped for The eAr. We felt that we had to nd a
structure in which a large number of requirements needed to be met. We
wanted to equip students with a number of abilities:
- music reading; literacy is essential in opening doors to all sorts of music
and enables players to play music together ef ciently. Music notation is
a simple, mathematic code that can be learned in a combination of
direct and indirect learning. Actively controlled as well as passively
observed.
- improvisational skills; improvisation is an essential tool in the ability to
be a creative and integrated musician. The understanding that playing
music is simply the manifestation of musical thoughts and that these
thoughts can stem from the stories of others or the ideas from within
underlines this. To narrow playing music down to the execution of

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music of others seems to be as narrow as stating that in speaking a

language we should only utter the writings of others.
- ear training; in order to have the ability to execute the above we need
an ear that can understand certain complexities in music. A gradual
method will advance the inner hearing of our students. The ear-hand
coordination is crucial: when a player hears something, he should be
able to play it. Ear training also appeals to musical memory and the
recognition of musical logic.
- theory; the knowledge of the principles of music is the basis for life-
long learning. Theory also connects to aspects ear-training like the
read-write module.
- instrumental tools; it is clear that learning to control the tool through
which the playing of music takes place: the actual instrument, comes
with a whole set of challenges. A proper, curriculum based, progressive
methodology is presented and will accompany the students from
playing his rst notes to a highly sophisticated execution of complex
music.
- instrumental understanding; we try to build the bridge between the
instrumental execution and the understanding of the material that is
being played. A musician is not someone that simply translates cerebral
input into nger movements on an instrument. The structures of scales,
chords, patterns must be clearly understood, so the player can deal
with, and form structures himself. This also opens the door to more
complex forms of improvisation (like in jazz) and adds to the
sophistication of the inner musical ear.
- genre; there are many genres in the current, and historic musical world.
The eAr tries to be non-judgemental about all these. To embrace any
genre one must weigh its qualities and judge it on its own merits. An
open-minded player will be a more complete musician.

Truly holistic music education will address all the above and will see the
advantages of offering these tools to musicians worldwide through an on-
line model. To see the advantages as well as the limitations is crucial. To
try to build bridges through off-line coaching adds to the completeness of
the model.

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Music has been part of human existence forever. Music should be part of
anyones life. Music can be played by many and the absolute level of
musicianship is completely irrelevant in that view.
Music is the most democratic of the artistic disciplines. Music is played by
people, with people, for people. Let’s not push it away into dusty corners,
let’s not erode it to super cial tricks. Let’s spread the music far and wide;
let the joy of playing and listening be as widespread as imaginable.

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8. The role of music teachers and coaches

“The doer alone learneth.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche

What we need is educated, broad-minded and passionate coaches. We

need coaches that play an instrument themselves, that have ddled
around at least with some instruments other than their own.
We need coaches that are not con ned to a few genres, but people that
can see the strength and communicative value of all the music that is out
there.
We need coaches that can improvise, that have the ability to adjust the
written music on the spot to t the possibilities of the learner at hand.
Change a few notes, simplify a rhythm; add a section for students to
improvise over. Anything goes as long as the ow is guaranteed and the
students keep on playing.
A coach will sing, clap and dance; a coach will ll the room with
enthusiasm and positive energy. And yes, there will be moments of
stillness, moments where the group will practise a certain rhythm from
controlled slow and deliberate to controlled fast and precise. And there
will be stillness and soft playing and mystery and magic.

And amidst this boisterous and playful atmosphere, the coach is super
active in his head. Analysing processes, observing each individual, giving
someone personal attention, yet not alienating the group, or even giving
personal attention embedded in a groups effort. The coach might see the
possibility for a student to teach something speci c to another student.
The coach constantly weighs the joy of playing with the actual result
towards the growing musicianship of the students.

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But the coach does not have to be a specialist. He must know the
specialists. If a student has aspirations for a more sophisticated and
advanced instrumental technique, if he needs help with certain aspects of
the playing: the coach will refer him to a private teacher.

The curious, communicative and competent coach can play such an

important role in the students forming a happy and life-long relationship
with music. A relationship that is based on the joy of playing, of
camaraderie, of challenge and success and strengthened by the smiling
faces of the listeners that are grateful and touched by listening and
observing this joyous process.

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9. The advantages of playing music for teens

“I can’t understand why people are frightened of
new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” – John Cage

Is playing music fun? Yes. Is it important? Yes again. Studies have shown
that the advantages of playing music are tremendous for teenagers.

Playing music has the following positive effects:

Improved grades
Many studies over the last few decades have shown that students who
are involved in some form of music education during middle and high
school are more likely to attend school regularly, graduate, have a higher
level of math and verbal pro ciency and even have better overall test
scores than those students who don’t participate in a music program. As
music enhances a teenager’s academic abilities, it also increases a
teenager’s chances of succeeding in their intended future careers.

Social growth
Playing music, whether as part of a school band, social band or in music
lessons can play a positive role in the social lives of youth. Having a skill
that they are con dent in helps kids to learn how to relate to their peers
and use their common hobbies to create a bond.
When students participate in music activities, they increase their
opportunities for meeting and connecting with fellow musicians. By
joining these musical organisations, teenagers are building new
friendships and cultivating a musical community.

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Less anxiety and depression

For teenagers to be part of a music community can be especially
important, since teenagers are more likely to experience anxiety and
depression when they feel disconnected from their peers. In these times
of increased individual learning through computer screens, participating
in musical activities in or out of school, teenagers create even more
opportunities to feel like they belong and boost their self-esteem.

Increased con dence

By performing regularly, teenagers will have many opportunities to be in
front of a crowd. Over time, these repeated performances can lead to
increased self-esteem and comfort when presenting in front of large
audiences.
Frequently performing also teaches teenagers how to improvise when
they make a mistake, both in music and in other areas of school and life.
Through exposure to public performance, students also gain real
experience with coping with anxiety and stress. These skills that
teenagers cultivate through musical performances also translates to
other performance-based activities, such as presentations at school and
work and athletic competitions.

Lower risk of substance abuse

Despite the contrary message often seen in pop culture, high school
students who participate in a music group or class at school tend to have a
lower rate of substance use than those who don’t play music. This likely
comes down to the idea that kids who play an instrument have a reliable
way to work through emotions and cope with stress and aren’t looking for,
or needing something to help them do so.

Increased self discipline

Though on-line lessons and music guidance helps students to keep them
on track, learning how to play an instrument is really a task that student
has to take on for themselves. Dedicating time to learning how to hit
notes and play songs takes discipline and when young people learn this
ability to go after what they want, it carries over into other parts of their
life, too. Playing music furthermore sharpens concentration. Since it is an

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action that combines the cognitive and the physical, it is an engrossing

activity that pulls the players in, and keeps them away from being
distracted.

Self expression
When teens have a way to channel their thoughts, moods, feelings and
ideas into a creative outlet, they have an easier time expressing
themselves. A musical instrument, whether it is played for personal
interests’ sake or as part of a school program, helps offer teens a way to
be and express themselves.

Creativity
Playing music is the perfect way for youth to expand their creativity and
have the freedom to try out new things. The act of putting notes together
to form a new pattern or musical story helps encourage youth to continue
having fun with their ideas. Improved creative is of huge importance in
any part of life. A person with a developed ability to combine left-brain
and right-brain activity will be more likely to succeed in many other elds.
Applying creativity to any process expands possibilities.

Eye-hand and ear-hand coordination

The ability to read sheet music and play notes on an instrument at the
same time is a skill that extends into many areas of life. Though the actual
act of reading and playing music at the same time might not be a relatable
skill, the fact that your mind can work on both visual, physical and
auditory cues at the same time is applicable to most areas of life.

Emotional processing
One of the hardest things to go through as a teen relates to emotions and
how to process them. Being able to use music to help work through topics
like family and peer pressures, academic expectations, friendship and
social dynamics, and other even more dif cult things can help a young
mind grow and thrive.

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Listening skills
Although it's pretty obvious, playing an instrument requires you to listen
very carefully to things. You have to learn how to hear when you're
playing a wrong note in order to correct yourself instantly. When playing
in an ensemble, you have to blend in with the instruments around you and
nd the balance between your own playing and listening to others. This is
a crucial skill in any social interaction.

Brain development
Studies have proved that learning a musical instrument increases grey
matter volume in various brain regions, It also strengthens the long-range
connections between them. Research also shows that musical training can
enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills.

And the bene ts to play music are not evident to teenagers alone
obviously. Studies have shown the following bene ts of playing music:

Physical Bene ts
- Deep Breathing – Most of the time our breathing might be shallow, but
activities, like singing or playing a wind instrument, require deep
breathing from the diaphragm. This strengthens your lungs and
respiratory system.
- Immune Response – When we learn to play an instrument, we often
become inspired to create our own music. According to an article by
Live Science, making music surprisingly “enhances the immunological
response, which enables us to ght viruses.”
- Stress Relief – Playing music puts your energy and focus on positive
activity, which can help alleviate stress. Those reduced stress levels can
help get your blood pressure and heart rate down to a healthier level.
- Fine Hearing – Learning music re nes your hearing skills by training
you to isolate sounds as they occur. Studies have even shown that
musicians are better at picking out speci c voices and sounds in a noisy
environment.
- Exercise – Playing an instrument naturally leads to increased physical
activity. Whether you’re playing the piano, guitar, strings, or a wind

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instrument, you’re using your arm and back muscles to play and/or hold
up your instrument. And if you play the drums, you even get to do some
cardio!
- Posture – Any good music teacher will correct your posture during
lessons. This can help you get into the habit of sitting up straight and
having proper alignment even when you’re not playing. These are all
great ways to alleviate neck and back pain.

Mental Bene ts
- Mental Performance – Playing music is like doing a workout for every
part of your brain. It helps improve your mental performance and
memory. There’s even evidence that music can help a patient’s brain
recover from a stroke, as well as slow the onset of dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease.
- Coordination – Using your ngers, hands, and feet in a rhythmic
manner for a sustained amount of time, while also being conscious of
playing the correct tones, can be a challenge for even the most
coordinated people. Over time though, playing music re nes your
motor skills which will go beyond the playing of the instrument itself.
- Time Management – Learning an instrument requires at least some
practise. But more speci cally, it requires consistency and routine.
Figuring out how to t practise into your schedule and stick to it helps
you develop better time management and organisation skills.
- Reading Skills – Reading music helps strengthen your ability to process
information by creating new connections between the synapses in your
brain. As a result, reading and absorbing information from other
sources becomes easier.
- Listening Skills – Learning music doesn’t just improve your ability to
hear details; it also makes you better at listening. Whether you’re
practicing on your own or playing with other people, you have to listen
for timing, expression, and whether you’re in tune. This can make you a
better listener even in everyday interactions and conversations as well.
- Concentration – Focus is a necessary part of playing an instrument.
Improving your musical skills forces you to use all the parts of your
brain involved in concentration, making you better able to concentrate

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in other life situations. This is another reason why music is bene cial
for those with disorders like ADD.
- Mathematics – Learning music is much about pattern recognition,
which is mathematical in itself. In music the logical divisions in 4 are not
only realised, they also become part of a felt, internalised rhythmic
intuition.

Emotional Bene ts
- Self Expression – Whether you’re writing your own or someone else’s
piece of music or improvising, playing music allows you to express
yourself in new ways. You also get to be creative when choosing your
own style and sound.
- Therapy – Playing music can help with stress, insomnia, and
depression because it acts as an outlet for dif cult emotions. It can be a
form of self-soothing in tough situations, and a healthy distraction from
a stressful day.
- Achievement – There’s nothing like the feeling of nally mastering one
of your favourite songs! Setting a goal, putting in the work, and
eventually reaching that goal gives you a strong sense of achievement.
It will improve your con dence in other areas of life in the process.
- New Friends – Whether you use music as an icebreaker when meeting
new people, or as a way to actually meet new people – playing in a
choir, band, or orchestra, for example – music is a great way to bond
with others.

The advantages of playing music are overwhelming. Playing together with

others is a great joy, offers deep satisfaction and lightens up one’s life and
the lives of others.

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References

Dalton, Ryan, Luongo, Francisco (2019). Play May Be A Deeper Part of

Human Nature than We Thought. Scienti c American Magazine
David Huron (2010). Why Do Listeners Enjoy Music That Makes Them
Weep? Video from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/
webcast-4861/>
Dissayanake, Ellen (2008). Homo-Musicus: How Music Began. Video from
the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/webcast-4496/>
Galway, Timothy (1997). The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to
the Mental Side of Peak Performance. New York: Random House.
Gardner, Howard (1993). Frames of Mind: the theory of multiple intelligences.
New York: Basic Books.
Gordon, Edwin (1980). Learning Sequenses In Music: A Contemporary Music
Learning Theory. Chicago: GIA Publications.
Huizinga, Johan (1949). Homo Ludens; A Study of the Play-Element in
Culture. Oxon: Routledge.
Johnston, Philip (2002). The Practice Revolution: Getting great results from
the six days between music lessons. Pearce: PracticeSpot Press.
Meier, Deborah (xxxx). Playing for Keeps: Life and Learning on a Public School
Playground. New York: Teachers College Press.
Petrash, Jack (2002). Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the
Inside Out. Edinburgh: Floris Books.

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About The eAr

The eAr Academy is an on-line music education platform that takes a broad
approach to music learning. It exposes learners to a wide spectrum of inputs.
Besides the instrumental facets of learning, there are repertoire reading parts,
improvisation exercises, a hearing module and music theory. All these facets have
as a goal a holistic growth of the students abilities in which hearing and playing
stand central.
The eAr is being used by thousands of enthusiastic learners all over the globe and
The eAr has an active programme in order to educate music teachers to become
e ective eAr Coaches. This from the philosophy that music needs to be played by
people, with people and for people. Coaching of groups plays an important role in
that.
The eAr furthermore is building relationships with NGO organisations in order to
donate music education to learners in places where the economics will normally
make it impossible for people to get this sort of education; music education lying at
the heart of community building and spiritual upliftment.

About the author

Hein Van de Geyn was born in The Netherlands and after having studied recorder,
violin and guitar in his childhood he studied Music Education and Double Bass at
the conservatories of Tilburg and Rotterdam.
After this his career as a jazz double bassist took o . He lived in Seattle and San
Francisco for a number of years after which he returned home and became one of
the most sought after bassists in Europe. His playing can be heard on some 100
recordings, notably with greats like Chet Baker, Toots Thielemans, Dee Dee
Bridgewater, Hank Jones, Johnny Gri n and many others.
He headed the jazz bass department at the Royal Conservatory in Den Haag (NL)
for over a decade and became artistic director of the jazz department of Codarts,
university of the arts in Rotterdam (NL).
Hein wrote several books on the double bass and his Comprehensive Bass Method
(950 pages) has become a standard reference at many universities worldwide.
In 2009 Hein moved with his family to South Africa and is rarely seen as a
performer any longer but is now dedicating his life to teaching and writing. In 2019
he co-founded, together with Rus Nerwich, The eAr Academy.

The eAr Academy (Pty) Ltd

The eAr Academy Publishing
80 Strand Street
1234 Cape Town
South Africa
www.the-earacedemy.com
info@the-earacademy.com
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