“Music theory is hard!”
Posted by: fuzzylogic85 on: November 12, 2008
“I can’t wait until I can learn to play the piano somewhat, because then I will feel like a very well rounded musician. I can read/write music, I play drums, I sing, and I play piano (or WILL) – and I will probably learn other instruments too. It’s exciting – I think that’s why I want to be is a musician. I like English and writing fine, but music is where my heart is. There’s no way I would have sat through Hell (also known as music theory) if I didn’t really love music.” This was taken from a young up and coming musician’s blog (http://weblog.xanga.com/chikennose/210577246/item.html), and, I believe, demonstrates very clearly the attitudes music students have towards music theory. “Music theory is hard,” “I’ll never be able to do this,” and “How do I apply these concepts to everyday music making?” are among the mass of questions and comments many young students find themselves expressing. As a music major myself, a teacher, and someone who has been in multiple observational settings, these are all hard truths to run away from. The truth is, some are good at theory and some simply struggle. So, what are we, as teachers, supposed to do when our students are unable to conquer the many aspects within theory class? The ideal situation would be to work with the student one on one, however, that would take a great deal of time out of our already hectic schedules. The solution, musictheory.net, a wonderful resource for students of all ages who wish to advance in the upbeat world of theory. This site provides everything from utilities, such as staff paper, that a student is able to print out for his or her own personal compositions, to lessons and trainers which focus on the staff, steps and accidentals, intervals, chords, scales, keyboard training, ear training, etc. The entire site is extremely engaging, and has been of extreme value since discovering it sometime ago. Definitely a great source for any budding musician!! Please check it out…….http://www.musictheory.net/index.html”
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