What is Music Learning Theory?

In a nutshell…

Music Learning Theory (not to be confused with Music Theory!) is the theory of how we learn when we learn music. It is not a methodology, but a framework that underpins all music learning, whether that is conscious or not. It was developed by Dr Edwin E Gordon in the USA. To cite the Gordon Institute for Music Learning’s webpage, (GIML)

….Music Learning Theory is a comprehensive method for teaching audiation, Gordon’s term for the ability to think music in the mind with understanding. Music Learning Theory principles guide music teachers of all stripes–early childhood, elementary general, instrumental, vocal, the private studio–in establishing sequential curricular goals in accord with their own teaching styles and beliefs. The primary objective is development of students’ tonal and rhythm audiation. Through audiation students are able to draw greater meaning from the music they listen to, perform, improvise, and compose. ….

Audiation, a word which you may never have come across until now, is at the heart of the theory. The principal of Music Learning Theory is that we learn music in a very similar way to how we learn language. First we are acculturated to music (we are bathed in the sounds of our culture’s music) without understanding, but we become accustomed to these sounds, rhythms and tonalities. Then we can begin to imitate these sounds in a random fashion, again without comprehension. Repeated exposure in context helps us to being to understand these sounds and to attempt to reproduce them with meaning (but not much skill!). Ultimately, through much exposure and opportunity to create sounds we learn to make music as “musickers”!

The emphasis is on listening and an aural/oral approach to learning. Music reading too soon can stifle the development of audiation, as the inexperienced student merely learns to decode music scores WITHOUT comprehension. So this approach eschews early music reading in favour of early aural/oral skill learning in a sequential manner. The Learning Sequences researched and developed by Dr Gordon and his associates are thorough and well proven. The body of work is explicit and successful, but it means that music lessons based on music learning theory are likely to be unlike any kind of music/instrument lesson that you experienced as a child (assuming here that you are a parent who grew up in the UK!)