This presentation will be based primarily on the Instructional Methodologies for the Musical Arts sub theme combined with interdisciplinarity overtones.
It is with good reason that ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428 BC – 348 BC) stated: “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything”.
Plato illuminates a great truth and, in my opinion, speaks for the entirety of humankind thus giving credence to the power of musical sound as it takes over where words leave off.
My presentation undertakes to explore how various world musical arts are more unified than meets the ear, even though many genres, styles and cultural norms might indicate otherwise.
Special emphasis will be given to incorporating examples from architecture and visual art as well as employing the use of brain teaser puzzles in order to guide one’s listening approach, acumen and appreciation for commonalities inherent throughout all music of the world.
A major goal of this presentation will be to include audience participation in exploring ways that allow one to “see with one’s ears and listen with one’s eyes” in order to better understand those elements that make music a universal language.
The teaching techniques and concepts presented can afford both teachers and students ways to reach and realise music’s power to transcend physical and perceived stereotypical boundaries that can be the product of traditional, non-holistic approaches to musical arts education; so that one really experiences the difference between listening versus just hearing a work of aural art. In this regard, one must learn to traverse between what American composer Aaron Copland identifies as the three levels of listening: sensual, expressive and musical listening.
By: Christopher Di Santo, Stockton University, USA.