In the Ted-Ed video, "Music as a language," bassist and five-time Grammy Award winner Victor Wooten examines the beauty and power music possesses as a tool of communication — all over the top of his beautiful (and simultaneously funky) rendition of "Amazing Grace."
Wooten notes that there are important keys to follow when learning or teaching music:
• In the beginning, embrace mistakes instead of correcting them — there are no wrong notes.
• Allow young musicians to play and perform with accomplished musicians on a daily basis.
• Encourage young musicians to play more than they practice — the more they play, the more they will practice.
• Remember that a language works best when we have something interesting to say.
Watch the Ted-Ed video to learn about how we can approach music the same way as we approach language, and see the entire lesson on TedEd's website.
For more on how music can communicate meaning, check out our Class Notes video, "A Journey Through Musical Emotion."