E-Z Play Today

In my job at Evola Music I teach “Recreational Music Classes”. These classes are totally different than traditional music lessons (of which I grew up with). I do not teach key signatures, good posture, strict timing, or even the names of the notes (they are all labeled in the music and on the instrument in BIG letters). We teach students to play the music they like for the fun of it. In a sense, this approach to music is a big of a reaction against strict teachers who would smack their student’s hands with a ruler if their hand position wasn’t correct. These types of teaching “techniques” often produce students who quit music because of the bad experience. The goal of my current classes is to produce positive musical experiences every week. There is never a focus on performing in front of anybody, because my class members are playing music for themselves...it's their hobby. If practicing is fun they will keep practicing and make progress. We also sing songs, do musical exercises, chit-chat, and eat snacks during most classes. Then I put on events like birthday parties, pot-luck lunches, organ concerts, boat trips, summer picnics, etc... (yes, I do a little bit of everything in my job). Fun-Fun-Fun!

While I wouldn’t call myself a “recreational music groupie”, I certainly see the benefits in such an approach to music learning and have gained valuable perspectives on playing music for fun. During music history class I learned that part-singing in the home was popular during the Renaissance time period. I would assume that most of these singers were not highly trained musicians, but they sang because music making is fun.

Now, as much as I LOVE classical music I do realize that not everybody is going to enjoy Bach and Mozart for the rest of their lives. I believe that teachers must do a better job of integrating "fun" music into the traditional classroom. The goal of music teaching is not to clone a bunch of classical music lovers (even though classical music is important). The goal of music teaching is to get students to play music for the rest of their lives...regardless of the style. We need to spread a passion for music. Wouldn't it be great if families played music together in the evenings? What a great way to establish closeness in the home!