ABOUT US
Tanya Irwin is a graduate of the Tchaikovsky School of Music in Ekaterinburg, Russia, where she majored in music science, composition, and pedagogy. Following her graduation, she taught piano, music theory and music appreciation at the Russian Children's Academy. Tanya moved to the United States in 1996. For the past 15 years, she has been teaching piano, art and music appreciation, and music theory to children. During this time, she has developed her own methodology for early childhood music education.
WHAT MUSIC SHOULD BE INTRODUCED TO CHILDREN
The classical music is differentiated into several periods and styles. Studies have shown that polyphonic music has a significant impact on developing children’s intellect, if introduced in very early years, especially during the prenatal period. What is polyphonic music?
THE ART OF MUSIC
There are three main languages to convey musical thought: Monophony/Monody (“mono” = one, “phone” = voice/pitch) - one-voice melody as in Gregorian chants, folklore music, etc. Historically, it was the earliest form. Polyphony (“poly” = many, “phone” = voice/pitch) - multiple voices. Polyphonic music arose in the ninth century. It was based on Gregorian chants and became the prevailing musical style throughout the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and reached its peak in the baroque era (XVII-XVIII century). Counterpoint (punctus contra punctum = note against the note) is a technique used in fugues and other polyphonic forms. Rounds and canons are the simplest forms of polyphonic style. Famous masters of polyphonic style are: Lasso, Palestrina, Handel, Pachelbel, Purcell, Vivaldi, Bach, and many others. Polyphonic language is known for its contrast of melodies. In other words, polyphony is an ensemble of melodies. The form is seamless, creating an impression of perpetual motion. It’s also multifaceted. It’s known for an innermost thought and intellectual, spiritual and philosophic content. Sorrow and contemplation are well conveyed using this style while spontaneity is not. Polyphonic musical speech is always a well-thought expression. These are noble qualities—the fruit of high-cultured musical speech. Heterophony – a combination of monodic and polyphonic languages. Harmony - melody with accompaniment. As opposed to polyphonic language, harmony emphasizes the supremacy of the chord--the melody becomes secondary. The composers who wrote in harmonic style were Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz, Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Schoenberg, and many others. INTELLECTUAL, PHILOSOPHIC, SPIRITUAL, AND MEDITATIVE POLYPHONIC MUSIC, IF INTRODUCED TO CHILDREN IN EARLY AGES, HAS A POWERFUL IMPACT ON THEM – IT DEVELOPS INTELLECT, TALENT AND LOVE OF MUSIC.
WHAT MUSIC SHOULD NOT BE INTRODUCED TO CHILDREN?
CONSCIENTIOUS CHOICE. CONSONANCE, DISSONANCE AND MORE...
Consonance – pleasant, harmonious sound or concord; it represents an agreement. Dissonance – tense, unharmonious sound or discord; it represents a conflict and disagreement. Young children should be exposed to consonant music rather than dissonant music, which would help them to form a harmonious perception of the world. In today’s technology oriented society, raising children has become a challenge. In a perfect world, pop and rock music wouldn’t be introduced until the age of 12 because it contains a strong beat and is dissonant. Moreover, the strong beat in rock or pop music is addictive and is over-stimulating. When this music is introduced to children, they develop mental blocks in the form of a strong resistance toward classical music. The result is often a life-long loss of the appreciation of joyful music. It is very difficult to break this resistance, but not impossible. One antidote is to turn on classical music just before falling asleep. At that time, and during the first few minutes of sleep, one is at the highest stage of receptivity, the so-called alpha state.
MUSIC EDUCATION AS A WHOLE. MUSICAL ERUDITION
In Russia music education is known for its academic approach. It is divided into several subjects. Each class is usually taught by a different teacher. The following subjects are part of curriculum: Music instrument(s). Piano is required because concepts of music theory are taught on the piano. Children learn their second instrument much faster once they acquire some piano skills. Solfege. Singing notes is called solfege (do re mi fa sol la si). Singing, as well as listening, is a very important element of music education. Performing becomes much easier when students “hear” what they are playing. Elementary Music Theory. Just as in mastering writing it is necessary to know the rules of language, in order to perform or compose music, it is necessary to know music theory. Because music consists of so many elements, music theory is divided into several subjects: elementary theory or musical grammar, harmony, counterpoint/polyphony, music appreciation, music form and analysis, etc. Music Appreciation. Students learn about composers and their masterpieces. They participate in musical quizzes where they are asked to identify specific music. Music appreciation teaches us how to read music like books. It teaches how to perform a piece beautifully and expressively. The language of music is the language of notes and pitch. Some music makes us laugh or cry, some tells a story. Not understanding the language of music is like listening to poetry in a foreign language. While we can intuitively sense the beauty of the poetry in French for example, without understanding the words, we cannot know the meaning. Similarly, music appreciation teaches us to understand the meaning of the music.
Learning to play an instrument brings a sense of accomplishment in one’s life. Many adults find playing piano joyful, enriching and fulfilling.
Piano is the universal instrument simply because concepts of music theory are taught on the piano.
A musical piece consists of many elements of musical language, i.e. melody, harmony, rhythm, meter, genre, texture, voicing, register, timbre, tempo, dynamics, etc. These elements form musical language, composition and style; they are powerful tools in conveying musical thought and images. There are ways to express musical material utilizing these elements.
In order to master reading and writing, one must know rules of the language, i.e. literacy, grammar, orthography, linguistics. Like literature, there’s a way to read music in relation to composer and style, texture and genre, harmony and form, main thought and contents.
...Because of the multifaceted nature of the art of music in connection to the many elements of musical language and composition, music education is divided into several subjects, i.e. harmony, counterpoint, form and analysis, music history, and music appreciation. Thus, music theory (which in a broader sense means all aspects of the art but performing) is the foundation of music education.
Without such knowledge, perception of music is impoverished - notes remain impersonal or meaningless. Behind each chord or any combination of tones, there are images and colors. Knowledge of musical theory will have a significant impact on performing – making it less challenging and more fun! Things will start to “make sense.” You’ll “hear” things on a new level you hadn’t heard before.