[Smt-talk] Princeton and Theory

[Jane Clendinning]

Colleagues,

 

I would like to pick up on elements that Ildar raised.  He correctly notes:
"For a comparison, nobody outside the clarinet community can teach clarinet
at a college level. It is out of question."  Yet most beginning clarinetists
begin their study (in the US at least) taught by someone who is likely not a
proficient performer on clarinet-they are taught by band directors, whose
main instrument likely is a brass instrument or percussion, or perhaps, if a
woodwind instrument, it would be saxophone.  Students coming into our
universities who audition in on clarinet likely already play better on their
instrument than the person who first taught them does!  

 

The oddity about university teaching of music theory and history is that,
for most students, we have to start with the most elementary elements . . .
and cannot assume any sort of specific preparation on the part of our
incoming students.  Compared to the performance areas where students must
pass an audition to show at least some training and skill, students often
come into the university with NO prior training in either music theory or
music history-a problem lamented often among those teaching music theory at
the university level (indeed, there was a recent stream of conversation on
smt-talk about this issue).  As far as what they know about music theory,
many students can't read music notation, and have very little idea about
nomenclature for even basic elements of western music, such as meter and
pitch--basic skills normally taught in a music fundamentals or rudiments
class.  There are quite a few members of SMT who have been working on
improving the teaching of music theory in high schools (and their feeder
schools at the elementary and middle school level) through the AP Music
Theory programs, where high school students are taught basic music theory;
the quality of these courses depends on the training of teachers, and some
of us are working to improve that also.  This type of program is helpful for
students who have access to it, because they should have command of the
basics and an introduction to content in first year university theory
curricula, and be ready to review this material and move on to more advanced
content, while others (who may be very talented performers) will have little
or no background in the basics and little or no aural training.  Those very
basic elements potentially could be taught well by anyone who knows how to
read notation, even as beginning clarinet techniques are taught by music
educators who know the basics but are not expert performers, and in many
university settings, the basics of notation reading are taught by music
theory graduate students, or by faculty who are not trained as music
theorists.  Teaching anything of substance beyond the basics is another
matter. . . 

 

 . . . and all the more reason for universities to hire persons (no matter
what their degree name) who have intensive training in and deep
understanding of music theory and who are active in music theory circles
(which means they have a way to continue learning) to teach music theory
content beyond the most basic.  Our incoming undergraduates often have much
content to catch up on, to develop the foundational theory and analytical
skills they should have prior to graduation with a degree in music, and need
teachers who can help them make up for lost time on these content areas.

 

Jane Clendinning

 

Jane Piper Clendinning

Professor of Music Theory

Florida State University

College of Music 

Tallahassee, FL 32306-1180

Office phone:  850-644-3424 to leave message

Email:  jclendinning at fsu.edu

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