Planning for music literacy: an inquiry

Sometimes there are a range of answers to these questions. For example, some pop singers read music very well, while others do not. Some guitarists take private lessons, while others have learned through playing in bands with friends. Your goal is to get an idea of what the possible answers are to your question, so that you can then decide which version of the answer makes the most sense in your situation. To do this, you should consult a variety of sources before making your plan.

Possible sources of information

• Talk to a musician - Is there someone who is the kind of the musician you would like to be and who would not mind talking to you about what they do and how they learned to do it?
• Talk to a music teacher - If you have a music teacher or are considering hiring one, ask about the kinds of notation that will be studied and why they should be learned. If the teacher might have different goals than you (for example, if a piano teacher is likely to focus on classical music, while you are interested in jazz), ask whether music-reading in your preferred genre can be included.
• Informational publications - For example, books and online articles that describe an instrument or a music tradition may have plenty of clues about how and when people read and write that kind of music, and what activities are done "by ear" or by memorization.
• Autobiographies and interviews - Look for writings in which your musical role models discuss their career, musical activities and challenges.
• Written music - How easy is it for you to find music that is written for that kind of musician? What kinds of notation does it use?
• Methods - Look for method books, tapes, CDs, or online methods that teach the particular skill that you want to learn, and the style or genre that interests you. What information do they have about understanding and using the notation? What types of notation do the books use? Are there audio methods that claim to be able to teach you to do it by ear?

Create

Towards the end of your investigation, start creating a plan to reach your music-literacy goals. You can create this in any form you like, for example, as an outline, a short essay, a diagram or flow chart. The plan should include:

1. A description or list of the music-literacy skills you need in order to be the kind of musician you want to be.
2. An accurate assessment of where you stand right now with such skills.
3. A plan for getting from one to the other.

If you cannot answer #1 or #3 yet, continue to do some more investigation. For #2, create a record of your present ability. For example, make a recording of yourself trying to read a piece of music, or try to write a melody correctly, or simply look at the notated music and write about (or record yourself talking about) what parts of it you do and do not understand. You may be reluctant to make a record at this point, but later on you will appreciate having it as a point of comparison, to check on your progress.

Discuss

If you are doing this project as part of a class or group inquiry, share your plan with the group. If you have a private music teacher or are in a musical group with a director, discuss it with your teacher or director if possible. If you are in a music class or in a music group that does not have a director, discuss it with your peers and band mates. If none of these options is available, find friends or family members who might be interested in your progress as a musician and discuss it with them.

If you are not certain what kinds of improvement your music-reading or music-writing skills need, you should also ask a musician or music teacher to check your creation and make specific recommendations.

Listen for any useful feedback they might have about your goal and how it might be accomplished. Ignore unhelpful criticism, but be willing to do more investigation and/or adjust your plan if you receive good advice.

Reflect

As you reflect on what to do next to pursue your music-learning goals, the following questions may be helpful:

• How central is your music-reading plan to your long-term goals as a musician and music-learner? Should you pursue it before, after, or alongside other music-learning projects.
• How feasible is it? What might you do to make it more feasible?
• Has this investigation changed your short-term or long-term music-learning goals? Has it changed your thoughts about what kind of musician you want to be?