THE 7 FACETS

At The eAr we have the student approach the learning from 7 different
complimentary angles. The goal is to have learners develop in a holistic and all-round
way so they can become well grounded, exible and happy musicians.

In order to understand our basic philosophy it is important to realise that there are 2
kinds of learning that take place:

- infantile learning - the process where one learns by trial and error, where the
complete learning experience is supported by a number of sensibilities: hearing,
seeing, imitation, intuition, fearlessness, playfulness
- mature learning - in which a task is understood by the brain and a strategy is
devised to get to a speci c and clear result.

Often the latter is used in western music teaching, and this can lead from mild to
severe problems in students. By approaching learning in a mostly cerebral way the
student is confronted with a process in which he becomes dependant on the
intellectual understanding of all the elements of the music (which note, how long, how
loud, where on the instrument). By controlling these parameters of music, a sense of
security is built upon the execution of these parameters in a controlled way. We must
understand that the physical/acoustic language of music is in fact impossible to
describe in rational concepts only. These can only be realised in a very abrupt and
rough way, doing great injustice to the medium itself. The subtleties of, even the
simplest music are much more sophisticated than our brain can ever process.

The approach taken by many teachers of giving the students all the well-explained
elements of music and demanding a slow, deliberate, precise learning approach
(practice slow, count aloud, practise with a metronome, build up the tempo, play
correct, respect all dynamic and articulation signs ….) leads to a sti ed and non-playful
process and does great injustice to the ability of anyone to feel the placement of the
notes within the bar, to adjust volume on an intuitive level, use imitation as a guide to
get a certain result, learn through fearlessly trying something and somehow
managing it in a miraculous way. It is this infantile learning that lies at the basis of
speaking a language, in playing a sport and in learning to play music on an instrument.
We don’t judge a kid on every correct word when he is making up a story. We don’t
explain the tensions in the biceps and the tendons used when teaching someone to
handle a tennis racket. We rst and foremost try to have the learner build a holistic,
natural and personal relationship with the activity.

And in music I have observed it over and over again. The “talented” ones, were the
ones that in some way used infantile learning to get to an initial result. And from that
method the abilities arise to play by ear, to imitate complex and sophisticated

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 rhythms, to manoeuvre through a written music part while playing in an ensemble.

Elementary is the ability to have the listening the the outside world play as big a role
as the listening to the sounds of ones own instrument. It leads to slowing down
naturally with a band; it leads to the ability to skip a bar when the band went the
wrong way somewhere, it leads to creating music that feels right - since it is
incorporates imitation and assimilation into the playing process.

There is no fear of failure, there is no obsession with right-and-wrong.

To bring these individuals to a higher level is often problematic. Only when they
realise that mature learning has to start playing a part of the the complete approach,
learning can lead someone in becoming a great musician.

At a certain point - but only when the infantile learning has become a fundamental
part of the learner’s life and lies at the foundation of musical decisions takes - mature
learning is introduced as a way to master certain subtleties, certain complexities; it is
a strategy that must be learned in order to nd a deeper layer within the music and in
that process and from the desire to become a master, the students comes face-to-face
with certain spiritual and psychological aspects of music. The surrendering to the
instrument, the acceptance of the fact that things might take 1000 repetitions before
they sound and feel good, the deep trust in ones own musical and strategic choices.
These realisations and processes are the realm the master musician.

This beautiful process can be observed everywhere in the worlds of music. You see it
in the tabla master in India, you see it in the impeccable and subtle playing of Steve
Gadd, in the Ghanese master drummer Tettey Addy, in the spiritual sound of John
Coltrane, in the profound, passionate beauty in the playing of Jaqueline du Pré.

But you can be assured in the knowledge that all these masters have a strongly
developed intuitive relationship with music and sublimated this through both
methods of learning. Their process surely was full of passion, of intuition, of
fearlessness, of creativity and spiritual depth.

We have our 2 central facets resonate with the holistic musicianship of the student:

READING IMPROVISATION

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 It is in these 2 facets that the musician lives his music. Reading a music chart to be
able to be part of an ensemble - the main territory where music lives is essential.
Without that ability the musician is lonely and handicapped. Improvisation, the ability
to come up with notes and ideas; the ability to express ones creativity is essential.
Without it the musician is sti ed and unfree.

Embracing these 2 central facets we have on the one side the development of the
relationship with the instrument through a diverse system:

TUNES ETUDES EXERCISES

Tunes expose a wide array of possible musical worlds and try to guide the student in a
progressive way through those. In the Etudes certain abilities are isolated and
material is written that polish certain elements of playing. Exercises have the student
think about and practice certain, quite isolated, aspects of the playing of the
instrument, or the playing of the music.

On the other side we have the more general musicianship tools, that help the student
in embedding the music he is playing in a wider realisation:

HEARING THEORY

Audiation, the ability to hear something and connect it to the inner imagination, to the
instrument and to notation is being addressed in Hearing. It is a tool that is very
important since we must strive for musicians that always connect the ear - through
the imagination - to the hand. We must assure that the student will realise that
performing the eye-hand trick leads to meaningless instrumental execution, devoid of

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personality, intuition and passion; alienated from the maker of the music. Theory
offers the knowledge needed to understand the workings of music. It gives the
student the tool to understand what he is playing, it opens the doors to personal
expansion into composition, harmonic understanding, complex abstractions.

These 7 facets try to stimulate the student, to inspire. They do not suggest a
hierarchy, they do not offer a xed learning path with a speci c order. They simply
expose a possibility of entry points - all connected and all with the purpose to develop
musicianship in the broadest way possible.

These 7 facets live on a playground - a eld of music on which the students can move
freely, following their intuition, curiosity or desire. Some appeal to the mind, some
appeal more to the ear; some investigate the instrument, some give the satisfaction of
playing with a nice backing track, some invite to sink into ones own creative, non
judgemental world.

A structure that is well grounded - following a hidden curriculum - exposing some

essential facets that will be integrated by the student in his own way, on his own pace
and lead him to become a musical, happy, creative and able musician.

Hein Van de Geyn, Scarborough 27-09-2021

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