A Holistic Approach To Reading Music

30/11/2022 A Holistic Approach to Reading Music - TopMusic.
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A Holistic Approach to Reading Music

BY ANDREW BISHKO, MUSICAL U IN BEGINNERS ON MAY 28, 2018. 4
COMMENTS
An expert guest post from Musical U’s Andrew Bishko looking
at reading music.
Reading Music
How did you learn to talk? What, no book?! Yet all too often, music
education starts with reading music rather than playing music.
And speaking of reading, how did you learn to read? Simply by looking at
letters on a page? In every educational system I’ve heard of, learning
how to read goes hand-in-hand with learning how to write – in fact,
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30/11/2022 A Holistic Approach to Reading Music - TopMusic.co
children can often write the alphabet well before they can read with any
fluency.
Music? Very rarely do we expect our students to write a note.
Oh sure, there’s always the trace-the-quarter note exercise on page 12,
and maybe even a fun step-by-step on page 22 for drawing the treble clef.
But once we’re rolling through the method books, the pencil busies itself
with circling this repeat sign or that piano marking – or writing slow
down in giant letters, or today’s date on the page… No time to bother with
actually writing musical notes.
The Creative Loophole
Then here comes we creative piano teachers. We’re hip to the language
metaphor. We have our students improvising, chording, playing by ear. But
do we really want to spend their well-spent lesson dollars watching
them struggle with stem direction?
Ok, at the risk of destroying my credibility in this blog, guilty as charged.
Well – not all the time! Maybe less guilty than some. (I hope!)
I’ve found that some students actually (gasp!) thrive with the more ‘old
school’ method. For them, I can go by the book and reserve my creative
‘interventions’ for other issues. But there are many others…
SO WHY READ MUSIC?
Many of us first-generation creative piano teachers began with the

traditional method-book learning, and then discovered for ourselves that
there was a whole world out there of playing by ear, chording, and
improvising.
But just like reading a language, reading music opens up worlds of beauty
for us to enjoy and communicate. So let’s break down this complex task
and see what we can add to the process to make it more effective,
creative, and fun.
Active and Receptive
Much in life can be looked at as an interplay between these two modes of
experience. Looking at active and receptive principles of the music
reading process can provide an important clue for better teaching:
The way we usually do music reading is pretty much a one-way street. But
what if there was a way to include active and receptive aspects all the
way through? Wouldn’t that create the opportunity for a more whole
learning experience?
Towards the end of this post, I’ll introduce an exercise that
integrates composing, writing, reading, playing, and singing – which
I have found to be extremely effective in helping students to master
reading pitch (and, potentially, rhythm) very quickly.
Read more: The Piano Studio Growth Roadmap – Your Ticket to
Teaching Success
Music Reading Components
Of course the two main components of music notation are rhythm and
pitch. Of the two, rhythm is the more complex and difficult for our
students to grasp. Then there are dynamics, articulation, tempo markings,
repeats, etc.
I addressed important rhythm reading concepts and tips in 5 Ways to
Help Your Students Master Rhythm. I touch upon rhythm briefly later on,
but in this post, we’ll focus our attention on what’s supposed to be the
‘easy’ part of music reading: pitch.
THE MUSIC READING PROCESS
When we approach reading music as merely rhythm and pitch with a few
other directives thrown in, we’re leaving a whole lot ‘up in our heads’.
Remember, that stimulus from the page has to travel through our eyes
into our brains, be processed into signals to our arms and fingers and
produce sound which travels through the ears to then be reevaluated by
the brain, which then suggests the next step to the body and so on.
In other words, the reading music is a whole body, whole brain,
multisensory extravaganza.
If any of these parts of the process are less than complete, the whole of
the music produced is deficient.
That’s why it’s important to observe how our students function in
all areas of this process, and why focusing all the attention on the
abstract concepts of intended pitch and rhythm symbolized by dots
and squiggles on a page only tell a small part of the story.
Different students will require support and ‘smoothing’ of different parts
of this process at different places in their development.
Let’s take a slightly more detailed look at reading music from a multi-
sensory perspective.
Multi-sensory Music Reading
Our amazing music notation system has the ability to elegantly encode a
tremendous amount of musical information in a variety of graphic
symbols. These symbols are first encountered by the eyes.

EYES
When our major sources of information outside of our immediate
environment came from reading, our eyes became well-trained in moving
from left to right (in the case of most written languages) and returning to
the left to begin a new line. Peripheral functions developed in a limited
way to take in the words before and ahead for a more complete synthesis
of the ideas and mind-pictures evoked by the text.
Today’s hyper-visual technology world has had a profound effect on
how we assimilate information. Reading is just a small component of
the time-released capsules of visual stimulation bombarding us from our
multiple-screen world.
In a way, the screens often take control of the pace and timing of
information being presented – unlike simply reading, where this pace is up
to the reader.
While often we might be tempted to address a single interpretation of a
specific symbol on a page when a student makes an error, often the
problem is really the difficulty of tracking the information
sequentially on the page from left to right and line to line.
Pro Tip: A simple bridge to teach students to take responsibility

for visually tracking the notation is simply to move a pencil or
pointer under or over the music as they play. Then practice

taking the training wheels off, on, and off again until they’re
‘flying solo’.
Perhaps this is something you do as a matter of course, but I’ve found it

very useful to keep the background to this technique in mind, so I can
more quickly assess and act when needed.
BRAIN
Ok, we don’t normally consider of the brain as a sense organ, but as a
place that processes sensory information. But let’s for a moment think of
the brain as a ‘thought sensor’ – a little out there, I know, but it fits in the
context of the process we are describing.
Once the symbols reach through the eyes to the brain, we first must begin
to interpret them. Once we understand their meaning, we must then
evaluate the call to action, and then direct our bodies to respond.
So next time we expect ourselves or our students to instantly match
our wiggles to the squiggles, remember that – in the brain alone –
this is at least a three-step process.
From speaking…
When reading language, we first learn to read out loud, which is directing
our physical apparatus of vocal production to execute the actions required
to produce the sounds symbolized on the page.
At first, our learning is phonetic, associating symbols with sound and the
means to produce that sound. Eventually, we begin to recognize whole
words and larger constructs. At first we read simple stories, but later use
our skills to take in new mind-pictures that we’ve never experienced
before.
…to piano playing
Remember now, the vocal apparatus evolved in conjunction with the brain
for millions of years to express language. But only a tiny proportion of
humanity throughout history has had the opportunity to spend time with a
piano keyboard.
So when learning to read music, first we are much more focused on what
the dots and squiggles are telling our fingers to do, rather then what,
eventually, they’re going to sound like.
HANDS
This difference highlights what I consider to be the most crucial hidden
component of music reading – indeed, piano teaching in general – namely
kinesthesis, what the actions we take with our bodies to produce
the music feel like.
In How to Conquer and Make Complete Sense of Finger Numbers I wrote
of the kinesthetic connection between the brain and the fingers. This, of
course, is complicated by the whole right-hand/left-hand thing, finger
numbers going in opposite directions.
Which translates in music reading to, ‘What is so darn difficult about the
bass clef? Why can’t I get it to stick in my student’s brain?’
Palm Reading
So what does this have to do with music reading?
Our music notation system originated with the hand:
Before the keyboard, Guido of Arezzo taught his monks to associate

sounds and symbols with their hands – when parchment and ink were
rare and expensive. The hand analogue remains deeply embedded in our
system, which benefits we piano players.
Yet it’s not always obvious.

Let’s look at one of the most popular mnemonics for learning pitch in the
treble clef:
EVERY GOOD BIRD DOES FLY – OR NOT…
What about emus? Ostriches? Kiwis?
Plans & Pricing
I must confess, I feel a brief pang from the bottomless abyss of guilt
each time one of these ‘flightless birds’ walks into my studio – week after
week, month after month – and cannot even remember Every Good Bird
Does Fly, or ‘the FACE in space’ for that matter.
For the earth-bound cassowaries of the world, there has got to be a
better way.
At first, it baffled me that a student could learn one piece of music

perfectly, then turn the page and not know what note to start on. Then I
realized that most students rely much more on intervallic reading then on
note reading.
Teaching Music Reading for Piano Using Guide Notes [Quic…
[Quic…
It seems that the intervallic spaces on the staff are a closer

corollary to the kinesthetic experience of fingers on the piano. A “G”
on the staff, however, doesn’t look or “feel” like a G on the piano.
So we move on to that fabulous sense that we’ve all been waiting for…
EARS
It’s what music is all about, right? That’s why it’s so amazing to think
about how far that simple circle on the second line of the bass-clef staff
has to travel – through the eyes, brain, hands, instrument – before the
ears can feast upon that rich low “B”.
Wouldn’t it be nice if our students could just look at the page and hear the
music? Despite various attempts at more widespread sight-singing
training, most of our students aren’t privy to that experience. And besides,
they’ve come to us for piano lessons.
Pro Tip: Yet even a little on-the-spot sight-singing on a more

rote level can do miracles for a difficult passage, and is very
stimulating to the brain-part of the process, since our voices are
infinitely more intimately connected to sound than our hands are.
It is quite possible to integrate ear training into your piano studio, and it
will have a powerful effect on your students’ reading as well.
Eventually, many pianists begin to associate finger movements with sound
patterns, and even seem to “hear” with their fingers. Maybe this is off
topic, but here’s a tongue-in-cheek video about “air piano” and other weird
things that we do:
10 Things Piano Players Do Differently
Active and Receptive – revisited

Now that we’ve detailed the music reading process, how can we activate a
higher and more effective learning for our students?
Let’s first of all see how we can balance active and receptive experiences
in this process. The key here, as hinted in the intro of this post, is turning
the reading process inside-out – from reading to writing.
Writing music, (ideally) begins with the active principle of audiating,
hearing music in your head. The receptive principle of reading the notation
becomes the active principle of writing. Composers will then sit back and
receptively listen to a musician playing the composition, or actively play it
themselves.
While beginning students may not have developed audiation and ear
training to the extent of composing from their heads, simply the act of
writing notes with a pencil and paper adds a whole new dimension and
connection to the process of reading them.
So now let’s combine all the ideas and principles we’ve been discussing
up to this point into…
One Music Reading Exercise to Rule them All!
Across the past 25+ years, this simple, powerful and versatile exercise
has proven to be super valuable for helping my students learn to
coordinate all the various operations that comprise reading music:
STEP 1: LEARN
BRACKETS, BARTO DRAW
LINES, THE
AND TREBLE
TIME AND BASS
SIGNATURE – CLEFS,
BY
HAND!
It might seem like an unimportant experience. Why not hand them a sheet
of staff paper with the clefs already drawn? Or do it with a computer
notation program? Who wants to waste half a lesson on that pain-in-the-
patootie treble clef?
But there are at least four strong benefits that come from this experience:
1. The deeper understanding of the treble clef’s origin as a letter “G”, the
bass clef’s origin as a letter “F”.
2. How these clefs “point” to the G line in the treble clef and the F line in
the bass clef (Strong emphasis should be placed on the correct
placement of the dots in the bass clef and the curlicue in the
treble clef.)
3. A closer look at the connection between the treble and bass staffs.
(Students tend to think of the bass staff as something different, odd,
and unrelated to the treble.)
4. And do not underestimate the soothing, calming, meditative
calligraphic experience of creating a beautiful form on paper.
It might well be tempting to knock this up on a computer program like
Noteflight, but so valuable to draw it all by hand! The whole experience
will add yet another aspect of kinesthetic and visual stimulation.
The end-goal in this step is the creation of a two-bar score with a repeat
sign:
STEP 2: EIGHT QUARTER NOTES

At the top of the page, write the C major pentascale in both staffs with
finger numbers, like so:
Now have the student draw the two-bar score. (You might want to do it
yourself as an example and to save time in the first lesson. Alternately,
you may give the student a week to practice all the drawing stuff before
launching into this step.)
RELATED: How to Make Scales Fun and Important
Then have the student choose random notes from the pentascale. After
each choice, they write a quarter note on that pitch in both the treble and
bass clef. (Again, you may want to demonstrate in the first lesson).
Repeat until the two 4/4 bars are filled.
Pay attention to details of stem direction, which side of the notehead the
stem is on, and make sure that the treble and bass clef notes are lined up.
The more attention you pay to all the details, the more the student will
appreciate the notation that they’re reading in their lessons.
Step 3: Play it and Sing it
First, announce that the student has just written their first song! Then the
student plays it and repeats it, preferably with both hands. Tell the
student it’s ok to ‘cheat’ and look up at the pentascale at the top of the
page, but not to write finger numbers or letter names on under the notes.
Now, announce that this is the magic key that unlocks the power of
this exercise.
While the student is playing, s/he will now sing the letter names of each
note. If the student is uncomfortable with singing, it’s fine for them to
recite the letter names instead.
STEP 4: HOMEWORK AND PRACTICE
Each practice day, the student writes a new set of two measures, and
practices the new set and all the old sets. So the first day they have one to
practice, second day two, etc. Then they play and sing them all at the next
lesson.
STEP 5: MOVE AROUND THE STAFF
Once the C pentascale is mastered, move up one step to D minor and
repeat. Then E minor and so one. Once I reach G, I usually jump the bass
clef down an octave, unless I’m specifically targeting inner ledger lines.
(At this point, I recommend you stay on all white keys.)
Continue until the whole staff is covered.
Variations
Exercise and Extensions of the Eight Quarter Note
While this exercise is very powerful if carried through to its completion, in
practice it can be difficult to keep interest beyond a few weeks. But even
one or two rounds of this exercise can have long-lasting effects on the
student’s retention of music reading skills due to the whole-brain/body
approach.
There are many ways to customize Eight Quarter Note Exercise for
specific applications. Here are just a few ideas I have tried:
The exercise is quite versatile, and useful for targeting specific areas –
for example, if a student is having trouble with certain areas of the
bass clef, or could use some help with ledger lines.

While it’s best at first to limit the rhythms to quarter notes, some
enthusiastic students may want to try their hand at other rhythms.
Writing rhythms is one of the most effective ways for students to
really amp up their rhythm reading skills.
You might want to work on pentascales in different keys, using key
signatures, etc.
Move beyond pentascales to various other hand positions – arpeggios,
displaced thumb, pentatonic scales, etc.
While the original exercise is quite effective at promoting intervallic
reading, and connecting it with actual notes, you can spotlight
intervals by having the student sing interval numbers rather than
letter names.
Having the right and left hand playing the same notes is very helpful
for bass clef reading issues, but at some point you can explore
counterpoint by having the hands play different notes. Sing the right-
hand pitches on the first run, then left-hand notes on the repeat.
Though the two measure limit makes the homework and practice more
manageable, eventually your students may be inspired to extend their
compositions.
As you can imagine, the variations are endless. However, that common
thread of limiting the exercise to specific parameters ensures targeted
pinpointing of the student’s most relevant learning step.
Writing to Read
While there’s lots of research to back up more holistic approaches to

learning, the proof is in the success of the students and teachers who’ve
experienced them. I hope you and your students enjoy the Eight Quarter
Note Exercise and the understandings it brings, along with your own
creative variations.
Who knows? You might just mentor the world’s first flying emu!
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About the author

ANDREW BISHKO, MUSICAL U
As Content and Product Manager for Musical U, veteran piano teacher Andrew
Bishko helps others unleash the true musicality they have inside with the
development of educational content and learning modules. Andrew also plays the
accordion and leads Mariachi Flor de Missouri. www.musical-u.com
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4 Comments
LINDA H.
06/23/2018 at 7:25 pm
 REPLY
Great article and easy to do! More writing…makes so much sense!
ANDREW BISHKO
06/23/2018 at 10:43 pm
 REPLY
I’m so grateful that Tim has given us sensible piano teachers a
place where we can make sense to each other 🙂 (Yes,
“creative” just makes sense 😉
KARISSA
06/07/2018 at 11:14 am
 REPLY
This is an incredible article, and I haven’t even finished it yet! I did
not learn to read music using acronyms, and I always hesitated to
use them with my students, as I wanted them to understand how
the staff works. I picked up some great ideas thanks to this article
and the YouTube video!! Thank you!
ANDREW BISHKO  REPLY

06/23/2018 at 10:40 pm
Thank you so much, Karissa! It floors me how difficult
it is for many students to remember the acronyms from week
to week – music is learned so much better as music 🙂 I hope
the rest of the article is useful for you and your students.
Let’s keep in
touch
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Many of us first-generation creative piano teachers began with the

symbols. These symbols are first encountered by the eyes.

Pro Tip: A simple bridge to teach students to take responsibility

pointer under or over the music as they play. Then practice

Perhaps this is something you do as a matter of course, but I’ve found it

Before the keyboard, Guido of Arezzo taught his monks to associate

Yet it’s not always obvious.

Plans & Pricing

At first, it baffled me that a student could learn one piece of music

It seems that the intervallic spaces on the staff are a closer

Pro Tip: Yet even a little on-the-spot sight-singing on a more

10 Things Piano Players Do Differently

Active and Receptive – revisited

STEP 2: EIGHT QUARTER NOTES

bass clef, or could use some help with ledger lines.

While there’s lots of research to back up more holistic approaches to

About the author

I'm not a robot

ANDREW BISHKO  REPLY

Get quick-win tips from teaching to tech.

Copyright 2022 Top Music Education PTY LTD

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