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If At First You Don’t Hear It, Try, Try, Try Again.

By Scott Schumann

To Yoda, you must listen.

Dear undergraduate music majors – this one’s for you.

I’m a college music theory professor, and I’m here to talk to you about your music theory and ear training courses. I know these classes are not the reason most of you wanted to study music in college (unless you’re a huge nerd like me), and I’m also aware that these classes are really difficult for many of you (whether it’s the nature of the content, and/or the amount of work required to get through these classes).

I love that this guy fell asleep with what appears to be a cup of coffee next to the computer. I think this kinda sums up the college experience for a lot of people…

That being said, I’m here to tell you that your music theory and ear training classes are some of the most important components of your music degree. I know, I know — it’s easy for me to say this in my position, but bear with me.

Actually, the main point that I want to stress to you is that I think it’s okay if you’re confused and/or frustrated with music theory and ear training, especially as an undergraduate student.

Super cheesy, I know. So sue me.

Given the emphasis on standardized testing in public schools, up until this point, your education may have focused to a certain degree on “finding the right answer.” I know that music theory and aural skills are considered academic classes (and they are), but in my opinion, it can sometimes be more beneficial to think of these classes as developing process-based skills as opposed to another exercise in “finding the right answer.”

In other words, like your primary instrument, the more you study and practice music theory and ear training, the better you will get over time. Your engagement with these skills should be a lifelong pursuit, one that will continue to benefit your musicianship more and more.

I think this also means that it’s okay if you don’t have all of the answers right now. In fact, I think we would all find music theory and ear training — and music itself as an art form — significantly lacking if you were able to “find all of the answers” in just 2–4 years.

I’m essentially arguing against what I think to be a common misconception that attaining a bachelor’s degree equates to attaining mastery in the subject(s) you study. In my opinion, attaining a bachelor’s degree means that you are equipped with the skills to potentially achieve mastery. This is not to diminish the achievement of completing a bachelor’s degree — it’s simply a reminder that if you want to attain mastery in your discipline, it’s up to you to continue applying those skills you learned during your time in college.

Dwight gets it.

Just as a brief case-in-point, I was at a screening for a new documentary about performance anxiety at The University of Michigan this past weekend. One person who was interviewed in the film was Louis Nagel, a recently retired professor of piano, who taught on faculty at UM for over 40 years. During a Q&A following the screening, Nagel spoke about recently discovering a new moment in a piece (I think it was Schubert or Chopin) that he had been playing for decades. The point here is that you can continue to grow as a musician throughout your career — even as a highly experienced music professor — if you keep applying the skills that you learn earlier in your career as a musician.

You will likely get frustrated by music theory and ear training at some point in your studies (or several points). However, if you stick with these skills and continue to build them on a regular basis, I guarantee that the new modes of listening you can develop will make all of your hard work pay off in dividends.

I don’t know who this is, but I really want to be their friend.

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