Everyone Can Make Music!
by Ginevra Ralph, Director of Education
“In music education we deal with talent better than desire.” Dale Topp, professor, Calvin College
I recently picked up a lovely book written by Canadian musician and educator Stephanie Judy some time ago called Making Music for the Joy of It (Tarcher, 1990). It's message is different from but very much in the spirit of the attitudes and approaches we’ve developed over the years here at The Shedd to break down the barriers to making and appreciating music and I’m excited to share her thinking!
Here’s a summary of Judy’s “music aptitude test”, especially as it relates to “talent”, or ability, and the desire to make music:
1) If you know the tune someone is playing and they hit a wrong note, do you notice?
2) Eyes closed, can you tell the difference between violins and flutes? Piano from trumpet? Humming from whistling? Can you identify the sound of bagpipes?
3) Can you distinguish rock from classical music? A march from a lullaby? A jazz band from a church choir?
4) Would you like to make music yourself?
Judy’s point is that if you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are “musical enough” to make your own music. Humans have the innate skills to understand and organize the underlying structures to make music. As adults, we also have accumulated a rich musical literacy to draw upon from years of passive listening experiences – from live concerts to the wealth of recordings at our fingertips today. Yet all too often people feel (or have been told!) that they simply don’t have the ability to be musicians. Stephanie Judy’s book does a great job of delivering the good news that you DO. Here at The Shedd we wholeheartedly agree, and are dedicated to helping you bring your built in-talent for music making to the fore!