Music is universal and spreads throughout all cultures. The way music is taught and experienced can differ in each country. In this chapter of Musician & Teacher, Cambell tells a little bit about how music is taught in other places and time periods. Music can be learned in several different ways. We can learn music by eye or by ear, and we can learn by watching or by doing. Sometimes we learn in formal settings and sometimes we can learn very informally. Regardless of how the music is hear, learned, or played, it is a very big part of everyday life around the world.
Educators of the world must acknowledge that each student will learn differently. Music teachers, especially have to come up a lot of different ways to help their students understand. Being knowledgeable of teaching methods in other cultures can be very useful. Teachers can take methods from other cultures and apply them to their classes today. Some schools can be very diverse; teachers can be very helpful in making foreign students feel more comfortable if they know more about the students’ background and past learning experiences.
I think that it is very interesting to learn about how music is viewed around the world. I would love to be able to travel to all of these places and observe their musical habits and rituals. It’s nice to see how we differ from the rest of the world, but also how we are the same. I,personally, did not start studying music until I was around sixteen years old, other places begin musical study when children are very young. I feel that the present and future generations of Americans are beginning to lack a taste for art and music and we could learn a lot from the teachings of countries around the world.