For years, my whole-class ensemble teaching method was rooted in introducing sound and symbol simultaneously. This approach stemmed from the way I had been taught myself, making it a method I felt comfortable with. As a teacher, I had observed children learning instruments by ear and struggling to make the transition to reading notation – something I wanted them to avoid. However, I also knew of many accomplished musicians who couldn't play by ear, or were scared to improvise, as they had only ever played relying on notation. I understood this well, as I still remembered the feeling I'd had as a 13-year-old when I was expected to improvise for the first time! I wanted to ensure my students had exposure to a range of different learning methods, to help them become well-rounded musicians.
Early experience
In my early Whole Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET) projects, the thought of teaching a piece by ear seemed daunting. I couldn't fathom how I would teach parts in all the different keys, clefs and varying abilities while still keeping the lesson moving at pace. Using notation seemed much easier. During the initial stages of WCET, I had very little opportunity to observe other projects in action and found that resources were limited, which necessitated developing my own method. The sound-and-symbol-together approach worked well in my schools, as the students already had a solid understanding of notation reading and ensemble experience prior to starting their WCET lessons, so the notation didn't appear to be a barrier to them. Improvisation became an embedded part of our sessions alongside notation reading, but the learning by memory was still lacking. I did, however, question if my method would work in a school where children were coming into the sessions from a very different starting point to the students I was currently working with.
Ear-based learning
My perspective shifted when I had the privilege of having Claude Deppa from Kinetika Bloco undertake a project with my Camden Music WCET students. Over several weeks, Claude taught the students some fantastic pieces entirely from memory. Witnessing how engaged and responsive the students were made me determined to introduce this approach into my teaching. Working alongside Claude gave me a chance to observe and see in action how teaching by ear can work with a large group of brass playing in different keys. I was especially excited by the creative possibilities – developing arrangements with students, allowing more space for improvisation, and encouraging harmonic exploration – which playing from notated arrangements often inhibited.
Following this project with Claude, I began incorporating more ear-based learning into my WCET sessions, but only after students had started learning with notation. I wanted my students to leave their WCET year being able to join one of the many fantastic ensemble opportunities on offer in the borough and felt that if they only knew how to play by ear, it might limit their opportunities further on. However, despite all the research available on this topic, I just couldn't find a way to bridge the gap that I thought would be successful for my students.
The turning point came when I had the chance to work alongside a colleague teaching a WCET project in which students were learning entirely by ear. I observed the quick progress they made and became convinced that it was time I adapted to this method. I needed, therefore, to devise a way into notation that was tailored to my students.
Changing to sound-first
The shift to a sound-first approach brought immediate and noticeable changes. Without the added challenge of decoding notation, students were able to focus more on improving their listening skills. Their pitching improved. They were able to recall longer musical phrases. Their sense of musicality shone through. Teaching improvisation became easier, as students understood the space they had to fill more easily. And – a real highlight – by adding some simple choreography, they had pieces ready to perform to an audience within just the first few sessions. This immediate sense of achievement not only boosted their confidence but it sparked their enthusiasm for learning, and enabled us to engage early on with their families in supporting their musical learning. Playing from memory also opened up more performance opportunities for the groups as, without music stands and folders to organise, the group became more flexible and able to perform impromptu performances at a few minutes' notice.
Gradual introduction of rhythm
During the first half-term, we focused solely on learning by memory and improvisation. Gradually, I began to introduce the notation in a way that felt like it made sense to the students, starting with rhythm. By the end of that first year, I was surprised to find that the students' notation-reading abilities matched that of previous cohorts, despite their having spent the first half-term playing only from memory. I was also surprised to discover that when we transitioned from playing in unison with backing-tracks to performing arrangements from notation, students consistently chose pieces that featured the band playing in different parts. Whether performing from memory or notation, they clearly preferred the collaborative experience of making music together over relying on pre-recorded accompaniments.
I have now fully embedded this approach across all my teaching, from one-to-one lessons, to WCET sessions and training bands, with both adult and child learners. I am delighted to see my students performing with equal confidence, whether playing from memory, improvising or reading notation.
Adopting this sound-to-symbol approach has been transformative for both my students and me as a teacher. It has encouraged me to rethink traditional methods and create a more inclusive and engaging learning environment that supports all students, no matter their starting point.
