Posted in: Musicouching by DeanAivaliotis on November 16th, 2009 | 0 Comments
This is part one of a two part paper I did for one of my classes. It focuses on problems in standardized pedagogy used in music education and offers more creative suggestions of teaching and learning that are inspired by Bruce Lee and his Taoist (Jeet Kune Do) approach to learning and practicing martial arts. Enjoy 
“The second-hand artist blindly following his sensei or sifu accepts his pattern. As a result, his action and, more importantly, his thinking become mechanical. His responses become automatic, according to set patterns, making him narrow and limited.” –Bruce Lee
In the mid 1960’s to early 1970’s, Bruce Lee shocked the world with his incredible abilities and revolutionized the martial arts community. At the heart of this revolution was a new way of thinking. His philosophy was that one should not adhere to one specific martial art and see that system as “the only way.” Instead, one should research all martial arts to capture the essence of what makes it good, thus freeing an individual from style all together. Shortly before his death, he finished a book entitled Tao of Jeet Kune Do which is a record of his thoughts and philosophy. In this paper, I have chosen to apply this way of thinking and Bruce’s teaching methodology to music. For the sake of focus, the paper will revolve around teaching the piano. But it goes without saying that whatever I talk about here can be applied to whatever instrument and to students as well. I must state that my interests are in showing teachers how to help students help themselves further their knowing (knowing rather than knowledge since knowing is perpetual) of music. I do not believe in exams and certificates since they help you understand a routine but not yourself as a musician. I will first go through my experiences of learning music and the methods through which I was taught. After establishing the methods which already exist, I will point out their flaws and make suggestions as to how these flaws could be bypassed. The ultimate goal of this methodology is to find a perfect balance between order and chaos while learning and teaching. I am not denying the classical approach for if you do you are creating another style and trapping yourself there. I am merely proposing suggestions and sharing outside knowledge that can be digested as the teacher/student wishes. The combination of Tao of Jeet Kune Do and my own thoughts and experience served as guides to my proposal of this new music methodology.
