Long, long ago (between the years of 1746 and 1827), in a land far, far away (Switzerland), there lived a educational reformer and pedagogue named Heinrich Pestalozzi. One of Pestalozzi's biggest contributions to music education is the sound before sight principle. He believed that we should teach children a song first by listening and singing, then we can teach them the theory behind it later on. This is very important for elementary school teaching, because they obviously haven't developed enough to understand theory. However, they can still participate in music by playing, singing, listening, and improvising. This sets a good foundation for the young musician, because not only are we instilling good musical instincts in them, but we are also creating an environment in which the children can have fun and grow to love music.
Sound before sight is still important for musicians as adults as well. I find that if I listen to a recording of a piece before I play it, I am more likely to play it the way it should sound when I'm reading the music. Memorization is also much easier if I have a firm grasp on how a piece sounds.
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| "Hello, my Name is Heinrich Pestalozzi and I believe in sound before sight." |
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