Piano, to learn or not to learn?(1) From 19th-century European families to today's society

原创 Chairman Rabbit tuzhuxi 2024-03-28 07:52 广东

Rabbit Chairman 20240327

Note: The musical instrument education industry is huge in China. Among them, the piano is the "king of musical instruments", a symbol of music, representing elegance, romance and civilization, which seems to carry a special cultural connotation. Because of various factors, many people have a strong obsession with their children learning piano (most of them may be the child's mother). But the discussion and controversy surrounding piano learning has never stopped. In this and the next article, I will throw out my own opinions, which are purely personal opinions and will definitely lead to different opinions and disputes, but if your family is struggling with whether to let their children learn the piano (including piano, violin and other instruments with a long learning cycle), please refer to this article.

The first article will focus on the origins of piano education and how it emerged in European families, and the second article will explore the problems of piano education, who is suitable for learning the piano, and what skills parents should devote their energy to the cultivation of music and aesthetics in order to adapt to the new round of technological revolution and more fierce competition for talent.

The body begins:

My parents were very fond of music, and when I was a child, classical music was played in the house. My parents would play the accordion, and in that generation, the accordion was a part of life. When I was a child, my mother considered letting me learn piano. But my father strongly objected, saying that there was no place in the house, and I myself said that I had no interest in learning musical instruments, and just like that, the idea was nip in the bud. Years later, I'm glad my family made the decision: I didn't learn to play a musical instrument and was able to develop my own hobbies.

My wife was not so "lucky". When she was in elementary school, her mother bought a piano and made learning it her main extracurricular activity. Her parents were not among the people who had a lot of music education, and she herself was not a "music lover" – that is, she was not a person who was particularly sensitive to music, had a strong pitch, loved listening to music, and was singing and dancing. And precisely because of this, her parents want her to learn piano, hoping to "make up for her shortcomings" by learning piano. "What is lacking makes up for what is missing", the belief that musical talent and ability can be cultivated through nurture, may represent the idea of many parents. But this process is more painful, and a lot of time is spent on learning the piano and taking exams. The child is forced to do something he doesn't like all year round, and the parent-child relationship is also very strained. After entering middle school, my studies were tense, and the natural piano was put down. The piano leaves a lot of memories that are not very good, and it brings not happiness, but resistance. In such a situation, after growing up and becoming self-reliant, naturally I will never touch the piano again, and the piano has purely become a childhood memory. As for the piano that I bought back then, I have long since disposed of it.

There are a lot of cases like this that I have come into contact with. Including piano grade 9 and grade 10. By adulthood, the piano is very far from their real life.

Some of them have completed their studies (passed the ninth grade or above), and some have given up halfway. But for many people, looking back, a lot of time and energy invested in learning the piano has actually become a waste. But do you think that learning the piano is beneficial? It is also beneficial, in addition to the music itself, it also helps to exercise discipline, will, patience, and so on. But does it necessary to practice these qualities? Isn't it possible to practice something else? If you choose a course for your child today, in addition to the instrument itself, you must also consider the opportunity cost of learning: assuming that the child's time is limited, what will the greatest reward for learning, and the best way for him to acquire the ability to adapt to the future world?

With some of my own personal experience and observations, I pay more attention when making educational plans for children, first, keep an open attitude and do not jump to conclusions; second, I will not categorically reject "entering the pit", but I am extremely cautious and will never rush to "enter the pit".

It should be noted here that I am not a music student, but an amateur music lover is "self-educated" in music, such as understanding some basic music theory and music history, understanding various music categories, styles, and genres, having a basic understanding of various musical instruments, being able to use individual instruments (such as guitars and keyboards) simply, forming a certain aesthetic system and preference for music appreciation, having some favorite musicians, conductors, and performers, and having a certain CD and digital collection. In this article, I just share my considerations and suggestions for music education from the perspective of an ordinary parent.

Here I focus on "piano", not specifically the piano, but also for instruments such as the violin, which have a systematic learning cycle and a long period. So why focus on piano, because piano education is the most widespread, the most industrialized, and the most representative musical instrument with the widest social coverage and audience.

1. Why do ordinary families want to learn piano? From 18th to 19th century Europe to contemporary society

(Although this refers specifically to the piano, some of the content can also cover other musical instrument education)

The piano is a Western musical instrument, and in the West, music education has a long history, and for European high society and intellectual families, music belongs to the basic cultivation of human beings and is an integral part of basic education. And when it comes to music education, it must involve the learning of musical instruments. The piano is a large musical instrument, which can be described as the "king of musical instruments", which is expensive to build, requires space for placement, and also needs to be maintained later. The education around the piano was mainly in the most qualified upper class. In 1826, the British piano maker Robert Wornum invented the upright piano, and the production of pianos was gradually industrialized, which made pianos accessible to thousands of households.

We ask two questions: first, what are the benefits of learning piano from the perspective of a middle-class European family in the 18th and 19th centuries?

1) Practicality: Before the modern society, there were no movies, television, radio, game consoles, the Internet, mobile phones, music is one of the few forms of cultural entertainment for people, and the way to obtain music is very simple: either singing, or playing musical instruments. The piano has a pleasant sound, can be used for solo ("holding up a stage alone") or as an accompaniment, and at the same time it is played by the keyboard, very friendly to the player (no pitch required), a very practical and very friendly instrument;

True: Not true. Today, ordinary people don't need to play musical instruments to get music: they can play any tune on their mobile phones and smart TVs, and the music works of the human world in the past few hundred years are all available in the treasure trove of the Internet. When people need to sing, they can go to karaoke, and they can order any song. Today, in addition to concerts that require real people to play musical instruments, pianos and other musical instruments lack general application scenarios, so there is no practicality and versatility;

2) Sociality: In Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, music was an important part of people's social life, and music could only be obtained by playing musical instruments. We often see movies depicting a group of people singing around a piano in the past, and that's the kind of scene. In addition, a lot of music requires an ensemble of multiple instruments, an orchestra, and this requires the cooperation of people. Therefore, musical instruments such as the piano have social attributes and social functions. Practicing piano and other musical instruments well can improve people's social skills and enrich social scenes;

True: Not true. People today don't need to get music by playing musical instruments, and they don't need to socialize by playing music. To give you a realistic example, outside of your job, you play the piano very well and play the violin very well, but when do you have the opportunity to play? Do you perform at the annual meeting of the unit? Do you perform during the team building? What is the scene of the performance? I'm afraid there is no scene. Very occasionally, you may be able to record a video of yourself playing and post it to Moments to show that you are proficient in the instrument and get some likes, but you don't post it every day, right? But this has no social attributes. And back to learning piano, it is to practice by yourself, which basically has no social attributes, and may not even be conducive to children's cultivation of social skills. Some people say that learning a musical instrument and participating in school clubs can develop social skills. But the problem is that there are many ways to develop social skills, such as team sports, which are much more effective and do not require learning a musical instrument.

3) The importance of music and the importance of the piano in music: In Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, even in the upper class, people's indoor cultural entertainment forms were very simple, nothing more than watching plays, listening to music, reading, chatting, etc. The form of music is special: it completely depends on the sense of hearing, and the audience does not need to be literate or have cultural accumulation, which is the simplest, most relaxed, intuitive and most popular form of cultural entertainment. New musical productions, especially new symphonies, and new opera releases are major events in society (just like today's movies, TV series, and game launches). In such an environment, learning music refers to the cultural and entertainment industry, and the piano has a high status in traditional European music, it is an almost indispensable core skill that needs to be mastered in various subdivisions (composition, conducting), and at the same time, in that era, Europeans will not touch the later jazz, rock music, electronic music, world music, etc., in the genealogy of traditional Western music, the piano has a very high status. The above can be seen the importance of the piano in that era. Basically, it is a core livelihood skill for the music and cultural entertainment industries;

True: Not true. First of all, is music still important? It's still important, but today there are so many forms of entertainment, and music is just one of them. What can be said is this: the relative importance of music has greatly decreased. The moment when the whole city of Europe was thrilled by the release of a new symphony or musical will forever be written down in history. Karaoke was originally an important form of group entertainment in China, but it has been gradually marginalized today because there are too many forms of entertainment. Secondly, the relative importance of traditional classical instruments such as piano and violin in music has also decreased: there are rock music, electronic music, folk music, and immediately generative AI can directly generate music.

4) Musical instrument cultivation is an important part of aesthetic education: upper-class and middle-class families believe that aesthetic appreciation is one of the basic cultivation and qualities of human beings. As an important cultural form and content carrier, music naturally has a particularly high status. It is believed that learning musical instruments such as the piano can help people understand music, acquire music (playing and composing), participate in music appreciation activities, and communicate with people in the same circle. Music is the core "cultural capital", and the piano is a tool to obtain the core cultural capital. (In those days, in addition to music, such cultural capital included literature, poetry, painting, philosophy, etc.);

Is it true today: Basically not. Aesthetic education and aesthetic appreciation are still very important, but today's art forms and content carriers are much richer than before, and intellectuals and literary and artistic youths may discuss movies, TV dramas, architecture, art exhibitions, food and cooking, travel experiences and experiences, and lifestyles, but they do not necessarily discuss music. When discussing music, it may be to discuss various musical genres and styles from ancient times to the present, and to appreciate and collect, rather than to learn about their ability to play musical instruments. Today, we have entered the era of science and technology, and it is very important to understand the new knowledge of science and technology. At the same time, human society is undergoing great changes that have not been seen in many years, and it is also important to understand history and geopolitics. In short, "cultural capital" is also evolving, and even in Western societies, classical music and traditional Western instruments have long since lost their former status – they are just a respectable personal hobby and skill, but not a more special one.

5) Obtain the means to relieve the spirit and soothe the soul: when encountering pressure, people need to mediate their emotions, and the spiritual and cultural activities of people before modern society were in a single form, without radio and records, let alone movies, television, and short videos. So what do people rely on to mediate? Especially at home, the only way to get music is to play and sing on your own. Mastering a musical instrument and knowing a little music will give you the key to soothing your soul. This article must be understood in the context of the previous modern society. For example, you can imagine that in the Mongolian steppe, there is no electricity, no entertainment, nothing, and only a horse-head qin in your hand, what else can you do at this time?

True: Not true. Music is certainly a great way to regulate emotions and soothe the soul, but for the average person, the way to get energy from music is to listen, not play. In today's world, people can easily access any music they want through their mobile phones. The way to participate in music is not necessarily to play, but to sing - go to karaoke and shout twice. If there is a difference between people, it is mainly reflected in how much they know about music, whether they are familiar with the musical heritage of mankind, and whether they can draw more resources from the musical heritage ("There are such beautiful tunes that I didn't know before!"). To understand this, you don't need to spend seven or eight years practicing, you just need to dig and accumulate some musical knowledge. From this point of view, we must create a good music environment for children, so that they can listen to music more, fall in love with music, and enjoy and benefit from music for life.

6) Intellectual training and training: It is believed that learning a musical instrument, practicing a musical instrument, and becoming proficient in a musical instrument can help improve intelligence. Back to Europe in the 18th ~ 19th century, the way people can provide children with knowledge learning and intellectual exercise is very limited, and musical instruments such as pianos have become a learning content.

Is it true today: half and half. It must be noted that today is the era of science and technology, not Europe in the 18th ~ 19th century, and people can provide children with more up-to-date intellectual training and skill training through countless paths and ways. Sports themselves can also boost intelligence. The mere exercise of the intellect is not enough to justify the necessity and rationality of learning musical instruments such as the piano.

To sum up, it can be seen that in the context of 18~19th century Europe, learning a musical instrument (especially an instrument like a piano) is extremely practical, it can be used to make a living, can be used for socializing, can be used as cultural capital, can regulate emotions, and can even achieve class jumping. If parents want to find a good future for their children – for example, to marry their little girl to a good family – practicing the piano well will be a skill that will last her life (and potentially change her fate).

Students who are familiar with classical music should know that the musicians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – various conductors and performers (including piano, violin, cello, etc.) – were disproportionately Jewish—including a large number of German-Austrian, Eastern European, and Russian Jews. It could even be argued that most of the famous virtuoso of that era were Jews (the list could go on a few pages to make it jaw-dropping). Why is this happening? Because for European Jews, music is one of the few "tracks" they can choose. They poured all their educational resources into music.

We found that this phenomenon was replicated in East Asia in the 20th century – including Japan, South Korea, and China. Like European Jews, East Asians are very passionate about education and have a great yearning and affection for the West. As a result, people put great enthusiasm into the study of Western musical instruments.

However, we have already pointed out that most of the factors that supported the learning of piano/musical instruments in the 18th~19th century European middle-class families no longer exist.

Next:

——Why do East Asians/Chinese love to learn piano?

– What are the main problems with learning piano (and violin, which require a longer learning cycle?

INTERVIEWER Who is suitable for learning piano (and instruments that require a longer learning cycle, such as the violin)?

- If you don't learn piano, what kind of music education does your child need?

INTERVIEWER In order to better adapt to the future era (AI technology revolution), what should children learn?