29th Annual Student Research Conference
Rote Learning: How Trinidadians Learn Music Without Sheet Music
Brett Morris♦
Dr. Michael Bump, Faculty Mentor
In the music culture of Trinidad, many bands and individuals learn music through rote learning. They are able to hear a passage of music or watch another person play music and with what seems little effort, are able to play back the passage on their instrument. With the addition of drilling passages repeatedly, musicians are able to learn entire tunes without needing to look at notated music. These methods are quite popular in steel bands in their preparation for music competitions. I had taken a trip to Trinidad and was able to interview musicians on how they had become skilled in their methods.
Keywords: rote learning, drilling, Trinidad, music
Topic(s):Music
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -3
Location: OP 2210
Time: 8:30