0:00:19.906,0:00:22.138 Music is a language. 0:00:22.893,0:00:26.601 Both music and verbal languages serve the same purpose. 0:00:26.601,0:00:29.857 They are both forms of expression. 0:00:29.857,0:00:33.615 They can be used as a way to communicate with others. 0:00:33.615,0:00:36.819 They can be read or written. 0:00:36.819,0:00:38.667 They can make you laugh or cry, 0:00:38.667,0:00:39.923 think or question, 0:00:39.923,0:00:43.333 and can speak to one or many. 0:00:43.333,0:00:47.917 And both can definitely make you move. 0:00:50.241,0:00:53.572 In some instances music works better than the spoken word, 0:00:53.572,0:00:55.491 because it doesn't have to be understood 0:00:55.491,0:00:57.908 to be effective. 0:00:59.386,0:01:02.449 Although many musicians agree that music is a language, 0:01:02.449,0:01:05.524 it is rarely treated as such. 0:01:05.524,0:01:07.149 Many of us treat it as something 0:01:07.149,0:01:09.018 that can only be learned by following 0:01:09.018,0:01:11.051 a strict regimen, under the tutelage 0:01:11.051,0:01:13.455 of a skilled teacher. 0:01:13.455,0:01:16.102 This approach has been followed for hundreds of years 0:01:16.102,0:01:21.150 with proven success, but it takes a long time. 0:01:21.150,0:01:23.225 Too long. 0:01:30.657,0:01:34.256 Think about the first language you learn as a child. 0:01:34.256,0:01:39.038 More importantly, think about how you learned it. 0:01:39.038,0:01:41.119 You were a baby when you first started speaking, 0:01:41.119,0:01:43.718 and even tough you spoke the language incorrectly 0:01:43.718,0:01:45.424 you were allowed to make mistakes. 0:01:45.424,0:01:47.678 And the more mistakes you made 0:01:47.678,0:01:50.830 the more your parents smiled. 0:01:54.676,0:01:57.700 Learning to speak was not something you were sent somewhere to do 0:01:57.700,0:01:59.650 only a few times a week. 0:01:59.650,0:02:01.622 And the majority of the people you spoke to 0:02:01.622,0:02:03.074 were not beginners. 0:02:03.074,0:02:06.626 They were already proficient speakers. 0:02:07.473,0:02:10.622 Imagine your parents forcing you to only speak to other babies 0:02:10.622,0:02:14.966 until you were good enough to speak to them. 0:02:14.966,0:02:16.741 You would probably be an adult before 0:02:16.741,0:02:21.447 you could properly carry on a proper conversation. 0:02:21.955,0:02:25.509 To use a musical term, as a baby you were allowed 0:02:25.509,0:02:28.858 to jam with professionals. 0:02:36.366,0:02:39.220 If we approach music in the same natural way 0:02:39.220,0:02:41.121 we aproached our first language 0:02:41.121,0:02:43.128 we will learn to speak it in the same short time 0:02:43.128,0:02:45.844 it took to speak our first language. 0:02:45.844,0:02:48.379 Proof of this could be seen in almost any family 0:02:48.379,0:02:53.798 where a child grows up with other musicians in the family. 0:03:26.200,0:03:30.205 Here are a few keys to follow in learning or teaching music: 0:03:30.205,0:03:36.245 in the beginning embrace mistakes, instead of correcting them. 0:03:36.245,0:03:42.172 Like a child playing air guitar, there are no wrong notes. 0:03:42.172,0:03:44.045 Allow young musicians to play 0:03:44.045,0:03:46.096 and perform with accomplished musicians 0:03:46.096,0:03:48.533 on a daily basis. 0:03:48.533,0:03:52.648 Encourage young musicians to play more than they practice. 0:03:52.648,0:03:56.315 The more they play the more they will practice on their own. 0:03:56.315,0:04:00.707 Music comes from the musician, not the instrument. 0:04:01.752,0:04:04.203 And most importantly, remember that 0:04:04.203,0:04:07.061 a language works best when we have 0:04:07.061,0:04:09.759 something interesting to say. 0:04:09.759,0:04:11.474 Many music teachers never find out 0:04:11.474,0:04:13.009 what the students have to say. 0:04:13.009,0:04:17.856 We only tell them what they are supposed to say. 0:04:21.088,0:04:23.630 A child speaks a language for years, 0:04:23.630,0:04:26.229 before they even learn the alphabet. 0:04:26.229,0:04:27.948 Too many rules at the onset, 0:04:27.948,0:04:31.261 will actually slow them down. 0:04:31.261,0:04:33.695 In my eyes, the approach to music 0:04:33.695,0:04:36.480 should be the same. 0:04:36.480,0:04:39.861 After all, music is a language too.