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(Guitar music throughout)

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Music is a language.

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Both music and verbal languages
serve the same purpose.

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They are both forms of expression.

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They can be used as a way
to communicate with others.

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They can be read and written.

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They can make you laugh or cry,

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think or question,

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and can speak to one or many.

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And both can definitely make you move.

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In some instances, music works
better than the spoken word,

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because it doesn't have
to be understood to be effective.

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Although many musicians agree
that music is a language,

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it is rarely treated as such.

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Many of us treat it as something

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that can only be learned
by following a strict regimen,

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under the tutelage of a skilled teacher.

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This approach has been followed
for hundreds of years

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with proven success,
but it takes a long time.

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Too long.

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Think about the first language
you learn as a child.

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More importantly,
think about how you learned it.

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You were a baby
when you first started speaking,

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and even though you spoke
the language incorrectly

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you were allowed to make mistakes.

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And the more mistakes you made,

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the more your parents smiled.

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Learning to speak was not something
you were sent somewhere to do

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only a few times a week.

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And the majority
of the people you spoke to

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were not beginners.

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They were already proficient speakers.

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Imagine your parents forcing you
to only speak to other babies

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until you were good enough
to speak to them.

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You would probably be an adult before
you could carry on a proper conversation.

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To use a musical term,

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as a baby, you were allowed
to jam with professionals.

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If we approach music
in the same natural way

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we approached our first language,

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we will learn to speak it
in the same short time

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it took to speak our first language.

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Proof of this could be
seen in almost any family

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where a child grows up
with other musicians in the family.

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Here are a few keys to follow
in learning or teaching music.

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In the beginning, embrace mistakes,
instead of correcting them.

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Like a child playing air guitar,
there are no wrong notes.

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Allow young musicians to play

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and perform with accomplished musicians

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on a daily basis.

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Encourage young musicians to play
more than they practice.

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The more they play the more
they will practice on their own.

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Music comes from the musician,
not the instrument.

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And most importantly,

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remember that a language works best

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when we have something interesting to say.

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Many music teachers never find out
what their students have to say.

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We only tell them
what they are supposed to say.

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A child speaks a language for years
before they even learn the alphabet.

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Too many rules at the onset,
will actually slow them down.

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In my eyes, the approach to music
should be the same.

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After all, music is a language too.