“But When Are We Going to Learn the Real Do?” Toward Learner-Centered Pitch Practices in U.S. Music Classrooms

Abstract

While the field of music education is rife with participation in methodological debates around “best systems” for learning about pitch, the authors in this article explore the possibilities of learner-centered approaches to teaching pitch among students with diverse music backgrounds. Specifically, the article highlights several challenges faced by the students with fixed pitch backgrounds in U.S. music classrooms: confusion around solfège syllables used to represent both movable and fixed pitch systems, and difficulty in transitioning between fixed and movable systems regardless of the symbolic language used. The authors offer a variety of research-based recommendations for deepening students' understandings of pitch in light of these challenges and emphasize the necessity for a learner-centered approach to pitch pedagogy in U.S. music classrooms. The purpose of this article is to (1) help practicing teachers understand more deeply and empathize with the nature of confusion students with fixed pitch backgrounds might experience in American music classrooms, and (2) develop pedagogical strategies that are sensitive to the experiences of these students while working to deepen understanding of pitch.