Getting to Know Eric Bluestine, author of The Ways Children Learn Music, Part 2

In the latest episode of Keys to Music Learning, Hannah Mayo and I continue our thought-provoking conversation with music educator and author Eric Bluestine. Picking up from our previous discussion, this episode dives deeper into one of Bluestine’s favorite topics—partial synthesis—and its essential role in Music Learning Theory (MLT).

What is Partial Synthesis?: Partial synthesis is a concept that addresses one of the most common critiques of MLT: that patterns alone are not music. Bluestine passionately explains how patterns serve as the connective tissue between pieces of music, allowing students to develop a deeper understanding of tonal and rhythmic structures. He compares this process to compressing and expanding musical ideas, much like an accordion, enabling learners to recognize the underlying relationships between different melodies and harmonic structures.

One of the most striking takeaways from Bluestine’s discussion is his perspective on music as a constantly moving entity. He emphasizes that nothing in music is isolated; rather, it flows like an ocean, where past, present, and future moments are interconnected. This viewpoint aligns with Gordon’s notion that there is no such thing as the “present” in music—only what has come before and what is yet to come.

Whole-Part-Whole: A Misunderstood Approach: Before fully exploring partial synthesis, Bluestine takes a moment to clarify the often misunderstood concept of whole-part-whole learning. Contrary to the belief that MLT focuses solely on small musical components before assembling them into a complete work, Bluestine highlights how whole-part-whole was integral to Gordon’s teachings even before it became widely recognized. He credits Darrell Walters for bringing attention to the significance of starting with an entire musical experience, analyzing its functional patterns, and then reintegrating those patterns to create a more meaningful understanding.

The Role of Generalization and Creativity: Bluestine also discusses the interplay between generalization and creativity, emphasizing that the two cannot be entirely separated. He describes generalization as the ability to recognize deeper commonalities between seemingly different pieces of music, while creativity is the expansion of compressed musical ideas into something new. By engaging in this process, students not only deepen their musical understanding but also develop essential improvisation skills that allow them to compose and reinterpret music in a meaningful way.

How Can Piano Teachers Apply This?: For piano teachers, Bluestine suggests practical ways to integrate his ideas of partial synthesis into lessons:

• Pairing Similar Folk Songs: Teaching two folk songs with similar harmonic structures and guiding students to distill them into common tonal and rhythmic patterns.

• Encouraging Improvisation: Once students recognize shared patterns, prompting them to expand upon these ideas creatively to develop new musical phrases.

Bluestine’s Blog: A Resource for MLT Thinkers: In addition to his book The Ways Children Learn Music, Bluestine maintains a blog that challenges educators to think critically about their teaching practices. His blog serves as an outlet for exploring ideas that may not always fit within conventional MLT discussions, pushing both seasoned and new educators to reconsider why they teach the way they do.

LINKS

The Ways Children Learn Music, by Eric Bluestine
Blog: The Ways Children Learn Music

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Introduction to Audiation-based Piano Instruction and Music Moves for Piano

Want to dive into audiation-based piano instruction? Check out Music Moves for Piano by Marilyn Lowe.