Reading Task 2

How does the achievement of music literacy contribute to the comprehensiveness of children’s musical sensitivity and understanding?

To be able to appreciate books, newspapers, magazines, and other documents, one must be able to read words, letters, and sentences, and make sense of the word and sentence structure. Music is no different. If a child (or an adult, for that matter), cannot read music (is not musically literate), he or she cannot fully be sensitive to or understand music. For example, one may hear a song on the radio and say that they like the song. But why? They would not be able to explain why they like the song, except perhaps if it were for the words.

Similarly, it is common to hear someone say that they love the “beat” of a song. This is, most likely, not the case. The beat, of course, is the steady, underlying pulse and is inherently not all that interesting. The rhythm of the percussion or the bass or the chords, for example, may be quite interesting and exciting. But without even just a little bit musically literate, one cannot tell the difference between the beat and the rhythm.

Finally, if one is musically literate they will be more sensitive to music and listen for the myriad intricacies found in nearly all songs, whether classical orchestra pieces, big band tunes, or pop/rock songs. The listener’s enjoyment will be greater.

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