214: Mind Before Fingers, with Marilyn White Lowe (Music Moves For Piano)

<p>Today we’re joined by one of the leading Gordon-trained music educators and author of <a href= "https://musicmovesforpiano.com/home/?utm_source=mupod_shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mupodcast"> Music Moves for Piano</a>, Marilyn White Lowe. Music Moves is an innovative approach to teaching piano, which from the very beginning incorporates all of the “inner skills” we focus on here at Musical U, such as improvising, playing by ear, composing your own music and collaborating with other musicians.</p> <p> </p> <p>Music Moves uses Dr. Edwin Gordon’s <a href= "https://giml.org/mlt/about/?utm_source=mupod_shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mupodcast"> Music Learning Theory</a>, which codifies how the human brain learns music, as the basis for designing how musicianship can most effectively be taught. “Music Learning Theory” has previously been featured on Musicality Now, most notably in our <a href= "https://www.musical-u.com/learn/audiation-and-thinking-music-with-cynthia-crump-taggart/"> interview with Professor Cynthia Crump-Taggart</a>, President of the <a href= "https://giml.org/?utm_source=mupod_shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mupodcast"> Gordon Institute for Music Learning</a>. We’ve discussed several times on past episodes the idea of <a href= "https://giml.org/mlt/audiation/?utm_source=mupod_shownotes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mupodcast"> audiation</a>, which is a word Edwin Gordon originally coined. Audiation has detail and depth that goes far beyond simply “imagining music in your head”. Marilyn brings a wonderful new perspective to audiation for us, as educators applying it directly in the context of teaching an instrument.</p> <p> </p> <p>Drawing on ideas from Orff, Suzuki, Dalcroze, and Kodály, The Music Moves For Piano method incorporates listening, singing, movement, audiation, and notation, on top of the pure piano technique skills - and as you’ll hear in this conversation it develops the student into a fully-fledged and well-rounded musician - not just a piano playe