Alix Latta

MUSE 258

Citation
Sound Connections Chapter 1
Don Ester
3/18/2019

Discussion
This chapter, being the first one in the book, functions as an overview for the
things that the rest of the book will be covering. However, it is also extremely important for the
future music educator to read and understand, as it also serves as a rationale for why some of the
techniques used in the book should be used within a music classroom. Some of these techniques
used are the takadimi rhythmic syllable system, the la-minor based tonal syllable system, and the
concept of using sound before sight to facilitate comprehensive musicianship within music
students of all ages.
This is particularly important for a future music educator to understand because it
emphasizes music literacy within the choral classroom, something that is often not seen in
performance-based systems. Rather, Ester supports a comprehensive-musicianship-through-
performance approach, in which students are taught literacy as well as performance. He
advocates for this through a sound-before-sight approach, which is based off of how people learn
language as children. Any music educator, present or future, should be aware of these techniques
and how they should be used within a classroom because of how the follow a natural
progression. Knowledge of these techniques and of the importance of music literacy within the
classroom allows music educators to teach their students in the most natural way possible, which
will allow students to have a firmer grasp on music literacy than they might through other
systems of teaching.