Music Literacy: Why Reading Music Is Important

The ABCs are building blocks that lead a student to reading words, sentences, and eventually entire books. Just as learning to read words is a step-by-step process, so too is learning to read music.

Learning to read music is also comparable to how one learns math. Before a student is able to calculate angles in geometry or compute a percentage of a sum, they must first learn the foundational skills of counting, adding, and subtracting. The student becomes better at math as they build up their skills, from counting on fingers and toes to solving an algebraic formula.

Like reading and math, music literacy involves helping the brain organize information. When a student reads music, they learn what note needs to be played, when the note needs to be played, how to play the note, as well as the relationship of one note to the other notes around it.

On a music staff the student can spatially see how notes move up (higher) and down (lower). The rhythms are also mapped out to see what notes are played longer or shorter and how fast they move. For example, do the notes move evenly or are there big gaps (rests) between notes? A music staff is really like a giant graph mapping out the music.

At A Kopp Music, we instruct using a traditional approach to learning a musical instrument. Based on our own musical learning experiences, we’ve found this to be most effective. Teaching music literacy is a stepping stone to becoming a skilled musician.

The Benefits of Learning to Read Music

Multiple studies have concluded that a music education helps boost a child’s overall literacy. Additionally, there are many benefits of learning to read music, including:

• Increased Musical Opportunities — Reading music is necessary for ensemble playing which allows students to have more musical opportunities and experiences. These can include marching band, pep band, jazz band, pit orchestras for musicals, as well as the skills needed to audition for local and state honors groups.
• Expanded Musical Experiences — Even piano students who normally do not have the same opportunities at school as those who play brass, percussion, or wind instruments can still perform with jazz bands or in a pit orchestra. They can even lend their talents to accompany a choir or help peers with solo or ensemble contests.
• Musical Independence — Music literacy enables a musician to vocalize or play an instrument independently without relying solely on listening or memorization.
• Access to A Large Volume of Music — Because music is a universal language, knowing how to read music allows a musician to source a vast repertoire of compositions from nearly anywhere and from nearly any time.
• Communication with Other Musicians — Knowing how to read musical notes allows a musician to communicate concepts and ideas with other musicians.
• Enhanced Cognitive Skills — Reading music engages cognitive functions and improves skills such as memorization, attention, and pattern recognition.
• Develop Sight Reading Skills — Music literacy enables a musician to play a piece of music at first sight.
• Career Opportunities — For those who want to pursue a career in music, music literacy is a fundamental skill.

New Tools Help Students Learn to Read Music

We’re always on board with any tools that can help our students in their musical journey. That’s why we were so excited to learn that Duolingo, the language learning application, has added a music course to their application.

According to their website, students use an on-screen keyboard within the app where, “You’ll learn bit-by-bit, finding notes on the keyboard and then on a staff. Throughout a lesson, you gain playing, sight reading, and listening skills, and eventually, put your new knowledge to the test by playing full-length songs!”

Reading Music: The Foundation of A Lifelong Love of Music

Our goal at A Kopp Music has always been to help establish a student’s lifelong hobby and encourage love of music. We know that learning to read music is a forever skill. In fact, even after a lengthy hiatus due to life (career, relationships, children, etc.), when one does decide to return to their musical passions, the skill and the language will be there to help them pick up precisely where they left off.