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Exactly. It seems like this author got really into Sam Smith, did a deep Wikipedia dive, then somehow extrapolated that into a wide-sweeping theory of pedagog

Exactly. It seems like this author got really into Sam Smith, did a deep Wikipedia dive, then somehow extrapolated that into a wide-sweeping theory of pedagogy, with bold assertions like "That’s how we learn about music: backwards, always backwards." There are so many counter-examples. I am instantly reminded of a childhood friend who was really into classical music. I don't think he arrived there working all the way back from present. I started listening to The Who because my dad had a CD of theirs in his car, which led to other classic rock. It had nothing to do with a backward time travel from whatever contemporary music I was hearing at the time. I think a lot of music learning happens more serendipitously like that, through friends, random encounters, etc. The historical research is definitely a part of it but this article way overstates it.

Flowsion 8y ago
It doesn't have to be going backwards from the present, right? In your example, the person could work backwards from classical music. You could work backwards from The Who, or classic rock. Going backwards from a natural point of interest sounds like it would be the best method to learn history.
ljw1001 8y ago
As someone who learned young to love Charlie Parker, & co., I suspect your friend loved what he grew up listening to at home. Classical music _was_ the contemporary context for your friend, just like your context included the Who. If you didn't ever go back further than the Who, btw, I'm not sure you 'learned history' in the usual sense of the phrase, and I'm not sure you can teach a history class based on random encounters.
- resu_nimda 8y ago
  I guess I was thinking more along the lines of learning about the diversity of musical styles and cultures than specifically "music history" in a more academic sense. Random encounters can expose you to music you were not familiar with, in a way that a history lesson might not, and then you go and start digging into it.

Flowsion 8y ago

It doesn't have to be going backwards from the present, right? In your example, the person could work backwards from classical music. You could work backwards from The Who, or classic rock. Going backwards from a natural point of interest sounds like it would be the best method to learn history.

ljw1001 8y ago

As someone who learned young to love Charlie Parker, & co., I suspect your friend loved what he grew up listening to at home. Classical music _was_ the contemporary context for your friend, just like your context included the Who. If you didn't ever go back further than the Who, btw, I'm not sure you 'learned history' in the usual sense of the phrase, and I'm not sure you can teach a history class based on random encounters.

resu_nimda 8y ago
I guess I was thinking more along the lines of learning about the diversity of musical styles and cultures than specifically "music history" in a more academic sense. Random encounters can expose you to music you were not familiar with, in a way that a history lesson might not, and then you go and start digging into it.