The Mind behind the Musical Ear: How Children Develop Musical Intelligence / Edition 1

by Jeanne Bamberger

Overview

In The Mind behind the Musical Ear, Jeanne Bamberger focuses on the earliest stages in the development of musical cognition. Beginning with children’s invention of original rhythm notations, she follows eight-year-old Jeff as he reconstructs and invents descriptions of simple melodies. In a running commentary on Jeff’s discoveries and a series of dialogues between herself and two imaginary college students who take different approaches to music, Bamberger reflects on the thinking strategies that guide Jeff at various moments in his musical development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674576063
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	03/15/1995
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jeanne Bamberger is Professor of Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: The Players
• Prologue: The Themes

Part I: Rhythm
1. Children’s Drawings of Simple Rhythms
2. Conflicting Hearings of Rhythms: Introducing Met and Mot
3. A Typology of Rhythm Drawings: Musical and Developmental Implications
4. Counting and the Metric Hierarchy
5. Convention, Innovation, and Multiple Hearings

Part II: Tune–Building
6. Building “Hot Cross Buns” with Tuneblocks: Introducing Jeff
7. Building “Hot Cross Buns” with the Montessori Bells
8. Making Instructions for Playing “Hot Cross Buns”

Part III: The Story of Jeff's Development
9. Jeff’s Figural Construction and Notation for “Twinkle”
10. Jeff in Transition: Constructive Disequilibrium
11. Moving toward a Formal Representation of “Twinkle”
12. Met and Mot’s Reflections on Jeff’s Story

• Conclusion: Educational Implications
• References
• Index

What People are Saying About This

I know of no other work that investigates the musical development of children in so imaginative, analytical, coherent, or, to put it bluntly, lovingly detailed a way.

Martin Brody

I know of no other work that investigates the musical development of children in so imaginative, analytical, coherent, or, to put it bluntly, lovingly detailed a way.
— Martin Brody, Wellesley College

Howard E. Gruber

This book is absolutely unique. The combination of musical insight and psychological thought far outshines anything I have read bearing on the psychology of aesthetic experience.
— Howard E. Gruber, Teachers College, Columbia University

Editorial Reviews

Makes intriguing reading for anyone who has puzzled over the mechanism by which young children learn tunes.

Times Educational Supplement - Gerald Haigh

This book is absolutely unique. The combination of musical insight and psychological thought far outshines anything I have read bearing on the psychology of aesthetic experience.

Howard E. Gruber

[This book] will undoubtedly become required reading for all those concerned with, or undergoing, training in music education.

Music Teacher - Andrew Peggie

I know of no other work that investigates the musical development of children in so imaginative, analytical, coherent, or, to put it bluntly, lovingly detailed a way.

Martin Brody

[This book] will undoubtedly become required reading for all those concerned with, or undergoing, training in music education.
— Andrew Peggie

Music Teacher

Makes intriguing reading for anyone who has puzzled over the mechanism by which young children learn tunes.
— Gerald Haigh

Times Educational Supplement

Beginning with children's invention of original rhythm notations, Bamberger (music, MIT) follows eight-year old Jess as he reconstructs and invents descriptions of simple melodies such as Little Star. series of dialogues between herself and two imaginary college students who take different approaches to music, Bamberger reflects on the thinking strategies that guide Jeff at various moments in his musical development. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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