Topmusicanswers
Using a combination of note-reading and rote playing is a great blended approach to teaching piano. Students will still learn how to read music (fostering greater independence for long-term playing), but also playing by rote will develop the student's ear, musicality, and confidence.
What is learning piano by rote?
Rote learning is presented as a musical experience - the teacher sings a simple song first and then the student sings it, following the melody as it moves up and down. Then the teacher shows the student how to follow the melody with his fingers on the piano in the same direction as the melody.
What does it mean to play by rote?
Rote learning is a memorization technique based on repetition. The idea is that one will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the more one repeats it.
Why rote learning is bad?
One of the primary disadvantages to rote memory is that it doesn't allow for a deeper understanding of the subject. Only the bare facts of a subject such as a vocabulary or multiplication tables are memorized or understood. Rote learning also does not allow for complex connections between previous and new knowledge.
