gordon e edwins theories of music learning

I've been reading about Edwin E. Gordon and his theories about music learning, audiation and music aptitude. Here is his website GIML - The Gordon Institute for Music Learning

Some of it is interesting and some of it is a bit disconcerting to me. His theory of music aptitude states that after the age of nine ones environment no longer can have an effect on ones musical aptitude. He does not say that one cannot achieve beyond that age, but there is some sort of limit to how far you can go that cannot be changed after this age.

(taken from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/13/b9/bc.pdf)

It makes sense that children learn faster, but the idea of some sort of hard cap in hearing ability gets defined seems strange.

It bothers me because I didn't have much of any musical experience until my later teenage years. What do you guys think of this?

WARNING: I have absolutely no developmental psychology experience. These are prima facie observations, and may not represent reality in any way...

This sounds relatively bunk to me. I'll use myself as an example:

I grew up in a musical home -- my dad did musical theatre and my mom did classical singing both in church and in semi-professional groups. But, I was never exposed to jazz, rock, or particularly avant classical (unless you consider the 1890s to be avant); yet these are the backbone of my current music.

At age nine, I was only capable of following Hot Cross Buns. Unless you consider bass guitar to be a lesser instrument, what I learned after the age of 9 (with a large break in education to about 15 or 16) is at a much higher level of listening and comprehension than anything I was taught previously...

I think he's being silly, and I think his lack of adult education is a great weakness in his education theory.

Yeah I would say my own story sort of disproves this theory. I grew up in a very musical environment. Both my brother and mother being prodigous talents on piano and violin respectively I heard a lot of music in my youth. But I like my father displayed absolutely NO musical interest or ability until I got to highschool. When I was 14 something turned on and I began to play piano. I also discovered I had a sort of photographic memory for music that I had either never had or noticed before. Perhaps I did have this type of talent before 9 but whenever my parents tried to get me to play instruments (and they did often) it did not show itself. I don't know what that means for this theory.

Ferk, I think you are misunderstanding (or *I* am) what he wrote.

You grew up in a musical family... which has no bearing on what SORT of music you will have any aptitude for.

I believe what he is saying (and I am not saying I necessarily agree with him, either) is that someone with little to no exposure to music in that crucial developmental stage has very very low likelihood of becoming a "Heifitz" or a "Rubinstein" or "Casals".

I was brought up in a VERY musical family.

My father was an excellent guitarist and my mother an obsessive opera fanatic.

So yes, I showed very strong musical aptitude at a very early age, and yes, I am presently making a career of music.

Mind you, my older brother and sister - raised in the exact same environment - showed no interest or particular ability for any art. Both of them did take music lessons for a time, but neither of them advanced this to any really great degree.

I can come from the opposite tack... both my parents apparently played musical instruments to some degree (my father played guitar and my mother the tenor saxophone), but many years before I was born. At no point in my life have I ever seen either of them or any of my siblings touch a musical instrument, and I've rarely heard any of them sing aloud. Aside from listen to broadcast radio, I had no experience with music whatsoever, and my environment was completely otherwise devoid of any musical influence.

I took a summer beginning-level instrument class when I was 10, and that was the start of my musical career. I knew by the third day of class, that this is what I was meant to do. By age 13, I had already been hired to play professionally (doing musical theatre, and getting paid for church gigs).

I think your quote is a bit of hoo-haw. Sounds like someone spewing gibberish while trying to get a masters/doctorate.