Music and Dissonance (12/13/24)
Dissonance in music is the resulting sound when two pitches are played together or sequentially causing a clash that is generally considered disagreeable to the ear. As one hears the moment of dissonance, one is compelled to move forward to a more harmonious interval. This more consonant sound is known as its "resolution." The musical concept of dissonance is taught very early in the Suzuki Piano repertoire.
As we teach our Suzuki music students to play by ear, many piano students are unknowingly affected by the occurrence of dissonance. An example of this is in m. 11 of French Children's Song, the 6th piece in Book 1. In this measure on the 4th quarter note, there is a minor 7th between the Left Hand sol (G) and the Right Hand fa (F). If the teacher points out this particular moment, and the student hears the dissonance and learns that it is intentional by the composer, the measure is learned smoothly. Without this awareness of dissonance, many students stumble in this measure. Children hear the dissonance and consciously or subconsciously try to avoid the dissonance and thus, play the wrong notes. The presence of dissonance is a learning moment.
Dissonance in music allows for added richness to the harmonic progressions of a piece. By its nature, dissonance pushes the music forward so that a more pleasing sound can be reached, the resolution. Composers use dissonance strategically to create musical tension that serves to drive the music forward towards resolution. This flow of the music can be used as a metaphor for our lives and can be a life lesson for our students.
In the early stages of our Suzuki learning, we guide our students through many small steps and successfully build the foundation for more advanced techniques. Often the beginning student finds these lessons easily accomplished and is eager to move forward. This is the design of the Suzuki pedagogy and the training courses our Suzuki teachers receive. Our task as Suzuki teachers is to create as smooth a path as possible consisting of many small steps that the student must successfully integrate into their technique. There comes a time in every student's learning, that they come to a task that is more difficult. In spite of our responsibility as Suzuki teachers to break this task into smaller steps, there is still the "teaching moment" when the student must venture outside of their comfort zone. This could be for a "global learner" a moment where they must learn to start in a specific spot in the music that is neither the beginning, beginning of a section, nor even beginning of a phrase. This moment of discomfort is stressful for the student and feels disorienting. At that very moment, learning how to start right at that spot requires trusting the Suzuki teacher to guide them through. As we Suzuki teachers all know, learning how to focus on a troublesome spot precisely and specifically is an invaluable technique. In this situation, it is a true life example of creating a "dissonance" and with patience and guidance from the teacher, the student achieves a key learning moment. We often describe this as a "lightbulb" moment, when a student discovers that something that was very difficult has now been achieved.
Overcoming these challenges and creating discomfort is something the teacher must strategically plan. Too much challenge can lead to discouragement, but the absence of any discomfort, might be that the student is deprived of some key learning opportunities and self-discovery. Encouraging children to sometimes venture from a dissonant moment that requires hard work and many small steps that is then followed by a resolution, can lead to growth in self-esteem and confidence. While this happens in learning music, it also happens in real life. We must not avoid dissonance completely but acknowledge its presence. We can create dissonant moments or we can observe dissonances as opportunities to grow through working step by step towards resolutions. In this way, our lives flow like music with both tension and release.