Thoughts on Tone Deafness
The October 2005 issue of BBC Music features a fine column by Lauren Stewart on the topic of amusia, commonly referred to as tone-deafness. Her description of the condition parallels amusia with certain types of color-blindness in which people cannot distinguish between two given colors. Likewise, people with true tone-deafness generally cannot perceive changes in pitch. It is commonly thought that around 14% of people claim to be tone-deaf. But if Stewart's definition of amusia is accurate, then it must be assumed that far more people claim to be tone-deaf than actually are.
Stewart reasons, and I agree, that most people identify as tone-deaf either out of a simple lack of training in vocal pitch reproduction or a shyness in doing so for others. Thus, over time, the scientific description of tone-deafness has been supplanted by a vaguer social one. I'm sure we've all met people who fall into this mischaracterization of amusia--the friend at the karaoke bar who absolutely refuses to take the microphone, for example. But more often than not, when this person sings, they prove that they at least can distinguish and reproduce pitch changes, even if awkwardly.
The University of Newcastle in Britain has done research into the phenomena, proving first and foremost that Newcastle is home to more than just fine brown ale. Newcastle's results showed that almost all people with amusia require a change in pitch of over a semitone before they can recognize the change, while some require up to ten semitones before hearing the difference. Ten semitones! On the other hand, people without amusia could usually hear pitch differences of less than a semitone, with some people hearing changes down to a tenth of a semitone. The difference is profound, as high level amusia renders every piece of Western music unintelligible to the listener. The American National Institute of Health has also found a strong genetic component to amusia, leading us further away from the idea that tone-deafness occurs as a result of a lack of exposure to or participation in quality music.
More striking still are the ramifications that this sort of tone-deafness has on a person's comprehension of the nuances of speech. In Western languages, of course, people rely on inflections of pitch to indicate subtle changes in the meaning of a given word--we use it to separate a question from a statement, for instance, or sarcasm from something genuine. While most people would probably learn to sense these differences through facial expressions, they would be at a loss when listening to someone over the telephone, for instance. This problem is made doubly challenging for speakers of Mandarin or Vietnamese, in which a given word may mean five or six wholly different things depending on its pitch inflections.
Many people with amusia cannot recognize common melodies except by rhythm and often perceive music as simple noise. But as musicians with profound hearing loss have proven, nearly anyone can still participate in music through sensations of rhythm and vibration--most famously in the case of Evelyn Glennie. As we learn more about this phenomena, then, our view of students whom we too easily toss off as tone-deaf must necessarily evolve. If we fail to impart to these students why music is worth loving and do not find ways to give them at least some tools for interacting with it, then our creativity as educators has likewise failed.
Stewart reasons, and I agree, that most people identify as tone-deaf either out of a simple lack of training in vocal pitch reproduction or a shyness in doing so for others. Thus, over time, the scientific description of tone-deafness has been supplanted by a vaguer social one. I'm sure we've all met people who fall into this mischaracterization of amusia--the friend at the karaoke bar who absolutely refuses to take the microphone, for example. But more often than not, when this person sings, they prove that they at least can distinguish and reproduce pitch changes, even if awkwardly.
The University of Newcastle in Britain has done research into the phenomena, proving first and foremost that Newcastle is home to more than just fine brown ale. Newcastle's results showed that almost all people with amusia require a change in pitch of over a semitone before they can recognize the change, while some require up to ten semitones before hearing the difference. Ten semitones! On the other hand, people without amusia could usually hear pitch differences of less than a semitone, with some people hearing changes down to a tenth of a semitone. The difference is profound, as high level amusia renders every piece of Western music unintelligible to the listener. The American National Institute of Health has also found a strong genetic component to amusia, leading us further away from the idea that tone-deafness occurs as a result of a lack of exposure to or participation in quality music.
More striking still are the ramifications that this sort of tone-deafness has on a person's comprehension of the nuances of speech. In Western languages, of course, people rely on inflections of pitch to indicate subtle changes in the meaning of a given word--we use it to separate a question from a statement, for instance, or sarcasm from something genuine. While most people would probably learn to sense these differences through facial expressions, they would be at a loss when listening to someone over the telephone, for instance. This problem is made doubly challenging for speakers of Mandarin or Vietnamese, in which a given word may mean five or six wholly different things depending on its pitch inflections.
Many people with amusia cannot recognize common melodies except by rhythm and often perceive music as simple noise. But as musicians with profound hearing loss have proven, nearly anyone can still participate in music through sensations of rhythm and vibration--most famously in the case of Evelyn Glennie. As we learn more about this phenomena, then, our view of students whom we too easily toss off as tone-deaf must necessarily evolve. If we fail to impart to these students why music is worth loving and do not find ways to give them at least some tools for interacting with it, then our creativity as educators has likewise failed.
posted by Qualario at 10:52 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home