I remembered that I refused to learn to read sheet music for years because I had what is often called “perfect pitch.” I could and still can hear sounds and match them to relative pitches, rhythmic patterns, and expressions. I naturally used this skill instead of learning to read. When I was given a new piece to learn I would hear and memorize what the teacher was playing and repeat it. I fooled everyone including my parents and teachers for several years.
I am proud of my first organic defiance in music schooling. I also wonder what would have been like if I never learned to read sheet music. Would I have gravitated toward non-Western classical music making? What would that have sounded like? This piece “Hearing things” does not answer but addresses these questions.
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