The Importance of Clearing Useless Information in Music Education

Primary Goal of Scientific Music Pedagogy.

Imagine a teacher or student lost in the chaos of notes and musical tasks, much like the person in this illustration. This mess symbolizes a cluttered learning environment: theatrics, unnecessary theory, composer biographies, noisy instruments, and monophonic singing that lead students away from genuine musical understanding.

The core idea of the Soft Mozart system is to organize and eliminate the unnecessary, just as the person in the illustration must clear the clutter on their path to understanding music. We aim to build a clear and simple structure, where each element has its place and purpose. Only in such a clean process can effective growth and development occur.

Like the importance of clean hands in medicine, we believe that a clean approach to music education leads to true mastery. When music becomes clear and accessible, students no longer feel overwhelmed—they can create freely and confidently.

This illustration represents a vital step: to remove chaos and focus on what truly matters—direct interaction with notes and sounds. Only through this approach can musical thinking be built from scratch, creating a sustainable foundation for future success.

The Scientific Basis for Motivation in Learning

From a scientific perspective, a person’s drive for active learning and internal motivation explains the effectiveness of music lessons. According to Self-Determination Theory and principles of neuropsychology, learning is most effective when it meets three fundamental needs:

Autonomy – The desire to act independently and consciously.

Competence – A sense of mastery in what one does.

Social Connection – Fulfillment through interaction with others.

When someone plays music, they actively engage in the process, combining auditory perception with motor skills and emotional expression. This triggers strong neural activity, enhances cognitive functions, and reinforces motivation. The brain receives positive reinforcement when goals are achieved (for example, performing a piece with fewer errors and minimal delay between sight and motor response), which strengthens the desire to keep learning.

The Teacher’s Role: Synchronizing Perception and Performance

A teacher’s task is to synchronize the perception of pitch and note duration with physical performance. This involves:

Establishing a strong connection between visual note perception and finger movement.

Gradually developing musical thinking, enabling students to understand notes not only as symbols but also as the sounds they represent.

Forming neural connections to coordinate hearing, sight, and motor skills, ensuring confident and conscious music playing.

This approach guarantees deep mastery of the musical system, where reading notes and playing an instrument become a unified process.

Clean Music Education

Music begins with the note—the basic element of musical language, encompassing three key parameters: pitch, duration, and position on the staff. However, many modern educational concepts include superfluous elements, such as theatrics, composer biographies, noisy and monophonic instruments, or singing that does not align with precise sound vibrations.

It is crucial to understand that singing from sheet music without relying on exact vibrations does not foster complete musical thinking. In choral performance, polyphony is often divided into separate voices, but this only utilizes pre-existing skills rather than building them from scratch. This approach deprives students of the opportunity to develop their hearing at the precise pitch perception level, essential for further musical growth.

Other forms of “infection” in education include:

Emphasis on complex theory without practice – Overburdens students with abstract concepts.

Mechanical memorization of pieces – Focuses on recall without understanding.

Demanding instant results – Suppresses natural motivation.

Using only sheet music collections without interactivity – Limits development and fails to track progress.

Restricting repertoire choices – Reduces autonomy and engagement.

Focusing on monophonic instruments or singing – Teaches students to hear only their part.

Turning lessons into a routine – Stifles creativity and improvisation.

Outdated methods without modern technology – Lowers motivation and adaptability.

Excessive competition – Creates stress, fosters comparison, and dampens joy.

Prioritizing commercial interests over learning quality – Shifts focus from educational value to profit.

How This Changes Learning

Just as Semmelweis’s insistence on clean hands saved lives, cleaning music education from unnecessary elements saves the student’s future. This approach makes learning faster, more effective, and joyful. From the first steps, students immerse themselves in the world of music, where they can play and create without being distracted by irrelevant things.

A Clean Approach as the Foundation for Comprehensive Development

We urge educators to avoid any “infection” in the learning process. Introducing unnecessary elements that distract from direct interaction with notes slows progress, distorts musical perception, and impairs the development of cognitive and creative abilities.

Music is not just a skill but a powerful tool for comprehensive personal development. It stimulates memory, thinking, imagination, and coordination, forming essential neural networks for successful learning and personal growth across all areas of life. Clean interaction with notes teaches students not only to play music but also to think, feel, and act consciously and freely.

By avoiding unnecessary information, we create conditions for developing confident, well-rounded individuals capable of solving the most complex tasks. A clean approach to music education becomes not only the foundation of musical mastery but also a cornerstone of personal growth and success.

Bibliography

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Self-Determination Theory: A Macrotheory of Motivation, Development, and Health. New York: Springer.

This book explains how autonomy, competence, and social connection influence motivation and development.

Zatorre, R. J., Chen, J. L., & Penhune, V. B. (2007). When the Brain Plays Music: Auditory-Motor Interactions in Music Perception and Performance. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(7), 547–558.

This article discusses the role of motor-auditory coordination in music education.

Hallam, S. (2010). The Power of Music: Its Impact on Intellectual, Social, and Personal Development in Children and Youth. International Journal of Music Education, 28(3), 269–289.

A study on the educational and cognitive effects of music learning.

Levitin, D. J. (2006). This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. New York: Dutton.

This book explores how music develops the brain and enhances cognitive abilities.

Gordon, E. E. (2007). Learning Sequences in Music: A Contemporary Music Learning Theory. Chicago: GIA Publications.

This work emphasizes the importance of sequential learning in music education.

Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

This book examines the connection between music and the brain, focusing on cognitive and emotional aspects.

Suzuki, S. (1981). Nurtured by Love: A Classical Approach to Talent Education. Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Publishing Co.

A book emphasizing the importance of early music education and intuitive learning through practice.

Swanwick, K. (1999). Teaching Music with Inspiration. London: Routledge.

This book discusses how to make music education creative and engaging.

Publications by Hellene Hiner

Hiner, H. (2018). Becoming a Musician? Easy! LLC Music Vision International.

Hiner, H. The Computer Path to Mozart. In How to Teach Solfeggio in the 21st Century. Publishing House: Klassika-21, Russia. ISBN: 5-89817-166-5.

Gorbunova, I., Zalivadny, M., & Hiner, H. On the Importance of Mathematical Methods in Music Studies and Professional Training of Musicians. Consortium of St. Petersburg University, Russia. ISSN: 2222-5064.

Gorbunova, I. & Hiner, H. Interactive Network Technologies for Music Education in the Digital Age: The “Soft Way to Mozart” Program. Orel State University, Russia. ISSN: 1997-9878.

Gorbunova, I., Zalivadny, M., & Hiner, H. Music-Computer Technologies as an Information Translation System in the Digital Age School. Orel State University, Russia. ISSN: 1997-9878.

Hiner, H. Inclusive Music Education: Methodological Recommendations of the “Soft Way to Mozart” System for Children with Special Needs. Publishing House: Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia. ISBN 978-5-8064-2358-8.

Hiner, H. Key Features of Attention Development and Effective Ways to Enhance It in Children (Music Learning Method “Soft Way to Mozart”). In The Internet and Digital Space: Youth Values Publication, series “The Child in the Modern World.” St. Petersburg, Russia, 2018. Publishing House: Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia. ISBN 978-5-8064-2519-6.

Hiner, H. Motivation as a Key Factor in Successful Music Education: A Case Study of Online Piano and Music Concerts. In The Internet and Digital Space: Youth Values Publication, series “The Child in the Modern World.” St. Petersburg, Russia, 2018. Publishing House: Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia. ISBN 978-5-8064-2519-6.

Hiner, H. Enhancing Self-Esteem and “Soft Learning” as the Key Principles of Music Education with the “Soft Way to Mozart” System. In The Internet and Digital Space: Youth Values Publication, series “The Child in the Modern World.” St. Petersburg, Russia, 2018. Publishing House: Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia.

Gorbunova, I., & Hiner, H. Music Computer Technologies and Interactive Network Systems for Learning Music. II-PLTOXFD-19098-1253, Oxford, UK.

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