The thinking mind learns language by rote, and the musical mind learns its native language by rote. The thinking mind, immersed in language, begins to interact in that language. The musical mind, immersed in the mother tongue of meter, tonality, and movement, begins to interact in that language. The thinking mind responds as a parrot, then as a generator of ideas. The musical mind responds as a parrot, then as a generator of musical ideas.
The thinking mind that has learned language through the written rather than spoken word has missed an essential dimension in developing literacy. The musical mind that has learned to decode notation without learning to engage the body and voice in meter, tonality, and movement has missed an essential dimension in developing music literacy. An active body and voice are much more powerful vehicles to musicality than notation.
