Author: Rebecca Payne Shockley

Publisher: A-R Editions, 2001.

As a piano teacher, I have often groped for ways to communicate the essence of a piece of music to a student, and for ways to help them understand the structure. Mapping Music provides a vehicle for doing just that. In a surprisingly simple, direct, and logical manner, Rebecca Shockley outlines and demonstrates the basic mapping techniques that will aid teachers and students alike in their study of new repertoire.

The Idea

The book draws on research into how people learn and remember. More than just a visual approach, mapping encourages improvisatory and functional skills such as transposition and sight-reading. Research shows that material organized by the learner in some fashion improves the ability to learn and remember the material. Developing maps following a few simple guidelines allows the student to learn material in a way that results in personal ownership of that material.

The Process

The mapping approach that Shockley demonstrates is based on a few simple procedures involving timelines. After first studying the music away from the keyboard, the student quickly draws a basic map and attempts to play the piece (or section) by looking at the map (but not the music). The map may be refined after the initial experience, with more details added as needed.

When I first got the book, I decided to try the procedure with some of the easier pieces and maps provided in the book. I deliberately tried pieces I had not played or taught before. The experience was a revelation; it is amazing how much can be remembered with only minimal cues for reminders.

The Layout

I love the way this book is designed. The publisher provides an excellent book to be used at the keyboard - the spiral binding allows for use on the music rack, lying nice and flat. The consistent layout of the musical score on the left page, map on the right, makes using the book and trying out the maps a piece of cake. The scores and maps are clean, easy to read, and pleasing to the eye.

Using the Book

I have already found this book to be very helpful in my teaching. The approach is flexible enough that it can be adapted to a number of situations. One of my students, a seventh grader, made a map of the exposition of the Beethoven Op. 49, No. 1 sonata after the first lesson, and returned to the next lesson, playing from the map! Often I will use a modified mapping technique in a lesson, drawing a simple timeline and having the student fill in the aspects of the piece that I would like for them to understand.

What Else?

The map examples illustrate a variety of methods and symbols that can be used. Different symbols are used depending on the type of piece and the patterns in the piece. The more a student knows and understands theory, the broader his mapping vocabulary will be. Map examples use letter note names, chord symbols, lines, arrows and other graphical symbols, abbreviations for repeats and ornaments, and other features from the music that might aid in memorization. My own tendency in drawing maps is to outline linear patterns from measure to measure -- kind of a pseudo-Schenkerian approach. The mapping technique is flexible and open enough to allow for a wide variety of individual approaches.

Almost all of the musical examples are familiar teaching pieces. Maps of some moderately advanced pieces are included (e.g., Field Nocturne, CPE Bach Solfeggietto, Ginastera Creole Dance), but it would be interesting to see some general maps of very long pieces (e.g., Beethoven Sonatas, Chopin Ballades).

Conclusion

The best way to experience Mapping Music is to get hold of a copy and start using it. The direct simplicity of the approach means that the average reader can start using it right away without a steep learning curve. The benefits of using it are high, and I would recommend it to teachers and students alike.

Mapping Music is available from amazon.com.