In the career of a musician, developing aural skills is a personal process, starting at an early age, and ever evolving over the course of one’s lifetime. In institutions of Higher Music Education, the teaching of aural skills has traditionally served to facilitate the correct reproduction of score-based music, being strongly pitch-based and restricted to the development of the imagination of what is written. In the currently changing landscape of music, I propose that we pay more attention to the development of creative aural imagination, a strong aural connection to one’s instrument, sensitivity to sound, and include the use of improvisational elements as a catalyst for learning. In this presentation, I discuss a few cutting-edge innovations in the teaching of aural skills, as they are currently being implemented at the NUS Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. This includes the development of an online teaching and learning guide that enables blended learning.

WORKSHOP SESSION: Improvisation Workshop