Music Literacy Isn’t Elitist — It’s Essential
One of the great myths of the male choir world is that “we don’t read music” is somehow a badge of honour.
I had a tenor once tell me he’d been in the choir for 20 years and still couldn’t read a note. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Let’s do some quick maths. Forty-five rehearsals a year, two hours each, for twenty years. That’s 1,800 hours. And not once did he wonder what all the dots and squiggles meant?
We’re not asking every singer to reach Grade 8. But understanding the basics — key signatures, rhythms, intervals — saves so much time. You rehearse smarter. You perform better. You feel more confident.
More importantly, it’s appealing. Imagine telling a potential recruit: “We’ll teach you to read music.” That’s a skill. A value-add. Something to show for your effort.
Learning music is like learning a language. And the benefits are profound—not just musically, but socially, cognitively, emotionally. Let’s stop pretending it’s elitist and start making it standard.
