Finding the Middleway
As the French composer Berlioz once said: “Music is free, it does what it wants, and without permission!” We agree completely. That’s why we created the Middleway Method. To show that freedom and originality are not at odds with music education, but should be emphasized and incorporated from the start.
The critical element is balance—a search for the middle ground between opposing tendencies in musical education:
- Ear vs. Theory
- Feel vs. Technique
- Inspiration vs. Discipline
- Intuition vs. Intellect
- Innovation vs. Tradition
None of these is possible without the other, and all of them contribute to good musicianship. It is not a question of good or bad, right or wrong, but one of timing, emphasis, relevance, and individual style. The richest musical education is neither too rigid nor too free, pure pain or pure play, but a continuous process of observation, change, and refinement. To emphasize each of these opposites accordingly, and help the student discover their own voice in the process, that is our goal at Middleway.
– NIELS BOHR