Prioritizing Division

Left Frontal Lobe

• Set goals for studying or listening to music
• Break goals down into manageable steps
• Prioritize activities needed to achieve goals
• Do first things first
• Utilize willpower to achieve musical goals
• Abstract meaning from music
• Analyze music for theory, compositional components, purpose, message, and functionality
• Assign labels for music and musical signs
• Direct the basal left to store and recall signs
• Tend to prefer powerful, majestic, structured, or mathematical music (e.g., Bach)
• Want to be in charge of lessons, music selections, and performance
• Performs music with control

Envisioning Division

Right Frontal Lobe

• Interested in the big picture musically
• Envision change (e.g., free harmonizations)
• Create something new (e.g., composition)
• Enjoy variety (e.g., improvisational jazz)
• Innovate to avoid routine and boredom
• Risk breaking the rules (e.g., dissonance)
• Contribute spontaneity and surprise
• Tend toward unusual and/or dramatic performance
• May perform better than expected based on previous practice sessions
• May skip sequential details in exchange for concentrating on the overall performance
• Dislike routine practice, following precise, directions, and can become quickly bored
• May become totally absorbed and lose all track of time when practicing, if interested
• Tend to enjoy new, innovative, unusual music (e.g., jazz, baroque, dissonance)
• Performs with abandon (can get carried away)
• May move and swing body with music

Maintaining Division

Left Posterior Lobes

• Learns the building blocks of music (e.g., chord structure, time/key signatures, notes, rests, ornamentation, scales, arpeggios)
• Recalls musical labels
• Hears and reads words and translates them into something that has meaning
• Follows the rules of music (e.g., writing, transposing, composing, harmonizing)
• Memorizes music precisely and can easily play from memory
• Pays attention to details (e.g., counting, key signatures, accidentals, mm guidelines)
• Sight reads (e.g., recognize and interpret signs that represent sounds)
• Conforms to lesson and practice schedules
• Tends to need written music in order to play
• Likes familiar music (e.g., traditional, martial)
• Performs music with restraint and attention to detail/directions

Harmonizing Division

Right Posterior Lobes

• Likes to talk about the music with others
• Wants to please (e.g., teacher, audience) and is very sensitive to actual/perceived criticism
• Tends to get discouraged when the music doesn’t sound right or when makes mistakes
• Reads the body language of others (e.g., teacher, other musicians, audience)
• Is sensitive to emotions contained in the music
• Understands symbols in relation to musical expression (e.g., patriotic songs, love songs)
• Plays musical instruments by ear
• Tends to prefer music that:
  • Tells a story (e.g., country, folk, blues)
  • Is rhythmical (e.g., waltzes, toe-tapping)
  • Has a melody line and harmonious sounds
• Plays with rhythm (e.g., syncopation)
• May move body to the music (e.g., dance) or tap toes in time with the rhythm
• Performs music with emotion and feeling