Recognising talent in music

There are many myths and fallacies which surround the identification of gifted and talented students in music. The most common of these is that musicality is led by musical achievement through examination success. Even the ability to play an instrument at all often solicits the comment that a child is 'musical'. Some suggest that highly developed listening skills and better hearing are an indication of musical talent. These may very well be indicators in those of special ability but it is important to remember that all children have musical potential and there may be latent talent and abilities in many children who do not have access to instrumental teaching and who may lack the supportive home environment in which their parents, or carers, make music themselves.

Indicators of talent in music may be more clearly identified by a child's intense motivation or commitment, temperament and through aspects of personality, which ultimately are reflected through individuality in their art.

Certain talents in music, such as exceptional ability in performance, are much more readily identified in students who have already received instrumental tuition. Latent ability in performance, or abilities as a composer or improviser can be more challenging to identify. In addition, even those identified and recognised as talented instrumentalists tend to be confined to particular styles of music such as western classical which can exclude some pupils who wish to explore other styles of music such as jazz idioms.

Those with particular talent are more likely to withdraw from group activities. These children have a strong internal soundscape and reality that they may wish to develop and control in a more solitary way, similar to artists and writers. Many will enjoy the relationships developed through one-to-one teaching, particularly when there is an empathic relationship with the teacher.

In using these indicators, the teacher will have to make a judgment in comparison with the typical performance of a child of similar age. The National Curriculum levels may be an aid in this and they can be broken down into several strands reflecting achievement in performance, composition and creative work and progress in listening activities.

The music indicators:

Pupils with talent in music will show evidence of particular ability by:

• A strong sense of self and personal identity and emotional fulfilment through music
• Bringing their own original and imaginative internal musical ideas to their music making and communicating them to a wider audience
• Having a special form of sensitivity and feeling, and a need to externalise musical ideas in an expressive way, both in their playing and their compositions
• An ability to demonstrate a higher level of discernment, intuition and response to both their own musical ideas and the ideas of others
• Demonstrating a concentration in playing and performance that almost seems to exclude others as they become absorbed in their own expressive world but still able to communicate (Many exceptionally gifted children may wish to work alone when given creative tasks in the classroom rather than engage in group work with others).
• Showing a passion and a drive when performing, coupled in some cases with a strong identification with a chosen instrument and its sound and qualities
• Showing the ability to improvise creatively and expressively
• Showing a particularly high ability in recalling sounds, imitating musical ideas and conveying them accurately, though not necessarily through singing (However, it should be noted that although aural capacities may be important in identification they may not necessarily be a reliable indicator of musical ability just as Musical Ability Tests may not clearly identify all those highly talented individuals).
• Having a clear idea of what they wish to play and learn, together with developing a sense of direction in creating their own repertoire of musical material or ideas, both in performance interpretation and composition