Public Spark

Value of auditory learning

My teacher was a great musician, able to listen to a piece of music and notate the music. Often new music would be sent from Japan via tape and without a music sheet. He would listen to it and write the notation in a book he made for all the students. Master Kineya Kichisaburo would teach auditory learning as well. During nagauta singing lessons for example, he would sing the new music part first. I would learn without music sheets, relying solely on listening to his singing. He would then sing with me the first time and then I would have to sing the new part on my own. These lessons have helped me to sharpen my ear rather than solely relying on reading music.

Dedication leads to influence

My teacher had great musical talents, but he was also a hard worker. Even when he was sick, I never saw him stop practicing. If he had stayed in Japan, I have no doubt that he would have been Japan’s Living National Treasure (Japanese government designates certain individuals or groups of great cultural value). He had over 1000 songs (music and lyrics) memorized. Most songs are at least 30 minutes long.

He went to great lengths to preserve this Japanese culture and many students wanted to learn from him. Although he lived in Gardena, California he had students in Oceanside, California in addition to Los Angeles area. He drove 160 miles roundtrip every week to teach his Oceanside students.