Music Theory: What is it and why do I care?
Hello all!
If you’re seeing this, it’s because you are a Kanogisdi Music student. If you know anything about me, you know these will be few and far between as time allows. I would like to try and begin each month with an educational blog post though, so be on the lookout.
February 2026
Music Theory: What is it and why do I care?
Music theory is the study of how music works and is presented. Things like reading sheet music, understanding chord structure, and writing sheet music fall into this massive subject. There are many levels to music theory study, but here are a few reasons why you should learn at least a basic amount...
READING SHEET MUSIC:
Reading sheet music seems trivial to some singers. Why should I learn to read sheet music if I can listen to a song and repeat it? But what happens if you can’t find a good recording? What if listening to a single recording repeatedly influences your artistry?
Being able to distill the original melody and then add your own artistic flair without having to unlearn someone else’s style is incredibly important as a singer. If you aren’t writing your own music, then you’re singing something that has been done before. If you want to be original and stand out, you must get used to making your own choices.
Being able to recognize chord structure helps with learning and memorizing your music. It can be helpful to see and recognize notes in your music, or in the accompanying parts that you can either reference later or rely on to hear your next notes.
Reading sheet music is good for your brain! In a study done by the National Institute of Health, research showed that reading sheet music makes you better and faster at reading and recognizing words.
Being able to read sheet music is also helpful for collaboration with other artists. Being able to mark your audition cuts for a pianist, or make changes to a score with others, is incredibly useful for a performing musician. It also helps when looking for music for auditions, as some versions of songs are different from others.
BECOMING A BETTER MUSICIAN:
Being able to recognize chord changes, scale patterns, and rhythms will help you become a better musician. It will be easier to learn, memorize, and improvise while performing if you know “your scales and your arpeggios” (thanks Marie!). If you can recognize musical patterns, then they become easier to memorize and perform. If you can recognize musical patterns and then apply the proper knowledge of music theory, you can create your own music and improvise over pre-existing tunes.
HOW CAN I LEARN MORE MUSIC THEORY?
Well, dear student, I have many things that can help you. There’s a website called musictheory.net that has exercises and resources. There are note matching exercises, note naming, and pitch matching aural exercises. Musictheory.net also has lessons on music theory including rhythm, pitch, scales, chords, and much more.
There are plenty of books on music theory that you can buy. A few of my favorites are:
The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis
Music Fundamentals: A Balanced Approach by Sumy Takesue
Music Theory for Non-Majors by Peter Spencer
The Complete Musician by Steven G Lates
You can also find Music Theory training on YouTube with channels like:
Michael New
Pianote
Music Matters
Be cautious of YouTube channels. Many of them may advertise “all you need to know” or “complete” music theory courses, but there’s always more out there!
Or, you can join one of my music classes that includes music theory training:
Piano Lessons ($40/hr or $30 for 30 min)
Music Theory Classes Online ($40/month for 4 months)
Kanogisdi Choir ($30/month for 3 months)
Tea Time with Tae ($60/month for 2 months)
All of these classes are for musicians of all ages and backgrounds. I want the best for all of my students and I encourage them to try new things. To register, check out expressionsarts.com/classes-and-lessons If there’s something that’s interesting to you but out of your price range (or bad for your schedule), please reach out to me. I’d rather help you succeed than deny you for financial reasons. I can also change class times or start a second session on a different day/time if there is enough interest.
Music theory is a very useful tool for any musician. I encourage you to spend at least 30 minutes this week actively researching music theory and see how it changes the way you approach your studies.
I hope you’re having a great week! Happy practicing!!
-- Mrs. Tae
Bibliography
Pantaleo, Arcuri, Manfredi, Proverbio. “Music literacy improves reading skills via bilateral orthographic development” National Library of Medicine. Published Feb 12, 2024.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10861541/