Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom

1. Debate over traditional Western notation vs. alternative systems
Many commenters argue that standard staff notation is unnecessarily hard to learn and propose alternatives that separate theory from symbols.
- IvanK_net: “I think that you can learn music theory … much faster if you skip the classic notation. And I think that it is even better to learn the notation AFTER you understand the music theory.”
- song_synth: “I use something called ‘harmonic coloring’ … You color a note by its functional role (harmonic value) rather than an arbitrary hue in 0‑11.”

Defenders stress its historical rationale and universal utility.
- bonzini: “[the video] explains why music notation is the way it is. There are very good reasons for it.”
- dfltr: “learning the slightly clunky but universally‑known written language is generally the way to go.”

2. Western‑centric scope and lack of non‑Western coverage
Several participants note that the book (and much of Western music theory education) ignores or marginalizes other musical traditions.
- SeanLuke: “there is essentially no discussion of music theory in other cultures (middle eastern, african, east asian, indian)…”
- aanet (agreeing): “To me, that above ^ looks like the biggest gap.”
- viccis: “Anecdotally, I know a few people who spent decades working on and/or teaching middle eastern music … and they struggle greatly to find music departments in the US who will hire them.”

3. Skepticism about the “21st‑Century Classroom” label
Readers question whether the material lives up to its modern‑era branding, seeing it as outdated or lacking contemporary topics.
- tantalor: “Very cool but what does this have to do with ‘21st‑Century Classroom’? Is that just a meaningless phrase to make it sound modern, not old‑fashioned?”
- cbondurant: “I was hoping to see if by ‘21st‑Century’ it meant ‘music theory that is applicable to the way modern music is generally written and interacted with’…. Nope! Just the same old….”
- waffletower: “How can this be fairly labelled ‘for the 21st‑Century Classroom’ when even 20th‑century techniques aren't adequately represented? Electronic and computer music techniques are conspicuously absent.”