De Centrale is one of the few places in Flanders with a range of courses in World Music. The way in which De Centrale tries to reflect the cultural diversity in Ghent through its stage programming and its approach to the pedagogical process makes these music workshops unique.
Traditional music is often an oral tradition that is passed down from musician to musician, from master to apprentice, which is why the pedagogical approach needs to be different from classical music or jazz.
Learning melodies by ear is therefore an important aspect, and other aspects related to certain music styles such as embellishments, improvisations, and modes/makams also come into play.
While you can learn a melody from sheet music, embellishments cannot be learned without listening to an experienced musician, whether it's live or through a recording.
At De Centrale, we believe that an ideal and progressive pedagogical method should incorporate a good understanding of both approaches, namely playing based on sheet music and playing by ear.
Coming from a background as performing musicians, our "masters" familiarize their "apprentices" with these two methods and provide them with all the basic skills to become true musicians themselves.