1.4. Adult education
From another perspective, Simultaneous learning is a teaching philosophy, created by Paul Harris, that integrates all aspects of music education into a cohesive learning process. Instead of teaching skills like theory, technique, and sight-reading in isolation, this approach connects them, enabling students to understand music holistically. By building on what students already know, it encourages logical progression and creativity through activities before engaging with written music. The approach emphasizes four key pillars —posture, sound quality, rhythm, and expressiveness— fostering confident, expressive musicianship in a positive and engaging environment (P. Harris, 2014).
The principles of Simultaneous Learning align well with the andragogical model presented by Knowles et al., (2015), which emphasizes self-directed, experiential, and goal-oriented learning for adults. In the context of adult music education, this means creating learning experiences that are immediately relevant, flexible, and rooted in personal musical goals. Adults benefit from integrated approaches that connect ear training to repertoire and offer tools to overcome challenges. Beginning to play by ear can be very motivating for them, as this removes the difficulty of being dependent on a score or notation, which requires a lot of work to understand at first.
By embedding aural skills into meaningful musical contexts and promoting problem-solving —core elements of both Simultaneous Learning and adult education— educators can offer a learning experience that is not only musically holistic but also personally empowering and deeply motivating for adult learners. The ultimate goal is to foster a holistic approach to learning, where students gain a well-rounded understanding of music as an interconnected whole.