Beyond Notes
BEYOND NOTES – Unlocking the Creative and Emotional Power through Music
The ANORA Method: A Psychodynamic Exploration for Artistic Education and Creative Development
What is music? Are musicians born or made? What is creativity, imagination, and expressive-representational thought? Where does musical invention come from? What is composition? Improvisation? Can everyone make music, play, or sing? Is it a privilege or a right? Can art and profession coexist? Can one learn faster? These and other questions form the starting point of a research journey where philosophical considerations about how we think about music go hand in hand with practical and professional suggestions on composition, arrangement, performance, education, and more.
The book offers artistic, methodological, and historical insights, focusing on the psychological and psychoacoustic aspects of the themes addressed. The Psychodynamic Music Education and Development is the culmination of this extensive research and practice, which gave birth to the ANORA method (ANORA is an Italian acronym for “non-rational approach”). It aims to explore and develop one’s original artistic identity.
This method is built on extensive artistic and professional experience and profound research in psychology, psychoacoustics, and art. It focuses mainly on creative processes, human reactions to sound, and expressive-representational thought. Through personalized and practical tools, ANORA provides a pathway for musicians, educators, mentors, and students to develop their talents faster than traditional methods. This is achieved through learning based on relationships, which aligns with a vision of education founded on creative human interaction.
The ANORA method starts from the belief that music belongs to everyone and everyone can make music according to their abilities, with important socio-political implications. Music is not a race to the top; the real challenge lies in “reaching” others through sound. It is necessary to question the musician as presented by the dominant culture, escape the trap of virtuosity, and embrace music as a relationship between human imaginations. This human need distinguishes us from animals and has accompanied us since the dawn of humanity.
It is a holistic approach supported by new scientific considerations and significant discoveries about human reality. This approach transcends traditional teaching frameworks, rules, and techniques pursued as ends in themselves. It proposes a “non-rational” approach, a mindset in which the term “non” highlights the presence of human imagination—an invisible yet perceptible force. This approach offers a new way of thinking, living, creating, and “teaching” music at every level.
It is a poetics that positions music as a way of life, transcending cultural barriers and any affiliation with a specific genre, reaffirming the equality that stems from our shared origins. The aim is to value what lies beyond the material sounds, even though expression occurs through them. It seeks the essence of music—to go beyond the notes. Music is not merely sound but a reflection of humanity, a bridge between imaginations, and a journey to explore the infinite creativity that unites us all.
This exploration is deeply rooted in the extensive artistic and professional experience of its author, Tony Carnevale. Since his youth, he has worked in various music areas while pursuing a personal musical production that has earned him international recognition. He has collaborated with renowned artists and major record labels, producing works characterized by originality and the ability to traverse different musical genres and professional roles. His groundbreaking ANORA method embodies his vision of music as a universal force for transformation.
Tony Carnevale is an internationally recognized composer, mentor, and educator, with over 40 years of artistic and pedagogical experience, and research on psychoacoustics and the psychological aspects of musical language. World-class artists and major record labels have collaborated with him throughout a career that spans all areas of music application—from discography and television, to cinema, dance, and theater. More at www.tonycarnevale.world and www.anora.it
The book includes a foreword by Simone Scazzocchio, a Berklee College of Music in Boston professor.
It is also available on Amazon.com
