Ear training means to train and develop his own ear, that is the practice of recognizing the notes and other exercises to develop the sense of musical color and the relation among the sounds.  In the Keyboards for Christ Music Program we train children to develop their own ears in the Ensemble time where one group will play a note and the other group will then choose the note on their keyboards and play the note back.  Like a ball bouncing back and forth. We also incorporate the element of  Harmony by one group playing a note then the other groups sounding notes in 'harmony' which is one of the three elements of music. A single note or sound is melody when combined with more than one it forms harmony.

Written music, or notation Goes back to the Greeks.

Ancient works of art that have been uncovered show us that music goes back as early as 4000 B.C. But the earliest form of written music with symbols has been traced to the ancient Greeks who used letters of the alphabet to represent musical tones. This music was written down for choruses who sang and for musicians who played early harp and wind instruments.

Among the many extraordinary treasures that have been dug from the sands of Egypt are the musical papyri: scraps of papyrus (the ancient equivalent of paper) containing musical notation. While it is certainly true that we do not know specifically what the melodies of Sappho sounded like, or the choruses of Sophocles, the frequent complaint that ancient Greek music is "lost" is overstated.

In fact, we know quite a lot: we know a great deal about the rhythms of the music, since these are reflected in the metrical patterns of Greek verse. We know much about the musical system, that is, how the scales were conceived and the like, since by a near miracle the works of several Greek musical theorists survive. We can infer much about the instruments, using as evidence surviving fragments of ancient instruments, depictions on vases and wall paintings, literary descriptions, and cross-cultural comparison.

Most spectacularly, though, we also know something of the melodies, since over 30 melodies or collections of melodies come down to us. A couple are passed down through the medieval tradition. Five are preserved on stone inscriptions. The rest, however, survive on the waste paper of antiquity -- papyrus -- and many of these papyri have been published only recently. Most are very fragmentary, preserving only a few notes here, a couple of phrases there; but the sum of the parts does, in fact, give us a vivid idea of how ancient music sounded.

Indeed, these are heady times for students of ancient music. The gradual accumulation of evidence permits us to begin to sketch with some specificity what ancient music was like, particularly for early Roman empire (the first and second centuries AD). The music of those times was, in a word, extravagant-- sinuous, florid, even histrionic.

Music staff : symbols and musical notation

Western music is usually written on a staff.

People were talking long before they invented writing. People were also making music long before anyone wrote any music down. Some musicians still play “by ear” (without written music), and some music traditions rely more on improvisation and/or “by ear” learning. But written music is very useful, for many of the same reasons that written words are useful. Music is easier to study and share if it is written down. Western music specializes in long, complex pieces for large groups of musicians singing or playing parts exactly as a composer intended. Without written music, this would be too difficult. Many different types of music notation have been invented, and some, such as tablature, are still in use. By far the most widespread way to write music, however, is on a staff. In fact, this type of written music is so ubiquitous that it is called common notation.

The Staff

The staff (plural staves) is written as five horizontal parallel lines. Most of the notes of the music are placed on one of these lines or in a space in between lines. Extra ledger lines may be added to show a note that is too high or too low to be on the staff. Vertical bar lines divide the staff into short sections called measures or bars. A double bar line, either heavy or light, is used to mark the ends of larger sections of music, including the very end of a piece, which is marked by a heavy double bar.

The five horizontal lines are the lines of the staff. In between the lines are the spaces. If a note is above or below the staff, ledger lines are added to show how far above or below. Shorter vertical lines are bar lines. The most important symbols on the staff, the clef symbol, key signature and time signature, appear at the beginning of the staff.

Many different kinds of symbols can appear on, above, and below the staff. The notes and rests are the actual written music. Other symbols on the staff, like the clef symbol, the key signature, and the time signature, tell you important information about the notes and measures. Symbols that appear above and below the music may tell you how fast it goes (tempo markings), how loud it should be (dynamic markings), where to go next (repeats, for example) and even give directions for how to perform particular notes (accents, for example).

Other Symbols on the Staff

A notes stands for a sound; a rest stands for a silence. There are many other symbols on and around the staff that give directions for playing the music; the most important of these symbols give the clef, the key signature, and the time signature. But it is the notes and rests that are the actual written music. 

The bar lines divide the staff into short sections called bars or measures. The notes (sounds) and rests (silences) are the written music. Many other symbols may appear on, above, or below the staff, giving directions for how to play the music.