In Harlem, New York, I had the privilege of connecting with the @MamaFoundation. They do fantastic work nurturing and promoting African American theatre, gospel and jazz. My experience with @VyHigginsen and her incredible team of gospel musicians was a timely reminder of the power of music’s aural tradition. This is when musical knowledge, skills, and repertoire are passed down from generation to generation through listening, imitation, and memory rather than written notation. Although music notation has great value, nothing can replace the musicality of experiencing the music at its source. Being in Harlem, hearing the sounds, breathing the air, seeing everyone go about their daily lives, and then, like magic, experiencing the art derived from that can not be scored, taught or explained. During our workshop with the Mama Foundation, the Roedean girls naturally imitated the singers’ sound, inflictions and phrasing, producing an authentic gospel sound I could never teach. Traditional pedagogy and music notation are important in choral education but they can never ignite your artistic and musical senses the way cross-cultural human interaction can.