A few years ago I had an interesting email exchange with a well-known music theorist who has taken an interest in disability. Replying to his questioning why I was interested in it my answer was that disability has alerted us to the extent to which conformity distracts from real learning by reducing singular works by singular individuals to a set of rules and procedures.
What does it take to direct a person's attention to the source? To get a child to feel confident that music is an inter-personal communication, not something objectified, standardized?
It takes attentiveness to and support of the child's ear.
Sounds simple. Takes time.
