| Your college prof may be making a big deal about because its part of job security and retirement plans.
Seriously, as far as playing by ear, there is probably no real reason to think about it in these terms. However, it is important if you plan to communicate to other musicians, either in written form, or in explaining how something is to be played.
Understanding music theory and all the other things that your prof will be talking is best served by remembering that music theory is an "after the fact" piece of information. In other words, music is created (by whatever means, composing or improvising) and then, at a later time, someone tries to explain and communicate what has happened... there you have music theory. So, to understand how music WAS created, music theory is very important.... to know what you are going to create, your head, heart and ear are more important than past information.
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Never confuse beauty with things that put your mind at ease. -Charles E. Ives
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