The Importance of Listening

Within our classrooms and private teaching it is vital to share with our students that whatever style of music they like, may want to play, or are performing in an ensemble, in order to learn that music and really get a sense of it, they must listen to it. If students want to perform a certain style of music, we must help them develop an awareness of how the music is spoken – the language of that music, through active listening.

In this post, we will discuss the importance of creating opportunities for your students to listen, without distraction, to musical works of diverse styles and genres.

Providing opportunities for our students to listen to high caliber recordings of master musicians helps them to understand what’s possible on their instruments in terms of sound, feel, and technical ability, and what they can strive for. Listening also gives our students a sense of the color palette of their instrument when in the hands of masters.

It may be helpful to think about a few ideas when selecting music to play for your students. We may want to ask, “What do I want my students to experience through this performance?” “What do I want them to get out of the music?”

When selecting music to play for my students, I strive to keep a few things in mind so that our listening time is purposeful and goal oriented.

1) Exposure

Music can be an incredible glimpse into the traditions and practices of diverse people groups, and can be a wonderful way to introduce your students to cultures, practices, and people they may not otherwise be familiar with.

Some years ago, I created an arrangement of a piece by the great Latin composer Johnny Pacheco. The arrangement was of a piece from his early years when he was composing for his charanga orquesta which consisted of two or three violins, flute, piano, bass, and latin percussion. Through listening to and ultimately performing this piece, I was able to expose my students to Cuban music, the charanga orquesta which was popular in Cuba during the early 20th century, and the Cuban musical styles the charanga oquestas performed such as the danzon and cha-cha-cha.

Prior to my lessons and performing this piece, my students had not heard of the charanga orquestas of Cuba, which included strings in a really interesting context!

It is important when thinking along the lines of cultural exposure to approach the subject with sensitivity. Depending on your students’ backgrounds and prior experiences, they may not be sure of what they are hearing or how to react.

It may be necessary to state prior to playing the recording that the music reflects the diverse practices of a specific culture. You may want to remind your students that there are many valid ways to live and create music.

2) Historical importance

I often select music to play for my students that is historically important, for example landmark performances such as Glenn Gould’s recordings of the Goldberg Variations.

This idea might include historically important advances in music or groundbreaking works like Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Charlie Parker’s Charlie Parker with Strings, or Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall.

3) Inspirational

There are times when I pick something funny, novel, or a style I know the students will definitely connect with. This category is less about challenging them and more about getting them excited about their instruments and playing.

4) Listening for musical elements

At the beginning of a class, I put a piece of music on in my room as students are walking in and unpacking and I allow it to play without talking about it. I allow it to wash over the kids as they are coming in. Some may ask what I am playing and others may not take notice. The listening is not focused and isn’t intended to be.

However, during other classes I have more focused listening activities with my students.

I may ask the students to jot down the emotions they felt while they listened to a composition. I may ask them to write down their impression of the mood of a piece of music. I may ask my students to respond to more concrete aspects of the music such as the dynamics, the timbre of a particular instrument, the rhythmic aspects of a piece, the texture, or harmonic changes such as a change from major to minor. Listening for musical elements and responding to them in a piece can greatly help to reinforce the concepts we work on daily within our ensembles.

As educators, it is important to expose our students to a wide array of diverse music so that they get a sense of how their instrument should sound and what is possible.

Unless students grow up in a very musical family, it has been my experience that they don’t always have the opportunity to hear their instrument played at a high level. Many have not heard much music beyond what’s ingrained in our environment and culture such as Spotify playlists and TV commercials.

By having formal and informal listening time in your classroom, you never know what music your students might fall in love with and be inspired by.

If you are not sure where to start, my friend Tom Moon has an incredible book, titled 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. It’s a great resource!