At the intersection of music history, music appreciation, and musical language, Interactive Listening is designed as a comprehensive overhaul to the music classroom, band rehearsal, or concert listening experience. However, while active learning is a frequent topic of discussion in pedagogical circles today, the notion of active listening is rarely addressed—if at all.[3]. Yet I would argue that the underlying principles of active listening—critical engagement with aurally received information—challenge the foundational assumptions for such a binary. Musical examples can be usefully deployed in a wide variety of disciplines. Cookie Settings At the museum. Here are some tips for doing this: A great way to actively listen is to listen to the same piece multiple times and force yourself to focus on a different specific parameter each time. But via active listening, you have a chance to understand what it is, specifically, that causes that response. Even students with years of performance training may struggle when it comes to talking about music or making salient observations about what they hear. In order to do this you must pay attention to the other person very carefully. Michael Chorost, electronic listener. Playing examples multiple times allows students to better absorb the music and to make more informed assessments and observations of what they have heard. Listen for Armstrong’s confident rhythm and occasional “burbles.” 0:24 Break: background drops out, Armstrong “rips” to a high note. In general, you should aim for eye contact about 60% to 70% of the time while you are listening. (or is it hard to tell, or does it switch between major and It could also be thought of as a “sampler strategy,” a method for moving quickly through a piece or through a number of pieces in order to set the stage for more focused listening. Well, yes…and no. A mind must work to grow.”[7] However, for Worthen—as well as for myself—an alternative to abolishing the lecture is to teach students how to listen, to hone the sieve instead of turning off the water. May 9, 2015. It is a deep type of listening in which the listener focuses on what a speaker is saying and tries to completely understand. Like critical thinking and problem-solving, active listening is a soft skill that’s held in high regard by employers. Active Listening: Beyond Music The principles behind active listening can be extended and applied to more than just using music or multimedia in the classroom. Music surrounds us everyday—it is on our playlists, the radio, commercials, soundtracks for movies or television shows, our neighbors’ stereo—yet we seem to have mastered the art of hearing without listening. Legal Info If there is no overt melody (as in some minimal or experimental music), is melody implied in another way? Because everyday musical engagement often does not involve critical thinking, it is helpful to point students in the right direction. Students should always know what to listen for. It makes hearing a process rather than an afterthought. Although Worthen does not specifically use the phrase “active listening,” her argument is essentially built upon the notion that lectures require—or should require—students to listen rather than just hear. After all, if active listening is a particular kind of listening, ... Read Interviews With the C.E.O.s in This Guide. How fast or slow is it? What genre of music is this? We turn music on but then engage in another primary activity. Frown. In teaching music history, music theory, and music appreciation courses, I often think of three types or tiers of listening: 1) affective listening, 2) structural listening, and 3) dialogic listening. At this point, you’re not trying to listen with a particular focus, but rather a general one. Let’s start with a definition of active listening. If your piece has lyrics, include them (and if those lyrics are not in your students’ native language, provide a translation as well). Rhythm: How are events distributed within short time ranges like a bar or phrase? Imprint, Also available on In addition to helping you learn how a particular piece of music “works,” active listening can also help you understand your subjective responses to music. For most people, listening to music is a passive experience. Do certain instruments play only in some sections or is the instrumentation the same in every section? Writing down answers is not necessary--this is meant to augment the way you think about familiar music. Consider Teacher-Student Interactions, Categorizing Learners: Bad Uses for Good Tools, Mobile-Ready Education: Making Education More Accessible, Scaffolding Student Projects: Seven Decisions. In these parallel statements, the implication is that “seeing” and “hearing” are passive, while “observing” and “listening” are active, requiring a heightened level of engagement from the observer or listener but also resulting in a greater acquisition of knowledge. Casual listening might include listening to it on your commute, while you do chores around the house or while you workout. You are responding to the regular pulse of the music. Audio Active discography and songs: Music profile for Audio Active, formed 1991. In order to make effective use of the music made available via these resources, we must train our students how to engage with it. What is the texture (dense vs. sparse)? Active listening skills, lesson one. Tell them a particular aspect of the piece to focus on. Can you explain why (perhaps with reference to the parameters discussed earlier)? Your students look to you as the model for how to listen well. LISTENING GUIDE Your email address will not be published. [5] Although these categories have been particularly effective in teaching musical examples with a level of detail appropriate for music majors, they can also be usefully applied for using musical examples in non-music courses more broadly. What underlying questions does the piece pose and how does it answer these questions, if at all? By expanding the notion of a “text” to include any object that can communicate meaning—as in the literary theory sense of the word—then music can also be treated as an important object of study from a variety of vantage points.[2]. And since so many of us are stuck at home with our partners due to COVID-19, why not brush up on this relationship-saving skill? As Worthen points out, in 1869 former president of Harvard University Charles Eliot cautioned that “the lecturer pumps laboriously into sieves. For example, are there particular aspects of the song that sound familiar, nostalgic, emotional, etc.? This type of listening can be enhanced by adding a layer of commentary while the music plays to direct students’ attention to particular details before asking them to make observations on their own, as will be discussed later. Active listening makes listening your central task. [6] Molly Worthen. So what is “active listening” and how can we encourage and facilitate it when using musical examples in undergraduate courses? Interactive Listening reverses the educational process of traditional music by building active classroom experiences that replace passive learning. As you are learning new music, be deliberate about listening to the music you are trying to learn. Additionally, if there are specific instrumental or vocal parts that you’d like to understand better, try spending an entire listening pass focusing entirely on only one part. While the importance of teaching with a variety of artifacts or objects is generally recognized, music may not always be the first port of call outside of music classes. http://web.library.yale.edu/music/audio-databases, http://web.library.yale.edu/music/video-databases, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/opinion/sunday/lecture-me-really.html?_r=0, Choosing an Instructional Method? Chorus 1 (37) 0:08 Trumpet solo. Are there clear sectional divisions or are there Fuzzy Boundaries between regions? Although this is certainly better than not listening to music at all, you can learn more if you spend at least some time engaged in active listening. Focusing your attention so closely on someone for a long period of time will likely leave you depleted at the end of your conversation. Whether employed in music courses or in non-music courses, active listening does not require advanced musical training or the ability to read music, yet it can still be used with students who can read music. Hence, an active listener is a person, with the ability to focus on getting the core message out of each conversation. Thus, whether applied to teaching with music or to other situations, active listening is a useful pedagogical strategy for teaching the principles of critical inquiry. [6] All too often, such pedagogical debates condense lecturing and active learning into an oppositional binary, with the implication that lecturing only results in passive learning, if it engenders learning at all. Often when people talk to each other, they are only half-listening. Bart Hopkin, experimental instrument builder. 0:26 Armstrong improvises on arpeggios. The water may be wholesome, but it runs through. MOOD/STYLE Is the song in a major or minor key? What Is Active Listening? Smile. It paints a picture for the ear in broad strokes, and gives students a general sense for the affect of a piece—its emotion, its color, its stylistic or generic characteristics, its je ne sais quoi. For example, an American History course on the 1960s could feature iconic protest songs of the anti-war movement or a comparison of Aretha Franklin’s Respect from 1967 with Otis Redding’s original 1965 recording in order to highlight prevalent issues of class and gender in the United States at that time. A great way to actively listen is to listen to the same piece multiple times and force yourself to focus on a different specific parameter each time. He defines active listening as a tool in psychotherapy. Harmony: What key (if any) is the song in? Stepwise, with motion mostly by one or two semitones? Really.”, Molly Worthen argues about the validity of the lecture course in the midst of today’s debates about active learning. An English course might examine how particular texts have been set to music, or how canonical theatrical works have been adapted for the operatic stage. It also means giving the person your full attention. Nov 11, 2019 - Explore Rhythm & Bloom by Cori Bloom |'s board "Music Listening Activities", followed by 1596 people on Pinterest. The children love the games and the DVDs make it easy to deliver. One of the most important things when discussing active listening skills is using communication to your advantage. How to actively listen. Passive listening means you’re concentrating on something else. The last thing you want is for students to tune out and lose focus during a musical example. Then advance to the next chunk and repeat. Active listening skills are the ultimate communication hack, but you don’t have to be a therapist to learn how to use them. Summarizing and repeating the statements shows genuine interest in the patient. Yale’s links to audio streaming databases: http://web.library.yale.edu/music/audio-databases, Yale’s links to video streaming databases: http://web.library.yale.edu/music/video-databases, Yale Music Library: http://web.library.yale.edu/music, CDs and other recorded formats are searchable through Orbis. For example, the best way to learn how the bass line works in a particular song is to tune out everything else and focus just on the bass line. Half of all communication is listening. When listening passively, it’s common to have some kind of emotional response. It’s very common for people t… Server & Francis, 1869: 42. At times you will have to replay one line over and over until you can understand what the singer is saying. music. Are there patterns that repeat, or do rhythmic gestures happen only once? Be expressive. Active listening means that all you’re doing is listening. Good leaders are effective communicators. The way to improve your listening skills is to practice "active listening." What chords are used? Does it have a wide or narrow range? What do the less rhythmic instruments do? Talk over the musical example to point out important features that you want your students to notice. Your email address will not be published. Recognize conflict and know when to intervene. Try closing your eyes. Privacy Policy Is there a chord progression that happens throughout, or does it change from section to section? Follow along to find out how to practice active listening, I will share with you a step by step guide. How does the text relate to the sounds? In order to address how active listening can be cultivated through teaching with music, I outline three types of listening that might be mapped onto different listening goals, followed by four practical techniques that can be used during any of these three types of listening. Through active listening, the therapist appears empathic and full of acceptance. To practice active listening, we must—like Dr. Watson—learn to observe with our ears. The Popular Guide to Classical Music (Birch Lane Press), Anne Gray. Joel Peterson of JetBlue on Listening Without an Agenda. Once music is within you, it is much easier to play or perform that music. Put away your phone, or turn off music. You’ll want to listen both casually and actively. This type of listening approaches a musical example almost like a sculpture or a painting, in which you point students toward particular moments and see the ways in which those moments are the culmination of particular trajectories. I have a listening worksheet that I used to use with my students.Does that count? Doniga Markegard, wildlife tracker. Practicing the following five guidelines will help you become an active listener: (1) being empathetic, (2) giving your full attention, (3) refraining from judgment, (4) responding positively, and (5) being aware of your own inner response. We’ve started using Active Music in our Primary School this year (2015) and it has transformed music teaching and learning. I know what you’re thinking, “I deep-listen to music all the time, how is active listening any different?” Let me explain. Active listening skills can help build relationships, solve problems and avoid conflict. But music is not just for musicians and music courses. What is its general contour: Angular, with lots of leaps? Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Are there some specific production techniques that you recognize (either from your own or other music)? Nevertheless, music has the power to enrich student engagement in the college classroom if they learn the art of active listening and how to connect what they hear with a broader conceptual network. [5] I am indebted to James Hepokoski for these particular terms and ways of thinking about different types of listening. Sometimes it takes multiple hearings to grasp a musical selection. Lean toward the other person, and nod your head occasionally. The point is to engage students, not to use this time for other unrelated activities (Facebook, email, Twitter, homework for other classes, etc.). Active listening involves giving the other person time to explore their thoughts and feelings, they should, therefore, be given adequate time for that. When you’re done, go back to the beginning and gradually expand the loop length so that you’re covering a larger amount of time in a single listening pass. Teaching with music does not preclude using texts or visuals as well. The principles behind active listening can be extended and applied to more than just using music or multimedia in the classroom. And once you understand a technique or musical gesture, you’ll be able to adapt it for use in your own music. For example, in her recent op-ed for The New York Times, “Lecture Me. Lisa Miller, auto mechanic. If there are no overt chords (as in some minimal or experimental music), is harmony implied in another way? The next step in active listening is to start trying to deconstruct what’s happening in the music you’re listening to. What emotions does this evoke? By isolating and looping short durations of music, you can more easily focus on the specific parameters or instruments discussed earlier. Active listening requires no … Useful questions for this type of listening typically prompt students to voice their observations on a basic level: What instruments do you hear? This is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, the complete message being communicated.. If you look like you’re just waiting for the example to be done before you can start speaking again, you appear disengaged. Laugh. Dean Hudson, acoustic navigator. Vivaldi's influence can clearly be heard in the music of which of the most famous non-Italian Baroque composers? Site Index. [1] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “A Scandal in Bohemia,” in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Another teacher recently sent me an e-mail asking if I have a listening worksheet that I use with my students. Listening in chunks like this is also a great way to learn or memorize a particular part by ear. You need to show the other person that you are truly listening to them, your body language will convey this to the person that is talking to you. 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Info Privacy Policy Cookie Settings Imprint, also available on Amazon Kindle and Apple,!, they are only half-listening at your computer, close any open applications ( and, ideally, your as... Period of time will likely leave you depleted at the end of your senses to listen and not for. Fully on the speaker but also actively showing verbal and non-verbal signs of listening is listening. active music listening guide amazed how! Dr. Watson—learn to observe with our ears Tools Club by Jan 7 and get a Life! And focus, but rather a general one music as the model for how to listen.! With motion mostly by one or two semitones learn how to listen not! The following tips will help you to become a better active listener is a great way to start is just! Your own production work anyway practise your active listening skills is to start is by just putting some... Soundtrack, Happy Happer, and nod your head occasionally students.Does that?! 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President of Harvard University Charles Eliot cautioned that “ the lecturer pumps laboriously into sieves -- this meant! Tips for doing this: listen in Layers for example, spend one pass only... Eyes as well, it’s common to have some kind of acoustic “space” is suggested the! Sparse ), yet also the most complex and time-consuming, yet also the most and... More than just using music as the background, but it runs through Quiz 56::! Ll want to listen with a definition of active listening simply means listening as a society have developed habit! Listening without an Agenda also a great way to learn how to practice `` active listening be. You listen in on trumpet line, prepares for solo out, in her recent op-ed for New! Communication to your advantage without doing anything else to deconstruct what’s happening active music listening guide the in... Begin to accept himself because of that melody ( as in some minimal or experimental music ), melody! 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