Plenty of literature has pointed to listening as the most important musical skill, informing our other experiences of creating and performing (Bauer, 2014). While music permeates our everyday lives, there is a distinct difference between hearing music in the background and listening to it, implying that some kind of information is gained from the activity. This information had a direct impact to how one responds to their music of choice. Naturally, it may be presumed that music listening should be taught because of its status as a skill; however, Bauer (2014) discussed how intuitive listening (in which the listener is control of the experience) is different from formalized listening (where a teacher is in control). While the educator should certainly structure certain learning opportunities from a listening experience, a balance should be struck where students still find the process enjoyable.
One key instructional strategy to building musical understanding is to help our students create mental representations of what they hear in music to which they are listening. This can be difficult as music is occurring over time, quickly evolving in the moment (Bauer, 2014). To overcome this obstacle, it is suggested that educators allow for repeated listening, expand the kinds of music being listened to, and represent what they listen to verbally (vocabulary), visually (like a call chart or listening map), and movement. As described above, allowing the students some autonomy in the listening process can also be helpful. They can contribute to the variety that music educators seek in music types and will likely be more engaged in sharing and discussing what they hear during the experience.
One of the strongest impacts technology has had on music listening is the fact that music is now far more accessible to the average consumer (Bauer, 2014). The internet has made it particularly easy; services like Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify make it very easy for people to listen to music, create playlists and share music with others. YouTube is also a popular choice for many to find music, compile playlists, and share their findings with others, though this normally involves a video component as well. Such tools are very beneficial for teachers to access high-quality music quickly while also allowing students an efficient way to share their own music and truly get involved in the educational process. This kind of accessibility is also useful in providing multiple listens of music being discussed. YouTube and other video-sharing sites have an additional benefit of allowing students to see music being performed in other parts of the world. Bauer (2014) discusses the importance of studying world music in their proper context; seeing the music in action is made easy with the internet. There are also videos created that show music in different ways, like a bar graph representation.
While the ideas above can be useful in helping students develop visual and mobile representations of what they hear, verbal/written representation can be encouraged through the use of any digital platform that allows easy documentation as well as the ability to share and comment. There are a number of online forums that can be utilized by educators. Bauer (2014) also made compelling arguments for blogs or wikis, which can be easily shared and commented upon. Students can use these spaces as an online journal of ideas that can be shared with their peers. Another viable option is the use of Google Apps; a Google Doc template can be utilized in a similar function as a blog or forum.
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York: Oxford University Press.
One key instructional strategy to building musical understanding is to help our students create mental representations of what they hear in music to which they are listening. This can be difficult as music is occurring over time, quickly evolving in the moment (Bauer, 2014). To overcome this obstacle, it is suggested that educators allow for repeated listening, expand the kinds of music being listened to, and represent what they listen to verbally (vocabulary), visually (like a call chart or listening map), and movement. As described above, allowing the students some autonomy in the listening process can also be helpful. They can contribute to the variety that music educators seek in music types and will likely be more engaged in sharing and discussing what they hear during the experience.
One of the strongest impacts technology has had on music listening is the fact that music is now far more accessible to the average consumer (Bauer, 2014). The internet has made it particularly easy; services like Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify make it very easy for people to listen to music, create playlists and share music with others. YouTube is also a popular choice for many to find music, compile playlists, and share their findings with others, though this normally involves a video component as well. Such tools are very beneficial for teachers to access high-quality music quickly while also allowing students an efficient way to share their own music and truly get involved in the educational process. This kind of accessibility is also useful in providing multiple listens of music being discussed. YouTube and other video-sharing sites have an additional benefit of allowing students to see music being performed in other parts of the world. Bauer (2014) discusses the importance of studying world music in their proper context; seeing the music in action is made easy with the internet. There are also videos created that show music in different ways, like a bar graph representation.
While the ideas above can be useful in helping students develop visual and mobile representations of what they hear, verbal/written representation can be encouraged through the use of any digital platform that allows easy documentation as well as the ability to share and comment. There are a number of online forums that can be utilized by educators. Bauer (2014) also made compelling arguments for blogs or wikis, which can be easily shared and commented upon. Students can use these spaces as an online journal of ideas that can be shared with their peers. Another viable option is the use of Google Apps; a Google Doc template can be utilized in a similar function as a blog or forum.
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York: Oxford University Press.
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