Module 5

Each individual person has their own style of music to which they enjoy listening and their own environment in which they prefer to listen to music. I was surprised to read some information from Bauer (2014) which declares, “music is listening it often contextual. Researchers have found that most music listening is done in conjunction with some other activity” (p. 107). As someone who is a serious musician, I set aside specific time to listen to music – and intently, I might add. I am glad people enjoy music so much that they want to make it part of their daily activities by listening to it as an extension of what they’re doing (washing dishes, working out, etc.), but I wonder how much more meaning the music would have for them if they simply sat there and actively listened to their favorite song. Bauer (2014) elaborates that “listening skills are essential to being able to think critically about music” (pg. 106). Putting some thought into the form of the music or what is happening to the orchestration of a chorus each time it is heard again in a song would allow the average music listener to find deeper meaning in their music.

One of my favorite quotes from Bauer (2014) in this chapter states, “a primary goal of music listening activities should be to develop lifelong music learners” (p. 109). This is a tall order for music teachers, but one for which I believe the necessity is supported by my thoughts in the preceding paragraph. Teachers need to find the proper balance of how much structure and guiding questions to provide to students before listening to music versus none at all. People will listen to the music they enjoy, and sadly I believe in most cases that music is far removed from the classical realm. Perhaps if teachers were able to find this balance, students may incorporate some music listening from music history into their everyday listening library as adults. Bauer (2014) offers two suggestions to help this situation along including introducing music in short listening spans to acclimate the listener to a potentially new style of music and to encourage extended music listening at home (p. 109).

Humans respond to music in many ways. Technology provides us with bountiful means to explore these responses. I have mentioned in my discussion post for this module that I try to provide listening opportunities for my students outside of school (which Bauer also recommends) through compiling listening links on my website. I have created quizzes on Kahoot, an internet-based quiz website, which assists students in learning about music and requires them to listen intently. I use the term “quiz” here only because that it what Kahoot uses. However, in practical use, the students would never think of what they are doing as a quiz. Learning about Spotify in this module will help me to better organize my music for lessons in the future and will allow me share lists with students easily. This is a great affordance of technology and music listening. Having students comment on what they heard after completing a listening activity is a great starting point. Keeping the conversation moving by asking open ended questions helps. It is important to apply these observations about listening to performing ensembles when applicable. Students should be learning to perform in a way which meets their expectations as listeners. This incorporates used of both declarative and procedural knowledge as discussed by Bauer (2014) on p. 109. I took particular note to the extensive list Bauer (2014) provided on p. 105 which includes different responses humans have to music. Some of these include responses that are physiological, intellectual, and mood based (p. 105).

When scouting for music software to use in the educational setting, several items should be considered. I am always concerned with how much a program can be tailored to specific students to help them truly learn at the level best for them, and not the class as a whole. Practice based programs should not only provide feedback on what did or did not go well, but should also show students how to fix mistakes and develop better playing habits. Cost of the program is unfortunately a reality in choosing software, especially if you are encouraging students to have it available to them at home. I am happy to have been introduced to many free or very inexpensive software programs in this course. Before making any decisions, I think it is important for the teacher to explore the program firsthand both as a student user and as a teacher. In order to make implementation of the program successful, the teacher should be knowledgeable about the program’s capabilities and interface.

Resources:

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York: Oxford University Press.