Teaching to Actively Listen

Teachers cannot guarantee that students will enjoy a piece, though there is evidence that as humans, we:

• Are drawn to complexity
• Tend to prefer the familiar and feel uncomfortable with the unfamiliar
• Can learn to focus their perception of subtle changes
• Can change their attitudes through learning, despite enculturated preferences

This evidence helps teachers develop an approach to active listening during which students:

1. Regularly listen to music that is more complex and challenging than the music they usually listen to
2. Listen to pieces enough to know them and be familiar with them
3. Gain the conceptual tools to analyze, discuss and respond to the music
4. Discuss their preferences and attitudes without being told they're wrong
5. Engage in listening activities that allow them to reflect and document their feelings and perceptions about a piece

When a student expresses an opinion about a piece, whether negative or positive, they must be encouraged to go further and explain why.  The teacher should play the piece again, asking the students to think about what makes them like or dislike the piece.  This way, the students will be actively listening to the piece, searching for specific things to describe.