Music for Every Classroom: Listening with a Purpose
By: Elizabeth Peterson
There is a growing interest in music integration, as published studies show the positive effect of music on the mind. Studying music is said to be able to raise students' test scores, improve their grades, and make them better people.
Though many teachers see the advantages of integrating music into their classroom curriculums, they often feel intimidated by the complexity of the subject or dismiss the idea, believing themselves "non-musical." Many times, teachers will add music to their classrooms as an afterthought. It may accompany the students in transition time as they move from one activity to the next, or it may be used to help students focus on the task at hand, be it a reading assignment or test.
But, what about actually using music for what it was meant…listening! As teachers, we need to expand students' minds as they experience new things. The wonderful experience of listening to music, of any type, is jeopardized when it is utilized only as background noise. How much more could students get from the effects of music if they actually listened to the intricacies of the music and thought about it, rather than merely learned to have it act as a backdrop to another activity?
Using Your Brain to Listen Actively to Music
Unlike listening to music passively (with music as the background to another activity) or responsively (when you respond to the music by singing or dancing), actively listening to music engages your brain. When you actively listen to music, you are concentrating on the music itself, using both your intellect and emotion to hear what is happening in a piece of music.
Sometimes people actively listen when they are trying to learn or understand the lyrics of a song. Other times, active listeners want to study the melody of a song, so that they can play it on an instrument. Often, when people actively listen to music, they will imagine stories that are happening inside the music or even relate the music to their own lives.
Many people have the opportunity to listen passively and responsively, but not actively. Listening to music for music's sake is an untapped resource for teachers of varying curriculums.
The best part about actively listening to music in the classroom is that you can then expand upon these listening experiences. Listening in a classroom then becomes much more than a music appreciation approach; it becomes an exciting experience from which to explore the possibilities.
Getting Your Students to Listen Actively
The first step to getting your students listening actively is by setting aside some time for this to happen. When I was teaching in an elementary classroom, I set aside 10 to 15 minutes a day of active listening time, which usually coincided with snack break. In this short period of time, my students and I would relax and listen to music from various composers, concentrating on one piece of music for a full week.
When you first begin to have active listening time, you should make it relatively short since the students may not be used to listening to long pieces of music. As the year progresses, so will the students' attention spans and interests in listening, allowing for longer pieces.
Generally, CD compilations are good to use, especially the ones that have a collection by the same composer or are classical CDs made for kids. These types of CDs have familiar music that is proven to please crowds. Classical, jazz, contemporary, vocal and instrumental music are just a sample of the genres you could use. Be sure to include some of your favorites. Your enthusiasm will attract your students to listen to something new.
Once your students have listened to a piece of music, allow them time to tell what they thought of it, whether it be a musical observation or a personal one. Then listen again and again at various times during a given week. Each time you listen to a piece of music, you will hear new things. Challenge your students to discover surprises.
A Method of Music Integration
Active listening time is similar to taking students on a field trip. You give them experiences outside the regular "norm" and build upon those experiences. Listening to music in your classroom is like taking a short field trip, and when you "get back," you are able to use these experiences to enhance your curriculum, especially in the language arts. You can do something as simple as journal writing in response to your class discussions or as complex as writing a story using the music as an inspirational springboard.
Music is motivating! Students are stimulated as they actively listen to music: experiencing it, talking about it, and writing about it. Integrating this approach of listening to music within your current curriculum will surely demonstrate how much power music can have in your classroom.
Elizabeth Peterson has developed techniques to bring music into the classroom and connect it to all areas of the curriculum. She is the founder of The Inspired Classroom, www.theinspiredclassroom.com.
