Hearing but not listening: Actively engaging students in listening to music beyond the superficial in the music classroom

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publisher

Waxmann Verlag GmbH

Place of Publication

Münster, Germany

Editor(s)

O'Farrell, L., Schonmann, S., & Wagner, E.

School

School of Education

RAS ID

19428

Comments

Lowe, G.M. (2015). Hearing but not listening: Actively engaging students in listening to music beyond the superficial in the music classroom. In O'Farrell, L., Schonmann, S., & Wagner, E. (Eds.), International yearbook for research in arts education (3rd ed, pp. 81-86). Münster, Germany: Waxmann Verlag.

Available here.

Abstract

Young people live in a ‘surround-sound’ world. More than ever, they have instant access to music, but while they hear it, to what extent do they really listen with focus and concentration? As part of the ‘new’ active practical music teaching paradigm, listening and responding to music assumes a central role along with creating and performing. However, while contemporary pedagogical models emphasise active engagement in creating and performing, many teachers still view listening and responding as a naturally passive and covert activity. Translating listening into an active pedagogy can be allusive. A number of pedagogical models advocate focussed or deeper listening within a wider practical framework, but not many focus solely on the listening act itself, especially from the perspective of building critical and creative understanding and response capacity. Essentially, young people need to be taught how to listen and respond with intent.

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