Incorporating Listening Into The Jazz Curriculum Listening is a crucial aspect in the develop-
Marc J. Townley
ment of any young musician. This is especially true when studying jazz, a music that has been passed on and developed through an aural tradi- tion. However, as jazz educators, we often do not place an emphasis on listening. We tend to focus on areas that are much easier to assess and teach. These areas might include style, learning chords, transcribing, and improvisation. Many times we shy away from listening exercises or assignments because such items might seem very abstract and difficult to assess. After all, how can we really be sure whether or not a student is actually listening? Typically, it is much easier to tell a student
how to play a particular note or phrase, than it is to require them to listen to the music on their own and then replicate what they hear. Unfortunately, taking such a path that yields quick results does not lead to long-term comprehension and an engraved knowledge of how to play in a certain style. In this non-listening approach, we have to teach the same concepts again and again because students do not have a tonal model. An example of this can be demonstrated when
encountering one of the most common rhythms in jazz: two eighth notes followed by a rest. We can tell the students verbally how that should be played, “Play the first eighth note long and the sec- ond eighth note short and accented.” The problem is, when we do this, we have to rely on the stu- dent’s interpretation of our words to lead to a cre- ation of the style in which the music should be played. This is much too complicated and does not provide the model that the students need. It is no different than trying to explain what a sunset looks like to someone who has never seen one before. You can achieve the same goal with much
better results by having students listen to one cho- rus of Duke Ellington performing C Jam Blues and then tell them to replicate what they heard when they encounter two eighth notes followed by a rest. While there are few directors who would di-
minish the importance of listening, the vast majori- ty of directors do not utilize listening in daily lessons or assignments. This is understandable because listening is an abstract activity where a student's retention is not easy to measure. With that said, there are several activities that you can incorporate into your classroom that can foster lis- tening. And one of the benefits to modeling proper listening skills is that once the skill is learned, stu- dents are more likely to listen on their own. There are several keys to incorporating con-
sistent listening into your classroom. First, is to define active listening. Second, employ listening journals. Third, select music that is playing as stu-
22
dents walk into the room. Fourth, present music to students that is accessible to their ears. And final- ly, give guided listening assignments.
1. ACTIVE LISTENING Students must be taught how to listen. We
live in an instant gratification society where people are inundated with constant stimuli. Thus, teachers should teach listening skills from square one. In order for listening to be successful in a
classroom setting, students must understand the concept of active listening versus passive listening. Active listening involves focused attention to the music. Outside distractions must be eliminated so that the listener can become engrossed in the mu- sic. Passive listening tends to be what students do all of the time. Music is on in the background, but they do not really pay attention to it. They hear it, but they do not listen to it. When incorporating listening into your class-
room, be very meticulous on the standard of active listening. Ask students to define what active lis- tening is, and then through a listening exercise, insist and even grade on active listening. Students should display attentiveness and should be free from distractions - pencils, papers, computers, etc. There should be no communication between stu- dents while listening. At first, approach listening as a very personal activity. If one person talks, it might take the person they are sitting by out of their “listening zone.” While enforcing active lis- tening might seem very strict at first, it is important to lay a foundation of the importance of listening. Explain to students that this high standard is not because of their behavior; instead it is because they live in a world where people have lost the art of listening. Learning how to listen is a skill just as important as learning to speak, eat, or drive.
2. LISTENING JOURNALS An effective exercise to foster active listening
is to have students keep a Listening Journal. A simple wire bound notebook will do. The first sev- eral exercises in the listening journal are designed to make students aware of listening instead of hear- ing. Take students outside and for five minutes, have them write down everything they hear. After the allotted time period, bring students back to the classroom and have them discuss what they heard. Students are often amazed at how unaware they are of so many interesting sounds that they hear every day. These sounds include the wind in the trees or bird songs or passing traffic. This discussion is very important because students must demonstrate knowledge of what they listened to.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40