Music Listening: An Evolution of Craft

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to consider contemporary theoretical, neuroscientific, and pedagogical shifts in thinking about music listening and how these understandings might affect teachers’ pedagogical craft and the processes by which students develop their personal music listening craft. Responsive listening, deep listening, and creative music listening definitions will be explored, along with rationales for using multisensory pedagogical tools that have the potential to increase listeners’ awareness of their perceptual and affective responses to music. The sonic events of music, pedagogical strategies for facilitating music listening, and individuals’ personal attributes are the primary materials with which students and teachers might co-create—craft—deep access into music. Pedagogical craft involves the development and use of observational tools with which teachers learn from students about their prior music listening experiences and with which they subsequently scaffold students’ new music listening experiences. If we understand how, why, and what students are listening to outside of school, then perhaps music teachers can come closer to crafting pedagogical strategies for enhancing music listening skill development in schools. With the assistance of skilled and insightful instructional materials and strategies, then, students can develop their own music listening craft.