Active music listening. What is it?

Quite simply this phrase means listening to music with focus and intensity, without diverting attention to any other activity.

As puts it,

Active listening can be any form of listening activity where you are engaged in the music one hundred percent of the time.

Being “engaged in the music” means that, while you are listening to music, you are committed and fully present. It could also be said that you are immersed in, captivated by, and preoccupied with the music. In other words, you are interacting with the music.

Active music listening not only suggests a quality of attention given, but it also hints at the aspect of closeness. Because active listening is defined by intense engagement, it has a tendency to lead to both an intimacy with and a deeper understanding of the music. It is a direct path to getting inside the tune, getting inside the changes.

states,

It can be said then, that active listening is really a critical evaluation of interpretation rather than merely time spent only listening to music. To really be an active listener you must have an intimate understanding of the music.

It’s All About Relationships

This notion of relationship is central to active music listening.

In order to get to know a new acquaintance at a social event, one has to spend time with that person, ask questions, converse, and observe. The more time you spend actively engaged with the other person, the closer the relationship and the better the understanding will be between you.

Developing a relationship with a piece of music is no different.

Spending time through repeated active listenings will allow anyone to become more familiar with and gain a deeper understanding of a piece of music. These will be determined by the quality and quantity of time spent engaging. The process of getting to know people, a particular piece of music, or anything else for that matter is strikingly analogous.

The Opposite of Active Is Passive

One of the best ways to define something is to look at its opposite.

To further understand active music listening, let’s look at it’s opposite – passive listening.

What is passive music listening?

This phrase refers to the kind of selective listening you do when you’re actively doing something else. It can be described as surface, hasty, or superficial listening. A passive listener can be described as being removed or distant from the music, primarily because listening, here, is secondary to the primary activity.

A few examples of everyday activities you probably engage in while passively listening to music include:

• Eating
• Socializing
• Commuting
• Running errands
• Exercising
• Surfing the web
• Cleaning your home
• Walking your dog
• Burping your baby

Passive listening is how many people listen to music most of the time.

The Music in the Background

As David Jennings points out, some people . Others turn on the television as background noise so as to not feel lonely at home. Other people, like my sister, have white noise machines that are used to drown out undesirable sounds and help them go to sleep.

Passive music listening has also become an indelible part of the modern shopping experience. Whether you’re in the mall, at the restaurant, sitting in the dentist chair, or riding the elevator, background music is ever present. Not only do you occasionally find eclectic music mixes streaming from an iPod in a Mom & Pop style shop, but an entire industry has overtaken the retail environment in the name of pioneered by the infamous provider of aural wallpaper – Muzak.

Music (or the shell of music) is everywhere now, but how much of it are you really listening to? Has the ubiquity of music conditioned us to tune it out like we do the noise pollution of our urban metropolises?

Practice Active Listening

Active music listening is a skill. If we want to become better listeners, then we have to practice listening.

In the music appreciation class I teach, we practice active music listening each class period. I put on a different set of songs each meeting, turn off the lights, and let the music play with no comment and no distraction for 10 minutes.

Throughout the course of the semester, the discussions that follow these sessions become more insightful as students have regular opportunities to practice distraction-free listening. The significance of the students’ observations intensifies and the reactions to the music become more personal and abstract.

At the beginning of the semester, I steer the group’s focus to the instruments involved in the music. Is it an instrumental tune or does the artist focus on vocals and words? As they become more comfortable using the music jargon introduced at the beginning of the required text, we talk about the beat, the rhythm, the harmonic and melodic use of pitch, the dynamics, and so on.

Sometimes the discussions go on for the majority of the class. Sometimes the students don’t have much to say. Either way, we practice active music listening, and as a result, the students’ listening skills improve over the 4 month period.

A list of questions that can be asked during any listening session include:

• What are the instruments used to make the music?
• How does this music make me feel?
• What is the mood of the piece?
• Do I like or dislike this music?
• Does this music sound similar to anything I have heard before?
• Was this music recorded in a live setting or in the studio?
• What is the musical texture?
• Does the music have a steady beat or pulse?
• What is the meter?
• Is there singing?
• Does the singing feature syllables, words, or both?
• Is this piece an instrumental?
• How many voices are involved?
• What is the gender of singer(s)
• In what language are the lyrics written?
• What is the tonality/key?
• What is the relationship of consonance to dissonance?
• What is the dynamic range of the piece?
• What is the size of the ensemble?
• Are there any transitions between sections?
• Is the music sacred or secular?
• Does this music sound like it was composed or improvised?
• In what genre does this music best fit?
• From what time period does this music come?
• From what country does this music come?
• Which of my 5 senses does the music trigger?
• Does this music trigger any memories?

Active Listening Is Critical Listening

These questions and many more can only be explored when you decide to sit down and spend time with a piece of music. A superficial listening won’t afford you the opportunity to ponder these items. It takes a dedication of time, of focus, of attention, of sincerity, and of critical thinking to really unearth the truth of any piece of music.

Active listening is critical listening. It’s focused. It’s engaging.

It leads to intimacy and understanding. It leads to appreciation.

Active music listening is a skill, and by practicing this skill, not only will your listening improve, but your musical life will also be enriched.

Take time out today to actively listen to a piece of music. It just might change your life.

Further Reading