The Art of Listening with Depth, Uderstanding, Flow and Imagery

The Art of Listening with Depth, Understanding, Flow and Imagery
By Jessica Johnson and Midori Koga
From The Journal of Music Teachers National Association – Dec/Jan 2006/2007


“The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes – ah, that is where the art resides!” – Arthur Schnabel

Defining the concept of artistic listening is very difficult. Artistic listening is not necessarily the same thing as hearing. Anyone playing music or attending a concert maybe hearing sounds but may not be fully participating in the act of listening with depth, focus, intent and understanding.

The article I chose from the journal of Music Teachers National Association talks about the art of listening that helps musicians improve their performance ability and overall musicianship. When we teach music it is our goal to help our students, at every level of study, to achieve that elusive state of “artistic musicianship.” We focus on our attention to tone, rhythm, reading, technique, character, phrasing, dynamics, color, voicing, understanding of harmony and theory, and the list goes on. But how about listening?
Johnson and Koga point out that it is crucial to teach students about improving the ability of listening in order to help them to become independent musicians. It is because that when students are truly listening, they have the ultimate tool with which they may begin to make artistic choices for themselves and their musical interpretations.

In this article, the authors list several ways of developing and improving the students’ artistic listening ability as follow:
EXPLORATION OF SOUND POTENTIAL
Understanding the Piano: one must learn the design and the mechanics of the instrument in order to have awareness of the sound quality.
Guided Experimentation: exploration of less traditional sounds on the piano, such as plucking the strings and playing harmonies and clusters help the student become more familiar with the sound potential of the instrument. Improvisation also can be another tool.
LISTENING THROUGH CONTINUOUS MOTION
Continual Motion as a Tool to Sustain Line: learn to do an imperceptible motion that is only felt internally.
Continual Motion to Create an Undulating Rhythmic Pulse: learn the fact that rhythm channels the emotional surge which the music creates.
DEVELOPING AN AURAL IMAGE
Silently Hearing
Musical Understanding and Stylistic Awareness: understanding the historical context, stylistic components and compositional process of piece will help students develop a concept of sound and form intelligent and stylistic oral images.
Musical Imagery: by establishing the aural image and physical choreography prior to playing, the ear is the dominant guiding force in the musical process.

The authors have applied above exercises to their teaching and seen improvements from the students. They say that students were better able to feel music in larger phrases, develop their own concept of sound and connect with music on an emotional level.

According to the authors, developing artistic listening skills is a life-long pursuit that requires constant nurturing by the teacher. And they add: finding creative ways to explore the composite sound, to attend to continual nature of music via singing and movement and to develop an aural image all serve to strengthen a student’s ability to really listen to the sounds they are creating.

Composer Aaron Copland said that listening is a talent. He described the ideal listening would combine the preparation of the trained professional with the innocence of the intuitive amateur, and it also possesses the ability to lend one to the power of music.
While listening is a talent, it is teachers’ responsibility to teach and encourage students to reach their full potential in terms of their sensitivity to listening. And through this, the students will learn the true meaning of music making.