Of course, we can’t just tell our students to listen on these three levels. This would be an example of musicians displaying all three levels of listening, and it points to one of my favorite sayings by University of North Texas Wind Symphony conductor Eugene Corporon: “We don’t come to rehearsal to learn our part, rather to learn everyone else’s part.” 3 Percussionists must listen to their own individual sounds, must lock with their percussion section mates, and must balance with the rest of the ensemble as a whole. Maybe the percussion section is playing an ostinato that accompanies the woodwinds and brass. This third level of listening ties everything together. LEVEL 3: Listening to the entire ensemble. This gives the player a foolproof listening approach even when sight-reading or when the musical terrain is unfamiliar. Legendary conductor and music educator Richard Floyd is even more prescriptive when he states “take your trio with you.” 2 In other words, a musician should always listen to him or herself plus two other players and match pitch, articulation, style, and volume/balance. Rather than having students circle an mp dynamic marking, we can instruct them to write in their music, “fit into trumpets” or “listen to the flute vibrato.” Since musical markings are relative anyway, it only makes sense to instruct our students in what or who to listen to. It is the responsibility of the individual players in that “section” to listen for pitch, balance, true intervals, rhythmic precision, articulation/style continuity, clean starts/releases, and more, and to conform across the section. Whatever the particulars, each player is now responsible for both LEVEL 1 and LEVEL 2 listening. However, if a soli passage involves all flutes, 1st clarinet, and oboe, this woodwind grouping may be considered a “section” as well and should be observed by all included. If a part is written for six trumpets, then trumpet players should obviously This may involve homogeneous or heterogeneous combinations. When performing in larger ensemble settings, musicians’ listening must extend beyond themselves, to the next level. In the words of longtime Chicago Symphony Orchestra principal trumpet Adolph Herseth, “When a note sounds beautiful, it is in tune (and vice versa).” 1 Ultimately, the goal should be to produce a “high definition” sound: clear, instant, vibrant, colorful, and resonant-all of which will also ensure pristine intonation. Certainly, as a player advances, the level of self-critique and adjustment will rise, as it should. This means monitoring the fundamentals, including breathing, posture/hand & body position, articulation and note shaping (start, sustain, & release), intonation, and vibrato. First and foremost, a musician must always listen to him- or herself for a characteristic sound appropriate to the style of music, making the necessary self-corrections continuously. These are sequential skills, meaning that a musician must execute LEVEL 1, then 2, then 3. LEVEL 3: Listening to the entire ensemble In order for students to be accountable for their listening responsibilities, they need to be aware of the three basic levels of listening: As music educators, we must teach students to become better listeners, as this skill is the foundation of musicality at any level-beginner to professional. I was putting out “fires” as they happened, rather than giving my students the necessary skills to address these “fires” as (and before) they occurred.īut how to address this challenge? It became clear that building better student listening skills is the key. I gradually learned, however, that I was working too hard and my students generally did not know how to solve these problems on their own. I could address wrong notes, rhythms, basic articulations, musical phrasing, and intonation issues. In my earlier years as a band director, I was pretty good at fixing problems as they occurred in my band.
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