Experiencing Music

Listening to MusicExperiencing Music Alone

Experiencing Music With OthersCritiquing Music

Importance of Musical Study

Quick Write

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.”-Henry David Thoreau (1817-62)

Read the quote and explain the metaphor as is pertains to life and music.

How would you define listening? How would you define casual listening? How would you define perceptive listening?

Anticipation Guide

Listening is an optical experience. There are three levels of listening. Sensuous listening is the type of listening

when the music blends into the background. A major scale is composed of two whole

steps, two half steps, three whole steps, and one half step.

An interval is the distance between two notes.

Levels of Listening There are three levels of listening: Casual, sensuous,

and perceptive.

Casual Listening The lowest level of listening. The music blends into the background and becomes

part of the surrounding noise. Examples include being placed on hold while talking

on the phone, music being played while you shop, or music in an elevator.

Sensuous Listening• The second level of listening.• In this level, you don’t just hear the music, you

actively listen to it.• Listening in this level may result in an emotional

experience.• Also called “goose-bump listening”.

Perceptive Listening This is the highest level of listening. When listening perceptively, one pays attention to the technical

aspects of the music. Within this level, the structure and elements are taken into

account. Examples include performing and studying music.

Becoming a Perceptive Listener Increase knowledge about the elements of

music. How does the melody move? What timbres are place together to make unique sounds?

Increase knowledge about the time in which the piece was composed. What was happening in society during that time period? What was the popular technique of the period?

What is the purpose of the piece of music?

Major Scale A scale is a sequence of tones arranged in rising

pitches. The pattern of a major scale is: whole step, whole

step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half, step.

Intervals

An interval is the distance between two tones. Steps to identifying intervals.

The first note is 1. Count all lines and spaces between the two notes. Count the last note.

Interval Practice

Review QuestionsAnswer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

List the three levels of listening from the lowest level to the highest.

What is the difference between sensuous listening and perceptive listening?

What is the sequence of tones for a major scale?

Explain how to count intervals.

R.A.F.T. Letter

Role: A Perceptive listenerAudience: A casual listenerFormat: A letterTopic: A persuasive letter to convert the casual

listener to a persuasive listener based on the merits of perceptive listening within the notes and the texts.

Quick Write

Write a paragraph explaining some situations in which a person might listen to music alone. In your opinion, what are the benefits of being able to listen alone?

Your response must be at least five sentences.

Think About It

What is the most popular way for people to experience music alone?

Benefits to Listening to Music Alone

We can choose music to match our mood. We can choose music that matches our

tastes.

Dangers of Listening to Music Alone

In using ear phones or ear buds, the volume might be turned up too loud.

Performing Music Alone

Performing music alone is also called solo performance.

Performing alone allows the musician to express themselves and get in touch with their inner feelings.

Through performing music alone, the musician is able to be their own audience.

The Guitar

Composer Libby Larson called the electric guitar the most important instrument of the past 50 years.

Guitar strings are tuned to the interval of a perfect fourth, with the exception of the G and B strings.

Experiencing Music with Others

How we react to the music depends on the type of music, how the music is being used, and where we hear the music.

Look at the examples in the second paragraph on pg. 56.

Benefits of Performing Music with Others

• Musicians enjoy working together toward a common goal.

• A soloist cannot produce harmony, which is the music that supports a melody and makes it more pleasant to listen to.• This creates texture, the way sounds are

woven together.

Quick Write

Describe your most memorable music experience. Were you alone or with others? What made the experience so memorable?

Ensemble (Two Definitions)

The word ensemble has two definitions. One definition for ensemble is to identify a performing

group such as an orchestra, choir, etc. The other definition for ensemble is for a cooperative

music expression.

Performing Music

The very basic level of music performance is performing a monophonic piece. This is a piece of music with only one part. Everyone sounds the same pitch and the same octave at one time.

Another type of performance is called call and response. This involves a question and answer patter where the a group responds to a leader.

Mariachi A mariachi band is a type of musical ensemble. These groups often include several violins,

trumpets, a large bass guitar, and special five and six-string guitars.

Critiquing Music A music critic is someone who writes about

musical events, performances, and albums. The role of a critic

Offer convincing arguments about a performance.

Back up his/her claims about the performance. Analyze what they hear and communicate

their opinions rationally and coherently. Take into account the nonmusical aspects of

the performance.

Criteria for Evaluating a Music Performance

Timbre- Quality of tone, range, appropriateness, and appeal of the musical sounds.

Expressiveness- Interpretation, style, and phrasing Technique- Performers skills in bringing the musical

sounds to life. Presentation- Choice and appropriateness of music,

does the performance meet expectations Impact- Artist’s charisma, familiarity and newness of

what you hear, how does the performance compare with similar performances``

The Language of Criticism

Critics must use colorful language to communicate their reactions and judgments.

Descriptive nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs must be used.

The purpose of this type of language is to explain their point of view, back up their claims, and present a fair assessment.``````

Think About It!!

Why is it important for music and the arts to be taught in schools? What are the benefits?

Why is Music Important?

A 2000 Georgia Tech study indicates that a student who participates in a least one elective music course is 4.5 times more likely to stay in college than the general student population.

- Dr. Denise C. Gardner, Effects of Music Courses on Retention, Georgia Tech, 2000. 2.

On the 1999 SAT, music students continued to outperform their non-arts peers, scoring 61 points higher on the verbal portion and 42 points higher on the math portion of the exam.- Steven M. Demorest and Steven J. Morrison, "Does Music Make you Smarter?, Music Educators Journal, September, 2000.

Music student demonstrate less test anxiety and performance anxiety than students who do not study music.- "College-Age Musicians Emotionally healthier than non-Musician Counterparts," Houston Chronicle, 1998.

The average scores achieved by music students on the 1999 SAT increased for every year of musical study. This same trend was found in SAT scores of previous years.- Steven M. Demorest and Steven J. Morrison, "Does Music make You Smarter?," Music Educators Journal, September, 2000.

A ten-year study indicates that students who study music achieve higher test scores, regardless of socioeconomic background.- Dr. James Catterall, UCLA.

Practicing musicians demonstrate 25 percent more brain activity than non-musicians when listening to musical sounds.- Exposure to Music Is Instrumental to the Brain, University of Muenster.