The he(Art) Of Listening I: Cultivating an Ear for Students

5-min read

Listening to students is a crucial part of effective music teaching. It is where a good music lesson begins and where it ends. Listening guides us in crafting lessons that cater to students’ specific learning needs. It makes our music lessons come alive.

Students tell us what is going on inside them; not just in the things they say, but in the songs, lyrics and raps they write in class, as well as non-verbal cues such as the ways they sit, stand or gesture. The songs and singers our students hold dear also reveal a great deal about them, especially the lyrics that capture what they go through every day.

Often, students speak in their silence – the things they choose not to say or do not have the ability to express. Students listen most attentively to a teacher who takes time to hear the important things they say, instead of telling them things that may not be urgent for them to hear.

Three music teachers share how they listen to their students, and the critical role that listening plays in their teaching process.

Mr. Loh Shao Wei – Senior Teacher, Yew Tee Primary School

“When I listen to my students, I try to hear and understand what they are saying. If they misbehave or seem uninterested in class, I spend time to hear them out. Through our conversations, I discovered that the pace of my lesson was too slow and the choice of repertoire was not to their liking. This lets me make adjustments to get the students interested again. teacher and students, and between students too. Having these precious pockets of time to listen to my students and know them better is important as we only see one another once a week.

For example, I was also deliberating which choice piece to select for my choir at this year’s Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Arts Presentation. After singing the original choice piece, a student remarked that this song sounded ‘very rough’ and did not suit the choir. I listened to her and decided to change the song to enable the choir to sound its best.

Listening involves getting to know students in their daily lives and the dynamics between students in class. A sensitive teacher will discern how to form the most productive friendship groups. Students feel heard when you take time to listen to their conversations at recess and at corridors.

Listening also involves paying attention to my students’ non-verbal cues. For example, when my P1 students started playing the xylophones for the first time, I gave them time to explore the instrument. I listened intently to what they were doing and was delighted to discover that some of them figured out the notes of ‘Baby Shark’ and ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ all by themselves!

Through surveys, students also tell me what instruments they like to play and the types of songs that they listen to. It is especially important for me, as a music teacher, to be flexible and open so I can make changes to our lesson plans to cater to my students.”

Indeed, the things that students say tell us what is going on inside that student. It tells about their past and how they envision the future. Through listening, we learn to decode what a student is actually saying, underneath the surface.

Ms. Rebecca Ng – Teacher, Orchid Park Secondary School

Rebecca asks her N-level music class, “Has anyone seen a violin before?”

Her students give her a blank response.

Rebecca’s class comprised nine Sec 3 N(T) students. None of them joined music CCAs, although one had external music lessons for a year. Rebecca accepted the challenge.

“When our school started the N-level music programme, we had to ask, ‘How do we create space where music can truly be accessible to all students, especially those without any background, yet be able to bridge the gap so they are skilled and ready for national exams, armed with the necessary music perception, composition and performing skills within just one and a half years?

I first learnt to listen intently.

For example, when I hear a timpani, my student hears ‘just a drum’. I am frustrated as they were taught this before! Yet, what they hear is right.

Regarding the articulation of a melodic line, I say it sounds staccato and the students say ‘it’s a very short sound!’ They are right, so I explain to them that they need to replace their words with the proper technical term.

I hear their rendition of the song I Want It That Way. At first their harmonies clashed. Different people played at different tempi and the drum kit stood out awkwardly. However, the band eventually improved adequately and had a successful first run. It was a celebration, but how do educators go beyond being satisfied with just adequate, when ‘adequate’ is not up to the standards of national exams and to the wider music world? How can I, as a music teacher, help my students improve their music to meet these standards? I needed to bridge gaps.

Bridging gaps come naturally when time is taken not just to emphasise what is wrong, but to inquire where my student’s true current understanding lies. Effective listening creates a space which allows me to craft accurate questions to scaffold and facilitate my students’ further thinking and reflection as they improve and grow on their musical journey.

For example, I may ask students, ‘Hmm.. how do your bass licks coordinate with what she is doing?’, or ‘How are the other band members interlocking with you, so all of you sound tight as a band?’ ‘Let’s each share one thing to improve on! Let’s try again!’

I listen and learn to change my response too! I learn to say, ‘Yes, that’s right! It is a drum. But there so many drums in the world – how do we know this is the one used in the Malay Ensemble?’

To which my student then replies, ‘Oh…. Hmmm.. Ms Rebecca, hold on, let me find the name of it in my file.’

By modelling listening and facilitating thinking, I start to facilitate and show my students how to listen intently to others too – they grow into mini teachers!

Conversations between students now sound like:‘Why does your chord sound so funny? Eh! Your middle finger is pressing wrong la. It’s C major not C minor leh.’ ‘Wah, did you hear the panning in this scene? So cool right?’”

Indeed, better listeners make better teachers!

Mr. Muhammad Dzuhri Bin Juniwan –Senior Teacher, Bukit View Primary School

Dzuhri’s students remark, “We want to play ‘Waka Waka!” “No, ‘Faded’!”

These were the exact words uttered by Dzuhri’s P4 students as they decided on the assessment repertoire for ukulele playing.

“Can we put ‘ti-ka-ti-tika?” some of Dzuhri’s P1s asked during creation of rhythmic ostinato. They learned crotchet and quavers but were curious about the semi-quavers on the whiteboard which he had used to teach a P2 class the previous period.

“I want to play the drum set, Mr Dzuhri. I learned how to play it outside school.” “I can play the piano!” “I want to sing!”, requests Dzuhri’s P5 students in animated fashion as they played together as an ensemble during Dzuhri’s songwriting lesson.

Dzuhri says, “When I first started out, I tried to impose my ideas, beliefs and philosophy and lead the students to what I thought would be a good music lesson without considering theirs. Over the years, after attending workshops by STAR, using the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) and 21CC as a guide, I realised that empowering the students and giving them ownership over their learning, as well as listening to them, observing their body language and addressing them, actually motivates students to be active learners who become even more engaged in the lesson.

They then developed not only the confidence to perform music, but to lead their groups, or even the class, to perform. They experience the joy of learning even during assessment. This makes me realise how important it is for us to consider our learner’s profile and to be flexible in creating a positive classroom culture, so our students can express and articulate their concerns, requests, thoughts and opinions with the utmost confidence.”

These three music teachers demonstrate, in their own way, how listening is crucial, so we do not teach music “blind”. Listening illuminates, so we design music lessons that enliven students, choose songs that reflect their experience, captivate students and give them meaningful and relevant learning experiences that they treasure, remember and pass on to the next generation. This is why the impact of a music teacher echoes through time.