Lesson 3 - Listening

Can you imagine life without sound? Without the ability to hear? Would it be
possible for us to live without sound? If you live in outer space, then that
would be the case, since no sound vibrations can travel in there, for there is
no air.

Every day given to us is an opportunity to encounter a vast array of sounds- some

are pleasing music; some are noise; and sometimes, we hear nothing but silence. Have you
ever experienced how “deafening” silence can be? In our present hustle and bustle world, we
rarely have time to “hear” silence. In this lesson, we will talk about listening as a concept and
see how we can manipulate it in our music lessons. Later, in lesson 16 of Chapter 3, we will
find specific strategies and suggestions in employing listening in class.

Think: Listening as a Refined Aural Skill

W e h e a r m u s
television, social media, advertisements, church services,
flag ceremonies, birthdays, and other special occasions. Some
might consider the chirping of birds a form of therapeutic
music. The most direct way of “consuming” and appreciating music is to hear and listen to it,
since it is an aural phenomenon. However, it is important to know the difference between
hearing and listening. Hearing is mostly passive- we, humans, hear a lot of sounds
simultaneously without paying attention to them. On the other hand, listening is a process
which actively engages our brains as well as our ears. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines;
listening as: “to pay attention to someone or something in order to hear what is being said,
sung, played, etc.” Together with reading, writing, and speaking, listening is considered to be
one of the four language skills, and music is a language.

Most of the time, we tend to hear but not listen. In educating our students through
music, we are to train them to be active listeners and not just mere hearers of music. The goal
is to enable our students to connect what they listen to in the music to more far-reaching
concepts and ideas. For example, we are listening to march. How can a drumbeat pattern
depict the march? How does the drumbeat relate the movement of the feet? Does the tempo
reflect a military march or a funeral march? These are some sample questions that we,
teachers, should be prepared to formulate and ask our students in the course of their music
listening sessions. When playing a track of music for the class, teachers must guide their
students playing a track of music for the class, teachers must guide their students to identify
music elements, find the meaning and relationship between the sounds, silence, notes,
phrases, sections, and lyrics (if present), and if possible, relate these to other concepts or
subjects, such as color, texture, art mathematics, an event, or a story. This does not require a
lot of time and builds more interest than a typical classroom lecture. It also trains learners to

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keep focus and pay attention. As the continue developing their active listening skills, they
may transfer this skill in other subjects, such as grammar or literature.

When actively listening, it is good to ask some questions to further

deepen the learner’s knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of
a certain piece of music. Here are some sample questions:

1. What musical instruments am I hearing?

Guitar,__Violen__PIANO,__DRUMS_____TRUMPETS___HORN______________
_____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________ How many are
there?
__THERE__ARE__FOUR__INTRUMENT_________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
________________________Are these stringed instruments?
__SOME__ARE__THEY__STRINGED____________________________________
________________________ Brass instruments?
_TRUMPETS__HORNS___TROMBONES___EUPHONIUMS__AND
TUBAS_______________________________Wind instruments?
FLUTES___OBOES___CLARINETS_____BASSONS________________________
_____Percussion instruments?
TIMPANI__SYMBALS___SNARE
DRUM___BASS__DRUM___TAMBOURINE___MARACAS___GONS__CHIME
S____CELESTA____________________________________________

2. Is it a solo or a group performance?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

3. What do the lyrics say? Do the lyrics fit the music?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. What key is the music written?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

5. What is the tempo (speed) of the music? How does it affect the character of the piece?
If it was played or sung slower or faster, how would the character change?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

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 _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

6. How does the music make me feel? What is its general mood?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

7. Are there chords used in the piece? Are they in major or minor?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

8. Are the lyrics based on literary work? Such as a poem?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

9. How does the melody move? In steps, skips, or leaps? Does it stay in one place?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

10. Are there places where the tonality modulates to a different key? What effect does it
give to the listener?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

11. What is the form or structure of the piece?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

12. What is the music’s message? Can I relate it to an idea, thing, animal, person, place,
or event?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

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 Depending on the nature of the piece of music listened to,
these questions may or may not be applicable. What other
listening questions can you think of?

Using recordings for students to listen to is not an easy

task, for students minds’ are prone to wander and cease to
listen attentively. When playing a musical example in class,
students may suddenly lose attention. Here are few techniques
to remember when giving out listening examples:

1. Be a good listening model- when

listening, the teacher must show that he/ she is
engaged while doing so. Avoid using this time to look at
your notes or your lesson plan, or else the students would
notice that you yourself are not listening attentively.
React to what you hear in the recording. Smile, frown,
laugh, and show facial expressions. Students copy what
they see and observe in their teachers.

2. Ask questions and give comments- in the midst of listening to a

piece of music, you may pause sometimes to emphasize certain
parts of the piece. There are highlights and important parts in a
song or piece of music, and it is in these places where the
teacher can ask questions or give a commentary. For example, if
a song repeats a line of lyrics such as shown below in the tow
stanzas:

Alaala ka maging gabi’t araw

Alipin mo’y walang kailangan
Marinig ko lang sa labi mo hirang
Na ako’y iibigin lagi habang buhay.

Alaala ka maging gabi’t araw

Alipin mo’y walang kailangan
Marning ko lang sa labi mo hirang
Na ako’y iibigin lagi habang buhay.

3. Repetition is key - It is important to give the students ample

time to hear details within the music clearly, and this

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sometimes requires several repeats in playing the recording. Also, you need not play
an entire musical piece- you may opt to cut it in places, selecting only important or
specific parts for study. This also ensures that children will not get bored listening to a
long selection, or get tired of waiting for these parts to be heard.

Listening

Select any Filipino folk song or piece of your choice.

Listen to it attentively several times, analyzing its details.
Afterward, write down and describe what you heard
according to what is being asked below.

Title of chosen song:

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______________________________________________________

Say something about the following musical elements after listening to your
chosen song or piece:

1. Melodic Contour: ________________________________________________

2. Tempo (Speed): _________________________________________________

3. Time Signature/s: ________________________________________________

4. What instrument/s was/were used? __________________________________

5. What is the overall mood of the piece? Is there a message it wants to convey?
What would it be?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Comparing Melodic Maps

Find two people who can be your “test students.” They can
be a classmate, a friend, or a relative. Look for a recording
of “Leron, Leron Sinta” that you can listen to. Ask your
“test student” to draw a map of the melodic contour or
sharing of ideas. Afterward, compare and contrast their melodic contour maps.
This is to assess individual listening skills?

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 Note: Please use separate sheets of paper for the melodic contour maps. A melodic
contour map shows how pitches on a piece move, either up, down, statically, in leaps,
or steps.

CHALLENGE: Alternative Solutions

What strategies or alternative activities can be done for classrooms that do not have
any access to the internet or available gadgets that can play music recordings?

Please write your answer below:

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_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Harness: Linking Ideas

Look at the pictures below. Can you think of any Filipino folk,
traditional, or pop songs appropriate to teach and associate ideas
behind these pictures?

Song Title: ____________________________________

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Song Title: _____________________________________

Song Title: ____________________________________

Song Title: ____________________________________

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