Listening is one of those skills we often assume students already know how to do. In a music classroom, we spend a great deal of time talking about playing, practicing, reading, and performing. But how much time do we spend teaching students how to listen?
Up to this point in the school year, my students have been learning their major and natural minor scales by ear. Many are also learning rock songs by ear and creating their own arrangements. These situations have encouraged students to listen more carefully, observe patterns, and make musical decisions without always relying on written notation. I haven’t always approached orchestra instruction this way, but I’ve gradually come to appreciate how important learning by ear is to developing a well-rounded musician.
As a professional musician, I regularly rely on my ears and intuition to navigate musical situations. Sometimes that entails recognizing that something doesn’t sound quite right in an orchestral part. Before asking the conductor for clarification, I first investigate. Am I playing exactly what is written? Is there something happening in another section that I need to hear? Does the musical context suggest that something might be missing or incorrect? These are small moments that need musicians to take responsibility for what they are adding to an ensemble.
I want my students to develop these same instincts. Reading the notes on a page is important, but it shouldn’t be the end of the learning process. Students need to learn to trust their ears, recognize when something sounds unusual, and investigate before immediately looking to the conductor for an answer. Sometimes the solution is as simple as checking the printed music. Other times, it requires listening to the people around them and understanding how their individual parts fit into the larger musical picture.
There is also the question of understanding the music we are playing. Every genre has its own language, traditions, and expectations. Playing a jazz chart, a classical orchestral work, or a rock arrangement requires more than getting the notes and rhythms correct. Students need to understand the musical style they are inhabiting. What should the articulation feel like? Where does the pulse sit? What role does their instrument play? What are the musical conventions that shape the performance? Listening to recordings, studying artists, and paying attention to the musicians around them can help answer these questions.
Ultimately, I want students to understand that they are not simply responsible for playing the notes in front of them. They are also responsible for helping the ensemble realize the composer’s artistic concept or the collective interpretation of the music we are creating together. That responsibility requires curiosity, awareness, and a readiness to listen.
Perhaps one of the most important things we can teach young musicians is that listening doesn’t stop when someone else is playing. It is an active part of everything we do. It helps us recognize what is happening, understand what isn’t being said, and make thoughtful decisions about how we contribute.
Sometimes the most important musical lesson isn’t about what we play. It’s about what we hear.
