Is listening to music enough to engage students in your Music Appreciation class? Most likely, no. If you have a class full of musicians that may be a different answer. But in a class full of students with little practical music experience, listening to music may not capture their interest. I think one answer lies in giving your class some basic, yet direct experience with making music. Anyone teaching general music or music appreciation will agree that the primary goal is to teach students how to effectively listen to music, to enrich their experience. Another goal is for them to learn how a musician thinks. The college where I teach recently changed their curriculum design. The title of Music Appreciation was changed to Listening to Music. But I would argue that even for the seasoned musician, listening to music is a relatively passive activity. I believe that students learn better if they can experience music directly. That is challenging in the classroom, particularly if your resources are limited. Why are students tuning out? Experienced musicians may relish the chance to just sit and listen to a great work of music. And I observe many students wearing ear buds, listening to …
