Reading Time: 4 minutes
As a music professor, my favorite courses to teach are those for non-majors, especially first-year students without formal training in music. They just have a fearless openness to wonder and discovery about them. The first day of class is a blank slate, one full of potential for new ways to think about music.
Breaking the ice: Who’s a musician?
I like to start my class with a simple question: “Who in here is a musician?” I scan the room, watching a few hands go up. Pretending to count them carefully, I suddenly take a step back and announce, “Every single hand should have gone up!” A ripple of nervous laughter follows. “No, really!” I insist.
At this point, everyone looks puzzled. Maybe they’re wondering if they had picked the wrong class. But then, I ask, “How many of you ever sing in the shower? Sing along to your favorite music in the car? Or whistle a tune while walking to class?” Almost everyone nods or raises a hand. “If you do that,” I tell them, “You are a musician!”
It’s a good icebreaker — a little silly, maybe, but it gets at a serious point: when did we stop considering ourselves musicians? After all, music is such a fundamental human activity. It’s one that’s existed for as long as humans have made sounds. Even before we had structured language, we had rhythm and melody.
Music: A force for connection and change
Music is our universal language and — far beyond mere entertainment — its greatest power lies in building community. It’s a role music has played throughout history, from ancient traditions to the rise of modern media. Consider the early days of radio in the United States. For the first time, Americans from different parts of the country were exposed to each other’s music.
Music is also fundamental to our personal histories. Think about one of the first questions you might have asked on a date: “What kind of music do you listen to?” The answer to that question can wind up shaping the entire evening.
Back in college, when asked what music I liked, I answered with brutal honesty, even when it worked against me. One night at a bar (sipping a Coca-Cola), someone asked, “What do you listen to?” I excitedly replied, “Gregorian chant!” And just like that, I was out of the running. Even if I got the chance to explain, I could see the realization dawn on them: “Oh, this guy likes really old and really serious church music.” Eventually, I wised up and started answering with something a little more relatable. But the truth is, Gregorian chant is fascinating — a conversation for another time.
Every piece of music is a cultural artifact
Going back to icebreakers on the first day of class, I also like to invite my students (newly anointed musicians!) to think of every piece of music as a cultural artifact, just like an archaeologist would examine a shard of pottery.
Our first day always has music. But before listening, we explore its world — the people who made it, those who heard it, and the significance of its instruments. Every instrument has a personality and a temperament, much like characters in a play. Taking that to heart, music becomes a richer, more connected experience. As an artifact of culture and a creation of the human mind and body, music of every kind is relatable to anyone curious enough to want to know. We are hardwired for it. If you think about it, some of the first music we ever hear is in the womb.
So, making, analyzing, and listening to music — deeply and critically — are not the privileged purviews of the trained professional. They are for everyone who wants to rediscover and embrace that part of themselves.
Listening to music
In “Listening to Music,” 9th Edition, we hope to spark excitement and rediscovery in every reader. Think of it as more of a guide than a textbook.
What does that mean? Well, I hear some of the most beautiful music just taking a walk in the woods. I hear the birds singing, and their songs are for me as much as for anyone. But I appreciate them so much more if a good field guide directs my listening to things I might not have noticed! Just as a great field guide helps us hear new layers in birdsong, this textbook directs attention to musical elements that might otherwise go unnoticed.
In our latest edition, we also take an expansive view, featuring not only the biggest “brand names” in orchestras and musicians, but also lesser-known groups and musicians from around the world. And, of course, every piece of music we study is examined as a cultural artifact, helping us understand history, identity, and our place in the world. We move from the broadest historical context down to the fine details of the music itself. And with directed listening (just like listening to birds in a field), we highlight elements that are often noticed subconsciously, but become even more exciting once we recognize them as part of a larger musical language.
So, remember: Everyone is a musician!
Written by Lorenzo Candelaria, Ph.D., Professor of Musicology and former Dean of the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.
Interested in “Listening to Music,” 9th Edition by Craig Wright and Lorenzo Candelaria for your music course?
The post Everyone is a Musician: Rediscovering Our Connection to Sound appeared first on The Cengage Blog.
Reading Time: 4 minutesAs a music professor, my favorite courses to teach are those for non-majors, especially first-year students without formal training in music. They just have a fearless openness to wonder and discovery about them. The first day of class is a blank slate, one full of potential for new ways to think about music. Breaking the […]
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