Active Listening Activities

Active Listening is embedded in the ways that we teach in the elementary music classroom. Today on Teaching Music Tomorrow, Anne & Victoria are discussing specific active listening lessons to keep your students engaged and making music.

Victoria shares a listening activity perfect for a “one off” lesson, the end of class, or to introduce movement vocabulary: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WPCBieSESI 

Movement sequence: 

• 0:00 - With feet planted in place, improvise movements to follow the melodic contour of the trumpet 

• 0:14 - Sway slowly in place  (can you sway your feet? Your head? Can you sway forward and back? Side to side? 

• 0:54 - Tiptoe in open space to the rhythm of the percussion

• 1:26 - standing in place, move right arm when the clarinet plays. Move left arm when Louis sings the response 

• 2:01 - Move in open space, wiggling fingers in the air as the piano plays

• 2:34 - Spin during the trumpet’s long note, then slowly sit down 

• 2:57 - Lay still on the ground and listen to the rest of the piece 

Anne shares a way to introduce the song Carnavalito, before you teach the broken circle dance. Students will listen for rhythm, steady beat, and ostinato, throughout the clear sectional form of the piece. Check out the recording by Shenanigans here: https://youtu.be/XeVkU5rh6Hk?si=dGzwl7reN1w2TbbB Look for an example of the broken circle dance by Rob Amchin here: https://youtu.be/xPKBHAl2uwY?si=Sool6SJJs0SL1AqO (this example uses different music, but the moves are the same: marching for the A section and skipping for the B section).

Like this episode? Check out more from Anne and Victoria, including free resources at teachingmusictomorrow.com

Find more from Anne here:

Website: https://annemileski.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/annemileski

Find more from Victoria here:

Website: https://victoriaboler.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/victoriaboler