ABSTRACT
Listening is the foundation of musical understanding and an imperative for musical development. Singers and players require listening in order to learn, even when notation is available, and for much of the world, listening is the key to becoming an articulate, expressive, and fluent musician. This chapter centers on the dimension of Attentive Listening in World Music Pedagogy. Although secondary school students likely have considerable experience listening to music, a teacher’s guidance is essential for introducing students to new and unfamiliar musical territories. Through the unfolding of the chapter, details and descriptions are provided of how to successfully use Attentive Listening activities in a variety of secondary music settings.
This chapter also introduces the three Learning Pathway exemplars, which are recordings that can be used as illustrative examples of World Music Pedagogy in action for a specific context. The Learning Pathway examples include marimba music from Zimbabwe, son jarocho music from Mexico, and wedding music from a Roma ensemble; these examples will be revisited throughout the remainder of the book. Additional examples of Attentive Listening activities are offered that utilize recordings from Morocco, the African American tradition, China, Scotland, and the Samoan islands.
