Did You Hear What I Hear? ( Learning to Listen with Music)

DID YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR???

(Learning to Listen with Music)

You're in a room with people who are chatting amongst themselves. You're not really listening to anyone--until, suddenly, you hear the word “underwear.” Who said that?! Now we have your attention!

Okay. Why can’t we use silly sounding words like “underwear” or “kangaroo” at totally inappropriate moments to get the attention of our students? I do it frequently in music class.

First find a location for a rhyming word in your song. Substitute another rhyming word that doesn't fit the context. Then, when the students point out your ‘mistake,” find another silly rhyming word.

For example:

Row, row, row your underwear. Okay. I have their attention. Now to teach rhyming.

Row, row, row your goat (moat)

Gently down the cream (beam, steam)

You will be corrected, once the giggling stops! They'll wait patiently and quietly for more “mistakes.”

THEY'LL LISTEN!

Now, since everyone is waiting to see what'll happen next, try a circle dance. If you treat it like a square dance and call out the directions, THEY'LL LISTEN! If you tell them to circle to the right, THEY'LL LISTEN! If you tell them to circle to the left, THEY'LL LISTEN! If you tell them to shake their shoulders, THEY'LL LISTEN! If you tell them to shake their bottoms, THEY'LL LISTEN! (and giggle.)

Now you'll be able to teach them partner dances, complicated songs and dances, whatever you wish! They will look forward to following directions, since they won’t know what to expect. You'll also notice that participation will improve since everyone is having fun and no one wants to be left out!

Nothing’s perfect! Sometimes, when you want your class to learn a song and dance, they will show no interest at all. It's just too much work! They’re tired! Sound familiar? I had to teach “La Raspa” in Spanish (and teach the dance) but my class didn’t want to do it. It was too much work and too hard too do! Well, just to make things weird and unpredictable, I sang and danced “La Raspa” and then, in the middle, I changed over to the disco dance and song to “Stayin’ Alive.” It was a very strange combination, but it worked! Now we have to sing and dance both songs together all of the time. THEY'LL LISTEN! (Go figure!)

So we discover that surprises in music occurred even in the 1700’s. (People did have a sense of humor then, too!) Have them listen to the beginning of the second movement of Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony” after they've been told that the audience didn’t know the title. Let them be the audience members who came to the concert to visit with their friends and not especially to hear the music. The children can pretend to be very sleepy while the music plays. See if they react to the “surprise” chord while they are snoring. Since Haydn planned to get his audience’s attention, you can ask them if it worked. Then have the class listen to see if the “surprise” chord comes back to scare them again. (It doesn’t but they did stay awake to listen for it, which was what Haydn wanted them to do!) THEY'LL LISTEN!

So keep those surprises coming and have fun listening to the great results!