One strategy that I use in my classroom at the beginning of term is giving students a short introductory assignment where they have to pick a piece of music and discuss the elements of music associated with their pick. Students also explain the significance of the piece to them. Afterwards, we either do a guided class listening to everyone's song selections, or I curate a playlist for students to go through on their own time with their selections.
Some guiding questions for students to consider are the cultural or historical context of the music, the emotions that the artist was trying to evoke in the piece, and any assumptions or biases they may have had before listening to the music. I really enjoy doing this activity at the start of term, and it seems to work best when the class size is small. It provides students with the opportunity to discover new genres and artists they may not have previously known about, and form connections to others who listen to the same music they do. When I am able to, I use these student picks as inspiration for repertoire we may study later in the semester.
Toronto, October 2024
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