the art of listening

There is a lost art: the art of listening.  I'm not just talking about actually listening to what someone is saying without constantly thinking about what you are going to say next.  I'm talking about the art of listening to music.

We are surrounded all the time by music: while shopping, walking down the street, in the car, out to dinner, waiting in line at the bank; we are bombarded with it, but how often do we stop and actually listen to it?  No. Seriously.  LISTEN to it.

I remember when I was younger - in high school or even college - I would get together with friends and just listen to music.  The TV wasn't on - we weren't multi-tasking, reading or cleaning the house -- we were just listening to music and enjoying all elements and aspects of what we were hearing.  We would smile at each other as we picked up the more subtle elements or recognized a quote from another song in the performance of another musician.  Going to school for music upped my listening skills - there were aspects and elements of the music we were expected and required to hear.  Repetition and contrast are both important elements - they help our ears recognize what is important (through repetition) and give our ears a break and let us realize something new and different is happening (by contrast).  I was once asked by an ex-boyfriend in the middle of a Phish concert, "how do you listen to music?"  I was totally floored - I had never thought about it - and I wisely answered, "let's talk about that after the show...." It made me analyze what I listened to and when and why...and I've never forgotten that lesson.  I used to enjoy the moments when I lived alone or when I found the time to have to myself  to put on some music and sit and listen.  Perhaps with a glass of scotch or wine or maybe just sitting in the dark and listening carefully and enjoying what I was hearing.  The art of listening = the art of enjoyment.

How often do you sit down and listen to music?  Do you make the time to do it?  I realized tonight that I hadn't done it in a long time.  I tell my students every day to listen carefully and hear all the different aspects of music that they should be hearing and blah blah blah.  I'm afraid that it takes away the enjoyment - the joy of the music.  But the joy comes from careful listening and enjoying what you hear.  It doesn't matter what type of music.  I just got off a serious Mozart kick (not sure why or how it started...but it was enjoyable while it lasted....) and tonight, after hours of grading and thinking all I wanted to do was drink a glass of wine, head to bed, and numb myself with the TV,  I poured myself a glass, headed upstairs and realized I just wanted to listen to music.  Who did I want to listen to?  Hm.  That's strange - I had a strong hankerin' to listen to Moby. Rather odd to come off a hard-core Mozart stint by listening to Moby, but I listened to my inner ear.  I went downstairs, found my Moby albums, sat on the floor in front of the speakers and listened.  And ENJOYED.  I sang along, sipped wine, was caught up in some memories that certain songs brought me back to, scratched the cat as he walked back and forth and genuinely enjoyed myself.  I felt revitalized.  Awake.  Energized.  Motivated.  Enthusiastic.  All from just sitting and listening.

I challenge all of you to do the same.  Pick something - anything.  Some type of music you love.  A band that you haven't listened to in years.  Or maybe something from a performer that you just listened to yesterday.  BUT -- turn off the TV, sit in front of your speakers, devote yourself to "X" amount of time for just listening and enjoying.  Do you think you don't have the time to just sit and listen without multi-tasking??  You say, "gee, Katie, I can listen, but only if I'm putting dishes in the dishwasher or doing laundry or picking up the living room...I don't have the time.  I can't afford to take the time to do that."

I say: YOU CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO.