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R ehe arsal Br e ak
Rehearsal Break

tional connections are directly drawn between the text clination toward The Sound of Silence. When choosing
and the music to evoke feelings in the listener. Present- repertoire, one should consider authenticity, cultural
ing the same text approached from different musical relevance, and inclusion. The music selected should
perspectives is a staple of many composers’ musical avoid perpetuating stereotypes or other social, emo-
endeavors, as evidenced by the sheer number of songs tional, or societal issues that might impact a student’s
that are re-recorded by various artists today—a prac- participation. 6
tice that has been common from antiquity in both sa- It is essential to know your students and their ability
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cred and secular music. level to better guide their commitment to discovering
Encouraging divergent thinking through listening deeper implications of the text. Their age and emo-
is important and not difficult to incorporate into daily tional intelligence is an essential concern when select-
instructional practices. Designing listening experienc- ing repertoire. Mature students may do well with more
es for students based on different interpretations of a complex text, but it is important to consider their emo-
single text setting is a great introduction to this kind of tional capacity to process underlying messages. It is also
free thinking. Students interact with the text multiple possible that there will be students who are unable or
times while encountering different viewpoints of com- unwilling to participate in certain musical selections for
posers and arrangers from diverse backgrounds. Each personal or religious reasons. We must be mindful when
composer or arranger’s context and interpretation selecting repertoire and text to avoid situations where
highlights their unique musical contribution, promotes any student is excluded from the meaningful work of
broader inclusivity and understanding, and empowers uncovering deeper meaning of text through thorough
students to add their own meaning to the text. 4 analysis. Flexibility is an important consideration when
The Sound of Silence anecdote comes from a moment designing listening sequences.
of realization I had in my classroom and is the impetus We may not always fully understand the nuances of
for the strategies shared in this article. Students were our students’ lives and personal history. As such, it is
already drawn to this music, so I decided to create an important to be vulnerable and open in order to cre-
extended listening lesson based on the piece. Through ate a classroom environment where students feel com-
listening to various versions of the same song and ex- fortable relating to text in a personal way. Inevitably,
amining the text in isolation, students were enabled to students will have differing opinions on the meaning
make profound, thoughtful, and creative connections of the text, which is ultimately part of the enjoyment
to the song and text. Specificity in listening brought of deep listening and analysis. Their differing opinions
meaningful change to the way students viewed text and will help them understand a greater range of interpre-
influenced their experience beyond the technical pro- tation and free them to create their own conclusions
cess of making music. In this article, I will share the about the meaning of the text. Again, creating a re-
specific strategies that led to these outcomes in hopes spectful and safe environment is essential to ensure that
that they are generalizable to future practitioners who every student can share their opinion and feel valued,
may create lessons with varied repertoire. Following is despite disagreements with their peers.
an example of how the concept of “one text, many
settings” could occur in the classroom.
Introductory Listening Lessons
and Expectations
Repertoire Selection Frequently teaching and practicing attentive listen-
In every area of musical study—historic, research, ing is an essential musical skill. Setting clear expec-
and applied—thoughtful repertoire selection is crucial. tations for how students should listen is an important
This is particularly true when the goal is to actively first step in encouraging them to think critically about
engage students. In the following listening sequence what they hear. Teachers should encourage students to
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example, I selected the music specifically because of listen in silence, saving their comments until the end
my school’s culture and the students’ pre-disposed in- of the piece. If they need to, students can write down

42 CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2025 Volume 65 Number 9