Every lesson should start with this question.
What did you listen to this week? What did you love, what did you not respond to?
In every lesson I’ve ever taught or taken, part of the equation was working to master a style, one that I wasn’t necessarily fluent in. In the 21st century, there is an easy solution for that – deep listening. In my late-teens and twenties I immersed myself in hours of jazz singing (solo and group) every day for a decade. And I learned more about the style through that immersion than I ever did in a lesson.
Whether you’re studying art song, jazz, musical theatre, rock, or any other vocal or instrumental style, listening is a crucial component, and conversation about that listening can be a powerful way to engage students with their music-making, and to take the temperature of their mastering of the style.