Developing Discerning Ears: Why Playing Well Is Only Half the Job

From time to time I like to ask students with whom I work a simple, but thought-provoking question: “How do you detect mistakes (yours or others) when you play?” Students are usually quick to offer all sorts of great responses, some more general and some quite specific:

• “The music sounds wrong.”
• “When I notice myself playing different notes from others in my section.”
• “When I notice players moving at two different tempos.”
• “When an individual or section sticks out above everyone else.”
• “You compare the way we played to the SmartMusic practice track.”
• “I break down the rhythm and write in the counts, then I compare what we played with the counts I’ve written in.”

To get the response I am looking for, however, a follow-up question is almost always required: “Okay, but how do you know the music sounds wrong? (...or that your sound is different?, that there are two diverging tempi?, that another section is too loud?, that your playing is different than the SmartMusic track?, or that you’re not adhering to the correct rhythmic counts?)

Listening—an often overlooked, but essential, job of ensemble musicians.

Before long the simplicity of my question dawns on them: you’re only aware of those things when you LISTEN as the ensemble plays ! It’s easy for students to focus on technical proficiencies—things such as pressing the correct keys, at the right time, for the right duration, at the right volume, etc.—when participating in ensemble music. After all, technical proficiency makes up most of what we deliver in lesson or sectional instruction. But listening to and evaluating the sonic contributions of one’s self and others in the ensemble is a huge part of musical growth and refinement.

Meaningful ensemble participation is a balancing act between simultaneously playing purposefully and listening reflectively.

If students are only playing—even if they’re playing well—and not listening, they’re only doing half their job!

Hear the Difference!

To be fair, students listen at some basic level as they play or they’d all be playing at different speeds and would never notice missed notes. Active, discerning listening, however, leads students to discover more about how the music works, leading to some wonderful musical benefits, including:

• Balance. Younger musicians play like they are the only, or at least the most important, thing happening at any given moment of a piece. You know what I’m talking about: that alto sax section honking away on a background part while the melody in the flutes is lost, or the clattering of a snare drum section (whose sticks rise several feet above their drum heads) as they blithely obliterate the wonderful but unheard harmonies in the lower clarinet parts. As students mature, they should be aware of what else is going on in a composition at any given time. When one section “eclipses” another, ask those being covered up to demonstrate their part. Challenge the rest of the ensemble to actively listen for that part when they are all playing. Students should be practicing their individual parts at home and in lessons/sectionals so that in full band rehearsals they can concentrate on learning the other players’ parts. I’ve heard this said very succinctly: “You know your part when you can sing theirs!” When students begin to hear all the colors of the band instead of only their own, the music is far more interesting. A band whose members submit their sound to the greater good of the ensemble, dynamically yielding to other sections whose sonic contributions might otherwise be lost, will sound more colorful, warm, and compelling.
• Tone. It’s been my experience that more young instrumentalists overplay than underplay, and when students push their sound too much the tone is harsh and unattractive. When working with your bands, challenge them to have their sound “disappear” or “melt” into the sound of those around them. Some directors use the mental image of placing one’s sound inside of their section’s sound. To really do this, students need to listen thoughtfully. Is their sound sticking out or blending in? When working with students on their sound, ask them to imagine the very best, pure sound coming out of their instrument—a 100% clear sound with no airiness or scratchiness. Ask for a few volunteers to demonstrate initiating a tone, and have the others rate the purity of their attempt on a scale of 1–10. A 10 would be a clear sound with a perfect attack, whereas a 7.5 might have some airiness in it or some rough tonguing. Even though few will actually produce a 10 for their tone, you’ll notice far less harsh, overplaying when students make that their goal! The tone of a band whose members listen discerningly to different aspects of their sound (such as attack), and exercise some restraint, will be more refined.
• Timing. I have found that almost all instances of timing errors in an ensemble are related to individuals or sections playing too loud. The rhythmic phasing (sometimes called “tears”) that occurs when a drum section takes off and leaves the rest of the band in the dust, or a low brass section plays at a different pace than the woodwinds across the band, is almost always due to one group’s inability (or forgetting) to listen to the other. When the group whose timing is flawed can actually hear the other group, they normally can play (and stay) together. Playing a little softer allows them to hear their counterparts in the ensemble, and listening for them encourages better balance. And if nothing else, playing softer makes the offender’s rushing less, well….offensive! The next time your drum section rushes ahead, instead of yelling “Slow down, stop rushing!,” tell them to play softer so they can listen.

Developing Discerning Ears

Remind students often that playing their instrument is only half their job; they are to actively and thoughtfully listen and evaluate what they hear as well. To encourage students to listen discerningly during rehearsals, give them opportunities to make observations. This means that you can’t always give them the answers, even though that might (in the short term) be more expedient.

From time to time throughout each rehearsal, ask questions that encourage active listening. Do you hear a sloppy release? Ask, “Which section or instrument did you hear last after I cut the band off?” Are there timing issues? Ask, “Did anyone notice which section was rushing ahead?” To repair issues of balance in a slow, beautiful passage, ask students which instrument timbre is “sticking out” awkwardly/harshly above the ensemble. The goal here is to develop a culture of thoughtful listening and reflection in your band.

You’ve heard the saying, “Feed a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life.” Develop discerning listeners in your band and in time you’ll have many ears besides your own reflecting on what is needed to achieve more musical results in your rehearsals!