The Music Workshop Company Blog 

Each month the Music Workshop Company publishes two blogs. One blog, written by the MWC team addresses a key issue in Music Education or gives information about a particular genre or period of music. The other blog is written by a guest writer, highlighting good practice or key events in Music Education. We hope you enjoy reading the blogs. 
 
To contribute as a guest writer please email Maria@music-workshop.co.uk 

Posts tagged “LISTENING”

Whether you are staying at home or going away over the summer, here are some ideas for musical activities to help develop your listening skills. These activities can be done alone or with family or friends and are suitable for all ages and abilities. 
 
Listening is a key skill in music but is also important in a wider context - listening to a friend who wants to talk, listening to instructions from a teacher, listening to the sounds around us. Sometimes we just listen with no response, sometimes a response is automatic or is needed. 
 
Listening is also used in Mindfulness, a popular therapeutic practice derived from elements of Buddhism. Mindfulness can be used to reduce depression, stress and anxiety. Listening activities can help to relax you and bring about a sense of calm. 
 
 
Image: Jackson Simmer, Unsplash 
Listening to music is beneficial for many reasons. It can be a relaxing pastime in itself, inspiring, soothing and uplifting, or it can be a focused learning activity that has many positive influences on social and academic development. The benefits of music have been widely reported for years, marketed by companies selling the concept that a baby who listens to Mozart will grow up to be more intelligent. There’s some truth in behind this belief: Research indicates that music lessons change the course of brain development and are likely to influence children’s success in other, non-musical tasks (read our guest blog from Dawn Rose to find out more). 
In a recent interview by The Scotsman, world-renowned violinist, Nicola Benedetti, passionately criticised the suggestion that children should not be exposed to classical music. 
 
Benedetti is a great advocate of music education. In 2010, she became Sistema Scotland’s official musical ‘Big Sister’ for the Big Noise project, as well as creating The Benedetti Sessions, giving hundreds of aspiring young string players the opportunity to rehearse, undertake and observe masterclasses, culminating in a performance with the violinist. 
 
 
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