Listening to Women: Gender Inclusive Repertoire in Music Classrooms
Presented by Miriam Capellan
As music teachers, we strive to build critical listening skills by exposing students to a wide variety of music. Learning through active listening can be an exciting process in any music classroom. It is a powerful moment when we witness the sense of wonder on a child’s face as they react to an especially moving melodic phrase. Seeing a student, lost in the creative process as they move expressively to a piece- pure magic. But how should a music teacher go about choosing pieces for the 21st century classroom? We know that students will benefit from hearing and seeing composers they can relate to. Including more women composers is a goal for many music educators. However, many of us grew up hearing very few if any women composers. Where can a teacher begin? This session will include practical tips for active listening, several examples of high quality, accessible works by women composers, and resources to help teachers build a diverse listening library. Session attendees will leave with eight listening examples from a diverse selection of women composers. They will practice a variety of techniques for active listening with each piece. Techniques explored will include response to music through Laban based movement and analysis skills drawn from the Library of Congress education department. Attendees will gather practical tips for creating their own listening library that is classroom-ready and easily sharable with other educators. In addition, they will receive multiple resources to help them become “teacher-musicologists” with the expertise to seek out and vet their own sources of information on diverse composers, past and present.