The Art of Listening

A person gifted in the Art of Listening, is someone that we do not encounter very often and yet for any musician of any instrument it is one of the most crucial things to learn.

In fact, listening is an important skill to be acquired in life in general.  However, when it comes to music and the learning of an instrument. 'listening' is essential. When it comes to musical skills and learning we a need to develop our ability to listen it is simply part of our training, a vital part.


When I was going through my training as a flute student at Sydney Conservatoire I did a lot of 'listening,' I went to every concert I had time for at the Opera House and on my way too and from lessons I listened to many different kinds of music on my Walkman. But it was one of my earliest teachers, Casey Greene, who impressed the importance of this skill most clearly upon me and he never even alluded to it in our lessons.

He, quite simply, set a great example. On a number of occasions I accompanied him to various concerts and musical outings and no matter what the music was, whether an orchestral concert or a jazz festival, he always gave the piece he was listening to the utmost of his attention.

I was very impressed by his concentration and deep respect for music and to his skill in the art of 'listening' to it.

We seldom think about this, but 'listening' is something very powerful, it has almost mystical and magnetic quality to it. We could say it is a 'creative force.' Do we not gravitate toward people who know how to 'listen?' Such people have an aura about them, a subtle by compelling attractive quality.

When we give music our full attention it enables us to 'loose' ourselves in it and become part of the music, part of something bigger than just ourselves...

Learning to play the flute or any other instrument requires this skill and as one begins to develops this skill, the fragrance of the art of listening begins to permeate all the other areas of ones life as well.