Enjoying music: practice tips
Developing and practicing music listening skills
It’s clear that practice and repeated exposure to musical sounds play an important role in determining how well you’ll be able to enjoy music. The single biggest determinant of success will be your attitude. It helps to remember to:
- Have realistic expectations
- Be willing to try different methods for developing your listening skills
- Be patient. The rewards will be well worth the time and effort
- PRACTICE often. Recipients say that music starts to sound better after repeated listening
Start with familiar music
Start by listening to familiar songs, such as nursery rhymes, or those with a simple, repetitive melody and beat. These are usually easiest to follow and understand. The more limited your experience with music, the simpler the songs should be when you start:
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Practice listening to sound effects until you can identify each sound.
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Look for musical selections that feature a single musical instrument or singing voice.
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Listen to music that is familiar to you, or you remember from your past.
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Have the lyrics in front of you.
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Use a keyboard to practice with simple tunes and with recognizing pitches.
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Have a family member or friend mouth the words of a song or use hand gestures to indicate pitch changes.
- Try to view the performer's face (on stage, TV, video, etc.) so that you can use visual cues to assist your understanding.
After you’ve mastered some of the above suggestions, gradually move to more complicated pieces, including duets, quartets or orchestras.
