Is it an oxymoron?     active  —  listening  —  active

I think it depends on where I am.   Sitting  at a classical music, string quartet concert for which I have paid a good price  … then active is not what I want the patrons behind me to be.  Sitting  with a class of primary students, opening up a world of new listening music  … actively engaged is what I aim for.

Sometimes active means movement and dance.   Sometimes it means drawing a visual map of the music.  Sometimes it means making a face to show the mood of the music.   Sometimes it means  …  ????     Eventually I hope that active listening means active minds and imaginations journeying with the music that is heard.

Ask students what their imaginations can hear in the music with leading questions …    Where are you?   What colour do you hear?    Who is going to arrive in this music?

Most important  —if this is a new genre of music for most students, keep the “active listening” simple and short in duration.    Leave them wanting more.