It is so important when listening to music in the learning environment to understand how the music sounds, what mood it creates, what the main elements are and how they influence a song.

Below are some great questions to integrate into your music lesson plans to ask the children in the class.

18 Questions to Ask When Listening to Music – FREE DOWNLOAD

  1. Do you hear any instruments that you recognise?
  2. Is there one main instrument?
  3. Is there one sound or lots of different sounds playing at once?18 Questions to Ask When Listening to Music
  4. How does the mood of the music change when lots of instruments are playing?
  5. How do you think the main instrument is being played? Blown, plucked, bowed or struck?
  6. Is the texture of the music thick or thin?
  7. What is the ‘busiest’ part of the music?
  8. Are the sounds smooth or jumpy?
  9. Does the music have a melody?
  10. Would the melody be easy to sing?
  11. Show me with your hands when you hear a high or low sound in the melody.
  12. Does the music have a clear steady beat?
  13. Does the beat move in Threes? Fours?
  14. Do you hear any particular rhythm patterns which keep repeating?
  15. Are there parts of the music that repeats?
  16. Are there clear sections in the music?
  17. Can you identify when one section ends and the next begin?
  18. Does the music get faster/slower, louder/softer? What mood does this create?

Asking the children about the elements of music gets them thinking more in-depth which is great for developing thinking skills. So, get singing and don’t forget to ask, ask and ask!