What music do you like to listen to and why? When you listen to music, what do you usually pay attention to? Does your answer to these questions change? How might your personal listening habits be shaped by your community and surroundings?

Are the above questions even considered music theory or music analysis? If so, how might they fit into your classroom, and why might you include them?

Recently, there has been an important trend in music theory pedagogy discussions towards inclusive pedagogy, with attempts to expand the music we teach in the classroom to include more than the traditional Western Art Music canon (WAM). Even if one feels these are laudable goals, they can present challenges and uncertainties. Some educators attempt to check required Diversity and Inclusion boxes and expand the repertoire studied by choosing pieces to use in a regular music theory curriculum to teach WAM concepts (what Attas describes as the “plug-and-play model,” 2019).

Part of inclusive pedagogy can include expanding what we teach students music analysis is, which can better facilitate inclusion of broader repertoire. While it can be tied to reinforcing traditional musical analytical elements, analyzing one’s listening habits, attention strategies, musical preferences, and experiential journey through a given listening experience is a way towards more inclusive musical analysis.

This poster facilitates a discussion of the pedagogical strategy of analyzing listening habits as a form of music analysis, in which student-generated playlists form the repertoire. Courses are designed to give students the space to explore questions about their personal listening habits and preferences and to critically analyze their own listening and musical consumption, considering how their individual and societal backgrounds combine with various musical elements to create listening experiences. Elements from the strategy can be used in a college-level music theory course, or modified to fit a K-12 classroom.

Especially in the post-pandemic landscape, engaging students has become increasingly challenging. Encouraging students to discuss their personal music diversifies classroom repertoire and contributes to intrinsic motivation, lessening the incentive for students to turn to generative AI to complete their assignments.