Listen to the Music

I always have my antenna tuned into what our students at popMATICS are discussing, and I can’t think of a better message to take to heart than “Listen to the music…all the time!” 🎶⏰🎶

Talk about a series of synchronistic events! 📆

Every Sunday, I choose a new “Song of the Week” for one of our listening classes, where I teach students how to play by ear! 🎧

A new student recently asked how I select the songs we study, and this week's pick makes a great tale! 📖

Twice a week, we have a class called The Gift Shop, where students can share a song and a lesson they learned by listening. 🎁

On Wednesday, a student (just starting her second month) brought “Listen to the Music” by The Doobie Brothers to class. She shared that the song is in the Key of E and that she had recognized the sound of a chord from outside the key and identified that sound as a #4 (A#) presented through a 2M (you might call this V of V). Once the lesson is shared, we listen so everyone can hear it! ✅

Later that evening, my kids and I ran some errands around dinner time, and I was in the mood for a Gyro. We went to a local pizza shop, and an old jukebox was tucked in the corner. It wasn't in service, but the photo below is what I saw—Listen to the Music, Track 4 (my favorite number)! 💿

Then, yesterday (Sunday), we played a game of Rummy 500. I opened Pandora Radio and created a station for the background music based on What a Fool Believes (also by The Doobie Brothers). Do you want to guess what the fourth song we heard was? ♠️♥️

My mother always told me to pay attention to things that happen in 3s. At that moment, I officially committed to selecting “Listen to the Music” as our song of the week, building on the “souvenir” our students shared during last week’s Gift Shop. 🎁

When I opened Spotify to add it to the school playlist, I was notified that The Doobie Brothers are coming to town this summer! I’ll be “listening to the music” live in August! 😎

I won't claim the universe delivers such clear signals every week, but it does happen often! I always have my antenna tuned into what our students at popMATICS are discussing, and I can’t think of a better message to take to heart than “Listen to the music…all the time!” 🎶⏰🎶