The Art of Listening

The Art of Listening Essay

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” (Churchill) Having the capability to give one’s attention to sounds is just as crucial as having the ability to vocalize words. The quote stated above by Winston Churchill signifies how important the art of listening is. Not only is it vital to achieving success, it brings many benefits to individuals. But before we can analyze components of how listening is advantageous to certain bodies, we must recognize the definition of the phrase the “art of listening.” We can define the “art of listening” as a person having the power to analyze, comprehend and decipher certain sounds around them. The sounds play off one another and it is up to the listener to be able to understand and consume it. This is key to certain individuals because without having this ability, it will cause many difficulties to progress. For a more precise example, the art of listening is very crucial to a performing artist for several reasons. First, artists must be able to listen to themselves. In order to develop any type of performance skill, they must have the capabilities to listen to what sounds they are making. In addition, the art of listening is important because you are able to hear the mistakes you make, then be able to correct them. Secondly, it is increasingly more beneficial if you have a well-developed skill of listening if you are playing in a group. To make harmony and melody, you must listen to one another so you may play it correctly. This will lead to the rhythm and tone being matched as well as the pitch. Because we interact with different individuals and we have our own morals as well as our own opinions, there will always be varying interpretations of the “art of listening.” My perception of the “well-being” of the “art of listening” is that many members in society are ignoring it. People do not listen to sounds as well as each other and