[originaltext] We may engage ourselves with music as a creator, that is a co

We may engage ourselves with music as a creator, that is a composer, or as a recreator, that is a performer, but most of us engaged ourselves with music as a receiver. That is a listener. As a listener, we respond to music with different levels of receptivity. We may be very causal and careless about the way we hear music, paying almost no attention to it. Elevator or telephone music, for example, is not meant to be listened to intently. We have all used music as background sound to create a pleasant atmosphere for our own quiet thought. On the other hand, especially when we are on the road, an easy listening station can create a dream-like haze and we may deliberately turn out the music so as to concentrate on the driving.
    However, there are other times when music is the center of our focus. And we give it our full attention. This could be in a church, at a special event or at a concert. But how are we supposed to listen and what are we supposed to listen for. Basically, there are two ways to experience music. Some people let the sounds wash over them like a sauna bath and an emotional flood. This is the sensuous level. Other listeners respond on a perceptive or analytical level, paying attention to various aspects of the music as they unfold. They listen for musical events. The first level of attending to music is purely emotive. The second analytical. Ideally, we learn to listen more perceptively in order to increase the emotional impact. As a result, the second way of perceptive or analytical listening reveals the expressive power of the music composition so that we can enjoy it more fully.