Listening to Stardust, an album by Willie Nelson, is to examine listening for appreciation while enjoying an American classic album. Be prepared, however, that the songs are slow. Also, Willie Nelson did not write them; rather, they are covers from his interpretation.
Many listening concepts affect listening. With the slow tempo, for example, your brain will process the words faster than they are shared, so you will have spare brain time. However, do not succumb to glazing over or daydreaming during his work. In addition, although the album was released in 1978, do not assume that the recording quality is bad or the messages of the songs are irrelevant. To do so would be to indulge in prejudging. Next, if it is your first time engaging with this album, you should not passively listen, which is simply absorbing what is said. Instead, you should actively listen–fully paying attention and processing, storing, and evaluating the messages to reach a conclusion–to each piece next time and find nuances that pique your interest. Finally, use your critical thinking and listening skills, which help formulate opinions, to pinpoint what exactly it is that you like or dislike about his music
When engaging with this album, it is vital to utilize dialogic listening skills. Before you begin, you should get in the right mindset and physical space, so you can remove distractions, which can be emotional or physical. To ensure you are giving the album a full opportunity to be appreciated, you should listen to the nonverbals and content. Throughout the album, Nelson utilizes vocalics to vary his tone and inflection. Doing so allows him to express his memories which this music brings upon him. After all, he wrote this album to share the ten most memorable songs from his childhood to a new generation. Now, put some headphones in and relax as you get serenaded by songs from Nelson’s youth.