Music listening is really what it sounds like; listening to music! It is basically “name that tune” in more classical genres and much more complex. This is sponsored by Minnesota public Radio.

This year, their are eight students participating in this group. Ryan Ortega, Jane Koll, Tim DeMarais, Connor Hagarty, Tim Welch, Sammi Knight, Bryant Gernes, and Gabe Tulis. The students are placed in groups of three, and are each given a CD, and a study guide which they are supposed to memorize. The must be able to name the piece, composer, and background information about the two. The genres feature historic categories from medieval to contemporary. Each year there is a featured genre and a featured composer. This year’s genre is operetta and the composer is Bernstein.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of time to learn and memorize the information. The students get the packets a month in advance. It works the same way as any other music: listen to it over and over again, and it becomes apart of your memory.

Ryan Ortega claims that what he likes best is listening to the old classical music, and gaining knowledge about the composers and genres.

The competition is held on a Friday afternoon at Winona State University. The top two teams will advance on to the next competition.