The Visual Listening Guide
Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” in a Toronto Symphony Orchestra program book.
What is the Visual Listening Guide?
The Visual Listening Guide (VLG) is a new way to discover a symphonic work in a visually engaging and intuitively comprehensible manner, regardless of musical background.
The Visual Listening Guide…
…makes symphonic music more accessible and fosters focused and active listening:
Created by musicologist Hannah Chan-Hartley, the VLG, designed as a printable resource, is like a sonic “map” to an orchestral piece. Its distinctive blend of graphics, colour, and text reveals the piece’s structure by showing important musical themes and other features, so you can know how to listen to—and thus deepen your understanding of—the music.
…can be used in and beyond the concert hall:
Designed for audiences to use interactively at their discretion during a live performance, the VLG can also be used for personal listening at home with any audio or video recording.
…has a strong international following:
Since its introduction in 2015, the acclaimed VLG has been used and enjoyed by hundreds of thousands in 22 countries worldwide— in print and digital formats through concert programs of major orchestras and as available individual publications online.
…develops and deepens appreciation for orchestral music and the musicians that perform it:
A proven success with audiences of a wide range of ages and experiences with orchestral music, the VLG’s unique design has been praised by concert goers, music educators and scholrs, UX designers, and graphic designers alike.
Examples of the Visual Listening Guide
How to Purchase
For personal use
Digital PDF versions of Visual Listening Guides for personal use and study can be purchased from the SHOP. VLGs can be used with any audio or video recording.
For orchestras: licensing and commissions
Visual Listening Guides can be licensed individually or through a seasonal subscription by orchestras for distribution in print and digital formats to their audiences. Commissions for new Visual Listening Guides are also welcome. Please visit HERE for more information.
Praise for the Visual Listening Guide
“A deft mix of text and graphics...”
“A valuable tool to non-musicians who want to learn more about classical music...”
“...[B]rilliant and really achieves information design’s primary purpose—bringing clarity and engagement to a complex situation.”
“Having a visual guide enhances the experinece and allows for engaged listening.”
Awards
Shortlisted for the Classical:NEXT 2017 Innovation Award
Winner of the 2016 KANTAR Information Is Beautiful Bronze Community Award based on public vote
Want to learn more about the Visual Listening Guide?
Hannah’s chapter on the Visual Listening Guide in The Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory, edited by J. Daniel Jenkins, is now available online through subscribing institutions. Print version to come out in late 2024.
