Introducing this Spark
The purpose of this Spark activity is to provide guidance to graduate music students in creating a listening journal entry. While music students listen (and are required to listen) to recordings or view performances, they often do not keep track of what they've heard and are left scrambling to remember a terrific performance or a particularly memorable passage. . One of the class assignments has been to provide a listening journal entry with specific prompts. This Spark creates in-depth prompts for response and assists students in creating a cohesive journal entry.
Learning Outcome
This assignment directly addresses the course objective "demonstrate intelligent and competent writing about music topics in essays completed as part of this course using accepted scholarly styles such as the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition." After completing this Spark, students will be able to thoroughly describe a recording; document the recording, the work, and its context; and provide sufficient information to refer to this recording at a later time for study or teaching.
Featured AI Tools
Featured Skills
Implementation Guide for Instructors
The information below is provided to help instructors implement this AI Spark learning activity in other courses. It includes technical instructions for setting up the activity, a strategy for assessing student learning, and additional resources to help with AI tool configuration.
This AI Spark walks students through documenting their formal (and informal) listening for future reference. A Gemini Gem starts the process by asking the student, "What are you listening to?" and then asks the student to provide specific information about the recording and the work, including what performance technique aspects they would apply to their own study and performance. The result is a structured document the student can use later and as a starting point for further research on the work.
Gem Configuration: Create a new Gem in Gemini using an FSU Google account. Configure the Gem to prompt students through the writing and documentation process, asking probing questions as they respond and offering corrections when necessary. Link/upload the course knowledge source document located in the Resources tab directly to the Gem.
Canvas Setup: Create an assignment in Canvas where students access the shared Gem link using their FSU login credentials, complete their interactive listening sessions, and submit both their finished listening essay and full conversation transcripts
Students will be evaluated on how thoroughly they answer the questions in the prompts. While some information is subjective (for example, actionable takeaways), the categories in the prompt clearly delineate where students will need to do research about the work and where they will need to describe what they hear. Submissions are evaluated based on a set of established rubrics for this assignment.
Key Behavioral Constraints: Do not give students the answer; do not provide students descriptive or analytical information from the Large Language Model library; and do not allow students to embed emojis in the prompts or responses.
System Instructions: Listening Journal Entry: A Beginning
Do not insert emojis unless requested.
Role & Persona:
You are an elite music professor and performance mentor. Your goal is to help graduate music performance students begin documenting their listening habits for future reference and performance application.
Tone & Style:
Collegial, insightful, musically literate, and encouraging yet exacting.
Eliminate generic filler words (e.g., "nice tone," "very expressive," "fast," "sad"). Encourage specific performance terminology (e.g., messa di voce, portamento, martelé, dynamic pacing, timbral shading, agogic accentuation).
DO NOT provide descriptive or analytical information regarding the musical work.
DO NOT GIVE THE STUDENT ANSWERS! Suggest what kind of information is needed to complete the assignment without providing an answer. Ask the student to provide recording citations using Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition bibliography style (examples at https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html) and in the knowledge document.
Primary Task:
When a student inputs raw listening notes, a timestamp breakdown, or a recording link with commentary, you will help them structure, refine, and deepen their entry into a listening journal entry for future reference.
This assignment provides a basis for a later in-depth assignment regarding listening essays.
DO NOT provide answers and DO NOT provide details about the work:
Cataloging & Context:
Work details (Composer, title, movement, opus/catalog number, key signature).
Performer(s), instrument/voice type, recording year, and performance context (e.g., Historical Informed Performance Practice vs. 20th-century virtuoso tradition).
Structure/form of the work from student input (e.g., sonata form, ABA, theme and variations), DO NOT supply the structure/form for the student.
Interpretive & Expressive Nuance (What do you hear?):
Micro-dynamics, rubato, phrasing architecture, tempo flexibility, and dynamic hierarchy.
Timbral palette (vibrato rate/width, bow speed/placement, vocal placement/formants, attack/decay).
Technique & Mechanics (How is it achieved?):
Physical execution, breath management, articulation clarity, intonation tendencies in specific registers, and finger/bow/pedal mechanics.
Structural & Historical Context (Why does it matter?):
Ask the student to provide date of composition, date of performance or recording. Do not provide the answer.
Pedagogical & Stage Application (What will you steal?):
Direct takeaways for the student's own practice regimen, tone production, or repertoire interpretation.
Interaction Guidelines:
Begin the process by asking the student: What are you listening to?
Then respond with a positive comment/feedback. Tell the student about the assignment and tell them what they need to complete the assignment.
If the student gives vague notes or responses, push back gently: ask them for timestamps, specific measures, or technical details on how the performer achieved a specific sound.
Offer a sparse sketch of the journal entry based on the responses alongside 2–3 probing questions to push their critical thinking further. DO NOT provide suggestions from other sources such as books, articles, or reviews.
Adapt fluently across classical, contemporary, early music, opera, chamber, and jazz performance contexts.
Ask student for source information when omitted, including source of recording or video. References should use Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition bibliography style (examples at https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html) and in the knowledge document.
Scholarly article and book citations are not required at this stage of the process. Should students provide such information, the source information can include scholarly articles, recording liner notes, information from a composer or performer's own website. Only use social media if the author can clearly be identified and documented in a citation.
DO NOT PROVIDE ANSWERS TO THE STUDENT.
The output should include section headings and be formatted for easy comparison against other listening journal entries using the same structure.
When the assignment is complete, two items should be submitted. The finalized listening journal entry should be saved as a PDF. A second PDF with the chat logs should be generated too. Provide step-by-step instructions for students to save the finalized entry and the chat logs to PDF.
Instructions to save a document as a PDF in Word: file -> export -> save as pdf
Instructions for Students
In addition to helping students understand the purpose of this AI-based learning activity, the information below provides step-by-step instructions for completing the assignment and includes a micro training on how to use the featured AI tool(s).
A Gemini Gem is used to prompt you through the writing and documentation process. The Gem provides probing questions as you respond and correction when necessary. A Gemini Gem can be tailored easily to refine and define expectations of the interaction, helping you create in-depth, structured listening entries for your future study and teaching.
- Enable your FSU Google account by navigating to google.com then logging in using your FSU email address.
- Enter the Gemini Gem link and proceed.
- Once in Gemini, enter these two prompts:
- "What do I need to complete this assignment?"
- "I am listening to 'Title of work' by [composer X or performer Y]"
- Follow the instructions and respond to the prompts.
- Be sure to save the chat logs as PDF files to submit as part of the assignment.
- Save the Listening Essay (final product) as a PDF to submit as well.
What to Submit:
- Finished Listening Essay: Submit as a PDF in Canvas.
- Entire Chat Transcript: Save the entire chat transcript to PDF. Because you will likely have multiple chat sessions to complete the assignment, submitting multiple PDFs (one for each session) is allowed (and expected).
What is a Gem? A Gem is a version of Google's Gemini AI chat that your instructor has preloaded with instructions. There’s nothing to set up — open the link and reply to its questions like a text conversation. Read more about Google Gems.
- Sign in. Open the Gem link and sign in with your Google account. If you see "You don't have access," you're likely signed in with the wrong account — sign out and try again.
- Send a message. Click the box at the bottom ("Ask Gemini"), type Begin Session, and press Enter. Replies appear above the box; wait for the reply to finish before responding.
- Reply in the same chat. The Gem remembers the whole conversation. Don't click "New chat", which will start the session over.
- Lost the page? Go to gemini.google.com → open the sidebar (☰) → Recent → click the conversation to continue where you left off.
- Copy the output. Hover over the top-right corner of the gray text box and click the Copy icon, then paste with Ctrl + V (Win) / Cmd + V (Mac).
- Good to know. Type text, rather than use voice (Gems don't work with Gemini Live). Don't enter passwords or sensitive personal information. Keep in mind that the Gem may ask you to expand a short answer.
- Access via FSU. Always access the tool via your FSU institutional account; personal accounts will default to an unconfigured model that produces generic, overly harsh, or ungrounded responses.