ICAN Listen is a powerful new series that invites students, educators, and families to experience music in a more meaningful and reflective way. Created by Music Workshop in collaboration with the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN), the series centers on a simple but transformative idea: listening can deepen connection, spark conversation, and support well-being.
Now available to stream for free on Music Workshop’s online portal, ICAN Listen is designed as a classroom-ready resource that makes music appreciation accessible to learners everywhere.
What sets ICAN Listen apart is its youth-led approach. Each episode features teenage presenters from the Portland area sharing their authentic thoughts, emotions, and interpretations after listening to impactful pieces of music. Through their voices, viewers are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and engage in meaningful dialogue about identity, culture, and emotion.
Across five episodes, the series explores a diverse range of music – from joyful and uplifting songs to pieces rooted in cultural tradition and emotional storytelling. Students engage with works like “Happy Song,” “Bii Biyelgee,” “Sky World,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and “Hound Dog,” using guided listening to uncover themes of resilience, belonging, hope, and self-expression.
ICAN Listen encourages active listening as a skill. Rather than simply hearing music, participants are guided to notice how music makes them feel, what stories it tells, and how it connects to their own lives. This process supports not only musical understanding, but also social-emotional learning and cultural awareness.
The series also reflects Music Workshop’s broader mission: to make high-quality, culturally responsive music education available to all. By offering ICAN Listen as a free resource, Music Workshop continues to support educators with tools that are engaging, inclusive, and easy to implement.
Whether used as a lesson starter, a discussion prompt, or a moment of reflection, ICAN Listen provides a fresh and impactful way to bring music into learning spaces. At its core, the series reminds us that music is more than something we hear – it’s something we experience, share, and grow through.
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