Understanding Primary Music

1. Understanding Primary Music Session 4: Listening and appraising Using ICT to support musical development Planning for learning

2. Listening and appraising: areas of focus • identifying instruments • features of the music: dynamics, pace, pitch • mood the music creates • personal response to the music: like/dislike; how it makes you feel

3. Listening and appraising: recorded music • Evaluate the different approaches for supporting listening and appraising • For each piece of music you listen to identify which aspects of musical development that piece would be particularly useful for supporting • Devise a format that will enable you to structure the listening process and facilitate recording of feelings and thoughts about a piece of music • Evaluate another group’s recording sheet using 2 stars and a wish

5. ICT can enhance learning in music, however….. • Clear learning objectives for music should be established and the use of ICT to enhance musical learning carefully planned • ICT should not be used as a substitute for traditional ways of making music • Teachers should develop their own capabilities with audio and music applications before implementing them in the classroom • A sound knowledge of the music curriculum should underpin any use of technology to support children’s learning in music (Allen, et.al., 2011: 212)

6. Linking ICT and Music programmes of study The use of software for sound exploration: KS1 2a create musical patterns 2b explore, choose and organise sounds and musical ideas

7. The use of recording equipment for reviewing work: KS1 3b make improvements to their own work KS2 3c improve their own and others’ work in relation to its intended effect Across all schools visited, audio recording was not used enough as a means of ongoing assessment, but tended to be used only at the end of a unit of work. As one pupil said, ‘It is good we record our own work, but it would be better if we could listen to it more and find out how we could improve it. (Ofsted, 2009:18)

8. Evaluating digital resources Resources available online: • Audacity (free to download) http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ • 2 Simple Music (sample) http://www.2simple.com/music/ • Sketch pad (can be run as online application) http://www.creatingmusic.com/new/sketch/mmm/mmm.html Other examples of music software: • Sebelius • Compose World • Rhythm Maker • The Dums

9. The features of effective teaching • good use was made of teaching strategies • a clear focus for the learning in each lesson was identified, which was developed through all activities • clear steps of progression were identified • effective demonstration by the teacher • high expectations for all, where all pupils were challenged and enabled to make progress and to identify that they had made progress • challenging pupils to improve the quality of their work through questioning, explaining or demonstrating what was needed • actively listening to pupils’ music making and enabling pupils to identify opportunities to improve (Ofsted, 2009)

10. The more effective teachers made good use of well developed subject knowledge: • identified pupils’ areas for development e.g. misconceptions • provided a high level of challenge and ensure that pupils made musical progress.’ • consolidated and reinforced learning and were able’ by focussing on small steps • constantly reinforced learning within these steps through tasks that were progressive (in knowledge understanding and skills) and accumulative (building on prior learning) • spent less time talking, making more use of demonstration • allowed sufficient time for pupils to engage with practical activities.

11. Learning from practice • Watch the lesson and use the recording sheet to identify key features of the teaching and learning. • Critically evaluate the lesson using the Ofsted findings

12. Examples of stimuli for composition • A poem – written by teacher or child • A published story • A collection of instruments • A child’s painting / a famous painting • A child’s verbal description of an object or living thing • A piece of music • An object brought in by a pupil

13. Activities to do before next session: • Find a song e.g. Kididdles or Sing Up websites and decide what year group it would be most appropriate for and why (Links are in notes below) • Find a stimulus that you consider suitable as a starting point for composition (see Semester 2 Resource Pack for ideas). This will be used for your composition next week. • Develop your music lesson plan further using the criteria for effective teaching identified by Ofsted (2009). Prepare to present and justify your planning decisions as a group next session. • Read Chapter 2 of The Importance of Music: A National Plan for Music Education

14. Lesson planning Using the resources provided: • National Curriculum • Hampshire skills development overview from R to Y6 • Hampshire units of work • QCA scheme of work plan a lesson for a specific year group. Next week you will present the key aspects of the lesson, demonstrating how you have used the Ofsted (2009) findings.

15. Modelling an aspect of teaching • Select one of the activities from your draft plan to model for the group • Prepare any necessary resources and carry out this activity, with your peers participating as the children • Evaluate the effectiveness of the activity in achieving the set aims