2.2. Ana Grover Musical Future

8/13/2019 2.2. Ana Grover Musical Future

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Musical FuturesMusical Futures and Newly Qualified Teachers: A Case Study 1

Applying MusicalFutures to an ExistingScheme of WorkAnna Gower

ISBN: 978-1-905500-06-2


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Musical FuturesApplying Musical Futures to an Existing Scheme of Work 2

Applying MusicalFutures to an ExistingScheme of WorkAnna Gower

This article by Champion School teacher Anna Gower demonstrates how one school used

the Musical Futures (MF) ethos and approaches to overhaul a traditional Year 8 Scheme

of Work (SoW) that wasnt engaging all students.

The content of this SoW is the Blues, but as this is an exercise that fundamentally explores pedagogy, this

process could be applied to a SoW covering any musical content.

Aims of reviewing this scheme were:

q To write MF approaches into schemes of work at KS3

q To make experience of all musics authentic and meaningful

q To integrate performing, listening and improvising into practical work every week

q To build upon skills covered in previous SoW (Year 7)

q To develop relevant resources pitched appropriately for Year 8 to challenge and support all learners

q To reduce the amount of teacher-led learning within the SoW and to use informal learning to encourage

independent and personalised learning experiences for the students

The Musical Futures website contains details of the teaching and learning strategies for the band

carousel approach (www.musicalfutures.org.uk/resource/27355) and the informal learning model

(www.musicalfutures.org.uk/resource/27362).

The colour coding of the tables below are as follows:

Activities which are teacher-led

Use worksheets as the basis for learning

Student-led using resources other than worksheets


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Musical Futu

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES HOMEWORK R

1 q Introduction to Blues music

q Understand the terms chord and triad

q Starter: show video of Blues artist

q Learn to sing Woke Up This Morning

q Learn to play chords on keyboard

and guitar

q Plenary: revise key terms;

mini-performances

qFive facts about

Blues artist

(Voluntary G&T

extension HW

= guitar project)

q

q

q

q

q

2 q Revise terms chords and triad

q Understand how to assess peers work

q Starter: review homework facts

q Revise chords on guitar and piano

q Listen and assess peers work using

Listening back chart

qPlan project

q Plenary: as appropriate, e.g. sing

through Woke Up This Morning

or other song

q Set two personal

targets for the

unit using Levels

in Music grid

q

q

q

q

q

q

q

q

3 q Understand how to work effectively

in groups in music lessons

q Learn how to create a bass line

q Understand the term root note

q Starter: review targets set as homework

q Go through rules and expectations of

practical work in music

q Demonstrate adding a bass line

q Start working in their groups

qTidy away

q Plenary: review keywords to date

q Fill out project diary q

q

q

q

q

q

q

BLUES SCHEME OF WORK:BEFORE

Activitieswhichareteacher-led|

Useworksheetsasthebasisforlearning

|Student-ledusingresourcesotherthanworksheets


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Musical Futu

LEARNING OBJECTIVES ACTIVITIES HOMEWORK R

4 q Understand the mood behind

Blues lyrics

q Understand how structure in music is

labelled with letters (AAB lyric format)

q Continue to work effectively in a group

qStarter: as appropriate

q Discuss lyrics format and mood

q Continue group work some groups to

start writing own lyrics

qTidy away

qPlenary: as appropriate

q Fill out project diary q

q

q

q

q

q

q

q

5 q Continue to work effectively in a group

in preparation for performance

q Learn how to incorporate

improvisation into the Blues

q Understand the terms improvisation

and scat singing

qStarter: as appropriate

q Demonstrate the Blues scale and show

how to fit it into the Blues format

q Continue practical task. Every student

to learn to play the Blues scale on piano

qTidy awayqPlenary: as appropriate

qFill out

project diary

q

q

q

q

q

q

q

q

6 q Prepare for recording

q Record final performances

q Starter: as appropriate

q Groups rehearse and then record

q Groups that finish first to start You Have

Finished Recording sheet.

q Tidy away

q Plenary: as appropriate

q Complete You

Have Finished

Recording sheet

q

q

q

q

q

q

q

q

7 q Assess final recordings of Blues q Starter: as appropriate

q Listen back to each piece complete

the Listening Back Chart

q Fill in targets and levels from teacher

in planners

q Plenary: as appropriate

q None set q

q

qActivitieswhichareteacher-led

|Useworksheetsasthebasisforlearning



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Musical Futu

LESSON OBJECTIVES LEARNING STRATEGIES

1 q To become familiar with the sound of Blues music through listening

q To express a preference for a piece of music giving musical reasons

q To recognise commonly-used musical instruments and Blues conventions

1.Whole class warm up

2.Group work informal

listening tasks

3.Plenary: feedback from

listening tasks

2-4 CAROUSEL:

q Keywords: chord and triad

q Play at least C triad or one note in time to a backing track using keyboards,

or move between chords C, F and G in time, using 1, 2 or 3 note chords.

KEYWORDS: PENTATONIC, IMPROVISE:

q Understand how a pentatonic and Blues scale can be used to create a melody,through either:

Playing pulse notes of the pentatonic/Blues scale

Improvising using the pentatonic Blues scales and appropriate rhythms in

time to the backing track

KEYWORDS: AAB STRUCTURE:

q Learn to sing/perform to a Blues backing track

q Compose appropriate lyrics to suggest a mood in keeping with Blues style

q Demonstrate an understanding of the structure of Blues lyrics

OPTIONAL:

q Add a bass line/drums

1.Relevant starter (whole cla

warm up or singing)

2.Either carousel model or i

small groups working thro

the same objectives

3.Plenary: revise key terms;

mini-performances

5-6 q Perform and record as a whole class and workshop the components of the

Blues studied applying keywords and exploring how a piece can be structured

q Understand structure in music (AAB lyric format), include head and

improvisation in the final piece

q Video and record to asses

together at the next lesso

qInformal assessment and

reflection upon performa

7 q Assess final recordings/performances/video

q Class discussion and feedback

qPeer assessment

qSelf assessment

BLUES SCHEME OF WORK:AFTER

Activitieswhichareteacher-led|

Useworksheetsasthebasisforlearning



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Musical FuturesApplying Musical Futures to an Existing Scheme of Work 6

SCHEME 1: BEFORE

The majority of learning in lesson time is teacher led,or taught through a variety of worksheets which

would appeal mostly to aural and visual learners with

good literacy and some basic notation reading skills.

Homework tasks allow students more opportunity to

direct their own learning under headings provided

in the project diary. NB as with any SoW teachers are

encouraged to deliver content through a range of

appropriate strategies.

Listening activities within this SoW are limited and

there is no evidence of students experiencing any

authentic Blues music beyond what they see on the

video in the very first lesson. Other listening tasksinclude the teacher demonstrating the elements

of the Blues that the students will be learning and

listening back to completed student work at the end.

SCHEME 2: AFTER

Authenticity

Groups and practice spaces are named after Blues

artists and each space contains an information poster

about the relevant artist. Students research their

artists background as a homework task and share thisinformation with others (see also informal learning

and listening tasks below).

Informal learning and listening tasks

At the beginning of the project, students are given

a selection of recordings on a CD (of the artists the

groups are named after) and in their friendship

groups are asked to complete a series of tasks.

These include: placing each piece into a timeline to

emphasise the development of Blues music; multiple-

choice tick charts; and comparison questions along

the lines of a simplified GCSE question. They are alsochallenged to choose one extract and complete an

extended listening task to identify which elements of

the music are typical of the style and why they prefer

one above another.

Informal learning

Students spend a lesson exploring a different

component of the Blues using a carousel model with

the aim of getting the class together to workshop a

Blues piece at the end. They work together to devise

their own objectives in each lesson and support

learning through peer teaching and sharing of skills.

Integrating performing, listening and improvising

This new scheme uses a range of audio, video and

written resources so that students can select thebest method of learning for themselves. A backing

track, based on a 1950s Blues genre, is provided for

groups to perform along to. Individual audio tracks

for each part in the carousel are broken down into

tracks, including bass line, improvising on pentatonic

and Blues scales, swing rhythms and lyrics with video

tutorials, in addition to worksheets using notation

and chord symbols.

Written tasks and assessment

To fit with the requirements of the school assessment

policy, one opportunity for a piece of written workthat can be levelled using National Curriculum

level criteria was included. In this scheme it was an

extended listening question based on the students

own selection of Blues music. As this was the first

opportunity for students to complete this kind of

assignment, no guidance was given beyond the initial

setting up of the task, in keeping with the informal

nature of the project. In subsequent schemes,

feedback, exemplar work and guidance were given

once the areas in need of development had been

identified. Improvements in attainment have been

tracked through the project. NUMU blogs are usedto keep an ongoing record of progress made in

the project and to encourage self evaluation,

reflection and describing the activities using relevant

musical language.

To incorporate formative self and peer assessment

into each lesson, levelled tick charts, based on

National Curriculum level descriptors, have been

developed to be completed by students at the

end of each lesson. Often used to prompt group

discussion and the opportunity for students to assess

each other, these are combined with formative

teacher assessments to come to an agreed level for

the practical work at the end of the unit. This also

ensures that the processes of learning, as well as the

outcomes, are assessed.

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

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2.2. Ana Grover Musical Future