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BRIDGING THE GAP

Chapter One -The Beginning

This dissertation is a description of how I as a music teacher, intended to try and get closer to

knowing how my year nine students feel about music and their music lessons. I wanted to be able

to revitalize their music lessons by updating a small part of the year nine curriculum in order to

enable me to motivate my students more. I wanted to improve the negative attitude that some of my

year nine students have towards music lessons. This negativity is demonstrated particularly in the

months shortly after they have gone through the GCSE options process, and the majority have

decided not to study music at GCSE level. Particularly, I also wanted to bridge the gap between the

interests that my pupils have in todays pop music and the knowledge that I have of classical music

and popular music, which I know my pupils regard as old hat. These thought processes had

mulled around in my head for more than two years.

I can remember teaching a group of year 9 pupils during the summer term of that year (2003), my

NQT year. I did not write any sort of journal entry at the time, but the comments by a year nine

class hit home and I began to doubt whether my subject was relevant to them by this stage. I have

never forgotten the feeling of inadequacy I had at the time. I had started a project with year nine

pupils on music for the moving image. We watched several film clips and replaced the original

music with something unsuitable, something that was opposite to the mood than was originally

intended. The most interesting of these was the clip from Pretty Woman when the character played

by Richard Gere is talking to the hotel manager about his dinner reservation with the character

played by Julia Roberts. The original music, a rather slushy and sentimental score intending to

represent the restaurant piano player, was replaced with another piece. This piece of music was the

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shower murder scene music from Psycho. The whole mood of the film clip was changed implying

that the Richard Gere character was in fact, hatching a plot to kill the Julia Roberts character. This

was supposed to demonstrate to the pupils how film music was there to enhance and define the

mood of the visual image. Getting some response from some of the pupils was impossible and a

group of girls had quite decided not to do anything at all. When I asked Why? they answered (my

words) This is all such a waste of time, we dont know why we have to do music now when we

know we havent chosen it for GCSE, and its not useful.

I was nearly speechless but tried to defend my subject as best I could. I realise now, with a couple

of more years of experience that I would be able to deal with the situation better. But quite frankly

at the time I did not know what to do. This is what has prompted me to improve my content,

delivery and techniques for year nine pupils.

I can remember feeling very frustrated at the time. In reality the pupils were behaving pretty badly

and I should have sanctioned this particular group for calculated idleness a type one

misdemeanour, on the schools blue slip system. I did not however, as they were not being rowdy

or a nuisance in any other way. So I left them alone and taught the pupils who were trying to

access the work. This situation has stayed with me ever since and I have vowed not to let it happen

again. I feel in retrospect that I should have taken more action and that I took the easy way out.

There has, mercifully, never been an occasion since, when pupils have flatly refused to do work.

However, I am always conscious of a proportion of the class who regard some of the tasks I set

them, irrelevant to their needs and try to do as little as possible, which sometimes ends up with

them being disruptive. This of course can impact on the whole class so that even those pupils who

are wanting to progress, are prevented from doing so, because my time may be taking up in dealing

with bad behaviour.

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This year I have felt that overall, the attitude and general behaviour of the year nine classes is

better than I have known before. I have asked myself, is it because I have a little more experience

with this group? Or is it that they are indeed a better behaved set?

During the time I was trying to finalise the topic for my dissertation, I gave my two colleagues in

the music department, a short questionnaire. My feelings about the behaviour of the current year

nine groups prompted me to ask questions about their attitudes to this years cohort. Appendix

Both colleagues have been teaching for about 10 years. I will refer to them as A and B.

One question I asked in the questionnaire was;

Have the attitudes of year nine pupils to music altered during your teaching career?

A replied;

Yes on the whole they have improved in behaviour

I got a fuller answer from B;

In some ways. The majority still work well and enjoy the subject, some wish to

move on to GCSE style work early, and others see it as an irrelevance. I do feel

that there is less not bothered, giving it up soon than my other experiences, but

Im not sure if it is down to my teaching or an ever expanding mandatory KS4curriculum

It is interesting to note that B has also wondered if his teaching techniques may have something to

do with the difference in attitude. Both colleagues have expressed a desire for updating the

curriculum for year nine.

I asked;

What strategies do you have for maintaining the interest of year nine pupils in music?

Their answers both contained the word funand the use of the phrase from B; contemporary

music and from A: modern styles.

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These answers both reflect a conversation I had with a boy in year nine last year.

Journal Entry Fun;

Whilst queuing outside for their lesson, a year 9 boy asked what are we doing

today. We will be on the keyboards I replied. Great! he said but doesnt thatmean that we have done all the fun things this term and that the rest of the year

wont be? (We spent the first half term using computers to sequence in some

music, which they all enjoyed)He obviously equates anything outside the normal classroom as fun

Why cant there be fun when working in the classroom environment as well?

Something I will have to pursue (November 9th 2005).

The music department is also exploring qualifications other than GCSE to discover if their

inclusion in the curriculum may be feasible. I had intended to include this search within the remit

of this study. Unfortunately I feel that to do a feasibility study in this area justice, would require a

much greater time span than I have, so I have chosen leave this for another time. Nevertheless this

exploration is ongoing in the department from now and I may be able to transfer some of the ideas

and teaching methods that are suggested into my own teaching style.

It is difficult to ascertain precisely what ones teaching style is, but I feel that my

approaches are probably rooted in my upbringing and education. With this in mind, in the

following chapter I explore aspects of my biography both familial and educational.

The following chapter is a fairly detailed biography that sets out to demonstrate my roots

and how they have made me the person and more importantly in this context, the teacher I

am today.

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Chapter Two - Biography

I have written the whole dissertation in the first person and I was urged to be aware of the self

within the whole writing process. Therefore I needed to know who this self is. What is it that has

made me the person I am now? Why do I have the outlook that I have? Was my outlook changed

by events that I examined and was part of? It is impossible to stand outside oneself, but I hope by

exploring my background that I can identify the influences that have shaped me.My tutor has

referred to this construction of the self as a bag of selves. I have to explore my background to

begin to look at some of the experiences that have made me the person I am.

I know myself enough to know that my education, career to date, working surroundings and

indeed my formative family years have been fairly conformist in nature and I know I have found it

strange when I come across people who do not conform. Originally I wrote that I can be intolerant

about non conformists within this sentence, but writing a sentence about intolerance made me

sound stern, unforgiving and many other negative adjectives. I hope I am not any of those things.

My feelings about myself are that I am friendly and able to get on well with my peers and students.

I feel I have good interpersonal skills as Gardner (1983) describes in his multiple intelligences

(Moon & Shelton Mayes, p 43).The strangeness that I refer to is being in a situation where I meet

pupils who are not so lucky to have had a comfortable, safe and secure childhood. I know that

some of the pupils I teach are not brought up as I was to respect authority. They are possibly

resentful rather than respectful of authority. I know that I been very fortunate throughout my life. I

had a loving family who were delighted with my musical talent and supported my progress when

possibly they could not afford to. I went to a good school, studied part time at a prestigious

musical conservatoire (Royal Manchester College of Music) from the age of nine. After I had

completed my A levels I trained as a piano accompanist at the Royal Northern College of Music

(RNCM) 1973-1977, gaining my first degree. My career after the RNCM was as an accompanist

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for singers and musicians. I would be required to play for auditions, rehearsals and concerts, for

anyone who would care to pay me. Fairly quickly into my career, I became that strange creature,

the ballet pianist. My first professional job was as Company Pianist with the Northern Ballet

Theatre. This involved touring England to various theatres playing for rehearsals and performances

and the daily ballet class, where my skills as an improvising musician were honed and developed.

This ability to improvise kept me fed over the next 24 years as I continued to accompany

musicians and dancers. I began to work for the Northern Ballet School, a further education college

for professional dancers and dance teachers, and became Head of Music. My role was that of

accompanist for all types of classes, rehearsals, performances and examinations. I was also asked

to create a course of music appreciation classes for dancers and this is where my first experience of

teaching was gained. In 1983 I acquired my City and Guilds Further Education Teaching

Certificate as I realised I needed some teacher training. I continued to teach and play at the school

eventually developing a curriculum in line with the governments Dance and Drama awards for

students. It was at this point that I realised that the teaching I did, meant more to me than my

playing and prompted me to take advantage of the governments generous payment of six thousand

pounds to study for my PGCE in music teaching, at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

I write this detail about my career to demonstrate that although I am from humble beginnings

myself, I had, probably due to my musical education and career up to this point, been in rather an

elitist environment.

It therefore came as a culture shock to me when I walked into my Base A (2001) placement

during my PGCE and I had to try to control the effers and jeffers who had no respect for

authority, this was incidentally a good school in the middle of Cheshire. I appreciate that some of

the pupils I encounter have extremely difficult backgrounds whether through poverty or simply

family situations. This part of society is something I had not encountered before. These pupils can

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sometimes be the most rewarding to teach, but I have not found it easy. I have also had to

encounter pupils who can barely read or write, something I had definitely not encountered before

mainstream teaching. I have in fact begun to appreciate how useful music lessons can be to some

of these pupils. They may be able to succeed just as much as their more able peers in creating

music.

Sometimes though it has been disappointing to prepare a lesson and have it received with apathy

because the pupils may have initially perceived my musical examples or the topic as boring. I

have never been less than enthusiastic about my subject. However I need to be able to reach and

excite pupils in my subject and open their ears to music that they may not have not heard before.

I have been married for 22 years to a man who is neither a professional musician nor a teacher. In

many ways this has been a blessing as I have been able to leave my job outside the front door. He

found my life as a musician very bizarre. The fact that someone could be paid to make music I

think was a quite peculiar concept. He made my career change possible as he was able to support

the family financially. My jump to mainstream education has made him even more bewildered, he

says I now talk in a completely different language and use many more long words (and expletives!)

than I used to. However he is still very supportive and has been useful as a proof reader. Over the

years he has supported me in my career and helped me bring up our two daughters now aged 20

and 18. The girls have been subjected to lots of music making in our house. They have also had to

listen to me practising some pieces of music, which even I found a bit odd. They did the usual

piano, violin and flute lessons that children do, but neither had the desire to make a career in that

direction. Probably a good thing because a career in the arts can be difficult and not always very

well paid. They now fill the house with their own music and advise me what is current and what is

not.

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I need now to describe in detail my educational background because this obviously has a bearing

on my present outlook. I passed my 11 plus and went to an all girls grammar school, complete with

gabardine and berets! However, that is not to say I was the perfect student at school, I was not.

Those subjects I found easy, I excelled in and those I did not, I was lazy in. I was also a chatterbox

and often in trouble for it. I also joined the smoking in the loos set. Big mistake! I only joined in

to be one of the crowd and did not finally shake the habit until I was in my 20s. Here is an example

of peer pressure that adolescents find themselves in, and of myself trying to find an identity within

the group I considered to be attractive. (I write about this identity formation in chapter 13.)

Nevertheless, despite these aberrations, I was and still am very respectful of authority and I would

never have dreamt of being overtly rude to a member of staff, be they head teacher or cleaner.

In reflecting on my story so far, I can see a pattern emerging in my writing. I keep referring to

respect. I obviously hold this in high esteem. Do I want to be respected so badly? I have just

finished reading Lynn Trusss book (2005), Talk to the Hand. She refers to the world changing

and that people do not respect each other any more, but just respect the belongings or stuff that

they own. She talks about the end of deference and that in deference to is out of respect for; in

consideration of (2005.154) I fully concur with her thinking. I mean by this statement that I feel

that there is much less consideration of other peoples points of view and that society in general

has become very selfish. Maybe I am just very old fashioned. I include these statements to

highlight how I feel that many pupils in school do generally not defer to authority, they are not

frightened to challenge and confront and are unhappy if they feel that their immediate needs are

not being met.

Since leaving MMU I have been working in a very large comprehensive school with a sixth form

and I am now into my fourth year of teaching. I have found, to my surprise that I enjoy working

with the much younger end of the school much more than I thought I would, having worked in a

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post sixteen environment for so long. I enjoy the enthusiasm that Year Seven and Year Eight

students have for music generally.

I am acutely aware however, that there is quite a large proportion of the Year Nine students that I

teach who lost their enthusiasm for music and see it as an irrelevance to them and of no help to

their future career. I want to improve my practice with these students and feel that trying to

approach music teaching using more popular music styles and methods may achieve the results I

wish. This is that students in year nine continue to enjoy music right through to the end of Key

Stage Three and gain some skills in some of the other things music lessons can offer, alongside

purely those of theory and practical musicianship.

I think it is fairly clear that my career has been very classically biased. Although my subject

knowledge in this area is very firm, I nevertheless have had to get to grips straightaway with World

Music and the popular music that the government include in the National Curriculum (NC, 1988).

These are areas I am not so familiar with, and I have been on a steep learning curve ever since. I

know I do not have a wide knowledge of popular music. When I was in my teenage years, those

years when many of my contemporaries were out buying the latest chart albums, I was probably

purchasing the latest recording of Mozart piano sonatas by Alfred Brendel. I make no excuses; it is

just where my interest lay at the time. I did have a brief crush on Justin Hayward of the Moody

Blues and obtained some of their albums and had their posters on my bedroom wall, but this was a

short-lived departure from my classical diet.

As part of my career as an accompanist and dance accompanist I had to learn to play in a jazz style

and occasionally I had to reproduce popular music on the piano, but this is no substitute for

listening to Radio One or watching Top of the Pops regularly. Therefore since becoming a

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Secondary school teacher, I have had to broaden my purview considerably and have been on a

huge learning curve. I have had to quickly address the deficiency in my knowledge of popular

music in order to teach the listening paper of AS Music Technology. This involves questions on

the genres and recording techniques of popular music alongside the more familiar territory of

musical analysis, both aural and written. However, music is music, and the basic concepts do not

change. In fact the more I know, the more I can relate popular styles to those of many years and

indeed centuries ago. It is not that I dislike popular music. However I do not favour any particular

genre over another but I enjoy what I feel is good well constructed music be it reggae, rap or heavy

metal. Like any other listener I enjoy something that is entertaining, catchy and enjoyable. My

difficulty is that I do not have that instant catalogue recall of who recorded what song when.

I really feel that trying to approach music teaching using more popular music styles and methods

may begin to achieve the results I wish. I want the pupils to have ownership of their learning

and become independent learners. There is an educational phrase or two of note! Music

lessons, as I discuss in chapter six Music as a Subject in School, use an approach that

constantly gives the opportunity for students to develop these independent learning skills.

So I need to decide what I am going to do to achieve my goals to change the curriculum a little

and to update my approach. Although I do appreciate that not everything will have a happy

ending or that this will be a victory narrative as my tutor describes. I hope I will be able to

judge at the end of this exactly what I have achieved.

It is important that I look beyond my own thoughts and explore how other teachers respond to

situations like my own. The following chapter looks at some research and writings that offer some

similar thoughts and ideas to the ones I am having.

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The Outside World

I have discovered, by accessing a selection of educational journals, that there are other music

teachers in the profession who feel the same way I do. There have been research projects which

contain some of the same questions I am asking. It appears there is a consensus amongst music

teachers not only in this country, but also world wide, that this particular age group are feeling that

music lessons are not for them. Studies have been done over many years. As far back as 1968 a

survey Young School Leavers was made by the Schools Council. According to pupils questioned

then, music was judged to be an irrelevancy in their school experience. The Schools Council

concluded at this time that music teachers needed to develop new ways of working (Schools

Council, 1968). It appears that there has been a problem of relevancy within the music classroom

for some time now and that I am not alone in wanting to bridge the gap as the title of my

dissertation states. The following writers give examples of how they researched the attitudes of

pupils within music classrooms and some of the ideas that they had to improve their pupils

perceptions of music.

The study completed by North et al (2000), investigates exactly why adolescents listen to and

perform music, this focussed specifically on year nine pupils. Reference in this report is made to

music lessons that are less appropriate and engaging to secondary pupils (ibid, 2000:256). The

report cites data collected in the USA on the extent of musical consumption by teenagers. One

question in the American study asked why students listened to music and the answers were as

follows: relieve tension, distract themselves from worries, help pass the time and relieve

boredom (ibid, 2000:257).This prompted me to include a question in a questionnaire to my pupils

asking why they listen to music. North et al (2000) also discovered that the music that the

adolescents chose became a means of forming their identities. This construction of an identity

through music choices is a very interesting concept.

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I wrote a journal entry about my own identity;

Journal Entry musical identity March 2006

Do I have a musical identity? If you had asked me last week I would have

said No however having researched and read around the subject inreference to my students, I have begun to realise that I have. In fact I

probably have more than one identity depending on whether you are friend,

family, former colleague or present pupil.

If you asked my friends and family they would say that I liked all sorts of

music and although I favour classical music I do like and enjoy jazz and

pop. My pupils would probably say that I am classical musician and that

my identity was sensible and ordinary.

They are quite surprised therefore when I say that I like a certain piece of

pop music. Do you miss? they ask, obviously intrigued that I can like

something that they do.

What my musical identity does not do, unlike my pupils, is to influence theway I dress. Or does it? I wonder. My musical tastes are fairly catholic in

both fields of classical music and popular styles. However, I probably only

like popular music that is well known and fairly mainstream. I consider that

I dress in a fairly classic way. Nothing startling, nothing wacky. I fit in!

Does that mean that I have an identity?

I think it probably means I do. I dress fairly conservatively, and definitely unfashionably,

particularly in school. Therefore I most probably present an image that is not fashionable to

my students but acceptable to them as my persona of a teacher. On the other hand if I tried to

dress in the way my students do, I would not only look ridiculous, but I think I would put off

my students. I may look as though I wanted to encroach on their territory. A member of staff

in my school calls teachers who try to do this, and he says he has known quite a few, as

blenders. He feels that members of staff should not try to be a students friend, but should

maintain a professional distance. I agree with his point of view that in you can be friendly

towards your students but not necessarily their friend. Pupils can be distrustful of adults who

try to cross that particular line.

Having given my own musical identity some thought, I feel that I need to ask my pupils

whether they think that they have a musical identity. I did not include this question in the first

questionnaire that I gave them which asked students questions about their attitudes to music

lessons and their own tastes, but I included it in questionnaire number two and also held a

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discussion on the question of identity with some students. I write in more detail about this

data in a later a chapter.

The study by North et al (2000) provided some very useful material which helped give me

some ideas from which to construct my first questionnaire for my students.(Appendix)

Interestingly the researchers gave the pupils a questionnaire under test conditions, ensuring

that the pupils did not speak to each other. This is an idea that I also adopted because I

wanted the pupils to have the opportunity to express their own thoughts and not be

influenced by the answers proffered by their friends

In her study of Polish high school students, Szubertowska (2000) found that Music and Art

were not compulsory subjects in the country at the time. The author only studied those pupils

who had chosen to study music past level one. She has taken note of other empirical studies

to assume that adolescents glean their music from family environment and their peer group.

She also assumes that their level of achievement in music is determined by pupils positive

approach and by the music teachers competence and interests. Lastly she conjectures that

the music to which adolescents are exposed, serves several different functions in their lives.

Popular music helped with mood regulation, helped to forget troubles. She found

interestingly that classical music served to mainly calm young people down and helped

stimulate reflection. Both types of music provided background for daydreaming. (ibid,

2000:326)

These assumptions are not surprising and are almost exactly the same as the assumptions that

I have myself. The research was also very concerned whether the influence of the family is

related to the musical skills of the pupils. Although this is not an area that I shall be

pursuing in any detail, it would be an interesting subject for further research. Does the family

or the peer group influence the choices of music that the pupils listen to more?

I received some interesting answers during my discussion with some pupils (see chapter13).

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Harland et al (2000) reported on the effects and effectiveness of arts education in schools in

England and Wales. The report showed that some pupils in the secondary age range did not

hold music in very high esteem at least over the period of the study during 2000 and possibly

beyond. The lack of perceived development of key skills in the classroom and lack of

perceived relevance to pupils' current and future needs. seems to have contributed to the

attitudes of the pupils. Also, it was noted that levels of enjoyment in music decline

significantly during key stage three years. This decline of enjoyment in turn impacted on the

low numbers opting for music at key stage four, which made music, as Harland et al (2000:

5) state, 'vulnerable': This scenario is exactly what I have observed in my own school. It is

the perceived relevance that needs highlighting; I am in no doubt that music lessons in

school give pupils far more skills than those that focus on musical performance. I expand on

this in the chapter Advocating for Music. Although the report by Harland et al was written

in 2000 I feel that it is still applicable today.

A quantitative piece of research by Lamont et al (2003) seeks to answer some of the

questions that I have my self. It does not however just focus on the attitudes and performance

of year nine pupils but seeks to trace these attitudes and performances from transition from

primary school right through KS3. It does not offer much in advice for improvement of these

attitudes. Their findings state that more than half of the boys and girls enjoyed music lessons

particularly the playing of musical instruments. One point raised was that in general pupils

would like more variety in their music lessons, the opportunity to try new skills (including

DJ-ing and music technology), and to learn about their own styles of music.(ibid, 2003:8)

I will be very surprised if my own students would differ greatly if they answered this

question. One surprising result of this survey was that very few pupils want to stop doing

music before the end of KS3 but rather regard their lessons as a diversion from their more

academic studies.

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An observation of a year eight class and their teacher was undertaken over a period of two

terms by Finney (2003). The author states that year eight is an uneventful year

between the newness of high school to year seven and the educational testing in year

nine. I recognize many of the same situations that I find myself in, the topics he

discusses are very similar; the attitudes of the pupils are very comparable. The

comments of the pupils are enlightening; the pupils appreciated teachers who talked

with them and not at them. They liked teachers who were fair, knew their pupils and

set tasks accordingly. These comments are not at all surprising and apply to every

subject in school. What I particularly enjoyed was that the teacher, who was

observed, was always trying to teach in a very encouraging manner, something we all

aspire to. He also had on occasions defended his subject successfully to other staff in

his school. One of the authors final comments was at the end of the study the teacher

had maintained GCSE music as a core provision and some 25% of his pupils had

chosen to continue into KS4. He is obviously doing something right. In my school

the percentage is lower. At the moment the take up at my school is roughly ten

percent. Whilst this low take up may show some issues of apathy towards music at

GCSE, it is not the whole picture. The music department also suffers from the way in

which the GCSE options pool is organised. Historically my colleagues tell me that

this problem was not always so acute. We lose students to other subjects because the

combination of choices does not allow for the inclusion of music. Last year we also

lost several really good pupils because they had been fast tracked in History and they

discovered later to their dismay that they were unable to choose music because of

timetable restraints. There were letters from several angry parents at the time who

felt that they would have been happier to have known of this at the time the earlier

choices weremade. They wrote in support of the music department, which was very

gratifying. I understand that the History fast track idea has since been shelved.

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Burnard (2004) used a video based research approach. She investigated what pupils thought

of their own learning. She says that consulting pupils views on their learning is an essential

element in the development and improvement of schools (ibid,2004:23). This consultation

of pupils thoughts and ideas is a popular idea at the moment and one which has been

encouraged by the government over the past few years. The teacher reflects on significant

moments by observing videoed interviews. She signalled when she felt the pupils were

learning and what they were learning. The pupils themselves were given an opportunity to

highlight significant moments when they felt that they are learning. They felt they were

learning most when they were having fun, were in control and not just sitting writing.

Again nothing surprising about these conclusions, but their comments gave me ideas for my

questionnaire. Burnard feels that year eight is notorious for problems of engagement and

achievement in learning. This is a very different view from my own experience. I find year

eight pupils are still open to ideas. However the challenge to motivate is the same regardless

of the year group.

An interesting article from Australia (Winter 2004) details a study that has trialled a scheme

of work using music composed by the artist Sting. The writer describes the integrated

approach to teaching music, listening, performance and composition. This was designed

specifically for pupils aged 16-18. These pupils are a little older than my target group. This

was quite a large quantitative study, involving six secondary music teachers and their senior

pupils. All used a teaching kit provided by the author and the results were evaluated by

means of aural and written tests. His conclusions showed that the students had significantly

higher test scores by becoming fully engrossed in this popular music based scheme of work.

He maintains that music educators must continue to examine new musical content and

develop suitable pedagogical approaches (ibid, 2004:235).

Winter has similar methods to the writings of Lucy Green. She is an eminent professor of

music who has written several books on the changing curriculum. Lucy Green is particularly

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known for her book How Popular Musicians Learn: A Way Ahead for Music Education,

(2002). In the book she states that popular musicians acquire some or all of their skills and

knowledge informally. She asserts that they do this with little help from trained instrumental

teachers. Lucy Green interviews musicians from all age groups exploring what she describes

as informal music learning practices (ibid, 2002.5).

She maintains that young musicians largely teach themselves or

pick up skills or knowledge.by watching and imitating musicians

around them and by making references to recordings or performances

and other live events involving their chosen music. (ibid, 2002:5).

At this point Green (2002) had not had the opportunity to put her research findings into

action but merely offers her ideas as humble suggestions in the hope that some educators

may find them constructive points of departure or discussion ( ibid, 2002.186). I find the

ideas cited in the book very exciting. I learnt much of my music through the development of

a good ear (ibid, 2002:195). I am fortunate to have developed the ability to absorb music

which seems like a process of osmosis, as I can regurgitate music that I have heard. I also

use a great deal of on the spot demonstration in my classes showing pupils what something

should sound like. I feel that modelling what is required gives the pupils a good starting point

and gives the opportunity for pupils to develop their own good ears.

In 2006, Lucy Green along with Abigail Walmsley has been putting some of the ideas that

she had first written about in her book, into practice as part of a pilot study in three areas of

the country. This is a three year action research project that explores innovative ways of

engaging young people aged 11-19 in music making. The most exciting concept for me is the

way that the study has allowed for a completely different way of teaching. The ideas come

from the students themselves and the teachers act as advisors and facilitators only. This

article appeared in a publication that my department subscribes to (Classroom Music, 2006)

and was brought to my attention by my head of department. My colleagues in the department

both feel that there may be something to be gained by this approach and I am looking to use

some of the ideas myself. Usefully there is a scheme of work published, along with

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comments from the schools in the pilot study about each stage. It would be a difficult scheme

of work to manage both from resource and people managing aspects. But descriptions of

resources and space from other school music departments, point to the fact that my school

should be in a good position to try. The results of the pilot scheme will be published later this

year and a resource pack is going to be made available in February. I have requested that one

be sent to me.

All these studies offer ideas and thoughts on how to improve the situation for music in

school. However teachers are always governed by outside influences. As I write this, the talk

in our department is about the Key Stage 3 (KS3) Music Pilot, this is part of the Secondary

Strategy for School Improvement. (DfES 2005) My Head of Department (HOD) (A)

attended a course about this only last week. She returned saying;

We are doing it all wrong! We should not be contextualising the topics for

the pupils, but concentrating on the skills which we want them to acquire.

(A) cited teaching pupils about the Blues and how we would normally begin the topic with a

brief discussion about the slave trade and the history of black African culture in the United

States of America. Apparently this is not what we should be doing, but rather we should get

straight on and teach the chords required for the 12 bar blues. This was received in the office

by both me and my other colleague (B) with some disbelief. (B) said here we go again

another new way of doing something (A) has also said that so far she is not entirely clear

about what the complete message from the course is, so has not passed on too much

information as yet. My initial reaction is that I do not understand how the pupils can

understand what they are listening to and trying to emulate, if it is not put into some kind of

context. Detailed learning of dates and history is not what I am advocating, but a general

background should be presented and discussed with the class.

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I have only been a teacher for a relatively short time, but I am acutely aware that in many

ways our working lives are determined by influences beyond our control. The following

chapter discusses some of the influences that direct the lives of teachers.

Chapter Four -Influences

It is clear that teachers are not really free to choose what they teach; there are forces that direct

what we deliver. At the macro level the government ministers with advisory help, design the

National Curriculum (NC) to which we have to adhere. The school, at the mezzo level

determines class sizes, length of lessons and whether our classes should be streamed or not. At

my school pupils are not streamed in music. At the micro level, the schemes of work that are

in place historically in the department may have to be adhered to. All of these impact on our

planning.

One great issue with music teachers is the use of target setting. Pupils arrive from Primary

School with a set of numbers gained for their SATs tests. These tests only judge maths,

science and english, hugely important subjects and the core subjects at Secondary level.

However, they arrive in the classrooms of other subjects with the expectation to be judged at

the same level they gained for their SATs. Sometimes they and their parents do not understand

why Ahmed might be a level 6B for maths but only 4C for music. Probably Ahmed does not

play a musical instrument or does not have much understanding of musical concepts. I know

the teachers of Art and Drama have the same problem. This misconception by pupils and their

parents is something I have started to address within the department by introducing a series of

self-assessment booklets. Each musical topic studied, has a page to write marks gained and a

series of questions that encourage the pupils to reflect on their performance. The pupils are

then encouraged to judge their performance against the target levels that are written in easy

language on posters on the wall. The department has started to use these booklets for year

seven classes and they will be introduced from September 2006 for all year groups. An

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improvement to these booklets will be to include a copy of the music level posters within the

booklet itself. These booklets are intended to show a whole years work and eventually the

whole of the pupils performance during Key stage three.

I have been made aware very recently about the Pupil Achievement Tracker (PAT) (DfES

2004).As a faculty representative on the Assessment for Learning Committee at my school, I

attended a training session in school to discover the uses that this piece of computer

programming has for teachers. Startlingly, PAT generates the figures for pupils at Key Stage

Two and schools are supposed to be able to predict their GCSE grades at the end of Key Stage

4 from this data. Even prior to PAT, I have had year 10 GSCE music students who do not

play an instrument or sing confidently, predicted with an A* because they are very bright and

have high SATs scores in maths, english and science. Sadly this does always equate to talents

in the arts, music, art and drama all have discrete skills. Also, just where and how is the

creativity of a pupil measured? I will discuss creativity at more length in chapter six.

I am in favour of the NC generally, as it has changed radically how music is taught. The NC

has been in force since 1988 and personally I think that the initial shake up that it caused,

changed the way music was delivered in school for the better. Prior to 1988 teachers were

allowed to set their own curriculum and therefore the content delivered differed from school to

school. Possibly the quality differed from school to school also. I attended high school myself

between 1966 and 1973, which was some years prior to the implementation of the NC. Even

though I was a fairly accomplished and keen musician, I can remember some very boring

music lessons where we had to listen to a teacher drone on and then do a lot of writing. The

only practical music making was class singing. The only world music we might have come

across was possibly a Scottish folk song. I realise that I am only able to speak from my own

individual experience. In other schools music lessons may have been interesting and exciting.

I feel that there is a better chance today for this to be possible across the board, as todays

music lessons are very practical.

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The basic NC instructions are that students listen, appraise, compose and perform music. All

schemes of work in our department are designed to encompass these four elements. Students

are introduced to topics, listen to musical examples and then work mostly in groups to either

arrange or compose music using the concepts they have learnt about. Writing about music is

deliberately limited. This is vastly different than my own experiences as a pupil. I feel that

music lessons now give pupils the opportunity to be creative and not just passive learners. I

wrote earlier about the difficulty there is in measuring creativity, the following chapter tries to

identify what creativity is and how it may be measured.

Chapter Five- What is Creativity?

So, what is creativity? I thought I knew. My own definition of creativity has been based on

something akin to the standard version of Create (verb) To bring into being, cause to

exist; the Oxford English Dictionary definition goes on further to say esp. to produce

where nothing was before, to form out of nothing "

However, on consideration, I do not feel that this definition is totally apt for the process that

happens within music classrooms. The pupils do not bring into being something where there

was nothing before; rather they use the ideas and techniques that they have been taught, which

they then employ to produce something that is new to them. In some ways they are given

ingredients for a musical recipe and the menu they produce is a performance or composition.

The following definition I feel something a little nearer to what actually takes place.

The dictionary definition of creativity usually refers to producing something

new, producing something from nothing. In fact creativity usually involves

recombining and modifying ideas and objects that already exist. Something

new is created, but not from nothing.

http://www.wyrdology.com/mind/creativity/faq.html accessed June 2006

There seems to be quite a few confusing definitions about creativity and being creative.

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Odena, 2001, created a piece of research trying to identify how secondary school music

teachers view creativity. Odena considered the aspects of pupil characteristics the

environment in which the process takes place and the product, the final composition or

performance. For me, particularly for students at key stage three, the process that is taken to

reach a final composition or performance can be almost more important than the performance

or composition itself. Sometimes the final composition or performance a pupil offers is not

very polished, but they have understood the task and have been imaginative in the creation of

the product.

I will explore some other definitions to see how I can further clarify the meaning for myself.

The 1999 National Advisory Committee for Creative and Cultural Education (NACCCE)

report All Our Futures define creativity as: imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce

outcomes that are both original and of value (page 30) I am a little suspect nevertheless

about their glossy brochures asserting what creativity is. Even the NACCCE report asserts

that creativity has an elusive definition (page 29), this difficulty in the definition of

creativity could make the job delivering a creative subject difficult. The phrase democratic

(page 30) creativity is used in the NACCCE report, the authors of the report state that this is

the creativity of the ordinary person, recognising that all pupils can be creative. This

separates the creativity that pupils can show from the creativity of genius which the NACCE

calls elite creativity (page 28). The NACCE report breaks the definition of creativity down

into four characteristics. (Page 29) They maintain that to be creative always involves

thinking or behaving imaginatively. The imaginative activity is purposeful. It must be

original and the outcome must be of value

How to measure and assess these creative acts? How do I assess creativity in my classroom?

Certainly it is not about setting students tests. My own feeling is that there are no right or

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wrong answers in a creative process. Providing pupils produce a composition or performance

that is of value. Obviously there are difficulties in judging what is valuable. My own ideas

about what is value is that that is the pupils have taken the concepts and ideas and produced

a piece of work new to them that relates to the concepts taught. Pupils sometimes surprise me

and use the concepts to produce some exciting products. I remember a group of year eight

pupils who were not particularly musically talented working on a Ternary Form piece (a

construct of music in three parts, ABA with B forming a contrast) using only their voices and

a selection of words which they broke up into individual syllables. The result was very

rhythmic and effective, and entirely unexpected. I have to judge moments like these as

creative. I might teach year seven pupils short rhythmic phrases in order to practice reading

note values, if they then select several of these phrases and create a piece of music and

perform it to the class. Surely again this is a creative act?

I realise that I have only scratched the surface of how to understand creativity and like some

other issues that writing this dissertation has highlighted, they have stimulated my thought

processes and I will need to do more research to come to any conclusion.

However having considered what creativity is and some of the ways it might be measured, I

would now feel more equipped to defend my subject and its inclusion in the school curriculum

in an open debate should the occasion arise. The following chapter outlines some of the

benefits that I feel that the study of music can give to pupils.

Chapter Five- Music as a subject in school

I need therefore to be able to sell my subject. It would be fantastic to teach pupils who are all

potential musicians or are at least fascinated by music as a subject. Clearly the reality is a long

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way from this situation and I am not so naive to think I can always please everybody in the

class. Nevertheless there can be enormous benefits to pupils in the way music is taught today,

regardless of the musical skills that they acquire.

In July 2004 the government launched the Music Manifesto. The Department for Education

and Science (DfES) and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) are actively

promoting music for young people. They say they want to encourage good curriculum in

schools and opportunities for all pupils to have instrumental lessons in school regardless of

their financial background. The Music Manifesto has been talked about in many

publications. The website politics.co.uk said;

Music teaching in schools is the focus of a new manifesto launched today.

Government departments, voluntary groups and the music industry have come

together to promote the importance of music and the 'unique contribution' it

can make to education. Through the manifesto the signatories aim to provide

children with access to a range of music experiences and give them more

opportunities to develop their music skills. They also pledge to identify and

nurture the most talented musicians, to develop a world class workforce in

music education and to improve the support structures for young people's

music making. (politics.co.uk, July 2006)

David Miliband the school standards minister is quoted saying that;

. the music manifesto - backed by 180 million in the ring-fenced

Music Standards Fund - would ensure that music remained central to an

enriched and balanced curriculum.

He said: Standards and creativity go hand in hand. Music is central to our

drive to provide an enriched and balanced curriculum for all school children.

The manifesto is a route map for the future of music in school and by

schoolchildren. This is just the start - we expect new pledges and newsignatories to come on board this unique collaboration.(Milliband,2004)

I am yet to see any specific benefit within my school, but perhaps the effects will take time to

filter down. Here is the government rhetoric about standards and creativity. I wrote earlier

about PAT (pupil achievement tracker). Nowhere in any data gathering programmes or

exercises have I seen how creativity is tobe measured. The data always focuses on SATs

subjects. Yet the attainment in those subjects set the standard to which I am expected to

grade my pupils in music which is an entirely discrete subject. I understand that the data

produced by PAT and others gives an average result for other subjects but it is difficult to

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relate the target grades pupils arrive with against their innate musical ability. Parents can be

disappointed when their children receive lower grades in music than those they might

achieve in other subjects.

Boris Johnston, Shadow Minister for the Arts, hits back at the government with a scathing

reply that described the music manifesto:

as a "document of Wagnerian length with more hot air than the

wind section of the London Philharmonic." Teachers were already

deluged with bureaucracy and pupils so oppressed with tests that it was

very hard to see how schools could fit music in.

He said: "This music manifesto has all the hallmarks of a government

with a guilty conscience. They know they have crowded music out withtop-down diktat from Whitehall, and they think they can make things

better with a load of warm words." (Johnston, 2006)

This is an expected type of retort from someone in opposition. However, Boris Johnson has

also been quoted as saying that the Tories would bring back hymn singing into school

assemblies, which just goes to show how out of touch he is with our multicultural society!

Whilst I appreciate that much of the Music Manifesto may be even more government

rhetoric, the important feature is that music is being talked about and highlighted. I hope that

the importance of learning music for its own sake in school will be continued. I am positive

of the benefits music can give.

Studies have been made to try to prove the influence music can have. Susan Hallam has

compiled a comprehensive document, The Power of Music (2001) for the Performing Rights

Society (PRS). The PRS are the body that collects and distributes licence fees for the public

performance and broadcast of musical works.

The document by Hallam reviews research topics undertaken over the past 10 years or so.

These research topics look at the other values of music. It would not be possible within the

remit of my dissertation to detail all this research. Some examples of research that Hallam

includes in the Power of Music, have shown that music can affect us physically (Bartlett

1996), this research measured the effects of music on the heart, blood pressure, muscular

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tension and other bodily systems, concluding that music does indeed have the ability to affect

these. The adage that music can soothe the savage beast certainly seems to have some

credence. I know that music can have the ability to calm or excite. Hallam documents the

research by Robazza et al (1994), who pursued the idea that music affects us emotionally;

Robazza et al. played snippets of classical music to subjects across a wide age range and

asked them to link each piece to an emotion. Their analysis showed that there was very little

difference across gender or age with the exception of the children tested, who were between

the ages of nine and ten, perceived more happiness and less anger in the music. Research

within a maths classroom by Hallam & Price (1998) questioned whether music has an effect

on the behaviour of pupils. These pupils were children with emotional and behavioural

difficulties, not only was there a significant improvement in the behaviour of the pupils but

their maths performance was significantly improved. This links into the work by Savan

(1999) who played Mozart to a group of ten boys with special educational needs, the focus of

this research supposed that the music produced a chemical within the brain which improved

spatial awareness and co-ordination, thus improving behaviour by reducing frustration.

Indeed much has been written about the Mozart effect (Savan 1999) also (Hallam and

Godwin 2000). However as Hallam states research which claimed that listening to Mozart

could improve spatial reasoning has proved difficult to replicate.

There is such a wealth of research to demonstrate the power and importance of music to

humans. As a musician myself, it is not difficult to argue with these views and I want to

demonstrate why I feel music is an important part of the curriculum. This is the subject of the

chapter following.

Chapter Seven Advocating for music in school

I am not attempting to support the views I outline below with any specific evidence within this

dissertation. Nonetheless I feel it is important to outline some of the specific musical skills

learnt in school which include;

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The development of performance skills;

Pupils are given frequent opportunities to perform solo and in groups with other pupils.

Performing give pupils the opportunity to develop confidence in being able to stand in front

of others and present themselves and their work. This ultimately I feel can contribute to the

techniques required in other subjects such as drama and english when they are judged on

their ability to speak in front of others. Looking further than school, this confidence building

can impact on future job interviews where the pupils have to present themselves.

The opportunity to practise composition techniques;

Nearly all schemes of work include an element of composition, either by the pupil alone or

with others. This skill or accomplishment encourages creativity. Many compositions are

constructed as a result of problem solving. The pupils learn concepts about a particular style

or topic of music and either by copying ideas directly from an already composed piece, or

creating one from scratch, they can construct a piece of music which is all their own.

Students are encouraged to appraise each others performances and compositions: All

schemes of work finish with an assessment, which is a whole class activity. Each scheme of

work finishes with a performance, which is assessed by the class members and me.

Learning the value of making music with others;

This is a further opportunity to develop listening skills. They have to be aware of their own

part as a component of the whole sound, and judge the overall balance of the sound that they

make within the group. They have to play at the correct moments in the piece, whether they

are reading from a score, playing from memory or improvising on the spot.

The value of individual practice, working at own pace to improve technical skills;

The pupils mostly work in groups in practice rooms and spaces outside the classroom. They

work partly unattended and must develop good discipline, using guidelines set by the

teacher, in order to work whether there is a teacher present or not. Most of the groups in my

classroom evolve naturally from friendship groups. I have made some use ability groupings

and for some topics this is essential. However, I have found that the pupils seem to work best

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with their friends. Interestingly there develops a natural hierarchy and leaders soon present

themselves.

Being able to understand how music is used in everyday life;

It is important to be aware how music is to promote products and aid the memory. How it is

used in theme tunes both on television and in film, in advertisements which trigger product

memory and how music can be present almost without us noticing such as in supermarkets,

lifts etc.

Recognizing the variety of music in everyday life;

Pupils are taught many different styles and genres of music, including music from around the

world such as India, in Indian classical music and Indonesia through learning about gamelan

Orchestras. This encourages the understanding of other cultures. Pupils are exposed to styles

and genres of music that they would not normally encounter. This might appear tokenistic

and indeed it is not possible to become experts in the music of another culture easily.

However the broadening of the curriculum from just Western classical music to sounds from

other cultures opens up possibilities in both the appreciation through listening and the

opportunity to apply new compositional techniques.

The education of future audiences;

This may seem a minor consequence of music lessons, but it is my job to introduce my

pupils to musical experiences that they may not ever get otherwise. The knock on effect of

this would be for pupils to develop a liking for a particular genre or artist and make efforts to

go to concerts and buy their music. Years spent in the performing arts, has taught me the

value of bottoms on seats. Without the audience there would not be the performer.

Pupils who are going to study music further particularly need to develop all the skills I have

written about above.

Negotiation skills;

I wrote earlier how the opportunity to work in small groups away from the classroom

requires the pupils to take responsibility for their work. They have to work to a brief set by

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the teacher and need to discuss with each other how they are going to achieve the end

product. Very often in this situation leaders present themselves. Arguments may happen.

This in itself is not a problem but part of the learning curve of being able to work within a

group and put ones own ideas forward. To be able to discuss rationally how problems are

going to be solved is a useful skill to acquire.

A final thought.

Music can give some students success in a subject other than an academic one.

There is also the benefit of pure enjoyment, as the pupils may not be studying music after

year nine, the academic pressure is off, and music lessons could at this point be purely

recreational. It is up to me to make sure that my lessons can be.

The following chapter describes the process that I used to follow my research.

Chapter Eight The methodology

In this chapter I am going to describe how I set about my research and the reasons for

tackling it this way.

Bassey writes an adaptation from Perry (1978)

My most recent discovery is research. If I reflect on some of my

actions, analyse why I did what I did and what the consequenceswere for others, seek criticism from colleagues, read what others

have done in similar circumstances, and test out my ideas by

searching for evidence, I believe my judgement improves and so, in

the heat of the moment when there is little time to think, I make

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researchers in school tend to opt for questionnaires in preference to qualitative methods

such as naturalistic observations and interviews. They are of the opinion that questionnaires

allow for a distance from the disturbing effects of interviewing (Elliot et al in Elliot

1991:62). I felt that my use of the questionnaire had allowed the pupils to be very honest,

something they may not have felt able to do in a personal interview, however my analysis of

the data is mostly qualitative and not quantative.

I reflected on events and discourse with the students as I taught the scheme of work. Schn

(1983) popularised the term reflective practitioner to describe somebody who is awake to,

and aware of their practice, and not just immersed in it. Mason (2002:15). My reflection is

personal, being about how I responded in certain situations and contains mostly reflection-

on- action, the reflection that happens after the event which can be rational and considered,

rather than reflection- in- action, the reflection that occurs on the spot. Schn (1983) I have

included journal entries written after or during events and have analysed my writings at a

later date.

Limitations

Both Mason (2002) and Maclure (2003) identify the problem of being an observer in ones

own classroom. Both authors feel that observing ones own classroom could make any data

gathered less valid. Given any situation the description would differ from viewer to viewer.

Mason (2002:227) asserts that All research is problematic precisely because there is no

guarantee of truth. Maclure (2003:87) writes that there are no pure qualitative research

texts. and that The contrary pull of subjective and objective authority influences the style

of ethnographic texts. Whilst Griffiths (1998) says that researchers have opinions about

their research precisely because they have chosen something of significance to themselves.

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I can only ever give my own personal view of events and whilst these views are not untruths,

if they were described by someone else they would I know the situations would be described

differently. My data has been scrutinised regularly by my critical friends,

in my case my tutor and other members of the MA group. They analysed what I had written

and highlighted areas that I had not considered. They assessed the Face validity

which Griffiths says is one way of assessing whether the findings are really about what

they appeared to be about,(1998:132). None of my group were music teachers and it was

therefore very necessary for me to ensure that what I wrote was easily understood.

Another limitation is that of time. The lead up to the scheme of work began in January and

the scheme of work which took six weeks was finished shortly after Easter. The second

questionnaire was completed at this time. I write later that other events in school got in the

way of the scheme of work. Pupils were absent during some practices and performance

recordings which affected the quality of the final product.

The pupils who took part

As part of my qualitative research; I canvassed opinions through two questionnaires and a

group discussion. I had planned originally to include all the year nine students in my study.

However I teach four classes which amounts to over 100 students which I soon realised was

too large a number. Therefore, after the initial questionnaire which I gave to all 100 of the

students, I then limited the study to just one class containing 24 students. I will refer to them

as class 9A. The mixed ability class contained 12 boys and 12girls. Only two members of

the class, both boys, have opted to study music at GCSE. They are both excellent musicians

and play several instruments each. One other member of the class plays the piano a little but

does not consider himself a musician. The rest of the pupils have only ever had class music

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lessons and only therefore only gained musical skills as a group within the school classroom.

One boy has severe concentration problems that can sometimes result in some low level

disruption. One girl is often absent due to poor behaviour around the school, her behaviour

however is generally reasonable in music lessons when she is present but her absence

hinders her continuity. This is a very typical make up of a class in my school.

The Data

The data analysis from questionnaire number one, in chapter ten, includes the answers I

received from all of my classes. Out of the answers I obtained from the students and their

choices about future topics to study, I then wrote a scheme of work about rap music. The

choice of rap came about because many of the pupils expressed a liking for rap music (see

chapter nine). I felt that all pupils would be able to take part in a rap performance as the

focus is on the use of the voice and not on instrumental ability.

The scheme of work began in February and I observed my chosen focus class, 9A, and

discussed ideas with them as the scheme of work on rap progressed, (see chapter 10.) A

discussion was organised to pursue the topic of identity that had been highlighted as the

scheme of work progressed. This discussion was opened to all my year nine students but in

fact only five participated. (Details of this discussion are given in chapter 13). The final data

collection was a questionnaire given only to 9A, asking how they had enjoyed the project

and what ideas they had for improvements.

The Ethics

All pupil names have been changed to preserve anonymity, However as I have a group

students from the Indian subcontinent, I have used a mixture of both Asian and Western

names. I consulted my line manager, a deputy head in the school, about whether I needed to

write to parents to ask permission to undertake my practitioner research. (See journal entry

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page 40). She advised me that this was not necessary as the pupils would not be identifiable

in the document.

I informed the pupils personally both verbally and with a short paragraph at the top of the

questionnaires that I was doing the research and would use the data they provided but not

their names. The questionnaire was done anonymously. Pupils were allowed to opt out of

any questionnaire, although none chose to.

Finally

Although I realise that there is not necessarily an answer to a specific question in my

research. I intend it more as a way to inform my practice by focusing on my pupils thoughts

about music lessons. I intended it also to be a vehicle for my learning about their kind of

music. As I have stated the outcome of my research will probably not be an answer to a

question. Rather I hoped it was an attempt to make my year nine students enjoy some of the

last lessons in music that they will have in Key Stage 3, and possibly the last music lessons

most of them will have forever. It undoubtedly became a learning curve for me, as I looked

to update my knowledge of some of the music my pupils enjoy.

The following chapter describes in detail how the study unfolded from the initial ideas

Chapter Nine Beginning the research

As I wrote this in February, I had been already trying to put some ideas into action. I had

signalled that I wished to consult the views of my pupils; this is something that seems to be

happening more and more both in my school and elsewhere. There is a movement in my

school at the moment to consult pupils and give them greater autonomy over what they study

and contribute to the general ethos and rules of the school. Pupils take part in school council

meetings and members of the school council send representatives to many of teaching and

learning forums, which happen monthly. There have been questionnaires sent out to all

pupils asking opinions on topics such as changes to the school day among others.

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In places other than my school, pupils have been asked by many researchers to give their

opinions on what constitutes a good teacher. A long term project was run (2001-2003) by the

Teaching and Learning Research Programme based at Cambridge University, which

supported over 30 research projects over this period. The researchers suggest many

outcomes, amongst which are that pupils develop a stronger sense of membership and of

being more included in the schools purposes the organisational dimension They suggest

that teachers develop the capacity to see the familiar from a different angle and a practical

agenda for improvement I take this to mean that teachers should not be set in their ways, but

always be willing to try new ideas. Seeking the viewpoint of my pupils directly is one of the

ways I wish to improve my practice. It is my wish to develop a practical method of

improving the learning of my year 9 students. Including their suggestions and seeing some

aspects of music lessons from their point of view may be the way to do this. Ruddick and

Flutter (2000) argue that firsthand accounts of classroom life should be gathered from those

who experience it on a daily basis. The researchers from the Teaching and Learning

Research Programme also reported that the pupils appreciated being taken seriously and they

felt that they were able to manage their own progress better. The process helped to build

more open relationships. Perhaps I can emulate them.

One of the first requests I have had from my pupils, is to do to do more class singing. The

request arose during casual conversations during my lessons. This is an activity I admit I

have neglected due to the topics studied from September to Christmas.

Journal Entry Proper Songs December 2005

In a year 9 class the other day we sang some carols as it was near to Christmas.

The class was mostly enthusiastic. This was actually the first time that I had sung

with them all term, as we had done projects in the keyboard room and computer

room up until now. I told them that after Christmas we would sing much more.

Hooray shouted S. But can we sing proper songs.

What do you mean by proper songs? I asked.

You know things that are in the charts, stuff like that

I do intend to sing some songs that are familiar to them but it is quite sad to think

that they think that current chart items are the only proper songs.

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With this in mind the first action I took was to ask them what songs they wanted to try. They

gave me a long list of mostly current or near current pop items. I obtained lyrics, sheet music

for some and backing track for a few others. At the start of the new term in January I was

very keen to get the classes singing and tried one or two of the numbers out. I played a

couple of songs by Coldplay on the piano, Clocks and The Scientist. They were very,

very reluctant to open their mouths and sing. The following week I played a backing track

for Michael Jacksons Billy Jean. Again, I got a really feeble response. Both these items

had been specifically requested, so I was surprised that they did not feel able to join in. I

realised after a discussion with a group of pupils at the end of the lesson that there was

something about peer group identity that each of these songs gave to the pupils. During the

lesson despite not singing themselves, a group of pupils who had not tried to sing themselves

were very disparaging when another group specifically asked for Coldplay. The Coldplay

group stayed behind after class to speak to me.

Journal Entry Singing January 2006

A group of year nine girls stayed behind after class today. They were fed up.

I have been trying to encourage my year nine classes to sing and have been

trying to update their repertoire by asking for requests. From the list they

produced I have sourced some lyrics sheet music and also some backing

tracks. We tried some Coldplay songs one week which I accompanied on the

piano. It was awful. Nobody sang except me and one other. I wondered if the

solo piano was not encouraging them. so the following week I introduced

them to a backing track of Michael Jacksons Billy Jean, also one of their

choices. This was met with no better response. What ever is the matter with

them!A group of pupils said lets sing some Coldplay Another table of pupils

said What do you want to sing Coldplay for? Theyre rubbish.

After the class the Coldplay group stayed behind and complained that the

other group had chosen Billy Jean but still wouldnt sing it. They then

rubbished their choice.

I have realised that this is a classic case of peer pressure and the fact that it may be music

almost more than anything else in their lives that determines who they are. This identity

has been written about extensively. For example Chris Richards has written a very

interesting book called Teen Spirits (1998)which discusses music and identity in media

education. In the book he traces his attempts to teach pop music within the context of media

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education. He discusses his own personal history and his present position, showing clearly

his own background and the way it has shaped his thinking. This is very much like I am

trying to do. Of particular interest are the interviews with his students that he writes about in

detail. I intend to pursue similar lines of enquiry with my own pupils. Later in this

dissertation I describe a discussion I held with some year nine pupils on the subject of

identity. (Chapter 13)

I realised that I needed to pursue the attitudes of my students towards music and so I wrote a

questionnaire which was given to the pupils in January.

The following chapter analyses some of the answers I received for my first questionnaire.

Chapter Ten The first questionnaire

I gave the questionnaire (appendix) to all four of the year nine classes that I teach. This

amounts to approximately 100 students, (a flu virus during the week I did the questionnaire

meant there were fewer pupils than this canvassed). I asked the students to be completely

honest and really write what they felt without fear of reprisal. I had put a short paragraph at

the top of the questionnaire explaining what it was for and how their honesty would be

respected.

Predictably, some of the answers for the question

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What are your opinions about music lessons in school?

Were; (sic) I think music lessons are boringand other answers of a verysimilar nature.

However, some answers that the students gave were very constructive, for example; (I quote

verbatim)

Music lessons in school is quite boring because we only do classical

music. It is fun when we listen to modern music or play the keyboard.

The music is sometimes weird and sometimes what you do is boring. I

like working on the keyboards

Calmer and easier and more enjoyable than other lessons

They can be good at getting people to try new things and instruments

they might not usually get to use. They are quite good and I cant really

think of any suggestions to make them betterI enjoy them however I feel the majority of people mess about too much

and it makes it more difficult to do quality work in groups. It is

frustrating

Music lesson are great if the class co-op but its a bit nervous racking

when you have to perform in front of the class

Conversely, I had some very negative answers to this question;

Pointless waste of my time, rather do 7hrs Spanish

I do not know whether this comment means that the only other thing that this pupil hates

more is Spanish? Even worse are the two comments that follow;

Theyre boring and we never learn anything or do much music-related

Never had one so dont know

Fortunately I am not so insecure to feel that I am a complete failure and perhaps should give

up teaching. What I must learn from this nevertheless, is that these are three pupils whom I

have not reached and motivated. I am hoping however that the last answer came from a pupil

who thought he or she was answering a question about instrumental lessons.

Another question I asked was;

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

The answers again held no real surprises. The vast majority of the students listen to a diet of

Hip Hop, Rap and R&B. B. There were many pupils who expressed a liking for rap music. I

am going to design a scheme of work on the theme of rap, because I can focus on the use of

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the voice which all the pupils have access to and not instrumental skills which most of them

do not have. Although personally I would not choose to listen to rap music for pleasure

myself, I feel that it is nevertheless very clever. Rap musicians need to have a very strong

sense of rhythm. Rap, is after all poetry, spoken in rhythm, or rhythmically accented poetry

as I have heard it defined.

I asked my year nine pupils as part of the first questionnaire in January; exactly what type of

music do they listen to at home? Who are they with when listening? Do they feel listening to

music in school is different than listening to music at home? The answers they gave about

their choices were not very surprising. The majority of my pupils enjoy a diet consisting

mostly of Rap and R&B. There were a few choices of rock and Indie music and some cited

particular artists such as Blink 182, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and Snow Patrol. There

was even a reference to the rock band Queen, which I was not expecting.

I asked the question;

Who are you normally with when you listen to music?

I was quite surprised that the majority of my pupils listen to music alone. (See table 1) I had

expected that most of their musical entertainment came whilst they were with their friends. I

wonder if this solitary listening to music is through their MP3 players. This could be

material for a further question perhaps?

TABLE 1 n.b. some students ticked more than one answer

9A 9B 9C 9D

Nobody**** ****

**** ***

**** ****

**** **

**** ****

****

**** ****

***

My Friends**** **** **** * **** ****

My family** **** *** *

Other** **** ****

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I was asking a member of the senior management team in school, about the ethics I needed

to consider whilst doing my study. She highlighted to me during this conversation, the fact

that music is very fashion oriented, something I had not properly considered as an important

facet of my lessons.

Journal Entry Chat with line manager December 2005

Spoke to my line manager, J, a deputy head, today about the ethics of my doing

research in school. She was very pleased that I was pursuing this line of enquiry,

as it fitted in with the school improvement scheme that is very current. ..

I also asked J, whether I needed to send letters home to the pupils parents

informing them of my study but she said it was not necessary.A further facet to this story was that J, a Maths teacher, had not appreciated that

music is constantly developing She said that unlike some subjects whose basic

content remained the same, music could be fashionable or out of date very

quickly.

It was an interesting view from another subject.

In many subjects, whilst teachers may be constantly updating the way they present

information, the basic content remains the same. In music this is not so, as tastes and

fashions evolve very quickly. It is therefore quite difficult to constantly try and find up

to date examples by which to demonstrate a concept. It is very easy to appear to

students as out of date, not up with current chart sounds.

There is also the issue of identity. Music has always played a major part of being a

teenager. This goes right back to the beginnings of Rock and Roll in the fifties with the

emergence of the Teddy Boys, identified by their uniform of winkle picker shoes,

drainpipe trousers and hair swept up into quiffs. In the sixties you were either a Mod or

a Rocker and it was obvious from your style of dress which one you were. Today it is

still the same, adolescents choose which gang they belong to.

The idea of music forming the identity of an adolescent is not a new one. I have

already cited Richards book (1998) also the studies done by Szubertowska (2000) the

influence that the family has on pupils attitude to music. One of the conclusions that

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Szubertowska unsurprisingly drew wasAdolescents glean their music from family

environment and their peer group (page 318)

This reluctance of my pupils to sing songs that they feel are not representative of their peer

group, posed a bit of a problem for me. It made the whole class singing activity difficult. I

could have made the small groups sing their songs but they might have felt too exposed to

try that. I decided to change tack and introduced them to some songs I have put together for

year seven pupils. I compiled them into a booklet that I have called silly songs. The

booklets contain songs such as The Old Bazaar in Cairo, Camp Granada and

Supercalifragalisticexpialidocious to name just three. The pupils in year seven love them. I

am hoping that the easygoing nature of these songs may encourage the year nine pupils to be

brave and use their voices and we can return to the pop songs at a

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