LESSON RESOURCES by Music STAR Champions (Secondary) 2017
This resource book puts together lesson ideas for teaching music composition at the Lower Secondary level. Contributed by all the Secondary Schools’ Music STAR Champions (2017), this compilation aims to support Music teachers’ implementation of the General Music syllabus. The STAR Champions developed these ideas after attending a professional development workshop at the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR) in February 2017. This compilation extends their learning at the workshop, and serves as resource materials for the workshops to be conducted by them in July, 2017.
It contains a rich bank of ideas from which to draw from, with the objectives of encouraging greater student creativity and exploration of music making. The lesson ideas and resources can be modifed and adapted to suit the needs of the students and the requirements of the syllabus.
We wish to express our appreciation to the STAR Champions for trialling and developing the lesson ideas for this compilation. We would also like to thank all their school leaders for the continued support of their STAR Champions’ professional development journeys to build the capacities of our music teaching fraternity.
The Editorial Team: Adeline Tan, Senior Academy Ofcer (Music) Chua Siew Ling, Master Teacher (Music) Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts
Composition Lesson Strategies
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Learning from the Masters
This is ONE Lesson taken from a 10-week Module on Pop Song Arrangement
Week 1: Introduction to drum patterns (Smart Drums on iPad)
Week 2: Introduction to Smart Strings
Week 3: Introduction to Smart Guitar
Week 4: Introduction to Smart Keyboard
Week 5: Create my own pop song arrangement
How it works
1. Students listen to either A Whole New World or Beauty and the Beast, and fll up a listening map (see Annex A) of the features they hear by writing down phrases / words / draw about what they hear is happening in the music. They would need to focus on 3 areas: Melody, Harmony, Drums.
2. Students will use the ideas gathered through the analysis of the song and apply the compositional techniques in their own arrangement of their favourite pop song on iPad Smart Instruments.
Why?
1. The focus of this semester was for students to create and perform their own arrangements of their favourite pop songs on iPad Smart Instruments. The students had already worked with their groups for 2 weeks. Over these 2 weeks, I noticed that:
• Students had trouble starting and ending their songs.
• Students kept the instrumentation in a rather constant style throughout the whole song.
• In many groups, progress had stalled because the students had a lack of ideas to carry on.
2. This “Learning from the Masters” lesson was carried out as a break from working with their group. The students would listen to music from the masters to learn what these masters have done to make their arrangements sound interesting and refreshing.
Week 6: Pop song arrangement (Work in progress)
Week 7: Learning from the Masters
Week 8: Pop song arrangement (Work in progress)
Week 9: Pop song arrangement (Work in progress)
Week 10: Final performance
How did students respond to the task?
• Students seemed to have more ideas for their arrangement after the “Learning from the Masters” lesson.
• There was more varied instrumentation between sections.
• More adventurous drum rhythms were used.
• Observations of annotations on students’ scores showed that some thought had been put into the instrumentation.
Key things to note:
This lesson was carried out with Sec 1 students. They may not have the musical vocabulary to describe the sounds they hear. Allow them to express in their own simple layman’s language or to draw pictures/ symbols.
(Examples of student works)
STAR Champion : Ms Teoh Su-Mei Jeanette | School: CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent | Cluster: N1
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Newspaper
Playback Segment (Part 1)
1. With each playback of a group’s recording, students are asked to raise key features that stood out. For e.g.
3. Teacher gives the groups another 5-7 minutes to record a 2nd 30 second track and to improve on previous recording.
STAR Champion : Mr Ho Tze Liang, Shaun | School: Yishun Secondary School | Cluster: N2 Idea adapted from a workshop conducted by Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts
Music Materials/ Resources required
i) newspaper cuttings (1 per student)
ii) iPads with GarageBand app for recording
iii) visualizer
How it works
1. Teacher arranges students in groups of 4.
2. Teacher shows a picture of a newspaper cutting. Teacher explains that everyone will receive a diferent article.
3. Teacher zooms into a few paragraphs and asks the students to choose any text - words or phrasesthat interests them.
4. Teacher writes down the chosen words/ phrases on the white board.
5. Teacher explains the task to the class - students are to read the chosen text in diferent ways:
i) Volume: loud / soft
ii) Pitch: high / low
iii) Tempo: fast / slow
iv) Timbre: type/ quality of sound
6. Teacher recaps the interface and functions of GarageBand on iPad:
• Audio Recorder instrument
• Recording function
• Press stop button to stop recording
Teacher Demonstration of Task
1. Using the words that students have chosen, the teacher records layer by layer using GarageBand, deliberately showing diferentiation of the various elements.
2. After recording each layer, the teacher checks understanding of the elements by asking the students what the chosen musical element in the recording was – for e.g. ‘Was it high or low pitch?’
Student Task
Each student would have to choose a diferent element to explore as he/she says the text of choice.
All students will record their readings in their groups of 4.
Group Work
1. Groups are given 5 - 7 minutes to record a 30 second track which would be played back to the class at the end of the lesson.
2. Teacher would facilitate the group work, and check that the groups have selected the words/ phrases and the elements to explore.
Key things to note:
• The teacher needs to explain the musical elements if students do not understand.
• The teacher should ask students to justify the reasons for their musical decisions (e.g. loud/ soft, fast/ slow).
• It would be good to give students a template to note down their decisions, to improve upon the original recording and to plan their composition.
i) Certain words/ phrases
ii) Was the word/ phrase fast or slow?
iii) How was the timbre changed?
2. The group members would have to clarify the thinking behind the musical decisions.
Improving the work
1. After all groups have presented, the teacher asks the following questions about their recordings:
i) How can we make it better?
ii) How can we make it more musical?
iii) How can we make it more interesting?
2. Teacher facilitates group discussions on how to explore further refnements to the group work:
i) General improvement: pointing the mic in an appropriate direction
ii) Using a range of musical elements
iii) Arranging the entries of each voice
iv) Changing the sound using available functions in GarageBand
Annex A
(Example of text)
4. Teacher facilitates the group work and clarifes the improvements the groups intend to make.
Playback Segment (Part 2)
1. Teacher plays the new recording and asks the class/ groups to comment on the changes made and its efectiveness.
2. Teacher concludes and reinforces the musical elements and how they can be used to make a song more interesting.
Why?
This is to enable students to understand how musical elements can be manipulated to express and enhance diferent emotions/ sound qualities.
How did students respond to the task?
The students’ excitement was triggered by the teacher’s demonstration as it showed them the possibilities in the composition task.
Instructions
1. Get into groups of 4
2. Each person has a diferent newspaper cutting
3. Choose any text
4. Read chosen text in diferent ways
• loud / soft
• high / low
• fast / slow
• timbre
5. Each student records his/her reading of the text in iPad GarageBand
6. Play it back to the class!
Refection
1. How can we make it better?
2. How can we make it more musical?
3. How can we make it more interesting?
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Composing with Newspaper Manuscript
How it works
1. Teacher introduces the lesson with a video (Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise, https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4) and analyses it with the class according to dynamics, pitch, tempo and texture.
2. Teacher provides segments of text taken from a newspaper to each student.
3. Students work in groups to ‘read’ their texts in various ways to create a segment of music:
• Dynamics: loud/ soft
• Pitch: high/ low (melody)
• Tempo: fast/ slow
• Texture: Combine to produce diferent textures (Monophonic, Homophonic, Polyphonic)
4. Students are to work collaboratively to record their group’s creation of 30-45 secs on their mobile phones.
5. Teacher plays some of the groups’ work for the class to hear and elicits comments on the ideas behind the creations.
6. Teacher unpacks the decision-making processes of the students.
7. The students write individual refections after their recording tasks (see Annex A).
Why?
This enables students to understand how musical elements can be manipulated to express and enhance diferent emotions/ sound qualities.
How did students respond to the task?
1. The students’ compositions refected creativity, indepth knowledge and understanding of how the musical elements were incorporated into the work.
2. The works included elements of repetition and variation.
3. Some groups could explain their compositional ideas, review and evaluate the use of chosen elements demonstrated in their compositions.
Key things to note:
• This is for a single lesson (70 minutes).
• Scafolding is required to motivate and engage students’ interest to the given task.
• Good exemplars can be discussed and analysed so that the expectations of the activity are clearly defned, and allow students to follow the model.
Example of Student Refections
STAR Champion : Ms Tan Cijun Eudora | School: Pei Hwa Secondary School | Cluster: N3 Idea adapted from a workshop conducted by Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Mash-Up
STAR Champion : Ms Cindy Chia Pei Shan | School: Punggol Secondary School | Cluster: N4
How it works
Students create mash-ups of songs i.e. to transit between the songs and combine a few songs into one. (Students do not have to complete the full song.)
1. Teacher provides the melody and bassline of the selected song.
2. Teacher provides assessment rubrics so that students know what to work towards.
3. Using Boomwhackers and resonator bars, students perform at least 2 pop songs in groups. They have to include the melody and bassline/ harmony.
4. Students to create mash-ups of songs i.e. to be able to transit between the songs and combine all songs into one (Students do not have to complete the full songs).
5. Mini performances are held in the classroom including areas they fnd difcult, to allow peer / teacher feedback.
6. Teacher holds small group consultations with students to work on presentations. Why?
This is to allow students to explore and learn improvisation and arrangement techniques.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students struggled in the beginning as they could not fnd a way to combine the songs. There were many abrupt pauses in the transitions.
• Students were guided through questions and scafolding to do a smooth transition in their own unique ways and styles.
The Ta Taka System
STAR Champion : Mr Isa Bin Dahlan | School: Marsiling Secondary School | Cluster: N5
How it works
1. Teacher introduces the symbols and explains how to perform them.
i) Ta = T = 1 sound on one beat
ii) Taka = TK = 2 sounds on one beat
iii) TaTaka = TTK = 3 sounds on one beat
iv) TakaDimi = TKDM = 4 sounds on one beat
2. Teacher gets students to demonstrate their understanding by clapping out the symbols shown on the screen.
3. With this understanding, teacher gets students to compose and create their own rhythm diagrams individually.
4. Teacher gets students to form groups of 4s and combine their diagrams together to form one big composition.
5. In their groups, students practise and perform their compositions.
Why?
• To introduce students to the counting system used by Indian musicians.
• To allow students to compose using this counting system.
How did students respond to the task?
Students were able to follow and create rhythms using this counting system easily.
Key things to note:
• This is a 10-week module, 1 hour per lesson.
• There is no need to restrict students to conventional harmonies.
• The teacher should be open-minded and allow students to make mistakes in a safe environment.
• Students may not be able to verbalize/ notate what they want. The teachers’ role is to help translate their ideas into reality.
Key things to note:
• This is carried out in a single lesson of 1-hr.
• Students can explore diferent sounds in their compositions.
• No prior knowledge is required.
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Creating a Rap
STAR Champion : Mdm Peh Siew Hoon | School: CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ | Cluster: N6
How it works
1. Students explore diferent ways to create sounds (e.g. body percussion, beat box, use of everyday items).
2. Teacher highlights and explains the uses of ostinato, layers and unison in a composition.
3. Students are given a sample of a rap.
4. In groups of 7-8, students create at least 8 lines of text based on a given theme.
5. Students set the text to at least 3 spoken parts and 1 percussion part.
6. Teacher facilitates group performances and peer critiques.
Why?
This is to enable students to demonstrate understanding of the key elements of creating a rap.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students were excited to explore diferent ways to create sounds.
• Students were proud of their work and keen to share with the class.
Key things to note:
• Instructions need to be clear and it is good to start by showing relevant examples to the students.
• Teachers may choose to select the composition aspects they wish to highlight.
Section 1: Composition
Cover Song –‘Singapore Town’ using Musically Singaporean App
STAR Champion : Mrs Anita Mansor-Long | School: Fuchun Secondary School | Cluster: N7
How it works
1. Students sing the community song with accompaniment or backing track from the app.
2. In groups, students are to change the lyrics of the song based on a theme. (for e.g. school, neighbourhood)
3. Students sing their lyrics, with the minus-one track of Singapore Town
4. Students rehearse and record their song.
5. Each group performs their respective song.
6. Teacher facilitates peer assessment.
Why?
This is to provide students with an opportunity to show creativity and collaboration.
How did students respond to the task?
Students enjoyed the task as they got to perform their work.
Key things to note:
Students need to be aware of:
• The number of syllables in each line
• Rhyming words for more interesting lyrics
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Cover Song –‘Bunga Sayang’ using Musically Singaporean App
STAR Champion : Mrs Anita Mansor-Long | School: Fuchun Secondary School | Cluster: N7
How it works
1. Students sing Bunga Sayang, with accompaniment or backing track from the app.
2. Students listen to diferent versions of Bunga Sayang from the internet.
3. Students play the melody on the keyboard, with the backing track from the app.
4. In groups, students are to change the lyrics of Bunga Sayang
5. Students are to rehearse and record their song.
6. Each group performs their respective song.
7. The teacher facilitates peer assessment.
Why?
• This is to provide students with an opportunity to show creativity and collaboration.
• This also gives students the opportunity to listen attentively and critically to their own performances.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students enjoyed the task and they got to perform their work.
• Students were encouraged to interpret the music through the creation of their own lyrics.
Key things to note:
• Students need to be aware of the number of syllables in each line.
• Students need to be aware of rhyming words for more interesting lyrics.
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Cover Song –‘Home’ using Musically Singaporean App
STAR Champion : Mrs Anita Mansor-Long | School: Fuchun Secondary School | Cluster: N7
How it works
1. Students to sing Home with accompaniment or backing track from the app.
2. Students to imitate rhythmic pattern of Home
3. Students to choose an ostinato for Home
4. Students to learn chords - C, F, G.
5. Students to play Home in an ensemble. They would have to include the following in their performance:
i) melody
ii) ostinato
iii) chords
6. In groups, students to change the lyrics of a chorus of a pop song.
7. Students to rehearse their song.
8. Each group performs their respective song.
Why?
This is to provide students with an opportunity to show creativity and collaboration.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students liked that they could choose their own song.
• Students felt they were actively engaged.
Key things to note:
• This requires the teacher to scafold learning.
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Composing to Social Issues
How it works
1. Teacher engages students with several social issues, e.g. racism, feminism, drug abuse, poverty.
2. Teacher plays songs that espouse vices (e.g. Fetty Wap - Trap Queen) and deconstructs the meaning with students.
3. Teacher gets students to think of one social issue as the theme of a composition, and what the intended impact of their composition is. For e.g. :
• social issue: feminism
• Impact of composition: to empower women who listen to the song
4. Teacher introduces several musical elements e.g. texture, timbre, pitch, dynamics, form, key, tempo.
5. Teacher introduces planning templates for students to plan their compositions.
6. Teacher introduces assessment rubrics for the project so that students can self-assess as they work.
7. Teacher introduces Mixcraft (digital audio workstation) interface and features.
8. Students work in pairs to audition loops in Mixcraft that would suit their social issue/ mood.
9. Students (in pairs) compose a 3-minute piece using a given structure (Intro, verse, chorus, ending) and parameters (e.g. mix of melody, harmony, rhythm instruments, use of diferent textures).
10. Students share their compositions with one another.
11. Students refect on their experiences. Why?
• This module ties in with the school’s ALP on Critical Social Inquiry and Media Literacy.
• Students are able to experience the composition/ arrangement process through the use of existing loops in Mixcraft.
How did students respond to the task?
• Higher-ability students were able to efectively compose music that suited their chosen issue.
• Students were excited and eager to share their compositions.
• Students were able to use planning templates to aid them in their compositional process.
• Some students expressed that it would be better if they were able to play their compositions live instead of only through the software.
Seeing Ear and Hearing Eye Project
STAR Champion Ms Suyun Tang | School: Mayflower Secondary School | Cluster: S1
How it works
1. Each student chooses an image of a canvas painting from the internet.
2. Teacher demonstrates how the elements of dance and painting can lead to an original story board. This may be done one week at a time. (See Annex A)
3. Students analyse the canvas painting of their choice from diferent perspectives and come up with their interpretation.
4. Teacher demonstrates how elements from painting and dance can be translated into musical elements: e.g. a picture has a lot of straight lines in the space – may be translated into a stif rhythmic pattern or driving melodic lines that are not fuid.
5. Students produce a composition plan to tell their story using organised sounds by GarageBand live loops or use of sampler to create sounds. It is important that students justify their decisions.
6. Students create a composition of 1 - 3 min.
7. In each lesson, the teacher extracts 1 - 2 compositions for class discussion and to provide constructive feedback to the group’s work. Why?
• This activity is aimed at developing students’ musical creative capacity by scafolding and providing diferent thinking frameworks.
• Inter-arts inquiry can develop students’ ability to synthesize information.
• This activity provides a more inclusive learning environment.
• This helps to develop students’ ability to appreciate and connect with the diferent artforms.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students were excited and inspired by the options available to them.
• Students were enthusiastic about composing.
• 39 out of 40 students provided positive response. Only 1 out of 40 feedback indicated confusion over the task.
• Students appreciated the diferent ways to look at a painting.
• Students found this to be eye-opening to look at the same thing from so many diferent perspectives. This helped students to think out of the box.
Key things to note:
• This is a 10-week module held over 2 terms.
• This plan requires Mixcraft (Windows) software.
• Students need to have an understanding of musical elements and be given some parameters to work with.
Annex A
Questions to help students consider one another’s music compositions from diferent perspectives
1. What do the composers, painters or dancers think about the music composition?
2. Does it tell the story efectively?
3. What musical element do you think can be added to achieve……?
4. How do you think the issue can be solved?
Key things to note:
• This series was conducted for Sec 2 Express students and it took 8 one-hour sessions to complete.
• Students need to have basic knowledge and experience on how to use GarageBand.
• Students should have experience in dance and painting.
• The teacher must have knowledge of the elements of painting and dance.
• There is a need to have deliberate instruction and mindful facilitation during class feedback.
STAR Champion : Ms Ng Sheh Feng | School: Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School | Cluster: N8 *Module developed by Ms Lee Jia Ling of Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Compose with Instruments and Classroom Objects
How it works
1. Teacher explains that the students will compose a short piece of music using instruments/materials they can fnd in the classroom.
Why?
A
Music Composition Planning (Sec 2)
Class: Sec 2 _____
Group members:
Students learn to compose with a structure in mind demonstrating their understanding of the elements of Music.
2. Students sit in a circle. Teacher does a rhythmic clap and students respond.
STAR Champion : Ms Jaime Lim Hwee Fung | School: Kent Ridge Secondary School | Cluster: S2 How did students respond to the task?
3. Teacher introduces the elements of music through a series of claps using diferent rhythms. Example: ‘11-Claps’ or ‘We Will Rock You’ rhythm
i) Dynamics (soft and loud)
ii) Texture (monophonic and polyphonic)
iii) Tempo (fast and slow)
iv) Articulation (legato and staccato)
4. Students work in groups of 5-6.
5. Teacher distributes a planning sheet (see Annex A) and a rubric to ensure students know the assessment criteria. The music should have 3 sections, demonstrating their understanding of the elements of music. Using their selected instruments, students will brainstorm for ideas for their composition.
6. Teacher facilitates the creation and improving student’s composition through open-ended questions. For e.g.:
• What idea does your sound intend to convey?
• Why did you choose that particular sound or instrument?
7. Students perform their music in front of the class. Students display the Music Composition Planning on the board to enable the audience to follow the performance.
8. Teacher assesses the performance using a rubric.
• Students found it difcult to start creating their music.
• After the students decided on a theme or rhythm, they were able to work with a purpose in mind.
• Students who have formal music training were the natural leaders in the group and could ensure their groups stayed on task.
Elements of Music Beginning Middle End
Key things to note:
• This lesson series was conducted for Sec 2E/NA students and it took 13 sessions of 30-minutes to complete.
• As every group tried to practise their work simultaneously, the noise level in the Music room was high. The teacher may consider allowing groups whose compositions are ‘softer or ‘quieter’ to practise along the corridor.
• The teacher can choose the type of elements to focus on depending on the time available and students’ abilities.
• The teacher can show past-year performances to set expectations and standards.
Texture e.g. monophonic
Tempo e.g. adagio
Articulation e.g. staccato
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Composition through Soundscape
STAR Champion : Ms Wu Meihui | School: Gan Eng Seng School | Cluster: S4
How it works
1. Teacher facilitates the brainstorm for keywords related to ‘rainforest’.
2. Students think of and demonstrate sounds based on the keywords written on the board. They can make sounds using their own voices or bodies.
3. Teacher picks out 3 keywords for the class. Students are to use the 3 words to construct a narrative story using voices and body sounds.
4. Students perform their musical stories behind a screen so that the rest of the class does not depend on any visual stimulus and sensitises the ears to the sounds. Teacher should encourage them not to voice out any words or narrate the story.
5. Teacher elicits comments (encouragement, suggestion or guessing of the story) on what they have heard.
6. The group giving the performance will need to explain the meaning and considerations behind its performance.
7. Teacher facilitates and unpacks the decisionmaking processes of all groups.
Why?
This is to enable students to demonstrate musical understandings through sounds and musical decisions.
How did students respond to the task?
• The Sec 1 students showed enthusiasm in participation.
• Some groups even brought their own materials and instruments to add on to their group’s performance. They showed immense interest in guessing the stories by the other groups.
Possible Variations
• The themes can be varied to suit students’ learning needs or interests. Simple concepts such as ‘rain’ or ‘storm’ can be deployed, or more challenging ones such ‘life of a student’ or ‘life a mosquito’.
• Stories can be created with lesser or more parts. The teacher can use the opportunity to teach musical forms, i.e. binary form, ternary form, etc.
• If time allows, the teacher can use an assessment form to provide more structure to the feedback process. [http://artsonline2.tki.org.nz/resources/ lessons/music/soundscape/pdfs/soundscapeassesmt-form.pdf]
Composing a Jingle through Active Learning with Technology
STAR Champion Mdm Tan Teing Im | School: Queenstown Secondary School | Cluster: S4
How it works
1. Teacher shows videos of well-known advertisements, with catchy jingles. Eg. Pizza Hut Delivery, Toys R Us, Mentos.
2. Teacher discusses with students, music elements that make the jingles so catchy and efective. Some guiding questions are given in a worksheet (see Annex A: Working Template) to direct students’ thought processes on Lyrics, Melody Duration etc.
3. Students use Answer Garden (https:// answergarden.ch an online app for sharing ideas) to generate and share ideas on the product they would like to advertise and some key words which can be used in their jingles. (Eg. Favourite stall in Canteen, Favourite Local Dish in Singapore)
4. Students use the ideas generated in Answer Garden to help them write about 4 lines of lyrics for their jingle.
5. Using the Composing Template provided (see Annex B), students write in their lyrics and come up with a rhythm for their lyrics, with important words on the strong beats.
Why?
• To tap on technology as a means for composing and sharing of ideas.
• Composing a short jingle is more manageable than composing a song, for my profle of students.
• Composition of a jingle as a practical application to real- life.
How did students respond to the task?
• The use of Answer Garden to share ideas was quite exciting to the students, but there is a need to monitor students who put in words which are irrelevant.
• Students were able to come up with simple lyrics which were reasonably good, but the students needed guidance on putting in rhythms and melody for the lyrics.
Key things to note:
• This series was conducted with Sec 1 GMP classes and it took 4 one-hour lessons to complete.
• Musical instruments are optional and are great for add-ons at a later part. There is more authenticity in the task if we get students to focus on using their voices and bodies to create sounds.
• This activity can be a precursor to higher level tasks such as:
- producing graphic notations of their soundscapes to explain the rationale behind musical decisions;
- creating a soundscape with a DAW (digital audio workstation), using mixed media and looping technique.
6. Using either apps like GarageBand, Virtual Keyboard or a melodic instrument, students come up with a melody for their jingle.
Extension for Higher Ability Students
1. Students create backing tracks (rhythms and chords) and record their jingle using GarageBand
2. Students share their composed jingles with the class and gather feedback on how to improve.
3. Students do a fnal presentation in front of the whole class.
Key things to note:
• This series was conducted with Sec 2 GMP classes and it took 4 one-hour lessons to complete.
• It would be good if students have some prior experience in creating rhythms and notating them in the Composing Template (see Annex B).
• It would also be good if students have some idea of harmonizing melody with chords, prior to this module.
• The teacher may add in rubrics for summative assessment, if needed.
• This module can also be modifed to use as an e-learning package.
Working Template For Creating A Jingle
Q1. What makes a jingle catchy and efective?
Choose 3 of the jingles from the examples given and complete the table below.
Title of Jingle Number of times the product or brand was mentioned in the jingle List some words used to describe the product/ brand? What is the selling point of the product? (Why is the product good?) How many times was the same melody repeated? Was the melody catchy? How long was the jingle?
of Jingle: _______________________________
Basic chords are made up of 3 notes. The following are chords in C major scale that you may use:
Q2a. Go to Answer Garden and share your ideas on your favourite local food in Singapore. What phrases or words would you use to describe your local food.
Q2b. Favourite Local Food
Q2c. Some words or phrases which you would like to use in your jingle (you may use what was shared in Answer Garden):
Q2d. Write a jingle on your favourite local food using at least 4 sentences:
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Organising Sound
How it works
1. Teacher provides 5 groups of instruments of diferent pitches:
i) 1 group of bass-pitched instruments
ii) 3 groups of chopsticks
iii) 1 group of high- pitched instruments (assortment of agogo bells, triangles, small sound plates)
2. Using the instruments, students perform a percussion piece prepared by the teacher by reading rhythms brought over from the previous module on Musicals. The score makes use of a combination of three rhythmic patterns; two from the previous Musicals module.
3. The teacher analyses the percussion piece with students and introduces words which describe musical elements.
i) Key question: What was the efect achieved from bar ___ to ___? What was interesting about the sound produced?
• Pitch: low, high
• Dynamics: loud, soft, gradually increasing
• Texture: call and answer, unison, solo
• Elements of composition: unity with variety, climax
ii) Students watch and listen to their class performance while taking note of the descriptors
4. Students analyse a STOMP kitchen scene performance segment (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=XXD76CSpfc0) to apply the descriptorsfrst by listening, then by watching.
5. Teacher briefs students on the percussion composition group project:
• Teacher provides a percussion template and provides examples of notation (either formal or informal notation).
• Teacher provides students with some inspiration through more videos of STOMP and other
innovative uses of classroom instruments.
• Students can ‘shop’ for a few ‘instruments’ from the teacher. (Chopsticks, pots, cans etc.)
• Students can also bring materials from home.
• Students start discussing frst before practising.
• Key questions posed to help direct students’ thought processes:
- Does everyone play at the same time?
- How can we vary the sound?
- Where is the climax of our piece?
- How do we build up to the climax?
6. Students perform for each other and the teacher records the performances.
7. Students watch their own performances again and refect on their thought processes via the refection template.
Why?
This activity provides opportunity for students to demonstrate understanding of music elements and to creatively manipulate these elements.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students enjoyed making sounds out of everyday items.
• A variety of notations could be seen – some choosing to mix both formal and informal notation.
• Some groups even came up with raps.
Remixing ‘Ode To Joy’ into Various Contexts
STAR Champion : Mrs Rebecca Loke Chee Keong | School: Temasek Secondary School | Cluster: E2
Pre-requisite
This is an extension project for Sec 2s following 5 weeks of learning how to play Ode To Joy on the piano keyboard with both hands and completing an individual assignment comprising a MIDI arrangement in 2 versions - symphonic and rock/pop style. This was done using GarageBand
How it works
Objective: To create a remix of Ode To Joy according to a context given by the teacher:
1. Teacher introduces YouTube video of the Piano Guys performing a medley of Ants Marching and Ode To Joy (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=17GLE-16_3g&list=RD17GLE-16_3g#t=10) and tells students to take note of the criteria that makes it a good performance.
2. Teacher elicits response from students and writes the criteria on the whiteboard. Some expected responses would include:
• coordination,
• good climax build-up,
• appropriate dynamics,
• structure,
• choreography,
• musicianship,
• layering of instruments.
3. To help extend students’ musical vocabulary, a handout comprising the Project Brief (see Annex A) and Musical Terminologies (see Annex B) is distributed to each student as reference.
which must incorporate the Ode To Joy melody and include percussion accompaniment. Students are to style their music creations to suit the contexts given.
5. In their groups, students are to discuss which 4 criteria they would adopt as a group for assessing their performance. They must write these criteria down on the rubrics form (see Annex C: Assessment Criteria) given to them.
6. Students are also required to fll in another form to show the roles and instruments played by each individual student. They are also to include the musical ideas incorporated into their performances.
7. Students are given two weeks to plan and rehearse their music creation in their groups.
Key things to note:
• This module was held over 5 one-hour lessons.
4. Teacher groups students in groups of 6 to 7 persons and assigns contexts. They include: Music for i) Carnival, ii) Car racing scene in a movie, iii) Lullaby, iv) Haunted house scene, v) Parade, vi) Sports Day, vii) Candlelight dinner. Each group creates a 1- to 2-minute performance
8. For grading purposes, students come to the front to present their performance group by group. The audience must each give feedback by flling up a form (see Annex D: Peer Feedback) to record what was efective and interesting about each group’s performance and how it could be improved. Why?
• Music is part of everyday life and bears specifc functions in afecting our emotions in response to diferent situations.
• To help students deepen their understanding of how the elements of music can be manipulated to change the style of a piece of music in order to ft a given context or situation.
STAR Champion : Ms Liow Xiao Chun | School: St Andrew’s Secondary School | Cluster: S5
How did students respond to the task?
• Students liked the idea of cooperative learning, group rehearsals and peer critiquing of each performance.
Annex A
Project Brief
You will be grouped into groups of 6 or 7. This project requires you to perform Ode To Joy to a given context. Here are some of the requirements:
1. Your performance will be between 1 – 2 min to be showcased in Term 2 Week 4 and 5.
2. At least one student will play the melody on the keyboard (Treble clef notes of Ode To Joy).
3. Another student will play the bass line on the keyboard (Bass clef notes of Ode To Joy) or strum chords on the guitar/ ukulele.
Annex B
Musical Terminologies
• They also felt that they were empowered to decide as a group the criteria for their individual group performance assessment rubrics.
Annex C
Assessment Criteria
Group
4. The rest of the students will play percussion instruments as accompaniment.
5. There must be a structure to the performance (e.g. Intro – Climax – Outro).
6. You are to employ some musical elements in your performance (e.g. dynamics, musical devices, musical textures, musical features).
7. Your performance should match the context given to your group.
Dynamics Musical Devices Musical Textures Musical Features
Very soft Call and Response Solo Slow/ fast rhythms
1) Your performance is Interesting and/or efective because ________________________________________
2) Your performance could have ___________________
Group _______ Context: _______________________
1) Your performance is Interesting and/or efective because ________________________________________
2) Your performance could have ___________________
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Soundscape
STAR Champion : Mdm Clara Sng Sok Hean | School: East Spring Secondary School | Cluster: E3
How it works
Whole Class (2 weeks)
1. A picture of a rainforest is shown to trigger students’ interest. Students talk about what they see and what they think they can hear
2. Teacher lists students’ responses on the board.
3. Teacher facilitates class discussion to explore sounds and to create some of the sounds that have been suggested and to select the sounds that the class is able to produce.
4. Teacher gets input from students on how they want their rainforest to sound: e.g. introduction > climax > end
5. Teacher rehearses with the class and poses questions on how the piece can be improved.
6. Students respond and teacher rehearses with the class again as the conductor.
7. When the class is ready, the performance is recorded. Students have access to the recording.
Small Group (2-3 weeks)
1. Students select a scenario they want to work on.
2. Students create a soundscape using the process they went through as a class in their small groups.
3. Students perform at the back of the class. (Note: the audience only gets to hear and not watch the performance).
4. Audience needs to decipher the scenario their classmates are portraying based on the sounds and fow of the performance.
Why?
• For students to experience and create the sensation of being in a particular environment using the voice, body and things around the room.
• For students to experience the changes in sounds through manipulation of texture, timbre and dynamics.
How did students respond to the task?
• After the rainforest activity as a class, the students felt a sense of achievement upon hearing the class recording of the rainforest as it was their frst class composition.
• They were reminded of the importance of ensemble performance (i.e. entry points, watching the conductor) and they were able to follow the cues well after a few rehearsals.
• In their own groups, students were also successful in creating their own sound scape, with their classmates being able to fgure out the scene/ environment they were trying to create.
Arrangement of Folk Songs using iPad GarageBand
How it works
1. Learning how to use GarageBand (formal classroom lessons):
i) Student are taught how to play major and minor chords on GarageBand keyboard.
ii) Students are taught how to play the root note using Smart Bass Guitar.
iii) Students are taught to change the key of the song and to edit chords on GarageBand
2. Arrangement (informal learning):
i) Students work in groups of at least 5 members. Each will contribute to the diferent elements of music e.g. melody, harmony, rhythm and bass (see Annex A: Checklist).
ii) Students use GarageBand to do an arrangement of the following songs:
• Dayung Sampan
• Di-Tanjong Katong
• Chan Mali Chan
• Singapore Town The students may do the arrangement as a medley, mash-up or in any other formats.
iii) Students would refect on what they had completed for each session (see Annex B: Refection).
3. Performance (informal learning):
i) Each group will need to have a vocalist and include all the instruments that the students have learnt in the past few weeks as they worked on their arrangement - drum, guitar, bass guitar and keyboard.
ii) The duration of the performance should be 1.5 - 3 minutes long.
Why?
• This activity allows students to demonstrate understanding of how to manipulate various musical elements in GarageBand to arrange music and subsequently perform.
• This activity also allows them to develop confdence in performing their own arrangements.
How did students respond to the task?
• The students responded to the project enthusiastically for 3 reasons:
• They were able to work in teams alongside their friends.
• They were empowered to come up with an arrangement which they could call their own.
• They got a chance to rehearse together without being disturbed as they were using JamHub, a mobile silent rehearsal studio, to practise their song arrangements.
Key things to note:
The role modelling and facilitation in the beginning (experience as a class with teacher) is key to helping students understand some of the compositional processes before a performance can happen.
Key things to note:
• Project timeline: 5 sessions of 70 min each over 5 weeks (see Annex C: Project Timeline).
• There should be scafolding structures to impart the various skills on how to use the various GarageBand functions.
• Students need to be encouraged to sing, either solo or as a group.
• The students should be aware of the overall sound and balance and be able to play together as an ensemble.
• Teachers would need to encourage students to explore diferent sounds and be more creative in their selection of sound and musical decisions (see Annex D: Assessment Rubrics).
STAR Champion Mr Ng Eng Kee | School: Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Sec) | Cluster: E5
Checklist for Project
* optional to write on the checklist
1. Role of each member
Drummer: _______________
Bassist: _______________
Keyboardist: _______________
Guitarist: : _______________
Vocalist: _______________
2. The song(s) to arrange Title(s):
3. Form of the arrangement (e.g. verse 1 – chorus – verse 2 – bridge
– chorus of 2nd song etc.)
4. Style of music and specifc type of instruments to use
5. Strumming pattern of the guitar
6. Notes that the bassist plays
7. Drum rhythm and fll
8. The notes or chords that the keyboardists play
9. The volume of each instrument and the overall sound
Drummer: _______________
Bassist: _______________
Keyboardist: _______________
Guitarist: : _______________
Vocalist: _______________ Annex B Refection
Date What my group completed this week?
What we plan to do in the next lesson Remarks
Annex C
Project Timeline
Term 2 Items to be completed
Week 6
• Role of each member
• The song(s) to arrange
• Style of music and choice of instruments
• Strumming pattern of the guitar
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
• Form of the arrangement (e.g. verse 1 – chorus – verse 2 – bridge – chorus of 2nd song etc.)
Notes that the bassist plays
• Drum rhythm and fll
• Notes and/ or chords that the keyboardist plays
• Volume balance of each instrument and overall sound
• Use of diferent types sound for the instruments (e.g. muted, picked, exoplanet, etc. for the bass guitar).
The group explores and uses very little types of sounds available in GarageBand in the arrangement.
The group explores and uses a few types of sounds available in GarageBand in the arrangement.
Exceeds expectations 5
The group explores and uses a variety of sounds available in GarageBand in the arrangement.
Creative Soundscape Poetry
How it works
This inter-disciplinary group project involves the Literature and Music Departments. Students in groups of 5 would have learnt poetic devices (rhyme, similes, alliteration, etc.) and crafted a group poem based on ‘Teenage Life’.
Whole Class
1. Teacher reviews music concepts and forms, and scafolds the creative and refective process through ‘rainstorm’ soundscape:
• body percussion
• drum circle using percussion instruments.
Why?
• This activity provides students with the opportunity to create and sequence musical ideas.
• This activity allows students to identify and apply music elements to accompany and enhance poetry reading.
How did students respond to the task?
• Sec 1 students enjoyed the creative process of exploring various musical ideas to refect the tone/mood of the poem.
2. Sound balance Some instruments are too overpowering and overall sound is not wellbalanced.
Only some instruments can be heard clearly and the overall sound is somewhat wellbalanced.
The volume of all instruments are appropriate and can be heard clearly; the overall sound is wellbalanced.
Performance 3. Overall presentation of the arrangement
Performance is not wellrehearsed and there are many mistakes during the performance.
Performance is somewhat well -rehearsed and performed rather accurately with some mistakes.
Performance is well - rehearsed and performed accurately with minimal mistakes.
2. Students explore contrasts in dynamics, tempo, mood, duration, timbre, texture and structure.
3. Teacher selects a stanza of a poem.
4. Class recites the poem emphasising word stress and syllables, dynamics, mood and tempo. (The poetry recital could also be covered by Literature teacher).
5. Class brainstorms sound efects/musical ideas using percussion instruments to accompany the text. Students to unpack musical decisions and intent.
In Groups
1. The groups select 2 stanzas from their original poem and rehearse.
2. Teacher provides group consultation & feedback using Soundscape Poetry Group Checklist and Feedback Grid (see Annex A).
3. Students notate their composition using the Graphic Notation Soundscape Composition template (see Annex B).
4. The groups are to experiment using a minimum of 3 music elements in their composition based on the assessment criteria (see Annex C).
5. Teacher facilitates group performance and class critique.
• Although students were able to demonstrate minimally 3 music elements in the group composition, some struggled with sequence and development, and expressive reading.
Key things to note:
• This module is carried out over 5 lessons of 50 mins each for a Sec 1 class.
• As an inter-disciplinary project, besides writing the original poem, expressive poetry reading and word stress could be covered in the Literature Lesson. Otherwise more time could be allocated for the Music lesson unit.
STAR Champion Ms Naomi Chye Bee Sen | School: Cedar Girls’ Secondary School | Cluster: E7
Musical ideas somewhat portray the diferent mood or text.
Overall performance displays a lack of music elements and mood and tone of the poem is not observed.
Overall performance displays few music elements and fails to portray the mood and tone of the poem with weak musical sequence and fow.
Ensemble Playing Group is underprepared. Flow of performance is afected due to poor coordination. Members fail to listen to one another during the performance.
Reading with expression Reading is monotonous during the performance.
Musical ideas enhance and match well with mood or text.
Overall performance displays some music elements and portrays the mood and tone of the poem with a good sense of musical sequence and fow.
Group is somewhat prepared but coordination is weak. Members are somewhat able to recover. Group is generally prepared and coordinated with occasional breakdowns. Flow of performance is generally unafected as member are able to recover well.
Some keywords are stressed during the performance.
Reading of poetry could be improved to suit mood and context of soundscape and text respectively.
Most keywords are stressed during the performance.
Soundscape and reading of poetry could be better adhered to with stresses and dynamics to suit the mood of the poetry and/or soundscape.
Overall poor voice control and articulation is weak.
Overall weak voice control and articulation is not always clear.
Musical ideas enhance and match very well with mood and text.
Overall performance displays a variety of music elements and ideas are vividly portrayed with a strong sense of musical sequence and fow.
Group is very well-prepared and coordinated. The overall performance is fuent with no breakdown.
Rhythmic Composition with a Given Context
STAR Champion Ms Desiree Chua May-Jin | School: Clementi Town Secondary School | Cluster: W1
How it works
1. Tune-in: Teacher introduces diferent rhythmic patterns and concept of interlocking rhythms through call and response.
2. Teacher shows the Kitchen scene from “STOMP Out Loud” (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=xpvMvEJEb-8) and discusses the music elements featured in the video.
3. Teacher introduces composition task to students.
4. Students are divided into 7 groups. Each group creates a rhythmic composition made of ostinatos based on the context “A Day in School”.
Why?
This enables students to relate composition to real-life contexts they are familiar with.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students were engaged in music creation.
• Discussions were rich in musical concepts, even though the vocabulary was not always evident.
All keywords are stressed during the performance.
Reading of poetry is in coherence with soundscape to portray the mood.
Voice control and pronunciation are somewhat observed and clear for most of the performance.
Voice control and articulation are observed and clear throughout the performance.
5. Each group creates a rhythmic composition based on a given scene in school: i) Before School, ii) PE lesson, iii) Recess, iv) Math lesson, v) an argument, vi) CCA.
6. Teacher gives students time to create and rehearse their composition.
7. Teacher facilitates the stringing of the individual group compositions into a whole-class performance; a transition is provided by the teacher (e.g. ringing the bell to imitate the school bell).
8. Teacher facilitates a quick class critique to improve the class performance.
9. Teacher introduces a concluding rhythmic pattern which the class learns to play together.
10. Students perform the second time.
Key things to note:
This lesson is carried out in one session of 70 mins.
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
Stomp it Out
STAR Champion : Mdm Chok Shuk Yin | School: Swiss Cottage Secondary School | Cluster: W2
How it works
Week 1
1. Teacher explains that the students will produce a rhythmic performance.
2. Students sit in a circle and count 8 beats: 1 to 8.
3. Teacher introduces diferent rhythms by playing them on a percussion instrument. See diagram below:
4. Students explore diferent sounds to play the diferent rhythms. For example, they could stomp, clap, snap.
5. Teacher divides the class into 2-4 groups. Each group would play a diferent rhythm, to get a 2 to 4 – part interlocking rhythm.
6. Students then play their parts on hand drums (or other percussion instruments).
Week 2 – 3:
1. Students break into groups of 5 to recap what was done.
2. Students are given a blank sheet (without the circles) and are to create their own rhythms by circling selected numbers.
3. Students construct their own rhythmic compositions to demonstrate their understanding of rhythmic pattern and practise the interlocking rhythms within the group.
Why?
• This activity enables students to learn pulse and subdivision of beats.
• This activity also enables students to compose rhythmic patterns of their own with the 8 beats structure and understand the concept of interlocking rhythms.
• Students can extend to longer compositions by repetition and sequencing.
How did students respond to the task?
Students found the task manageable and arrived at the desired outcome rather quickly in Week 3.
Music Arrangement using Loops
Prior Knowledge
Students have learnt how to play the keyboard and Cajón
How it works
1. Teacher plays cover videos of popular songs arranged using Loopy and A capella apps.
2. Teacher demonstrates how to use the apps on the iPad.
3. Teacher divides the class into a few groups.
4. Each group experiments with either A capella or Loopy app using the iPad.
5. Each group is given a cajón, keyboard MIDI controller and a percussion instrument.
6. Students are to create and record a 1 min music arrangement. They can choose any songs they have learnt in Semester 1 or compose their own song.
7. Teacher plays the work of the various groups for the class to hear and elicit comments on the ideas behind the creations.
8. Teacher unpacks the decision-making processes of the students.
Why?
• This provides students with the opportunity to explore techniques involved in layering of sounds to create/arrange a piece of music.
• This builds upon what students have learnt in Semester 1 (Keyboard and Cajón) and allows them to arrange a popular song through the use of apps.
Key things to note:
• This was carried out with the Sec 1 NT class over 3 weeks.
• Group dynamics is key to success in Week 2. The teacher might wish to reinforce social skills to help students work well together.
• Students should also be given space and time to practise their own rhythm. Another week might be needed to give students more time for their own practise.
• The teacher would need to facilitate individual group practises.
STAR Champion Ms Destiny See Yeo Sin | School: Westwood Secondary School | Cluster: W3
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
The Foley Experience
STAR Champion : Ms Pauline Fong Liew Yueh | School: Jurongville Secondary School | Cluster: W4
How it works
1. Teacher plays 5 videos of about 30 secs in class. These videos depict diferent storylines with a typical setting:
• Introduction
• Sequence of events
• Climax
• Resolution
2. Teacher introduces the concept of ‘Foley’ in their class.
3. Students work in groups to select their preferred video.
4. In groups of 4, students are to use GarageBand app on their iPads or everyday objects to create the sound efects to depict the storyline.
5. Students use GarageBand instruments to include the melody and drum accompaniment.
6. Students can also use the audio recorder to include Foley sound efects.
7. For the next 4 weeks, students will rehearse amongst themselves with the video.
8. Students perform their compositions.
9. Teacher asks the other groups to comment on their friends’ composition and how their music fts the video they have selected.
Why?
This activity allows student expression through working with everyday objects.
How did students respond to the task?
The students were enthusiastic and could narrate the storyline with their foley music making experience.
Simple Rap Compositions using Stick Notation and
Incredibox
Key things to note:
• The students are shown the products done by their seniors to introduce them and to set the context to this task.
• When students use everyday objects for their composition, the melody line might be missing. Students can substitute it with their vocals or a backing track that they fnd to match their videos.
How it works
1. Students work in groups of 4 to create a 16 –bar rap composition in quadruple meter with a given theme (e.g. Our Awesome Class, Life in BPGHS, Friends).
2. Students create rhythmic patterns with rhythm syllables and replace them with words, and then notate with stick notation.
3. Using Incredibox (www.incredibox.com), they will create a background beat/music accompaniment for their rap piece. Background music must have an intro and outro.
4. Students to think of ways to enhance the performance of their composition such as adding body percussion, layer of melody over some parts of the rap, intonation.
5. Students perform their rap composition in class.
Why?
This activity allows students to ft their rap composition to a specifc groove of music created from Incredibox
How did students respond to the task?
• Students were excited and engaged with the entire process especially when they listened to simple rhythm syllables rapped with speech infections over a hip-hop groove.
• Some students used the melodies from Incredibox to add another layer to their rap composition.
• Some students preferred to use a diferent theme that was not school- related. Some preferred to talk about relationships, frustrations, and even anger.
Key things to note:
• This is a step- up and a longer version of a previous activity where students substituted rhythm syllables with words (e.g. names of students in class, local dishes, local attractions etc.)
• Students should know stick notation and how to use Incredibox prior to this activity.
STAR Champion Mdm Ana Marie Cardenas Palma | School: Bukit Panjang Government High School | Cluster: W5
Arranging with Live Loops in GarageBand
STAR Champion : Ms Wong Yuen Yu | School: Assumption English School | Cluster: W6
How it works
Instructions
1. Teacher explains the nature of the project, which is to prepare students for Racial Harmony Day in term 3
2. Teacher informs the students the songs that they will be working with:
• Mo Li Hua 茉莉花,
• Chan Mali Chan
• Munnaeru Vaalibaa
There are 3 pre-recorded samples done by the teacher which students can use as references while doing their work.
3. Using the sample songs, the teacher explains the basic functions in GarageBand live loops such as:
• playback of tracks,
• adding in of loops and instrument tracks,
• selecting instruments
• genres of loops
• editing of track
4. Students get into groups of 2 – 4 in a group. Teacher distributes one iPad per group. Lesson 1
1. Students are free to experiment with the app in their groups. They are to try out the functions that the teacher has gone through, and also explore other features that the teacher did not go through.
2. Teacher explains to the students that they are to work with a simple template with only the melodies of the 3 songs (Mo Li Hua 茉莉花, Chan Mali Chan and Munnaeru Vaalibaa) in each fle. Lesson 2
1. Teacher explains the concept of ABA form.
2. Students are required to produce an arrangement in ABA form.
3. They are to choose one song out of the 3 mentioned ones and create an arrangement of their own using the ABA form.
Section A Section B Section A1
Intro + main melody (4 grids)
Interlude Main melody (4 grids) + outro
Lesson 3
1. Teacher introduces the idea of inputting chords to accompany the main melody. A set of chords will be provided to the students.
2. Teacher demonstrates how to use the ‘smart’ instruments to input the chords for their chosen song.
Performance Platform
Selected works will be played over the PA system before morning assembly during the Racial Harmony Day celebration week.
Why?
• This allows students to demonstrate understanding of the Ternary form.
• The context provides more authenticity to students’ creative work and allows students to explore using a fusion of ‘modern-sounding’ loops and instrumentations together with traditional songs.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students were very eager and excited to try the app upon hearing that they are going to use iPads to make music.
• Students were also very on task each week.
• To my surprise, students did not have a lackadaisical mentality. They were very focused in listening to the loops and fguring out which loops suited their song best.
• Students were also very determined to make sure that their recorded chords synced and were placed correctly.
Key things to note:
• Students tend to get engrossed when experimenting with the loops. They may forget that their song is supposed to fulfll the ternary form requirement.
• When recording the chords, students may not understand that they have to follow a certain beat. They may just input the chords at their own random speed. A one-toone demonstration will help the students understand how to apply the chords correctly.
Section 1: Composition Lesson Strategies
‘Express’ Songwriting
How it works
1. Teacher gets the class to agree on a common theme/topic. Alternatively, he/she can provide 2 or 3 topics for the class to choose from.
2. Students then provide words (not sentences, yet) that are relevant to the theme/topic.
3. When there are enough words (about 20) in the ‘word bank’, students form sentences with the given words. Get students to come up with at least 8 sentences to form a stanza of a verse and a stanza of a chorus.
4. Depending on the number of stanzas that can be formed by the class, the teacher splits the class into the number of stanzas.
5. Teacher plays a 4-chord progression as each group tries to ft their stanzas to the music.
6. Students are allowed to rap or sing their stanzas.
7. Students perform their stanzas (in any order) along to teacher’s 4-chord progression.
8. After all the groups have performed, the teacher asks the class to decide on the stanzas that would make good verses and/or chorus.
9. Students re-order themselves and perform again.
Why?
• This activity allows students to demonstrate their understanding of song form and structure.
• Students can apply their knowledge of literary devices learnt in Literature.
How did students respond to the task?
• Students were enthusiastic as they could relate to the theme/topic and could not wait to perform their song.
• Students composed their own melodies independently without the teacher’s assistance.
Orchestra Map
Contributed by Dr Kelly Tang, Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts
Description
The orchestral map is a strategy for music teachers to rally their class to collaborate in creating fun and exciting arrangements of songs for classroom performance. How it works is for the teacher to guide students to make creative decisions regarding how that song should be orchestrated, using available musical instruments, and mobilising the range of musical skills represented by the students.
The key goals are:
1. To make students aware of the range of musical parameters that can be applied in the orchestration, including tempo, dynamics, texture, register, and to understand the difering musical efects gained from varying these parametric functions, and also mixing them in combination.
2. To guide students in sequencing these parametric combinations that generate dramatic contrast and interesting narrative fow in the song, thus creating good musical structure.
3. To heighten students’ awareness of the literary content of the song and the inherent possibilities of its melodic nature, so they can decide which orchestration best brings out the meaning of the song.
Key things to note:
Key things to note:
• This activity is conducted within an hour of lesson.
• The teacher has to ensure the suitability of the theme/topic and to use discretion when approving words given by the students.
• The process of songwriting is not prescriptive and is very fexible.
• The priority is to allow the students to experiment with diferent musical combinations, and to articulate their felt musical efect. The students should assess how well these efects work in tandem to create dramatic fow. The teacher then facilitates the class discussion in making decisions on how the song should be structured.
• The students will assess the creative possibilities at their disposal and their musical implications, through trial and error (Annex A shows a range of question to assist in the creative process).
• The decisions are then recorded in the orchestral map (see Annex B). If there are varied viewpoints on the “best” orchestration, there could be multiple versions of the orchestral map, showing the varied consequences of diferent musical decisions made by the students.
• The orchestral map(s) is/are then performed by the class. As per the evaluation questions in Annex A, the students can assess each performance to see what refnements can be made to improve their orchestrations.
• Any song that has possibilities for learning can be chosen, for example, pop songs, movie themes, game music, folk songs, national songs, selfcomposed songs etc.
• Heterophony vs Homophony
Rather than play/sing one monophonic melody in one tone, diferentiate vocal/instrumental parts, so students understand and experience how distinct musical lines interact, like diferent characters in a play.
• Parameters
These are some parameters that can be discussed and manipulated:
- Dynamics (loud or soft)
- Texture (thick or thin)
- Register (high or low)
- Rhythmic Density (concentrated or sparse)
• Structure
Discuss how the song should be divided into segments (intro, verse, chorus, bridge, interlude, coda etc.) depending on when the changes in orchestration occur.
• Dramatic Development and Growth
Each region should be crafted so that, when all are strung/sequenced together, the song forms a captivating and interesting dramatic narrative. In order to do this:
- Look at the fow in each parameter
- Look at the interaction between parameters,
STAR Champion : Mdm Natasha Ashikin | School: Fajar Secondary School | Cluster: W8
and their cumulative efects
- Look at the interaction between the segments, and their cumulative efects
• Teacher as Accompanist and Facilitator
The teacher should facilitate by providing musical accompaniment, and not just through verbal instruction. His/her leadership and guidance can be expressed in the form of musical performance. Thus, he or she should cultivate stronger guitar/piano skills to facilitate this activity better.
The teacher should also develop a sharp sensitivity to the efects of diferent parametric variations, and be fuent in combining parameters to attain a
variety of efects. This comes through learning and experimenting with the students to attain a variety of efects.
• Widen Range of Tools and Patterns
The teacher should develop his/her vocabulary of accompaniment and textural patterns and techniques, as diferent songs and situations call for diferent types of musical treatments. In this way, the teacher also widens the students’ range of musical experience.
Additional note
This activity could be the frst stage. Perhaps the second stage could explore a fuid meandering shape or expanding concentric circle as an orchestra map.
Initial Creating Process Evaluation Overall Evaluation
Lyrics What outer and inner meaning do the lyrics express?
How do I orchestrate the music to best convey the outer and inner meanings of lyrics?
Accompaniment Pattern
What accompaniment patterns do I have at my disposal?
What sequence of accompaniment patterns best generates interesting musical fow for this song?
Dynamics (soft to loud)
Texture
(thick to thin)
What range of dynamics is appropriate for this song?
What range of textures is appropriate for this song?
What sequence of dynamics best generates interesting musical fow for this song?
What sequence of textures best generates interesting musical fow for this song?
Rhythmic Density What range of Rhythmic densities is appropriate for this song?
What sequence of rhythmic densities best generates interesting musical fow for this song?
Annex B
an Orchestra
Lyrics In every village by the sea...
There stands a tall and ancient tree...
That shelters from sky above...
A tree of hope, a tree of love...
It shares our joy and feels our pain...
It grows with us through sun and rain... It stays so green the whole year through... And fowers when a dream comes true...
Bunga sayang, bunga sayang...
You are heaven’s own work of art...
Bunga sayang, bunga sayang...
Gentle fower of the heart...
Bunga sayang, bunga sayang...
You are heaven’s own work of art...
Bunga sayang, bunga sayang...
Gentle fower of the heart...
Gentle fower of the heart...
Does the music augment the dramatic fow of the lyrics?
Did the accompaniment pattern changes fow in a way that created continued dramatic interest, coherence and surprise?
Did the fow of dynamics complement that of the other parameters?
Did the fow of textures complement that of the other parameters?
Did the fow of the rhythmic densities complement that of the other parameters?
Was a meaningful and captivating and dramatic musical narrative generated through the “orchestration”?
An example of
Map for Creative Classroom Performance Bunga Sayang by Dick Lee
Strategies in Assessment for Learning
Section 2: Strategies in Assessment for Learning
These protocols are intended to introduce critical thinking as students develop and evaluate their composition work, without the teacher imposing or directing how students are to be creative.
1. Song-writers’ Circle
Introduced by Ardith Haley, Outstanding-Educator-inResidence (OEIR) at Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts.
i) The groups are asked to perform their song creation and to state their musical challenge or their problem.
ii) The rest of the groups are to ofer suggestions to help the group deal with their musical challenge or problem.
2. Questions to help students reflect and improve on their compositions
Introduced by Maud Hickey, Outstanding-Educator-inResidence (OEIR) at Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts.
i) How can we make it better?
ii) How can we make it more musical?
iii) How can we make it more interesting?
3. Questions to help students unpack their song-writing process
i) Explain the lyrics.
ii) Explain the sound of your song (in terms of genre, instrumentation, timbre, texture, efects).
iii) Explain how the lyrics and music relate.
iv) What does the song mean to you?
4. Tactical responses to common problems faced by students when composing (Deutsch, 2000) 1
Problem Response
The student creates too many unrelated ideas
The student’s music is prosaic or formulaic
Encourage the student to select only one, two, or three favorite ideas for development through repetition, sequence, etc.
Improvise for the student and show willingness to make ‘mistakes.’ Appeal to real-life emotions and stories, myths, or folktales to stimulate the student’s imagination.
The student is stuck Play a complete phrase and ask the student to sing something that might sound good after it. If more help is needed, ofer a gradually narrowing set of musical possibilities to choose from.
The student’s music is odd or difcult to understand
Ascertain the student’s intentions before ofering suggestions (i.e., if the student is trying to create something unusual or is unsuccessful at something more ‘normal’). Audio record the piece to have more chances to listen before responding.
The student has trouble hearing coherent ideas
Help the student create simple patterns to manipulate and build symmetrical phrases.
The student has exceptional abilities Challenge the student with theoretical or compositional concepts. Introduce the student to older students who may perform his or her music or provide peer support.
5. Guidelines for written feedback (Deutsch, 2016)2
• Use a supportive and optimistic tone of voice in assessing student work.
• Begin and end with positive comments.
• Clearly diferentiate between objective and subjective elements. For example, helpful phrases to discuss subjective points include, ‘you might consider’.
• Phrase comments in the form of questions sometimes.
• Embed an analysis of the student’s composition within the evaluation since many students compose intuitively.
• Highlight emerging success when addressing problems.
• Recognise your own spheres of expertise and limits of knowledge. For example, you may not be the best judge of a hip-hop composition.
• Suggest a musical repertoire for study.
1Cited in Hickey, M. (2003). Why and How to Teach Music Composition: A New Horizon for Music Education (pp. 227). Reston, VA:MENC.
2Deutsch, D (2016). Authentic Assessment in Music Composition. Music Educators Journal. 102(3), p.53-59.
Encourage, motivate, and/or set expectations. ‘Keep working. This section has real promise.’
The student is stuck. Play a complete phrase and ask the student to sing something that might sound good after it. If more help is needed, ofer a gradually narrowing set of musical possibilities to choose from.
Describe salient characteristics and successful aspects of the piece. Be a ‘mirror’ to increase awareness of what others are hearing.
Provide explanations and defnitions of unfamiliar musical material.
Point out composers and compositions that students might fnd interesting based on the type of music they are composing.
Ask students to describe their piece and to explain the feedback or help they are seeking. Ask about the student’s intentions.
Facilitate critique and refection by questioning and probing about the piece or the composing process. Prompt students to do their own thinking, decision making, and self-appraisal.
Point out musical problems and potentials in the piece.
Encourage students to experiment – to extend, alter, and develop.
Provide suggestions for changes, additions, or deletions to students’ music.
‘I like the way you broke away from your repeating rhythm pattern.’
‘That’s a neat efort when everything stops except the bass.’
‘The lower part is a good start on a counter-melody (i.e. a second melody played at the same time as the main melody).’
‘You might want to listen to how Phillip Glass solved the problem of ending a section with many repeating fgures.’
‘What things do you need help with?’
‘Is your piece working out the way you hoped?’
‘What parts would you change if you could start this section over?’
‘Have you tried improvising to get some new ideas for your B section?’
‘You have so much rhythmic and harmonic energy built up, it will need a strong ending.’
‘Try making your two-bar melody into four bars by varying your motive.’
‘I think your melody would stand out better if you transposed it up an octave.’
Play or sing musical examples and possibilities. ‘Listen to how I added longer notes to your melody to give it a clearer ending.’
Common Issues Common Student Responses/ Questions How I responded
The group members create their individual music without attempting to put it together.
The student’s music is diferent from what was notated or planned.
Individual students are exploring their instruments e.g. melody, rhythmic motif, timbre of the instruments. The problem is that they do not try out together as a group.
Students ask, ‘how do we put it together?’
Students ask, ‘how do we play and count at the same time?
Students ask, ‘how do I play it right?’
The group is unmotivated to start. Students do not know what to do.
• Praise their efort in experimentation and creativity
• Ask them how they work in their instruments
The sections of the composition do not fow well.
The section change is very abrupt and sudden.
• Ask students to count the beat with their bodies to feel it, e.g. tap their feet.
• Ask students to count the beats slowly and follow their notations.
• Ask students, “How do you want your music to sound?”
• Ask students, “How do you create that sound?”
• Ask students, “How do we fll the gap between sections A and B?”
• Ask students, “What do you want from the transition?”
• Ask students, “What was your intention to have this transition passage (inclusive of silence as a transition)?”
• Ask students, “How do you convey this intention to the audience?”
STAR Champion : Mrs Clara Chua Phin-Phin | School: Fuchun Secondary School | Cluster: W7
3Reese, S. (2003). Responding to student compositions. In M. Hickey (Ed.), Why and How to Teach Music Composition: A New Horizon for Music Education (pp. 211-232). Reston, VA:MENC.
Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Music Arrangement and Performance using iPad and Acoustic Instruments
STAR Champion : Ms Ng Sheh Feng | School: Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School | Cluster: N8 *Module developed together with Mr Tommy Wong of Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
Big Idea: Expression
• Arrangement and performance using iPad and acoustic instruments, conducted in a 10-week module over 2 terms
Enduring Understanding
• Music arrangement and performance is a process of envisioning and communicating through sound
Curriculum Plan
1-2 Understand that music can be expressed through tonality, rhythm, tempo and dynamics.
Essential Questions
• What makes a good music arrangement?
• What makes a good music performance?
Teacher facilitates the singing of Singapore songs and deconstruction of the songs with the students.
Teacher highlights the musical elements.
3-5 Understand that diferent instruments serve diferent functions (melody, harmony and rhythm).
Students explore instruments on the iPads.
Students work in groups to arrange and perform their chosen songs.
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Inter-art Approach
(refer to Seeing Ear and Hearing Eye Project under Lesson Strategies)
STAR Champion : Ms Suyun Tang | School: Mayflower Secondary School | Cluster: S1
Big Idea: Expression (Creation)
• Inter-art approach: organised by elements drawn from painting, dance and music
Enduring Understanding
• Music is organising sounds to tell a story
Essential Question
• How can organised sounds tell a story?
6-8 Understand that music can be organised through the use of formal structures (e.g. intro, verse and chorus).
Students bring in the lyrics of their chosen song.
Teacher works with groups to identify the structure of the song.
9-10
Understand etiquette as performers.
Assessment Evidence
Teacher facilitates discussion on performance etiquette, using groups’ performances as case studies.
Performance Task Assessment Strategy
Students work in groups and plan to use at least one harmony instrument (keyboard or guitar), one rhythm instrument (percussion), and melody (voice) in their arrangement and performance.
Students work in groups to perform at least one verse and one chorus of their chosen song.
Students are assessed on stage presence and etiquette.
Group presentations of their chosen and arranged Singapore songs. Students are graded based on a set of rubrics.
Curriculum Plan Wk Learning Outcome Teaching Strategy/ Task Assessment Strategy
1-2
Understand that musical ideas can be derived from a painting using elements of time, tone, colour, texture, space, dynamics and movement.
Teacher demonstrates how the analysis of a painting using a painter’s and dancer’s lens can lead to an original creative story board.
Teacher demonstrates how elements of painting and dance may be translated into sonic ideas.
Students analyse painting and construct a music composition plan.
Students explore suitable music genres using live loops from GarageBand
Teacher functions as a facilitator.
Teacher identifes students’ ability to translate elements of a painting to musical elements.
Teacher identifes students’ ability to provide an overarching music composition plan to tell the story using two or three mental frameworkscomposer, painter and dancer.
Class is divided into three groups – composers, painters and dancers. Teacher uses one student’s work as a sample.
Students play the role of reviewers to critique why and how the musical artefact relates to the creator’s narrative. Reviewers need to justify their viewpoints.
3-4 Understand that an interesting musical composition is a non-verbal storytelling that evokes the listener’s imagination and emotions.
Teacher demonstrates concepts of characterisation, leitmotifs, mood settings and/or articulation, using video clips of Disney characters.
Teacher highlights the impact of a title for the composition.
Teacher facilitates students’ collaborative learning where students are assigned roles
• ‘Creator’ to obtain peer feedback from diferent perspectives (‘Dancer’, ‘Painter’).
5-6 Understand that an interesting musical story uses elements of contrast and/or surprise.
Teacher uses two students’ works to demonstrate elements of contrast and/or surprise or the lack of contrast and/or surprise.
Teacher facilitates student discussion to obtain at least one Dancer or Painter’s perspective of their composition.
Assessment Evidence
Students create a 1 - 3 minute titled programmatic music composition.
Teacher observes students’ ability to:
• identify if a music composition requires characterisation or mood settings;
• document their justifcation of decision and choice; and
• provide a programmatic title for their compositions.
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Appreciation & Application for Musical Communication
STAR Champion : Ms Lee Shu Hui Denise | School: National Junior College | Cluster: S3
Big Idea: Musical Communication
Enduring Understanding
• Successful musical communication embodies these elements:
- Coexistence of unity and diversity (i.e. coherence with contrast)
Teacher observes students’ ability to:
• synthesise information from a painter’s and a dancer’s perspective;
• identify areas for change;
• justify the need for change.
Students are assessed on:
1. Journal of composition development process:
a) Identifying the diferent musical elements used to translate interpretation of painting.
b) Indicating how diferent perspectives have infuenced the music composition.
2. Efective organisation of musical elements to provide an evocative music composition.
- Musical shape/direction: ideas of tension/ release, trajectory involving high and low intensity levels
Curriculum Plan
1 Develop awareness of and sensitivity to what makes musical communication successful generally.
Essential Question
• What decisions does a composer need to make?
• What techniques and skills does a composer require, in order to marry unity and diversity, and to create musical shape/direction with clarity?
Teacher draws on students’ performing experience: a) discussion/refection on what makes successful communication through performance as a performer and listener, b) in-class improvisation to graphic notation.
Teacher discusses the principles of what makes an experience of music successful.
Teacher discerns ability of students through in-class discussions.
2 Acquire techniques/skills in diferent specifc parameters of music and then apply them.
Teacher facilitates an analysis of existing works, drawing attention to these techniques as employed by the composers.
Teacher assesses students’ works through their submission of sketches with refections (i.e. students make visible their decision-making process in composing).
Assessment Evidence
No performances are required. Composition portfolio submission includes an audio recording (not played by composer, but directed by composer) and score.
Only the quality of composition is assessed, not quality of performance, although it must be acknowledged that the quality of performance can enhance or obscure the quality of the music.
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Improvising and Creating Melodies
STAR Champion : Ms Ng Shau Ching | School: St Margaret’s Secondary School | Cluster: S6
Big Idea: Melody Improvisation/ Creation
Enduring Understanding
• Music is a combination of elements working together to achieve an objective.
Curriculum Plan
Essential Questions
• How can a melodic idea be modifed to depict diferent moods?
1 – 2 Understand that melodies can be modifed/ improvised using other elements of music.
Using a melody students have learnt, teacher demonstrates how the melodic motif can be altered using rhythm, dynamics and pitch.
Students improvise with the melody in groups using instruments (wood, metal, drum and Orf instruments).
Teacher elicits responses from the class as to what mood each group had created and how it was achieved.
3 – 4 Arrange melodies through the creation of accompaniment/ ostinato layer using other musical motifs (with rhythm + dynamics + timbre) to depict moods.
Teacher facilitates students to get into groups to improvise/create using Orf instruments/percussion to create accompanying motifs to depict diferent moods which are randomly assigned by the teacher.
Students improvise with the melody using instruments appropriate to create the moods their groups are assigned to.
Students present and the class gives responses on the moods portrayed.
Teacher elicits answers as to how and why the group is successful and suggests areas for improvement.
Each group records their mood improvisation/ arrangement for a silent movie clip that features the moods at various points of the clip selected by the teacher.
Create accompanying music using melodic motifs/ melodies/ accompanying motifs (using rhythm + dynamics + timbre) to a short moving picture clip.
Students are given diferent sections of a movie clip (stored on iPad) to compose the music through the exploration of instruments, motifs, rhythm and dynamics.
Students analyse the essential points of the clips to experiment timbre (choice of instruments), dynamics (mood creation), motifs (melodic composition).
Teacher identifes students’ ability to interpret the scenes and to set the mood of the clip through their composition.
Teacher monitors students’ progress weekly.
Teacher facilitates peer critique sessions, and poses questions for them to consider to modify their compositions further.
Assessment Evidence
Performance Task Assessment Strategy
Students perform their composition with the movie clips. Each group responsible for the clips will play in synchronisation with the silent movie clip.
Teacher identifes students’ ability to express their ideas through the elements of music, confdence, and coordination in their performance.
Teacher facilitates peer critique sessions.
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Creation through Experimentation
STAR Champion : Ms Ng Shi Ying Audrey | School: Whitley Secondary School | Cluster: S7
Big Idea: Expression (Organised by Musical Elements)
Enduring Understanding
• Music is: sounds intentionally organised to be expressive.
• Music creation is a process of experimentation, then making informed decisions and communicating ideas through the organisation of sounds.
Curriculum Plan Wk
1-5
(5 lessons)
Understand that a simple rhythmic idea can be expanded into an expressive rhythmic composition by manipulating musical elements (texture, dynamics, tempo, timbre).
Essential Questions
• How can ideas be expressed through organisation of sound?
• What makes a good music creation?
Students watch a rhythmic performance which makes use of a simple rhythmic motif.
Students work in groups and create their own ‘signature’ rhythmic motif using a short word sentence. Each week, the students expand their rhythmic motif into a composition by making changes in each musical element.
Students create and perform their rhythmic composition on small percussion instruments.
The teacher identifes their ability to create an expressive composition by varying the texture, dynamics, tempo, and timbre of the music.
6-11 (6 lessons)
Understand that a simple melodic idea can be expanded into an expressive melodic composition by manipulating musical elements (texture, harmony, dynamics)
Students watch a clip from The Sound of Music and learn that a melody can be created by selection of notes from a scale.
Students work in groups and create their own ‘signature’ melodic motif by experimenting (selecting notes from the scale and trying diferent combinations) using boomwhackers. Each week, students learn to expand their melodic composition by adding a harmony line (thus varying texture) and varying dynamics to create an expressive composition.
Understand that a simple harmonic (chordal) progression can be expanded into an accompaniment for a song
22-27 (6 lessons)
Understand that the instrumentation of the music is a key factor to create an intended mood and expression.
Students learn to play basic chords on the guitar. For every chord that they learn, the teacher will use a chord progression with that chord to perform a pop song together with the class. Students will realise that many pop songs use chord progressions of 4 chords.
Students listen to diferent covers of the same pop song and compare the mood and instrumentation between them.
Students experiment with live loops on GarageBand and listen to how the change of instrumentation can create a diferent mood. In the process, the elements of tempo and texture will also be reemphasised.
Assessment Evidence
Performance Task Assessment Strategy
Students create and perform an original song with lyrics with an intended mood and theme in mind.
Students perform a pop song on their guitars. The teacher identifes their ability to play the accompaniment to a pop song by playing a 4 - chord harmonic progression and creating expression by varying the strumming pattern or dynamics of the music.
Students create an arrangement of a pop song with an intended mood in mind using live loops on GarageBand
The teacher identifes students’ ability to pick suitable instrumentation and create the intended mood by using a suitable tempo and varying the texture / instrumentation.
Teacher identifes student’s ability to create the intended mood by using a suitable melody, selecting suitable instruments, a suitable harmonic progression, and making it expressive by manipulating musical elements (e.g. varying the texture, tempo and dynamics of the music).
Students create and perform their melodic composition on boomwhackers.
The teacher identifes their ability to create a melodic motif and expand it into an expressive composition by adding a harmony line and varying the texture and dynamics of the music.
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Soundscape
(refer to the same title under Composition Lesson Strategies)
STAR Champion : Mdm Clara Sng Sok Hean | School: East Spring Secondary School | Cluster: E3
Big Idea : Expression (Creation)
Enduring Understanding
• Music is sounds intentionally organised to be expressive.
• Music creation is a process of envisioning and communicating sounds.
Curriculum Plan
Essential Questions
• How can ideas be expressed through the organisation of sounds?
• What makes a good music creation?
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Creating and Performing in a Keyboard Ensemble
STAR Champion Mdm Teh Jane Khim | School: St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School | Cluster: E4
Big Idea: Expression
• Based on formal and informal approaches, to create and perform in a keyboard ensemble.
Enduring Understanding
• Music is made up of organised sounds and silence in between parts / layers.
• There needs to be a build-up / climax in a song.
Curriculum Plan
1-2
1-2
3-4
As a class, create a soundscape that manipulates texture, timbre and dynamic.
Identify and respond to the non-verbal cues of the “conductor” during the class performance.
Through the non-formal approach, the teacher role models the process of putting the rainforest soundscape together with student input.
In small groups, organise sounds by manipulating texture, timbre and dynamic within a given scenario (e.g. roller coaster, haunted house).
Teacher facilitates the use of compositional sound map to organise the soundscape.
Teacher observes:
• Students’ selection of sounds and creation of sounds for the rainforest.
• Students’ understanding of “fow” in music when putting the sounds together.
Whole-class performance with the teacher as conductor.
Students create and perform soundscapes as audience identifes the diferent scenarios.
2-3
Identify 4 diferent parts in a pop band / ensemble –melody (voice, keyboard), harmony (chord), bassline (bass guitar) and rhythm (drum).
Recognise the structure of a pop song (Intro, Verse, Chorus (climax of song), Optional Bridge).
Play steady beats and improvise rhythmic flls of 4-beats using the drum kit sounds on a keyboard (using bass, snare and hi-hat sounds).
Essential Questions
• How can your favourite music be arranged creatively?
• What makes a good music arrangement?
Students listen to diferent pop songs and write down the instruments / parts which they hear.
Teacher identifes students’ listening ability / aural recognition of instruments and parts in a pop song through questioning.
Students learn to play the bass drum, snare and hi-hat through teacher demonstration.
Students explore and create rhythmic patterns to fll 4-beats, for a given pop-song.
Teacher identifes students’ ability to play steady beats and create rhythmic flls on the drum kit in diferent tempo.
Assessment
Students put together diferent sounds to create a soundscape based on a given scenario in their small groups.
Teacher identifes:
• Student’s ability to explore and create sounds using their voice, body and things around them.
• Student-audience ability to give feedback on how to make the performance better.
Curriculum Plan (continued) Wk
6-7
Understand what a chord is.
Play chords on the keyboard.
8-12
Arrange and perform in a band of at least 4 parts with voice, instruments and sounds on the keyboard.
Perform with understanding of the need for build-up and variation, especially for Chorus.
Assessment Evidence
Teacher teaches the concept of chords (Basic chord formed by a triad, in root position).
Through call and response, students will play chords on the keyboard (C, Am, F, G).
Teacher teaches diferent ways of playing – holding, comping repeated, broken chords.
Students work as a band to arrange and perform a cover version of their chosen pop song (1 of the 8 pop songs given earlier for melody playing).
Teacher identifes students’ ability to play chords, using backing track in diferent tempo for diferent songs (for a variety of ways to play chords).
Section 3: Curriculum Plans involving Music Composition
Rhythmic Creation
STAR Champion : Ms Leong Su Juen | School: Pasir Ris Secondary School | Cluster: E6
Big Idea: Expression (Composition)
Enduring Understanding
• Music creation is a process of improvisation that leads to intentional organisation of rhythms.
Essential Questions
• How do you organise rhythms together for a coherent and musical performance?
• What makes a good rhythmic creation?
Performance Task Assessment Strategy
Students arrange and perform a pop song of their choice.
Teacher co-constructs criteria with students.
Teacher conducts midpoint checks before the fnal performance.
Teacher facilitates students’ peer critique and feedback for improvement.
Teacher identifes students’ ability to express their creativity through an arrangement of a pop song (variation, build-up at the Chorus)
Teacher facilitates students’ peer critique and feedback for improvement.
Curriculum Plan
1-3
Create and notate Western rhythms.
Play rhythms in crotchet, quavers or semiquavers (part or all).
4 Identify diferent instrumental timbres.
Describe how diferent instrument timbres create diferent efects for the listener.
5a
Create and play 4-beat rhythms using body percussion / instruments/ random objects.
Play a poly-rhythmic textured composition as an ensemble.
Teacher conducts pulse and tempo exercises with students.
Infusing Orf and Kodály approaches, Teacher revises rhythmic syllables through songs and translates them into notation.
Teacher facilitates a listening exercise on instrumental timbre.
Students listen to the instrument played by the teacher and describe the sounds (dynamic, pitch, duration and timbre).
Through non-formal teaching, the teacher facilitates the time for students to create their own rhythms and play them in a class improvisatory session (e.g. layering, student-led entries, teacher-cues).
Teacher identifes students’ ability to improvise and perform a 4-beat rhythm using crotchets quavers or semiquavers (part or all).
Students complete a listening task sheet.
Teacher identifes students’ ability to play accurately and in tempo, in at least a 3-part ensemble.
Identify and explain the structure and texture (ternary, binary, call and response, solo/ and accompaniment, ostinato, polyphony).
Apply the above musical devices in class composition.
Teacher prepares a fipped classroom activity on compositional elements which is conducted as an e-learning lesson (lesson 5b).
Students watch a STOMP video performance and analyse the composition through a fow chart.
Teacher facilitates the creation of a class composition based on learnt compositional elements.
8 Identify and articulate what makes a good performance. Teacher facilitates a discussion (via Padlet; Chalktalk; writing on the board) on what students like in a performance video.
Assessment Evidence
Performance Task Assessment Strategy
Teacher facilitates the creation of a class-curated rubric.
Students are to create a STOMP-inspired
Students are to submit a performance plan (i.e. composition fow chart).
• Students are assessed based on classcurated rubrics through both teacher and peer discussion.
Teacher identifes evidence of composition elements in the plan.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the following STAR Champions for their lesson ideas:
North Zone
N1: Ms Teoh Su-Mei Jeanette
CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent
N2: Mr Ho Tze Liang, Shaun Yishun Secondary School
N3: Ms Tan Cijun Eudora Pei Hwa Secondary School
N4: Ms Cindy Chia Pei Shan Punggol Secondary School
N5: Mr Isa Bin Dahlan Marsiling Secondary School
N6: Mdm Peh Siew Hoon
CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School (Secondary)
N7: Mrs Anita Mansor-Long Fuchun Secondary School
N8: Ms Ng Sheh Feng Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School
South Zone
S1: Ms Tang Suyun Mayfower Secondary School
S2: Ms Jaime Lim Hwee Fung Kent Ridge Secondary School
S3: Ms Lee Shu Hui Denise National Junior College
S4: Ms Wu Meihui Gan Eng Seng School
S4: Mdm Tan Teing Im Queenstown Secondary School
S5: Ms Liow Xiao Chun St. Andrew’s Secondary School
S6: Ms Ng Shau Ching St Margaret’s Secondary School
S7: Ms Ng Shi Ying Audrey Whitley Secondary School
East Zone
E2: Mrs Rebecca Loke Chee Keong Temasek Secondary School
E3: Mdm Clara Sng Sok Hean East Spring Secondary School
E4: Mdm Teh Jane Khim St Anthony’s Canossian School
E5: Mr Ng Eng Kee Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)
E6: Ms Leong Su Juen Pasir Ris Secondary School
E7: Ms Naomi Chye Bee Sen Cedar Girls’ Secondary School
West Zone
W1: Ms Desiree Chua May-Jin Clementi Town Secondary School
W2: Mdm Chok Shuk Yin Swiss Cottage Secondary School
W3: Ms Destiny See (See Yeo Sin) Westwood Secondary School
W4: Ms Pauline Fong Liew Yueh Jurongville Secondary School
W5: Mdm Ana Marie Cardenas Palma Bukit Panjang Government High School
W6: Ms Wong Yuen Yu Assumption English School
W7: Mrs Clara Chua Phin-Phin Fuhua Secondary School
