We would like to express our appreciation to Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY)
National Arts Council (NAC)
ARTIST-MENTORS: Lim Huimin, Paul Grosse, Shane Taylor Constante
PRINCIPAL, STAFF AND STUDENTS OF: Chong Boon Secondary School, Gan Eng Seng School, Greenridge Primary School, Naval Base Secondary School, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Secondary), Queenstown Secondary School, West Grove Primary School
The study trip to the ISME World Conference on Music Education in July 2016 is supported by Arts & Culture Strategic Review (ACSR) funds.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. No part of it may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts.
foreword
BY REBECCA CHEW ACADEMY PRINCIPAL SINGAPORE TEACHERS' ACADEMY FOR THE ARTS
What strikes a chord in this collection of teacher reflections is the Ubuntu spirit, where a sense of community is shared and built because each individual – who is recognised as unique and different –brings their shared perspective to the collective.
In her capacity as Master Teacher, as mentor and coach, Siew Ling reached out to seven teachers at different stages in their professional development, curating their learning experiences with the intention of making learning practical and applicable to their contexts in situ. In the context of learning, the coach and mentor stands in the interstitial spaces to enable conversations about pedagogy, explore higher order musicking skills, design lessons and implement curriculum.
To enable future learning, teacher leaders are required to be reflective and adaptive in their learning, sometimes using disruptive strategies in lessons to develop social emotional competencies through engaging in the arts. This helps
students relate to one another, respect differences and grow up together. We believe that such critical inventive thinking through music instils in students traits of resilience, tenacity of purpose and courage to rise above failure.
We hope these insights will help facilitate teachers’ understanding of pedagogy and situate practical learning to achieve learning objectives; purposeful lesson planning strengthens the nexus between the theoretical and the practical. Curating these learning experiences in this publication allows teacher practitioners to shape their perspectives as well as their understanding of learning and the way students learn.
We thank all those who have made this journey of discovery and transformation possible, not to mention the school leaders who believed in this project and embarked on the journey with us. We hope this inspires more teachers to embark on their own teacher leadership journeys.
SECTION ONE
06
SETTING THE CONTEXTS
EXPERIENCING MUSIC COMPOSITION
EXPERIENCING MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Compositional Processes/Musical Improvisation of Sec 2NT Students in a Collaborative GMP Classroom Setting Student Collaborative A Cappella Arrangements
Students’ Musical Contributions in Class
SECTION THREE PRELUDE EXPOSITION CODA
OVERHEARD
16 22 28 74 46 60 08 38 52
Student Leadership Development Through Community Drumming
SECTION TWO
EXPERIENCING MUSIC LEARNING
EXPERIENCING MUSIC ASSESSMENT
Enhancing Aesthetic Flow Experiences in Students’ Improvisation in GMP
EXPERIENCING THE MENTORING PROCESS
REFLECTIONS
Authentic Assessment Tasks in Group Work
Mentoring: An AutoEthnography
SECTION ONE
prelude
Setting the Contexts
BY CHUA SIEW LING SINGAPORE TEACHERS’ ACADEMY FOR THE ARTS
We are excited to share with you the key insights of a networked learning community of seven music teacherleaders who attended the ISME World Conference on Music Education in July 2016 and returned to embark on their respective four-month critical inquiry journeys.
At the conference, the teachers were inspired by the vision of students as music creators, and were excited by the possibilities of how music performing, composition and improvisation can engage and develop their students.
Given that they have always been curious about how learners made sense of
music lessons, they began searching for answers by conducting a short yet rigorous process of investigation. This led to some deep reflections on their own assumptions and teaching practices. The teachers presented their findings at a symposium at the end of 2016.
In this publication, the variety of approaches used to examine our classroom practices are based largely on the following inquiry process:
INVESTIGATE
Teachers involved in the process have found this to be a transformative experience as their findings inspired them to re-frame their beliefs and practices in the music classroom. What’s rewarding is the sense of professional growth experienced on this journey.
In examining the learning experience, this publication is organised based on the following segments:
Experiencing music composition
Experiencing music performance
Experiencing music learning
Experiencing music assessment
Experiencing the mentoring process
You will also read about the teachers’ thoughts and reflections on the entire process at the beginning and at the end of this publication. We hope you will be inspired to conduct an inquiry into your own classroom practices! 1 2 3 4 5
Investigation Approaches
Auto-ethnography (such as in Teing Im’s report)
Case study of artists teaching in class (such as in Irene’s report)
Case study of students’ group work (such as in MeiHui’s and Yang Hui’s report)
Collaborative inquiry with artists (such as in Zhizhong’s report)
Descriptive study of students’ responses (such as in Eng Kee’s project)
Observation study and survey research of students’ responses (such as in Shahrin’s report)
Types of Data Collection
Observation and field notes (such as in Irene’s and Zhizhong’s projects)
Surveying and interviewing students (such as in Eng Kee’s and Shahrin’s projects)
Video recording and quantifying of students’ response types through thematic analysis (as seen in Yang Hui’s project)
Video recording at various points of students’ group work and observing students’ learning strategies qualitatively (such as in MeiHui’s project)
Overheard
Thoughts from conversations during the learning journey at the start of the critical inquiry:
OUR VISION FOR OUR STUDENTS
There is a difference between envisioning our students as a percussion player, a musician or a sound creator. I really like the idea that “humans make things musical”. And as long as we always empower our students to be creators and music makers, tools will always serve as music instruments in the hands of a musician.
I need to be sensitive to nurture the precious imagination of the young and encourage a curiosity for exploration.
All human beings can compose and all children are composers.
WONG YANG HUI
IRENE CHAN
NG ENG KEE
XIE ZHIZHONG
Comment I overheard – and I fully agree with it. Give a student an instrument and a score, and we lose the maker in the student.
OUR VISION FOR OUR PEDAGOGY
I really need to rethink how I can help students learn through playing and also giving them more time to explore on their own instead of offering guidance or instruction too early.
Listening is the window to creativity in music education so we should give our students plenty of opportunities to listen.
MAHMUD
Teachers can be so bogged down with just collecting data to give a grade that they miss out on the whole fun of learning for the students!
TAN TEING IM
It’s a practical reminder of the need to design lessons or tasks in such a way that students are able to demonstrate their creativity .
NG ENG KEE
I am reminded of the importance of experiential learning and helping students internalise music concepts.
The child can improvise in a safe environment with appropriate scaffolding, which helps to create a sense of success.
SHAHRIN
XIE ZHIZHONG
IRENE CHAN
WONG YANG HUI
SHAHRIN MAHMUD
“WHAT I REFLECT ON
Do we design the layout of our music rooms based solely on learning instructions? Do we consider how the students feel about the room, how they would like the room? Do we stick to a traditional or regular layout or look for new or innovative layouts to enhance the way we interact? Do we plan our lessons based on the space or modify the space to suit our lesson?
What Approaches Can We Sound Out
I believe practise allows us to hone our skills of facilitating with an aesthetic flow that magically transforms the class. We need the space to thoughtfully explore, reflecting on our practices in order to create that magic.
Have we taught music in a way that makes us mindful, that is respectful of differences, offers choices and lets students decide?
Do we offer something for the soul?
Peer observations are useful and are definitely powerful in helping one deepen learning and grow.
Auto-ethnography is a self-study made up of the autobiography (narrative, self), ethnography (culture) and the writing experience of the phenomenon. It is a possible approach I can take on for a critical inquiry on mentoring.
SOME IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS FOR ME AFTER ATTENDING A SESSION ON COMPOSITION
a. Notation is a tool of documentation, not a pre-requisite for composition.
b. While trying to restrict parameters for scaffolding composition, be mindful of balance and don't have too many restrictions as it will restrict personal expression.
c. Whenever possible, ask students about their intentions instead of telling them.
d. If students ask for ideas, always try to give at least three examples of potential ideas. If you give just one, the student will just copy it.
SHAHRIN MAHMUD
CHUA SIEW LING
XIE ZHIZHONG
IRENE CHAN
TAN TEING IM
WU MEIHUI
SECTION TWO
exposition
EXPERIENCING
MUSIC COMPOSITION
MUSIC PERFORMANCE
MUSIC LEARNING
MUSIC ASSESSMENT
THE MENTORING PROCESS
EXPERIENCING MUSIC COMPOSITION
Compositional Processes/Musical Improvisation
of Secondary 2NT students in a collaborative GMP classroom setting
BY WU MEIHUI GAN ENG SENG SCHOOL
PURPOSE
To effectively choose teaching methods and help students learn, one needs to gain a better insight about the thought processes of students. It is essential for the teacher to find ways to effectively bring out the metacognition of students during musical improvisational or compositional processes.
QUESTIONS
How do students think and learn as they improvise and compose during a General Music class?
What is the musical behaviour of students in rhythmic composing activities?
What influences the above process?
LITERATURE REVIEW
MODELS OF MUSICAL IMPROVISATION
Several models have been developed to attempt to explain the underlying
decision-making mechanisms in idea generation and feedback during musical improvisation. These models suggest that improvisation begins with exploration.
John Kratus’ Seven Levels of Improvisation (Kratus, 1995)
1. Exploration Sounds are used in a loosely structured context; performer has little control over the performance
2. Process-orientated improvisation Performer uses more cohesive patterns
3. Product-orientated improvisation Performer demonstrates an awareness of the audience by using structural principles such as tonality and metre
4. Fluid improvisation Performer’s technical performance becomes relaxed and automatic
5. Structural improvisation Performer employs a repertoire of strategies to shape the overall structure
6. Stylistic improvisation Performer makes use of specific characteristics of a given style
7. Personal improvisation Performer transcends recognised styles to develop a new style
Norgaard’s Strategies for Improvisation
Regarding how new material is generated, Norgaard (2011) found four strategies used by seven jazz musicians to generate the note content of the improvisations: Recalling well-learned ideas from memory and inserting them into the ongoing improvisation
Choosing notes based on a melodic priority
Choosing notes based on a harmonic priority
Repeating material played in earlier sections of the improvisation
Geneplore Model (Finke et. al, 1992, cited in Ward, Smith & Finke, 1999)
1. Generative phase
Thoughts/concepts are spawned
2. Explorative/elaboration phase
Expansion from first phase and explored further
While these models suggest that improvisation begins with exploration, there is a need to understand what students are thinking when they improvise in the context of music lessons.
CREATIVITY AS A SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Studying the creative process highlights interesting features that occur as people work together in creative ways. Social and personal dynamics influence the nature of the improvisation.
METHODOLOGY
This is an observational study of students’ 10-minute group work on improvisation within a lesson.
The class was divided into six groups of students who worked together to create a rhythm that would be played together with a given rhythmic pattern. They had to perform their rhythmic compositions with instruments of their choice.
REC
As students worked in groups to improvise, short one- to twominute video snippets were taken at various points during the 10-minute group work.
The videos of students’ group discussions were then analysed.
FINDINGS
Observations from the videos taken of the three groups are described below. Each group had about six students.
CASE 1
The group played tambourines. One boy played the rhythm while the rest explored their own rhythms.
CASE 2
The group played with sticks. One of the girls played the given rhythm; two of the boys explored other rhythms while another just observed.
The boys swapped two tambourines for sticks and cabasa as they wanted a different timbre to make the contrasting rhythm more distinct. The leader told one of the boys with a stick to create a different rhythm.
3 RD VIDEO (FINAL PERFORMANCE)
The group performed after 10 minutes of exploration. The leader played the rhythm; the boy next to him played on his own lap; the other two boys played the tambourine; the boy with the stick listened intently to the group and followed along.
What Was Observed
Someone initiated and the rest explored by playing rhythms; the leader in the group kept the group going.
They influenced and were influenced by their peers when they saw/ heard their peers play something. Most students held on to their own ideas and managed to “fit in” with the larger group. Communication was largely non-verbal.
The girl played and mouthed the given rhythm. The boy opposite played something different. The boy on his left was influenced to play the same rhythm.
The boy on the right explored something different.
3 RD VIDEO (FINAL PERFORMANCE)
The group performed two rhythms: the girl and boy seated opposite played the same given rhythm; the other pair played another rhythm.
The group also presented an exploration of timbre in the rhythms by hitting the sticks differently on the floor.
Was Observed
One group member played the given rhythm continuously as the others tried to create their own rhythms against this rhythm. There was a sense of peer influencing rhythmic ideas to play. Communication in the group was largely non-verbal. What
CONCLUSION
STUDENTS’
COMMUNICATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
The group played with sticks.
One boy took the lead and tried to direct the action and rhythm of the others but had trouble being understood.
He switched the sticks around and the two next to him followed.
One of the girls reminded him of the given rhythm.
The boy suggested another strategy upon realising that the group didn’t understand him or couldn’t do what he had in mind.
The students performed two rhythms with their sticks and with choreography.
The quiet boy performed next to the group but was noticeably seated outside the circle.
The two other girls made suggestions.
The boy suggested something complicated.
The quiet boy next to him suggested an idea by playing another rhythm.
What Was Observed
The two girls played the given rhythm.
The boy tried a counterrhythm.
The quiet boy left to practise on his own as he had some issues working with the group. (He might also have felt that his suggestions were not heard.)
The teacher stepped in to help them work together.
One of the boys took the lead and tried to communicate his suggestions to his peers by explaining and/or demonstrating. However, the group had difficulty understanding him as he perhaps lacked the vocabulary to explain. Mostly, the group tried to copy his demonstration instead.
Certain group members offered suggestions when the members failed to understand or follow the leader. There was active listening to one another’s ideas and then trying the rhythm out.
Most of the students’ group improvisatory processes were non-verbal, which might work better than verbal communication. Non-verbal communication worked for the group work as there was rapport between the students.
Students were able to compose/ improvise quite spontaneously and were trading ideas through music. While there might be a leader who initiated or kept the process going, each student had an equal part to play in the musical interactions within the group in the improvisation process. Creative improvisatory work or problem solving can be affected by the positive/ negative moods of the students and their ability to work together.
IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS
Exploratory space is necessary for improvisation to take place. To make thinking visible, one might have to focus on getting students to verbalise what they are thinking and learning, but music learning and critical thinking in music can also be observed through students’ musical behaviours, such as through demonstrating, listening, watching and imitating. There is, therefore, value in the non-verbal processes of music communication, which can lead to student learning.
EXPERIENCING MUSIC COMPOSITION
Student Collaborative A Cappella Arrangements
BY XIE ZHIZHONG CHONG BOON SECONDARY SCHOOL
PURPOSE
Collaborative arrangement is an authentic practice of contemporary a cappella groups and culture. I am motivated by the belief that students can be engaged in collaborative music arrangement, which gives them a voice in the compositional process.
QUESTION
How do students respond to facilitation strategies for a cappella collaborative arranging?
CONTEXT
Chong Boon Secondary School
A Cappella Club (a second CCA, formed in 2014)
A total of 25 students (Secondary 1–3), who meet for one hour a week
Conducted in a formal teaching and learning environment
LITERATURE REVIEW
Music arranging is one of the main avenues of creative expression for a cappella groups (Johnson, n.d.)
A cappella music-making culture is closely linked to popular music-making culture (Duchan, 2012)
Creating high-quality arrangements allow members to grow in music skills (Burlin, 2015)
METHODOLOGY
Collaborative Inquiry process with artists
Planning of three-day a cappella arrangement camp for students
Artists suggested dimensions of a cappella arranging to work on (see blue )
Teacher-researcher suggested areas of student participation (see orange )
At the camp
Artists conducted designated segments to demonstrate/explain dimensions of a cappella arrangement
Teacher-researcher observed, co-taught where necessary, and unpacked the process for students
Analysis
Thematic coding of post-camp survey and reflection form, and video recordings of workshop sessions
CAMP PROGRAMME
Day 1
Vocal warmups
Listening for Harmony 1
Group work
Performance and sharing of work by students
Vocal percussion & effects Bass lines
Group work
Performance and sharing of work by students
Day 2
Vocal warmups
Listening for Harmony 2
Group work
Instructors’ performance
Music styles
Group work
Performance and sharing of work by students
Day 3
Drama-mama warmups
Group work
Working with microphones Final performance
I am motivated by the belief that students can be engaged in collaborative music arrangement, which gives them a voice in the compositional process .
XIE ZHIZHONG
FINDINGS
Facilitation Strategy and Students’ Response
CASE 1
DAY 2 Listening for Harmony
This was where the artist led students to listen for the harmony part and got them to build triadic harmony with chord progressions.
Students experience the processes in listening and singing
OBSERVATION OF STUDENTS’ RESPONSES
Lack of application of the process above, perhaps due to a lack of awareness of the process to get their harmony parts.
Students crave music-making experiences as seen in their active jamming during tea breaks.
The groups were offered help by the artists as they worked. However, some were frustrated when they were not able to achieve what the various artists expected of them.
One group of students did not work well together.
These actions were taken to address the responses above:
The teacher consolidated, clarified and reiterated the process to students.
The group that did not work well together was asked to stay back and help unpack the process of working together.
Artists and teacher decided to give students more space on Day 3 to work together and to intervene less.
Students crave for music-making experiences as seen in their active jamming during tea-breaks.
XIE ZHIZHONG
Exposition
DAY 3 Group Work CASE 2
This was where students were given the freedom and space to work in groups to complete their a cappella arrangements and to prepare for the performance. Artists and teacher refrained from intervening in students’ discussions and practices.
OBSERVATION OF STUDENTS’ RESPONSES
All groups were engaged in self facilitation
There was active sharing of roles and responsibilities
The group that did not work well together were able to resolve their conflicts and offer praise and reassurance to one another
There was a lot of musicking among the groups and considerable creativity in the arrangements as students were in the flow
Students applied the processes taught and even created their own processes
CONCLUSION
Encourage ownership among students by teaching process and providing space.
TEACHING
BY PROCESS
The most important thing I have learnt from this project is that students are fully capable of making sound and creative music decisions, especially if they are taught the steps and processes that prepare and empower them to make their own music decisions. Teaching by process and focusing on the required steps to achieve something musical blends both formal and informal learning approaches. It provides students with some basic structure while giving them ample space to use the structure to make their own music decisions
Experience – Unpack Process – Application Having students experience the process (e.g. listening for harmony notes, working together in groups) before unpacking the process with them, and having them apply the process, prepares them to facilitate themselves better when working in a group
PROVIDING SPACE
The creation of ample space for students’ self-directed works allows them to take ownership and make personal/group music decisions.
Effecting a collaborative inquiry with artists allows for:
Sharing of perspectives when lesson planning
Enhancing of teaching experiences
This collaborative inquiry also develops the teacher as a learner, facilitator, performer and instructor.
This project has been instrumental in shaping my teaching philosophy and I intend to teach, as much as possible, through this method of teaching by process, allowing students to make their own music decisions in the classroom.
EXPERIENCING MUSIC COMPOSITION
Student Leadership Development Through Community Drumming
BY SHAHRIN MAHMUD GREENRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Did it ever occur to you that a simple music activity such as drumming can help develop students’ leadership skills?
I tend to focus a lot on musicianship skills in my lessons so it was time to look into developing other skills such as leadership.
LITERATURE REVIEW
In his dissertation, May (2009) mentioned Chapman and Aspin’s (2001) argument that developing student leadership through specific programmes is crucial to promoting social responsibility, community leadership, active citizenship and service leadership.
In a workshop conducted at the 32 nd ISME World Conference on Music Education entitled Drum Works by Beer, Wills and McDouall (2016) from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK, it was mentioned that the community drumming project provides opportunities for students to support their personal development by mentoring other students.
OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS
We know that leadership is an important aspect in music making, but how much do we know about the experiences of student leaders?
What goes through the leaders’ minds as they carry out their leadership roles?
The primary purpose of this project is to highlight the experiences of students who lead a community drumming group and examine the leadership experiences of these students.
PURPOSE
To investigate how students who took on leadership roles in a community drumming group perceived their experiences and how these experiences have changed them.
QUESTIONS
How do students perceive themselves as leaders?
How do they perceive their leadership experiences?
CONTEXT
At Greenridge Primary School, our mission is to nurture Lifelong Learners - Gracious, Responsible and Public-spirited students in thoughts and deeds. In addition, the school places a lot of emphasis on student leadership due to the impact leadership programmes can have on students.
Our students will inevitably encounter challenges in their leadership roles. By understanding what these challenges are, we will be able to better evaluate the effects and outcomes of our leadership programme.
Leadership is the process in which one person sets the purpose or direction for one or more persons and gets them to move along with him or her and with each other in that direction with competence and full commitment (Jaques & Clement, 1994, p.4).
Leadership is an interaction between two or more members of a group that often involves a structuring or restructuring of the situation and the perceptions and expectations of members. Leadership occurs when one group member modifies the motivation or competencies of others in the group. Any member of the group can exhibit some amount of leadership (Bass, 1990, p.19-20).
GENERAL BACKGROUND OF PARTICIPANTS
None of the leaders held a key leadership appointment in their school or class (e.g. prefect, class chairperson or CCA leader) They had gone through at least one leadership programme conducted by their school at the Primary 4 or 5 level
They were selected for this research based on their leadership potential and good sense of rhythm as determined by their teachers
METHODOLOGY
This project employed qualitative methods, which included video recordings, interviews and students’ reflection worksheets.
From the data derived through the interview and journaling process, we drew an overall picture of the experiences of participants and the meanings participants constructed from their experiences. From there, themes regarding the participants’ experiences as student leaders emerged.
THE ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME
Four sessions, two hours per session
SESSION 1
Introduction to percussion instruments and playing techniques. Compose and perform simple rhythms in small groups
SESSION 2
Work in sections to compose a rhythm incorporating music elements such as dynamics and pitch
SESSION 3
Combine all the rhythms
SESSION 4
Compose and perform a new piece (two separate groups)
BRIEFING/REFLECTION/ INTERVIEW SESSION FOR LEADERS (30 minutes before and after each session)
Leaders were tasked to lead all activities.
FINDINGS
Portrait of Students’ Experiences
He took drumming lessons at a music school for a year. He took part in the school’s leadership programme.
STUDENT G
He enjoyed the experience of leading his group in the music composition tasks.
He mentioned that he was always trying something different to get the group excited about their performance. For example, by including dynamics in their playing. He added that his group liked to play loudly.
He believed that leaders need to listen to the ideas of members and then improve on them, if possible. While he preferred to choose the rhythms, he listened to his group members and changed some or part of the rhythms along the way.
He took some time coaching a member on a rhythm he created. He was very particular about the members playing the rhythm correctly. He said certain members forgot the rhythm easily so he spent a long time coaching them.
Apart from the challenge of coaching the members, he admitted that the leadership task was a bit stressful. He found it a challenge keeping the members on task all the time and managing the noise level during discussions.
An outspoken boy who worked well in a group setting.
He found the leadership experience very exciting, especially when discussing and making music decisions as a group.
He found it stressful initially leading his group as the members did not pay much attention to him. At times, he had to take the instruments away from them to get their attention – a strategy that worked for him. However, once he got along better with the members, the subsequent sessions went much better.
During session four, he had a good interaction/discussion with a group member while working on their rhythm.
He loved making music but was not so keen to perform in front of a large audience as he had never done it before.
In his reflection, he said that leaders needed to respect their members and help them when they are struggling with their drumming.
He shared that leaders should listen to all the members’ opinions before making a decision on the rhythm that they are composing together.
He allowed a member to take charge of the discussion, give instructions and make music decisions for the group as they worked on their composition.
STUDENT H
A very confident boy with a flair for dance. He loved performing for an audience and had taken part in Dancesport competitions previously.
STUDENT Y
He found it fun leading his group.
He expressed his eagerness for leading future drumming groups.
He felt that leaders do not need to know everything. They needed to organise the group, ensure all members are paying attention to one another and that all of them were able to do what they were supposed to do.
He believed that leaders need to listen and learn from their members. He shared that at times, he didn’t facilitate and just let his group discussed as everyone seemed to know what they were doing.
He shared that his group members liked to argue and always thought their ideas were better than others’. Most of the time, he had to shout at them to stop the argument. He didn’t think it was a good idea for all the members to make music decisions. He found that some members were too lazy to contribute ideas and just agreed with everything.
STUDENT D STUDENT K
A more liberal leader compared to the rest. He believed in giving his members more freedom and space to explore the instruments and rhythm. During one of the activities, he was observed telling his members to play whatever they liked without giving specific instructions. He had problems getting them back together after that.
He felt that leaders should be better at drumming and knew more than the members.
He also mentioned that it was a bit frustrating at times when his members went “crazy” during group work, and he had a difficult time trying to get them back on task. His decision to give his members free rein in their rhythms might have contributed to his stress.
However, he admitted that those stressful experiences gave him a better idea of how to handle similar situations in the future.
A soft-spoken boy.
He found the whole leadership experience fun, especially when the team got to experiment with different instruments while deciding on the sound they wanted.
He admitted that he had problems controlling his group’s noise level during the discussion. He said he tried to role model the correct behaviour but did not see any improvement in the members' behaviour.
He believed that leaders should not be arrogant and bossy but should help their members.
He felt that leaders should be attentive to their members’ performance and help those who were unsure of the rhythm.
DISCUSSION
WHAT STUDENTS FELT WERE IMPORTANT TO BE A LEADER IN THIS CONTEXT
Listening
During discussion
During performance
Respecting members
Ideas
Comments
Choice of instruments
Music decisions
Coaching
Playing techniques
Music elements
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THEIR LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES
Each participant, in his own way, described his experience as a leader in a positive manner
They found it fun, especially when they could lead, work and play together with their members in the music composition activities
Some described the experience as fulfilling, especially when they were able to coach their members and guide their groups to perform. Some were observed to have developed leadership skills through the four sessions after overcoming the challenges of being a leader
One common observation that all members highlighted was that leaders need to listen to their members. The leaders felt that the composition tasks trained them to be better listeners. They claimed to have listened to their members, invited all members in join in discussions, make music decisions as a
group and learned from members. On top of that, they were satisfied with the impact on their members in learning how to drum and compose music
It was observed that most participants struggled to lead at one point or another
It was observed that the leaders were stressed about having to help members with their drumming techniques/ composition. This is understandable as most of the leaders had no drumming background and may not have had the music ability to help or guide the members in this matter
All members cited people and noise management as concerns
When everyone was on task, it was observed that the stress levels of the leaders decreased. Somehow, the composition activities allowed members to enjoy working and playing music together
CONCLUSION
Student leadership development in the context of drumming and composing allows for more positive experiences.
Despite some negative emotional impact, the students shared that student leadership development in the context of drumming and composing offered more positive experiences. They had fun composing together and were pleased to be able to impact the members’ drumming.
Through this drumming/composing programme, the students observed that they had grown and developed in the following areas:
Self-confidence
Interpersonal skills Management skills
This was a challenging experience that helped them grow as student leaders.
IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS
Developing leaders in a GMP classroom – Preparation vs No preparation
In this project, leaders were pre-selected based on their leadership potential. In addition, prior to each activity, a short session was held with the leaders to delineate clearly the lesson objectives and to suggest strategies that would help the groups complete the task. Thus, prior preparation by the leaders can contribute to the success of the lesson outcomes.
There are, however, benefits to carrying out the activities without prior preparation as we cannot ignore innate leadership abilities. In allowing leadership to develop naturally within the group, we may also be able to observe shared leadership, particularly in music activities such as music composition.
Providing platforms for leadership skills to develop
People management skills
Group facilitation skills
Music decision-making skills
The student leaders raised concerns about the lack of leadship skills in the areas of people management and group facilitation. Thus, the provision of platforms to develop the abovementioned skills would help them in their journey as leaders.
Even though all Primary 5 students of the school undergo a leadership programme, there is a need to provide more opportunities for students to apply and hone the skills learnt. Other than the prefects, class chairpersons and CCA leaders, the rest of the students do not have such opportunities. The study of this programme suggests that
the music classroom can be an avenue for developing leadership skills. Thus, music teachers should consider creating platforms in music activities to help students develop their leadership.
Music composition as a tool to help develop leadership
Empowers students
Encourages participation
This project was designed to provide opportunities for selected student leaders to take on a leadership role in music activities. Within the drumming context, the leaders were tasked to lead their groups in music composition. Based on my observation, music composition is a good tool to develop leadership as:
It is a tool for people to express themselves. By discussing and playing their music ideas, the students listen and think critically as well as hone their interpersonal skills –these are all important traits for a leader
Music composition empowers students to make their own decisions as well as group decisions. This is clearly an element of student-centric education
Music composition in a group setting is inclusive in nature, encouraging participation while allowing for selfleadership behaviour to come into play
THOUGHTS
These projects have shown us that all students can compose, regardless of their academic levels or streams, or level of musicianship and musical understandings. The process of music composition is multifaceted and organic. Students can be imitating or replicating sounds and actions, trading musical ideas, interacting in sound, problem solving, responding emotionally and responding collaboratively in music. Music composition offers varied ways of expressing knowledge and one’s identity. Seeing our students as composers allows us to ask the “what ifs” to stretch the imagination of our students. Seeing the multi-faceted nature of composition allows us to accept and appreciate a broader range of compositional processes, musical behaviours and responses. Helping our students understand and apply these processes will enable them towards a self-directed journey as music makers and music creators.
EXPERIENCING MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Students’ Musical Contributions in Class
BY WONG YANG HUI , NAVAL BASE SECONDARY SCHOOL
QUESTION
How do students with formal music training and those without differ in terms of their contribution towards music knowledge, understandings, responses and behaviours in General Music lessons?
CONTEXT
Students worked in groups on their Endof-Year Music Project to produce a cover of a song. This project takes place after they have learnt the following in the year:
Term 1: Ukulele, Music Arrangement
Term 2: Keyboard, Music Arrangement
Term 3: Drums (iPad), Cajon, Music Arrangement
LITERATURE REVIEW
Formal music learning (Mak, 2006) is defined as learning that: Occurs within an organised and structured context
Is based on a curriculum (structured in terms of learning objectives, duration, content, method and assessment)
Aimed at the acquisition of relevant music competencies
Is credential based and leads to formal recognition
In the context of the inquiry, formal music learning takes place when students take up voice or instrumental lessons that work towards graded examinations.
Non-formal music learning (Mok, 2011) is defined as learning that: Is relatively systematic and (but not necessarily) pre-planned, with a clear intention on the part of the learner and teacher to accomplish a particular learning task
In the context of the inquiry, nonformal music learning can take place in co-curricular activities in schools or in community music groups, or when students learn music on their own.
METHODOLOGY
STUDENT PROFILE
Case study of a group of students working on their End-of-Year Project
Interviews with participants for gathering of students’ music profile
Student Formal/ Non-formal Music Training (for purpose of inquiry)
Details of Background
Student’s group work over four weeks is documented in video and audio recordings
S Non-formal Had been playing the ukulele since he was 12 Sang in a choir
Self-taught guitar and bass guitar
Played tenor saxophone in band Learned basic theory in band
Felt that he “didn’t know anything about music”
YS Formal Learnt drums for a year in Primary 3 (Grade 2)
Took private piano lessons for two years (Grade 5)
Played the drum, timpani, bells and other percussion instruments in a band
Chose the keyboard for the project as he thought it was easy to play
L Non-formal Considered himself to have “no music background” Did not like singing (was forced to sing by his friends) Had no choice as all the other instruments were taken up
Non-formal Learnt the recorder in primary school
Formal Took private guitar lessons in Primary 3 (Grade 2) –quit because of PSLE Took private piano lessons (Grade 3)
Using thematic coding, the frequency of each student’s contributions with respect to the themes are as follows:
STUDENTS’ MUSICAL UNDERSTANDINGS
Interesting to note
What Was Observed
Student S, who did not have a formal music background, contributed most to the discussion, and demonstrated a range of musical understandings across the various elements of music (harmony, key, chords, pulse/rhythm/tempo, pitch/ melody, articulation, timbre, dynamics, style, terms, tuning/ playing of instrument, making music decisions, demonstrating for others, and the ability to play multiple instruments at the same time). On the other hand, Student WZ, who also lacked a formal music background, contributed very little to the discussions and demonstrated only a narrow range of musical understandings. This might be due to Student S’ experiences in a choir and band as well as his habit of self-exploration of instruments in his free time.
In contrast, Student YS and B, who had formal music backgrounds, contributed much less compared to Student S. This might be because their formal music education did not allow them the opportunity to learn to improvise or explore beyond their exam repertoire, and hence develop musical understandings.
SELECTED INSTRUMENT(S) FOR THIS PROJECT SONG CHOSEN Night Changes by One Direction
Interesting to note
TYPE OF RESPONSES/MUSICAL BEHAVIOURS
What Was Observed Exposition
Student S, who had a non-formal music background, contributed most using varied types of responses and musical behaviours (e.g. using ears to figure out, making music decisions, imitating, exploring instrument, referring to existing song, improvising, discussing the “feel” of the music, working towards musical perfection, displaying confidence, guiding others and being aware of his own musical behaviour).
Student S also contributed the most in terms of guiding, affirming and instructing his peers.
Student L and WZ, who did not have a formal music background, contributed
much less and displayed a very narrow range of responses and musical behaviours compared to Student S. This might be due to them not having as much musical experience as Student S.
While Student YS and B, who had a formal music background, contributed by guiding their peers, they made no attempt to improvise, discuss the “feel” of the music or work towards musical perfection. This might be because they had not explored music as much on their own beyond their formal music learning lessons compared to Student S, who was largely self-taught.
WHAT I LEARNT FROM THIS RESEARCH
It is not necessary to have formal musical learning in order to develop musical understandings
Having a strong interest in music and frequent exploration of instrument(s) can contribute to the development of musical understandings and a varied range of musical responses and behaviours
Non-formal music experience in co-curricular activities such as Choir and Band, or other experiences outside the formal music curriculum can be just as valuable and fruitful, or even more so than formal music learning
IMPLICATIONS
Planning of music learning experiences in students can go beyond formal music lessons to take into account the non-formal experiences
Developing a vibrant music culture in the school such as through assembly programmes, enrichment and co-curricular programmes, can lead to students developing a broader range of musical understandings, responses and behaviours Profiling of students should not just be focused on getting data on their formal music training, but also their non-formal exploration and what motivates their learning of music
THOUGHTS
CHUA SIEW LING
Music learning does not just take place in formal contexts. Students draw from music experiences that occur in various other informal settings in their lives. The experience of performing music can help students connect their musical understandings with their personal self –not just showing an understanding of music elements (harmony, structure, rhythm, pitch, timbre, dynamics, style) but in making musical and creative decisions, showing musical ‘feel‘ and discernment. Hence, as teachers, we can influence our students’ musical growth beyond the General Music curriculum if we effect a rich and vibrant music culture in school, and develop in students a life-long love for music.
EXPERIENCING MUSIC LEARNING
Enhancing Aesthetic Flow Experiences in students’
improvisation in GMP
BY IRENE CHAN WEST GROVE PRIMARY SCHOOL
I believe we can create magic in our music class when we facilitate with a flow and allow our children to improvise in a safe environment with appropriate scaffolding. Hence, in this inquiry, I am interested to explore some of the ways, flow in facilitating improvisation can be enhanced in General Music lessons.
QUESTION
What characteristics of teaching approaches lead to flow experiences in students’ improvisatory activities?
METHODOLOGY
LITERATURE REVIEW
The primary purpose of music is to create deeply gratifying flow states, for both performers and listeners (Dillon, 2007)
Flow happens when challenge and ability are well-balanced (Csikszentmihalyi,1990)
Case study of two artists’ music lessons conducted in four General Music Classes using:
Observational study (using field notes, video recordings of lessons)
Annotations and reflections of field notes
Student survey
Themes are distilled to help us understand the characteristics of effective strategies that lead to enhanced flow experiences.
Aesthetic musical flow enhances the development of 21 st century competencies through music lessons (MOE, 2016) Ability
FINDINGS
The characteristics of music teaching that lead to enhanced flow experiences include:
SCAFFOLDING
activities to create a sense of success perceived by students
environment that promotes risktaking with no fear of failure
in lessons
COOPERATIVE
learning strategies, such as paired work and group work
between challenges and skills
feedback to students’ actions
of actions to intentions CONTENT choice of repertoire
Boredom
Flow experiences can take place in both highly-structured music lessons and less-structured ones. What might work to enhance flow? Exposition
STRUCTURED APPROACH
EXPLORATORY APPROACH
WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS RESEARCH?
Artist conducts Orff-based lessons that encourage improvisation by students.
Artist facilitates group work where students create short music passages to fit a story. These are put together into a class composition and presented with the story.
WHAT CHARACTERISTICS ENHANCE FLOW EXPERIENCES?
Providing scaffolding
Setting mini goals and providing feedback all the way
Making conscious the awareness of actions to intentions
Creating a safe environment that promotes risk-taking
Emphasis on creativity
Providing free choice and exploration
Empowering the students’ voice
Creating a safe environment that promotes risk-taking
WHICH STUDENT PROFILE WAS OBSERVED?
Observed to work well with middle progress classes
Observed to work well with high progress classes
CONCLUSION
There are many factors in a music lesson that can promote flow experiences
Flow occurs when fun and rigour, complexity and ease, negative and positive, are all finely balanced and varied
Flow varies with the deviation of lesson in response to students’ responses. Interventions are highly nuanced and may not always work the same way Encouraging flow need not mean fun all the time. Routines and expectations need to be drawn and constantly reinforced to ensure that students are clear of the goals and carry out the tasks that lead to the aesthetic flow experience
Tasks that lead to flow experiences are related to intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation
REFLECTION
Having the chance to watch others teach music classes is a rare experience for me. It was especially insightful and a privilege for me to be able to learn from the artists. Some of the ideas the artists carried out resonated strongly with me and affirmed some of the practices I do. Seeing the practice in action gave me some perspectives and prepared me to anticipate possible scenarios while conducting lessons.
I used to think that the exploratory approach to improvisation would lack structure and may not be possible to carry out with students. Now, I think the possibilities are there, especially if enough music elements have been taught and students are given the chance to explore the instruments and in groups. The exploratory approach is something I hope to try in the future.
I am also more aware of the nuances that can hinder or enhance flow experiences in music lessons. I hope to practise and hone this skill in facilitating flow and improve my own teaching practice.
THOUGHTS
CHUA SIEW LING
Do our students experience a sense of flow during music lessons? We are not just talking about balancing challenge and ability in the sense that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defined flow, but rather, a sense of the presence of music in their mind, body and soul. Such an experience will trigger in our students an intrinsic motivation and a kind of positive energy or life force. As teachers, we can consider how the experience of music in the classroom has touched our students aesthetically and spiritually, something beyond musical understandings and expression. Creating such aesthetic or musical flow experiences in our students will create precious moments that touch our students deeply.
EXPERIENCING MUSIC ASSESSMENT
Authentic Assessment Tasks in Group Work
BY NG ENG KEE PAYA LEBAR METHODIST GIRLS’ SCHOOL (SECONDARY)
PURPOSE
The primary purpose of this research is to examine how students experience authentic assessment tasks in group work.
QUESTION
How do students perceive and respond to the assessment task?
To what extent do students participate and contribute to the assessment task?
OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS
Authentic assessments: Mirror real world tasks or expectations
Are commonly used as classroom assessment to engage learners
Often involves students, for example, in the establishing of scoring rules and in self-evaluation to increase student ownership and commitment
LITERATURE REVIEW
Authentic assessment should involve tasks that are “intellectually interesting and personally meaningful”. Students’ commitment will increase if they are involved in their own evaluation (Frey, Schmitt & Allen, 2012) One of the goals in music composition is for students to develop a “unique creative point of view and compositional ‘voice’”. Teachers must continually seek to understand their students’ expressive intentions and provide feedback and assessment strategies that are grounded both in the individual music context of each composition and in the context of each student’s unique profile as a learner and creator (Deutsch, 2016)
ASSESSMENT TASK
Having gone through a series of lessons on instrumental playing and basic composition/song-writing techniques, students formed friendship groups to complete a group composition project. The chosen theme was “PL 100”, in celebration of the school’s 100 th anniversary.
The students’ compositions were assessed via a “live” performance at the end of the project through the use of assessment rubrics.
METHODOLOGY
The project is a descriptive research.
Data was collected through:
Questionnaire for all students
The students were posed 10 questions which they answered using the Kahoot 1 platform.
Focus group discussions with two groups of students (35 minutes per group)
The objectives were:
To further understand their perception of their roles and contributions in a group composition setting
To understand if the project was an authentic one and helped the students in their learning
Students’ reflections for all students
These were the reflection questions asked:
Did you enjoy the project? Why?
Did the project benefit you musically? Why?
What were some of the challenges you faced when you embarked on the composition project?
Do you feel that you contributed to the group composition? Why?
Do you feel the music project task is an authentic task that mirrors real world expectations?
Did you find the teacher’s facilitation useful? Why?
Any suggestions for future music lessons?
The students’ reflections were analysed together with the questionnaire and input from the focus group discussion in order to understand how to implement good authentic assessment for quality learning outcomes and how group composition task could be better implemented in a class with mixed music abilities and motivation.
FINDINGS
QUESTIONNAIRE
Do you think the music project mirrors real-world tasks or expectations?
Does working in a group help you complete the tasks assigned to you?
Do you appreciate getting feedback from your teachers?
Do you discuss your teacher’s comments and feedback to try to improve for the next lesson?
Do you think you have learnt music knowledge and skills through the music project?
Do you enjoy working in a group for the music project?
Do you feel that you contributed to the group composition?
Having gone through the project, are you now more confident about composing music?
If you are given another chance to learn more or do another music composition, would you do it?
Did you feel engaged in the music lesson while you were working on the music project?
NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ANSWERED "YES"
STUDENT REFLECTIONS
STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS COMPOSING
Positive attitude
Enjoyed the process
Had fun working in groups
Okay with composition
Negative attitude
Not interested
Preferred if lessons were more relaxing Don’t think music should be graded Don’t need music lessons in my life but need song s or entertainment
COMPOSITION TASK
Not an interesting project
Not relevant
Would like the freedom to choose
Found composing very difficult
Found theme too restrictive; would prefer having more choices and themes
COMPOSING AS A LEARNING PROCESS
Messed up a lot, which made it fun
Would like to create nice songs with nice lyrics and nice chords
Very important to have nice tunes
Wrote whatever came to mind
GUIDANCE BY TEACHERS
Te acher interfered too much
Too little attention from teacher
Can’t do it without teachers
STUDENTS’ SATISFACTION LEVELS
Have seen better compositions
Satisf ied with the outcome as we gave our best
Not satisfie d with outcome
STUDENTS’ APTITUDES FOR COMPOSING
Familiar with GarageBand
Lacked exposure and experience
BENEFITS OF LEARNING TO COMPOSE
Learned to play guitar in air-con room
Learned how to do something
Learned what it’s like to be a composer
CHALLENGES FACED BY STUDENTS
Found it hard to compose – needed more step -by-step guidance
Needed more guidelines
Didn’t know which chords went together
Had to keep trying to succeed
Preferred if chords were provided
Environment was too noisy – too many people in one room, not enough pianos
PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Felt that I couldn’t contribute
My music skills are not strong enough
Seemed like I was anchoring everything
Jobs were split between members
STUDENT SUGGESTIONS
Play songs we like Learn how to use different apps Try out ideas
Play instruments, e.g. handbells, angklung
iPads are not instruments – I want to learn real instruments
Play games with music/ more music games
More learning journeys Teach using Kahoot
More modern songs/more pop music Watch YouTube videos – how different composers compose music
More fun projects Do a cover of my choice, then learn to compose
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
Authenticity of composition task
Students’ perception of the role of music in their lives
– More often associated with listening and performing
– Enjoyment and entertainment
– Composing to develop creativity and critical thinking
Amount of guidance
When to give guidance?
How much guidance? What kind of guidance?
How to offer guidance?
Students’ individual contributions
Using peer assessment rubrics to measure students’ level of attainment and contribution
Assessment rubrics do not help to enlarge their contributions
Defining the scope of contribution of each student using a matrix (aka target setting)
This project gave me the opportunity to examine my own professional practice. I would say that it has been impactful and meaningful to my growth. I have made improvements to the Schemes of Work as a result of this research project.
My Secondary 2 music programme will take into account the research findings. For example:
Term 1: Teaching of guitar and percussion skills
Term 2: Students to work on covers in groups
Term 3: Song writing skills following song writing project
It also made me more aware of the difficulties faced by students during composing. I hope the changes will enable my music colleagues and I to better meet the needs of our students. Exposition
THOUGHTS
CHUA SIEW LING
Authentic assessment tasks can motivate students as they provide choice, scope for open-ended responses, room for differentiation and place accountability on the students. Yet, we should not assume that all authentic assessment tasks can motivate all students and inspire their learning. Hence, there is a need to introduce tasks in a way that helps students see their value, and to place the task at the end of a curriculum plan designed to prepare students to help them experience success for a fulfilling music learning experience.
EXPERIENCING THE MENTORING PROCESS
Mentoring: An Auto-ethnography
BY TAN TEING IM , QUEENSTOWN SECONDARY SCHOOL
In recent years, I have been asked to mentor new teachers, untrained contract teachers and NIE trainees. And I often ask myself, “How can I be a better mentor?”
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Ifirst heard about Ben, the main character in my story, when my Head of Department told me we would have a newly trained music teacher posted in. One week later, I met Ben.
Ben came across as a friendly guy, always with a smile on his face. He spoke with a certain accent which made me wonder where he was from. Ben told me that he had classical piano and classical vocal training.
We made plans to discuss the scheme of work and lessons for the new batch of Secondary 1 students in the following semester. However, I was surprised to receive a text message from Ben a week later.
Morning Teing Im, I have a piece of bad news for you.
After checking my results, I found out that I’ve failed my practicum and need to redo it in July.
Based on the various experiences I had as a mentor, I have written an autobiographical story.
What is auto-ethnography? It is a form of qualitative research in which an author uses self-reflection and writing to explore his or her personal experience, and connects this autobiographical story to wider cultural, political and social meanings and understandings.
The characters in my story are fictitious but the events recounted are real. Throughout my mentoring experience, I felt that I was not only collaborating with my mentees and NIE supervisors, I was, in a way, also collaborating with myself through my self-reflections and writing.
Here is my story.
Ben had failed his practicum and would be doing his re-practicum at our school. Being the only music teacher, I naturally became his mentor.
A few questions popped up in my mind: “What could have gone wrong at his last practicum?” “Will I have a difficult time with this trainee?”
My HoD cautioned me that I had to really prepare Ben for the job as he would be my co-music teacher if he passed. He also asked that I give him ample warning if Ben wasn’t going to make it.
The first thing I did was to have a chat with Ben’s NIE supervisor, Professor Choo, to find out more. According to the professor, Ben had a few issues. One was that he was not very critical of his own teachings and there was little evidence of reflection done after each lesson observation and thus, very little improvement shown.
To prepare Ben for this re-practicum, Professor Choo insisted that he write his lesson plans in great detail, followed by a reflection after every lesson he conducted. In addition, Professor Choo requested that I make a video recording of Ben’s lessons so he could watch himself in action before doing his reflection.
I then had a talk with Ben, who shared with me some of the issues he faced during his last practicum. He felt that he might have done better if he had been given more teaching practice before the actual formal observations.
SETTING THE STAGE
So with all that in mind, our journey as mentor and mentee began. I started the semester by teaching only a few of the Secondary 1 classes, while Ben observed me. I had to let Ben take over the teaching early, as Professor Choo wanted to observe him in the second week and Ben had requested for more teaching practice before formal observations.
For the rest of the practicum, we followed this procedure:
Procedures
Set lesson objectives and discuss content to teach for the following week
Ben to come up with a lesson plan
Run through lesson plan with Ben and offer advice
Sit in and video record Ben’s lesson whenever possible
Give feedback or hold a discussion with Ben right after each lesson 1 2 3 4 5
LET THE SHOW BEGIN…
Iam going to share a few observations I made in the 10 weeks of practicum and how Ben, Professor Choo and I tried to handle some of these issues.
Before the commencement of the new semester, I shared with Ben my intention to try using Class Dojo 2, an online app, to monitor the progress of the students. We could use Class Dojo to keep track of the tasks the students have completed and award them points, or deduct points from their account if they misbehave.
Ben was very enthusiastic about the app and introduced it to his classes. I have never tried this app and the outcome was not what I had expected.
It was Professor Choo’s first lesson observation with Ben; Ben was teaching class 1A about correct singing posture and breathing techniques.
After some explanation and demonstration, Ben asked for a volunteer to show the class how to breathe using the diaphragm. He said he would award two points to the person who volunteered. One cheeky student, Justin, asked if he could be given 50 points if he volunteered and Ben said, “Yes.” Justin went up and tried to follow Ben’s instructions, he made funny noises and postures and drew a lot of laughter from the students. Ben asked for another volunteer and, this time, another student asked if he could get 500 points for volunteering. Some bargaining went on between Ben and the students and again, it had everyone laughing.
2https://www.classdojo.com/
Ben then invited Chris, a shy student, to give a demonstration on correct breathing techniques, but Chris refused to open his mouth or do anything. To encourage Chris, Ben asked the class whether they thought he should conduct the demonstration with Chris and the class spent some time voting on it.
In the end, Ben had to finish his lesson with only 50% of his lesson plan completed but most of the students seemed to be having a good time sitting there watching the show.
After the lesson, Ben, Professor Choo and I sat down for a discussion. Professor Choo started by asking Ben how he felt the lesson had gone. Ben thought it went okay as he had taught the students the correct singing posture and how to use the diaphragm. The professor was taken aback by his answer and started shooting Ben with lots of questions.
Purpose and necessity of using Class Dojo?
Were all students engaged throughout the lesson?
1 2 3 4 5 6
How much time did he waste and why was so much of the lesson plan not completed?
Did the students learn what you taught?
Was it necessary to get the students to vote?
Who was in control of the lesson – the teacher or the students?
Ben was dumbfounded. He knew he was going to fail this lesson observation. But the lesson really shook him up and got him thinking. As his mentor, I did not feel good hearing all those comments from Professor Choo, which got me thinking about what I had to do.
KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING!
Since the Class Dojo lesson with 1A, Ben started changing his teaching strategy and discipline style, but he still had a few other issues. One of which was keeping the momentum of the lesson going.
In another class, where Ben was teaching the same lesson on breathing techniques, he spent 10 minutes talking about posture and the diaphragm, and how the whole breathing system works. By the end of that 10 minutes, the students were already quite restless, so he scolded them for not paying attention. Wanting to be in full control, he refused to continue until they were totally quiet and that took up another 10 minutes. By then, Ben was already quite flustered and found it difficult to carry on with his lesson plan.
Having too much teacher talk was not the only way Ben broke the momentum of the lesson. In a lesson on creating rhythms using body percussion, Ben had planned to start the lesson by teaching the students six different rhythm patterns. He started off with the simpler rhythms. He clapped and the students followed. The students struggled a bit at first, but by the third rhythm, they started to get the hang of it and were looking forward to more challenging rhythms. This was when Ben stood up and said, “We shall move on to the next activity.” The students were surprised and some continued to clap and tap on their own, while others asked for more, but Ben moved on to the next activity.
When I asked Ben why he stopped after the third rhythm, he said he had forgotten the other three rhythms he had planned.
Next, he called on a student and asked him, “Listen to what I play and tell me whether this is a chord or a note?”
“Huh? Teacher, I don’t know.”
The student could not tell the difference and gave the wrong answer. He reprimanded the student for not paying attention, then continued testing a few more students. Some got it right while others didn’t. Ben then moved on to the next activity.
Having made all these observations, I came up with a few guidelines for Ben to follow when he did his planning, execution and reflection.
Other than keeping the momentum of a lesson going, there was another issue which I observed.
During a ukulele lesson, Ben was trying to teach students the difference between a chord and a note. Ben started off by telling the class that a chord is made up of three notes, then played a few chords on the ukulele. He then played a few single notes in succession on the ukulele and told the students, “This is a note.”
ENOUGH
Keep the momentum and let the lesson flow 1 2 3
activities to engage ALL students most of the time
Look for evidence that learning (assessment) is taking place. Assessment should be non-threatening
With these guidelines, Ben started planning lessons with more engaging activities and worked on his lesson execution. I noticed that he started to reflect deeper and was a lot more critical of himself than when he first started.
However, Ben had one other issue.
TURNING POINT: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
Ben was shy about singing in front of the students. He was conducting a lesson on the ukulele and was trying to get the students to accompany the song, Just the Way You Are
Ben started the lesson by asking the students to sing the song while he played on the ukulele as a demonstration. He started with, “When I see your…”, and stopped, expecting the students to continue singing; only two students attempted to sing and the pitch was wrong. Ben chided the students for not singing and then tried again, without much success. He started getting frustrated. So I stepped in and told the class, I will sing while Ben plays. After our demo, I led the class in playing the chords while I sang for them. After a few rounds, the class could play quite well and some started singing along with me.
After the lesson, Ben told me he was just not in the mood to sing and could not bring himself to sing for his students. I advised him to try and told him it was important for us to model what we want our students to learn and accomplish.
Finally, during Professor Choo’s second lesson observation, Ben plucked up the courage and sang for his class. He sang so well that the students clapped for him, leaving Ben beaming with confidence. After that, he conducted the rest of his lesson according to his lesson plan and was able to engage the students meaningfully. That was a his turning point for Ben, who was complimented by Professor Choo for his improvement.
KEY LEARNING
The key issue was that Ben did not seem to realise that his lessons were ineffective. Hence, the key challenge for a mentor is: How can I develop my mentee’s ability to self-reflect?
We may want to give suggestions and hope our mentees can build on them.
Having Ben watch himself teach through the recorded videos and the use of guiding questions allowed Ben to be more critical of his own teaching.
What guidance can I provide for my mentee’s learning? And how? Remember the class dojo incident? Should I ask a trainee to try out a new idea before having first tried it out?
As a mentor, it is important to find out the weaknesses and strengths of my trainee. It is also important to use lesson demonstrations to show him what I mean. I need to give timely feedback and allow him to experience success as a way to boost his self-esteem. We must believe that everyone has the ability to learn.
CONCLUSION
Maybe it is not timely. The mentee might not have the experience to build on my suggestions yet. If I had tried it out for myself, I can better share what to do and what to avoid?
This journaling and inquiry has helped me reflect a lot more and examine the finer details of the events that happened. I learned to work with my mentee more closely and to see things from his perspective. It also helped me consolidate ideas of what makes a successful lesson, and how I can give sound advice and practical solutions.
Did Ben clear his re-practicum? He did!
THOUGHTS
CHUA SIEW LING
We teach who we are (Palmer, 1997). Similarly, as a mentor, we draw from our own biography and project our identity and our spirit onto our mentees. Selfknowledge is hence critical. The use of auto-ethnography as a way of inquiry into one’s own mentoring process, as a way of reflecting on the teaching-learning process, enhances one’s self-knowledge. It recognises how one is influenced by one’s own subjective interpretations, and allows one to dialogue with oneself through the process of journaling. This project has reminded us to touch base with our inner thoughts and to renew ourselves as teachers. Even as we mentor others, we are reflecting on ourselves as teachers and on our own lives. It’s perhaps time to listen to ourselves, feed our souls so we can continue to give life and project light to others.
SECTION THREE
coda
Reflections
I never thought that I would be able to learn so much by studying students’ musical contributions. It has definitely given me deeper insight into students’ music abilities, so I know how and what to teach them.
The data I collected proved to be really worthwhile as it is probably something that no one has studied. It made me question whether there is a need to have a formal music background in order to develop musical understandings and sensitivities.
WONG YANG HUI
It was useful to have a network of like-minded educators to spark discussion on our shared interests, concerns and challenges. Having a chance to observe artists teaching in music classrooms in the Singapore context is beneficial as it gives us an idea of how music classes can be successfully conducted to optimise learning for students.
IRENE CHAN
What I learnt from this research project is that my teaching should be informed by my research in order for me to be an effective teacher. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my learning with an audience – their questions and feedback fuelled me to reflect further on my research for a better outcome.
NG ENG KEE
For the inquiry, I had to do a lot of observation, analysis and reflection. These processes gave me a clearer idea of what makes a good lesson and helped me be more observant and aware of the finer details that make a lesson engaging and flow well.
I have also learnt the importance of communication between my mentee, the NIE supervisor and myself. Through our discussions, I have learnt a lot from my mentee and the NIE supervisor, making me more equipped to help my mentee move on to the next level. I now have more confidence mentoring other trainees.
Overall, it was a very fulfilling experience.
TAN TEING IM
What I used to think:
Teachers should not spend time conducting research as it is less impactful than spending that time teaching.
Teachers have to teach what students like in order to engage them during lessons.
What I think now:
Research is useful for teachers’ professional development as it helps them gain exposure and new insights into how teaching can be done more efficiently and meaningfully.
Once students see the relevance of learning – of which the teacher has to facilitate the linking of concepts and how they contribute to the core ideas of music learning – they will naturally be engaged in class.
My school leaders and HOD showed support for my presentation and that reaffirms the work I have been doing. They saw growth in me as a music teacher and are more assured of the music curriculum and activities that are put in place. Through the sharing, they are more aware of music as a subject and its importance in the school curriculum.
WU MEIHUI
Attending the conference in Glasgow was definitely the highlight of the entire process. There was just so much to soak in, so much to learn, so much to reflect and discuss, so much activity and energy going on at all times. It constantly reminded and validated how meaningful and important music education is, and what it means to be at the forefront of bringing that music education to the people. Another high point was when I was conducting the camp project for the students. It was great seeing my students engaged in learning as well as learning to tap into their creativity and making their own music decisions – and feeling empowered and having fun in the process. Being able to share my findings and learnings with others made me feel that I was doing important work being at the forefront of music education.
XIE ZHIZHONG
This inquiry project has helped me look for and use data, rather than preferences or hunches, to guide improvement efforts. A project like this gives me something more concrete to work with instead of just relying on the principles that I have used in the past. Times change, and the way I teach has to change along with it.
It made me realised that I should be more inquisitive with regard to my students’ learning: What are they really learning? What skills do they acquire? What skills do they need to make their learning more meaningful?
I think it is time for me to develop the culture of inquiry within myself as a music classroom teacher, and to be more reflective in my daily educational practice.
SHAHRIN MAHMUD
FINAL THOUGHTS
When we started this pilot networked learning community to promote classroom inquiry, we could not have envisaged the project going so far as to arrive at a publication. But the learning and insights from the various projects have been transformative for the respective teachers, offering such rich narratives that we felt should be captured and shared with the larger music-teaching fraternity.
Collectively, we learnt that the critical inquiry process, even if conducted over a short period of four months, with simple data collection and analytical process, gives greater rigour to the way we reflect on our own practices. The focus on students’ experiences in our inquiry process sharpens the way we think about teaching and learning, and makes us reconsider the way we teach and engage students, and even our own teaching beliefs.
Let us continue to sound our own teaching and examine music learning experiences in ways that help us identify and grow as music teachers!
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