the arts - music

Why The Arts plays such an integral role in education at HWPS

At HWPS there are a number of ways students can be involved in The Arts. We are building to make sure every child's interest and needs are fostered in a variety of ways.

The Arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. The term 'creativity' plays a critical role in all arts subjects.

The Arts contribute to the development of confident and creative individuals, nurturing and challenging active and informed citizens.

  • The Arts - Music is taught weekly, as part of the curriculum, to each class from Pre Primary through to Year Six. The whole school also learns a new song each month focussing on a different Value as part of the Values Program in the school that is sung and celebrated regularly at the assemblies.

Music has the capacity to engage, entertain, challenge, inspire and empower students. Studying music stimulates imaginative and innovative responses, critical thinking and aesthetic understanding, and encourages students to reach their creative and expressive potential.

  • The school choir is from Years 4 to 6 and currently has approximately 75 enthusiastic members who are hardworking, diligent and extremely committed. Each year the choir performs at a number of events including the Massed Choir Festival, Darling Range Learning Community Arts Festival, morning teas, special celebrations, community barbeques, etc.

It is essential to provide a safe and welcoming environment for students to learn and grow. It is important for learning to take place in such an environment so that students are not only free to be themselves, but free to make mistakes.  This way, mistakes happen in a safe, forgiving environment where students can learn from them before they have to learn those lessons in the real world.

  • Students from Years 5 and 6 have the opportunity to learn the guitar or clarinet through the Instrumental Music School Services program, which is offered to students during regular school time and is carried through to High School.

Music education is important, not only for the marketable skills it teaches such as; creativity, discipline, flexibility, and the ability to cooperatively with others, but also because it simply makes life more enjoyable (Lehman). We must allow students to find ways to access and express their creative potential for their own sake.

  • There is also the PMI program where students from PP to Year 6 have the opportunity to enrol and learn to play the keyboard at a very affordable price. There are accredited teachers that work with the students in either an individual or group setting as they work their way up the levels, with incentives to help them along. This program is run during the school day so as to not take up time from the busy home life schedule.

Music is a great means by which to facilitate self-recognition and recognition of others and the differences that exist in our great world. Every organized group of people in the history of the world, as we know it, has had some form of music as a part of their culture. 

Music has been and will continue to be a way to promote acceptance of difference. Students vary from each other in many ways, yet they all understand that every person has a voice and experiences that contribute to the whole of our music.

Structure of a Music Lesson

Essential Elements

Role of the Teacher

Role of the Students

Explicit Instruction (20mins)

This time provides for whole class or small group instruction.

WALT: We are learning to

WILF: What I'm looking for

WALA: We are learning about

Activating students prior knowledge

Working on specific parts of the Values/Resilience song (e.g. Form, verse, chorus, melody, difficult rhythms)Explicitly modelling, thinking aloud and promotion of musical thinking, strategies and  new concepts. Explicitly teaching musical vocabulary—use the language and hear the language. Creating discussion and questioning musical concepts and reasoning. WALT—We are learning to… WILF—What I'm looking for

Listen and actively participate in the explicit component of the lesson.

Independent Practise (25 mins)

This time provides students with the opportunity to apply musical strategies and new concepts.

Provide time for students to apply new strategies to learning.

Observe and record student understanding Confer with individuals or small groups of students.  Provide small group instruction as necessary, particularly for those requiring additional support.

Complete Guided Practice activities.

Make connections from the explicit teaching session to their independent work.  Participate in individual or group activities Participate in small group instruction if required.

Feedback (15 mins)

Time for students to share their work and understanding either in whole-class, small-group or partner forums. This provides a real audience for students to share their understandings and receive valuable feedback on how to improve.

Facilitate the sharing of investigations.

Participate as an audience member in sharing sessions.

Provide constructive feedback to students to assist them to improve their skills.

Provide an explicit summary of the key ideas in the lesson

Volunteer to share their work with others.

Seek specific feedback from audience.

Provide constructive feedback to peers.

Review and reflect on their work.

An Example of How the Curriculum is Covered Across the Year in Each Year Level

MAKING

Ideas
 

1

2

3

4

Improvisation with and organisation of the elements of music to create simple compositions (ACAMUM089)

        

Communication and recording of music ideas using graphic and standard notation, dynamics, terminology and relevant technology (ACAMUM090)

        

Skills

Development and consolidation of aural and theory skills, including:

·       rhythm (simple time: , , minim rest ; compound time: , , ,  )

·       tempo (changing tempos; terminology (accelerando, ritardando/rallentando)

·       pitch (intervals (tones, semitones); major scale; tonality: pentatonic and major)

·       dynamics (terminology and symbols mezzo piano (mp), mezzo forte (mf)); expressive devices (legato,staccato)

·       form (rondo (ABACA); riff)

·       timbre (instrumental and vocal ensembles (e.g. rock band, orchestra, jazz band, different tone colour for particular purposes)

·       texture (individual layers of sound (e.g. bass line, harmony line)to compose and perform music (ACAMUM088)

        

Performance

Application of rehearsal processes to improve music performances and sustain audience engagement (ACAMUM090)

        

Development of performance skills (singing in tune, playing a variety of classroom instruments with correct timing and technique, incorporating some dynamics; maintaining own part at correct pitch and tempo when performing with others) (ACAMUM090)

        

RESPONDING

Responses to and contributions as performers and audience members, appropriate to culture or context (ACAMUR091)

        

Role of music from different times and cultures (ACAMUR091)

        

Responses that identify and describe how the elements of music work together to convey meaning and purpose, using music terminology (ACAMUR091)