MUSIC EDUCATION NZ AOTEAROA
VOLUME 19-NUMBER 2
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I N THI S I SS U E: 08 '23 MENZA Conference Overview 50 NCEA update & 1.1 Cheat Sheet
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa
36 Te Kura Correspondence school update
23
Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa
Conference
CONTENTS
NOVEMBER 2023
Puawaiata
6 CHAIR’S COMMENTS
38 HE WAIATA WHAKATAUKI
7 EDITOR’S COMMENTS
40 HOW TO INCORPORATE
Ben Lau (Chair) - Wellington blau@newlands.school.nz Katrina Daniela (Deputy Chair) - Tauranga kdaniela@papamoacollege.school.nz Megan Flint (Secretary) - Taupo meganjude@xtra.co.nz Charlotte Nicklin (Treasurer) - Auckland C.Nicklin@maristcollege.school.nz
- Ben Lau
– Duncan Ferguson
42
8 CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
Jade Wrathall - Hamilton jadewrathall@outlook.co.nz
10 CONNECTING
WITHIN & ACROSS - Dr Anita Collins
Hayley Hunter - Auckland hayley@xanadu.co.nz
- Priya Gain & Sean O’Connor
MAUTAURANGA MĀORI INTO THE CLASSROOM - Ben Lau
42 TEACHER WANANGA - Ashleigh McDonald
44 TAI OROORO TAI AUAHA
Anne-Marie Lalakai - Auckland anne-mariel@wesley.school.nz
11 FUNDING IN THE ARTS
Christian McDonald - Northland christianm@taipa.school.nz
12 THE REMEDY PROJECT
46 BIG SING
14 MUSIC ADVOCACY
50 NCEA 1.1 CHEAT SHEET
- Annie Hill
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Chris Williamson - Tauranga c.williamson@tbc.school.nz Tracy Reed – Kaiapoi tracy@wovenrhythms.nz MENZA ISME National Affiliate Representative Linda Webb lgwgwebb@gmail.com For advertising enquiries, contact Pauline Logger:
admin@menza.co.nz Editor: Duncan Ferguson duncan@learningideas.co.nz
- Glen Barry
- Linda Webb and co
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18 SOUND INVESTIGATION - Greta Bull-Crossan
20 CATCHING A SONG
43
- Maria Winder
26 A TASTE OF ORFF
MENZA: Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa.
- Hayley Hunter
The professional magazine for all New Zealand music educators. MENZA Vision: Together Growing Musical Lives.
8 20
30 NURTURING
EXPRESSIVE MUSICIANS - Edith Poon-Lai
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31 USING MUSIC TO
SUPPORT TEACHING - Brenda Oakley
31 WORLD SYMPOSIUM
These may be printed in the next edition of the magazine or published on the MENZA website.The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the MENZA Board and the Tune Me In Editorial team.
CHORAL MUSIC - Fiona Wilson
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32 MUSIC ECADEMY
The Editorial team request that sources are rightfully acknowledged in all MENZA publications. Where it is felt a breach of this protocol may have occurred this can be notified to the editor or directly to the writer. MENZA has an expectation of ethical practices in the matter of disclosures. ISSN 2381-9987 (Print) ISSN 2381-9995 (Online)
- Jaroslav Novak
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa
SEARCH 'Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa'
- Martin Emo
– Suzanne Franken
T U N E M E I N is published by:
The Editorial team encourages reader feedback. If you have any comments or experiences that relate to articles published in Tune Me In, please mail or email them to Pauline Logger, the MENZA Administrator at admin@menza.co.nz
- Duncan Ferguson
24 MUSIC AND MOVEMENT
McEwan&Co.org & RazzPrint.co.nz
The postal address is: MENZA, c/- 1288 Upper Ohauiti Road, RD3, Tauranga 3173
- Sola Vuna
52 NCEA UPDATE
Design and Printing:
MENZA Website: menza.co.nz
- Tania Utting
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Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa
Conference
36 TE KURA
CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL - Belinda Carey
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BEN LAU
DUNCAN FERGUSON
POIPOIA TE KAKANO KIA PUWAI
Nurture the seed and it will blossom Picking a whakatauki can be very difficult, especially when you are trying to sum things up or give a recap of what you have done. 2023 has been a full-on year for the MENZA board, especially as all Covid restrictions have been lifted. There have been many challenges and matters that have been keeping us busy. The change package for NCEA has had its ups and downs, and MENZA has been trying very hard to support the sector with it. There has also been a lot of behind-the-scenes work with the refresh of the curriculum (and let's not mention the pay negotiations!). On the board front, we are rewriting the constitution and ensuring that we are maintaining lawful governance, trying to build succession structures, and ensuring that we are supporting the sector as much as we can. Recently MENZA has been running 10 wānanga around the motu to support teachers with their understanding of Mātauranga Puoro Māori with the support and assistance of Haumanu Collective members Horomona Horo and Tāmihana Katene. Personally, for me, it was an enlightening experience, and I feel more confident in how I include Mātauranga Māori into my teaching and teaching space and feel more confident in my understanding of tikanga and being in a te ao Māori space.
Also, after much delay, our Conference has finally happened! I hope people have come back from the conference invigorated, keen to try new things in their teaching and have gained an understanding of different pedagogical approaches. Also, I hope you can share your experience with those who were not able to attend and colleagues at your kura. In addition, the MENZA board have been reviewing our online presence. We have created an Instagram page, @menza_puoro, where we are able to share news items, articles, events, workshops, and many other things with our followers. Also, our Facebook page has been getting a lot more traffic, where members are posting events and other workshops happening around the motu. You’ll also find past Tune Me In articles on our website, some of which don’t require a membership for the public to read. If you haven’t, I urge you to follow our social media channels, so you are up to date with what MENZA is up to. MENZA is continually planting seeds, and each of them are at different stages of growth. As the academic year ends, I urge our readers to also reflect on how MENZA has assisted you and what we can do better. I would love your feedback, and if you can email us, it would be greatly appreciated. Finally, with the intense year we have all had, I hope you can spend some time reflecting on yourself - your teaching practice, studies, and connections. Then spend your summer break with loved ones and focus on your hauora! This may be a bit premature, however, as this is the final Tune Me In for the year, have a wonderful summer break and an awesome festive season. Looking forward to planting new seeds and nurturing the ones we have sown together in 2024. Finally, we now only release theTune Me In Magazine twice a year. To be up to date with MENZA news and events, I encourage you to join our Facebook Page. We update it regularly with what is happening around Aotearoa, and bring attention to upcoming workshops/hui, newly published resources and other exciting news and events. Ben Lau Chair
6 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
I’m writing this at the MENZA conference in Tauranga. It has been an amazing few days with incredible speakers, great kai but most importantly, it’s been wonderful reconnecting with old friends and making new friends in the Aotearoa music teaching community. This has been the first MENZA conference since 2019 thanks to COVID, and I think a lot of us have been reminded just how special times like this are.
should be attending them. They really are the best PD you can get. However, it’s important that we stay engaged the rest of the year. Please consider being a local representative for MENZA in your region and organising regular meet ups and PD sessions. As so many music teachers are in sole charge positions or small departments, MENZA is the best way we can all support each other.
As we go through so much uncertainty with teaching in New Zealand, I know many of us are taking great solace that we are in this together, and with the support of MENZA and fellow kaiako, we are going to work it all out and continue to deliver a great education for the special students of Aotearoa.
In this edition we are presenting many articles from our conference presenters. We know that it can be hard for teachers to make it to a conference during the holidays, so we wanted to share something of the wisdom and knowledge that was shared at conference with you. I am very grateful to the many contributors to this excellent magazine who are so generous with their knowledge and time for the benefit of others and our ākonga.
This is my final Tune Me In magazine that I’m editing, which in a way is ending a special time in my life. Before I was asked to join the board in 2017, I hadn’t connected with MENZA much outside of the conferences. I have since realized how foolish I had been. MENZA is an amazing community full of hard-working and passionate kaiako and we need to all stay closely aligned with our national body to make sure that music advocacy in New Zealand is strong and efforts are well supported. The conferences are great, and I firmly believe that all music teachers in Aotearoa from Early Childhood to Tertiary
While I am stepping down from my formal position with MENZA, I am going to stay closely involved as I’ve come to love this organization and the people in it with a passion. It is truly a taonga that we should all cherish and seek to grow stronger. Ngā mihi, Duncan Ferguson Editor
" I am very grateful to the many contributors to this excellent magazine who are so generous with their knowledge and time for the benefit of others and our ākonga." Tune Me In MENZA 7
MENZA FEATURE Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
23
Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa
Conference
MENZA CONFERENCE 2023 From 1-4 October 2023 around 130 teachers from Early Childhood up to Tertiary spent time together at the MENZA conference 2023.
The theme of the conference was He Hononga: Connecting Within & Across. And connect we did! 45 presenters delivered 55 workshops with something for everyone. The keynote sessions delivered by Dr Anita Collins, Dr Jeremy Mayall, Horomona Horo, Warren Maxwell and Chris O’Connor were inspiring, challenging and often very entertaining.
This MENZA national conference was a special space and place where music educators came together to share unique expertise, broad knowledge, and deep passion for music education. Enjoy the small selection of photos here. Use the QR code below to see more pics from the conference.
SAFER SPACES WEBSITE LAUNCH DR ANITA COLLINS
KATRINA DANIELA HOROMONA HORO
BEN LAU
MARTIN EMO JADE WRATHALL
CHRISTIAN MCDONALD
MARIA KAPA
MENZA CONFERENCE 2023 OVERVIEW
WARREN MAXWELL
MUSIC & MOVEMENT
See more pics from the conference.
CHRISTIAN DE SA QUIMELLI JEREMY MAYALL
JAROSLAV TĀNE NOVAK 8 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
CHRIS O'CONNOR Tune Me In MENZA 9
MENZA CONFERENCE 2023 OVERVIEW
DR ANITA COLLINS
MENZA FEATURE
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
2023 Conference KEYNOTE
Conference
Connecting within & across
Arts Funding in Aotearoa
I like and hate conference themes. I think they are great anchors for me to build their thoughts around, and they can also be so broad that I struggle to find a hook into an engaging and stimulating conversation.
As those working in the arts sector know, it’s difficult to raise money for creative projects and the small pool of funding means that sometimes very worthwhile initiatives lose out. However, ensuring you make the very best job of writing your funding application will increase your chances of success in a competitive market. I have seven main tips to make your next funding application stand out from the crowd, whatever fund you are applying to.
The theme of the MENZA 2023 conference is “Connecting within and across” and initially, I was stumped. But then I thought about the process we are moving through in the Australian music education context, and I realised it was all about connecting and collaborating within ourselves but also working across various organisations, jurisdictions, and priorities. Let me explain. For the last nine years I have been on a journey to change the narrative around music education in Australia. Just like in New Zealand, music education has been rolled into an Arts curriculum and this has significantly changed the amount of time and value placed on music learning. We also have our wonderful, standardised literacy and numeracy testing called NAPLAN which has put a laser focus on these two areas, to the detriment of every other area of learning. We have a skills cliff coming up fast for music educators around the country. Music education specialisations in university have been cut dramatically and generalist teachers are expected to teach music with only eight hours of instruction in their teacher training degrees. It just feels like we are a big snowball rolling faster and faster down a very large ski slope. The crash is coming and soon.
WORDS: DR ANITA COLLINS
23
This, for me, is where neuromusical research, the research field that has found that music learning improves language and literacy development, numeracy, executive function skills, social skills, wellbeing, academic performance (and the list goes on) could be very helpful to us. It could be especially helpful in an educational and political world that focused on evidence-based results. What does this mean for connecting within? For me it begins with what I call the music education industry. I like this term 10 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
because it allows us to look at connecting within an industry that has class teachers, instrumental teachers, instrument suppliers, not-for-profit providers, music therapist and music intervention programs, just to name a few. Once we cast the industry net this wide, we become a very large and influential group of people. Just imagine if we could all pull in a similar direction for an outcome that benefits every child in New Zealand. What does this mean for connecting across? Again, for me the net should be wide and could be anyone from decision makers in music education to parents and the broader community. Basically, that would be a large proportion of the population of New Zealand, and suddenly music learning becomes an activity that impacts and influences many more people than just those attending the MENZA conference. The big question is what could, and should we be connecting about, and for what purpose? I believe we should be connecting about the solid cognitive foundations that music learning provides to every child. These are the solid cognitive foundations that all successful learning can be built upon, and that learning is not just reflected in academic achievement but in the production of productive and happy citizens. The purpose is not just about producing the next generation of performing musicians, but also about producing the next generation of New Zealanders with the best chances to have a life that contributes to the social and economic fabric of this country, as well as a life that is fulfilling and long. If this is the reason to connect and the outcomes we could create are so central to this country's future, how can this conference be the spark that ignites those connections?
Most funds have criteria that applications must meet, so my first tip is to ensure your initiative is a good fit for at least one of these criteria. Talk to the funder before you even start – they know the strategic outcomes they want to achieve and can provide invaluable information to strengthen your approach. If it’s difficult to fit your project into their criteria, consider looking for a more suitable funder. You don’t need to write a book when applying for funding. Assessors have limited time to go through each application, so you need to be able to sum up your project clearly and concisely, including the idea, the key stages, who is involved in delivery, and who will benefit. Keep the criteria or goals of the fund front of mind and emphasise how your project will meet the desired outcomes throughout the application. Don’t forget to include your experience delivering similar projects if they have been successful. Lastly, get your application checked, ideally by someone that doesn’t know the project, to ensure it makes sense. The budget is a crucial part of the success or failure of an application. I recommend you start with the budget as it will test important parameters such as how your project will roll out and whether the financial constraints of the fund will limit what you want to do. Funders want to see that you have thought through all costs and income streams to give them confidence you can bring the project to fruition. Make sure your budget is actual, not aspirational, and that it provides value for money. Triple check to make sure your budget adds up - if it doesn’t, your credibility will be at risk. Support documentation is required by many applications and it is a good idea to include them even if it’s not mandatory.
Dr Anita Collins
ANNIE HILL
Get all your documents together in one place first – they can be used for multiple funding applications. Leave plenty of time to get letters of support and make sure you let your supporters know if there are key points you want them to emphasise. Make sure you include quotes for key items of the budget. If you find yourself frequently applying for funding, set up a database of potential funders and their criteria, adding to it each time you make a new application. This will take a little time up front but will save time for future applications. This will also ensure the research on different funds stays within your organisation. If your project is held regularly, consider whether there is an opportunity to develop relationships and value propositions where you can source multi-year funding support. It's important to ask for feedback from the funder, whether your application is successful or not. This will enable you to refine your approach if you decide to reapply in future. Keep in mind that sometimes applications are unsuccessful purely because of the merits of other applications. The circumstances of the funder may also change in future and your application may be seen in a more favourable light. Sometimes it’s just a matter of ensuring the project is ready to be delivered, rather than at concept stage. My last tip is to say thank you. Make your organisation memorable after the decision, even if you are unsuccessful. Make sure you acknowledge your funders every time you promote the projects they have supported. Don’t view funding applications as a one-off; rather, try to create a longer-term, mutually valued partnership. Get on the mailing lists of philanthropic organisations and attend their AGMs to show your support for them. If you make the funder feel valued, they will remember you next time you are seeking support.
BIO: Annie works for Creative Bay of Plenty, the arts, culture and creative umbrella organisation covering Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty district. In her role as Funding & Capability Advisor, she supports creative practitioners and organisations by helping them make valuable connections both within and outside the sector, identifying funding sources and assisting with funding applications, developing and delivering capability building workshops and mentoring programmes, and advocating for arts, culture and creativity in public consultations and forums. Annie also supports the delivery of strategic projects, participates in community planning and submission processes, and delivers research outcomes to underpin programme development, investment and advocacy. Her background is in communications, project management and facilitation, where she has worked in roles in the business, not-for-profit, local government and tertiary sectors in New Zealand and overseas.
Tune Me In MENZA 11
WORDS: ANNIE HILL
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
MENZA FEATURE
The Remedy Project: Exploring First Nations music as a cultural determinant of health Presenters Naomi Sunderland (Griffith University), Kristy Apps (Griffith University), and Glen Barry (Griffith University) are sharing about The Remedy Project: Exploring First Nations music as a cultural determinant of health. It is an Australian Research Council funded research project (2021-2024).
WHAT WE KNOW FROM EXISTING LITERATURE Music and social emotional well-being
The Remedy Project, First Nations Music as a Determinant of Health honours the role of First Nations music as a natural “remedy” in cultural healing and ceremony that has happened over millennia in First Nations communities. It reflects the resolute strength of First Nations cultures, music, and musicians in the face of historical and ongoing colonisation.
• Music can provide economic opportunity.
WORDS: LOUMACHI WORDS: SAMIR GLENNWYLIE BARRY WORDS: JULIE & LOUISE VAN TONGEREN
Our project examines music as a cultural determinant of health for First Nations communities. For some, music can be an enduring link with our ancestors, our Country, our languages. It can link our past with our present and future. It may hold the comfort of familiarity and belonging, and it can be healing. It can represent, express, and foster strength. Music can speak to our communities and about them to others. CULTURAL HEALTH DETERMINANTS Social health determinants are things that shape health and wellbeing across all people in communities. Those health determinants include things like public policies and laws, public services and utilities, racism, inequality, housing, human rights, crime, neighbourhood and public amenities, peace, social connection, relationships, violence, and the health of the natural environment.
12 Tune Me InGLENN MENZABARRY November 2023
• Music can support our connection to culture, Country, community, and self-determination.
• Music is not always recognised as having an important part to play in health, but new research like this project is helping to change that. We are adding to existing literature through a series of community case studies that include yarning, audience surveys, and creative practise. The Remedy Project gratefully acknowledges funding and support from the Australian Research Council, The Creative Arts Research Institute, Griffith University, the school of Health Sciences and Social Work, Griffith University, Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University, The University of the Sunshine Coast, School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland, and the Sunshine Coast Health Institute. We also acknowledge The Remedy Project research team, which includes Prof. Brydie-Leigh Bartleet (Griffith University), Prof Naomi Sunderland (Griffith University), Emeritus Prof Phil Graham (University of the Sunshine Coast), Prof Clint Bracknell (University of Western Australia), Dr Darren Garvey (Edith Cowan University), Brigitta Scarfe (Edith Cowan University), Dr Rae Cooper (Griffith University), Kristy Apps (Griffith University), and Glenn Barry (Griffith University). Further Information Contact: Name: Kristy Apps Organisation: Griffith University Email: k.apps@griffith.edu.au WWW.REMEDYPROJECT.ORG
BIO: Glenn Barry a First Nation Gamilaraay and Irish man, who grew up on Yugambeh /Bundjalung Country (Gold Coast/Northern NSW, Australia). Glenn is passionate about the development and delivery of Cultural Mindfulness programs that integrate process, perspective and narratives that enquire into notions of self-description and selfdetermination. His focus has been the specialised educational arena of Aboriginal and Torres Strvait Islander culture and services. Glenn shares his music and healing through many formats including the Yidaki /didgeridoo player.
Tune Me In MENZA 13
WORDS A: WORDS: GLENN GRETA BARRY BULL-CROSSAN
First Nations music may be defined in part by the First Nations identity of the performer/s or as original music created by First Nations People across a wide range of genres (Bracknell, 2019; Clough, 2012). In this project, we recognised music as cultural action. For example, music is something that First Nations People have been practising for millennia to care for one another and Country, teaching, communicating, and lobbying for change to resist, advocate, express, and heal.
• Music can play an important part in supporting our health.
MENZA FEATURE
Advocacy for Music Education in Aotearoa
Let’s start by recognising and applauding the good things that are happening for music in schools, such as The Big Sing, Auckland Ukulele Trust, ASB PolyFest. And we note that by and large, music in secondary schools is doing alright. Secondary schools employ music teachers, use their talents and provide facilities. But there is a crisis in primary school music. What’s happening there does not represent the grass-roots human right of music for all: the rights of all tamariki in all primary schools and ECE settings and Kohanga Reo to receive quality music learning in line with the compulsory NZ curriculum. To the disadvantage of many many learners, some things are simply not working: teacher training, PLD, all schools determining their own curriculum priorities ... Primary school classroom teachers who know that music is an important component of learning are too often on their own. They need a professionally recognised group of music educators to seek support and advocate on their behalf. THAT's MENZA! There’s a big payback for secondary and tertiary music. Imagine the boost if all contributing schools delivered quality progression-based music education at every level from Year 1. Pressure has to be put on the Ministry of Education to: a. fund a different set of outputs from initial teacher education (ITE) providers that place highest value on major time and attention to research-based effective classroom practice;
WORDS: JEREMY WINTER & CO
b. reclaim responsibility for NZ’s education system by taking a far more active role in curriculum delivery, resourcing and support for schools and teachers; c. give the arts appropriate weighting in the curriculum with a consistency from ECE to tertiary.
It’s incumbent upon us to campaign for the things that often worked successfully and effectively in the past to be re-shaped, enhanced and customised for today’s circumstances and today’s ākonga.
14 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
SETTING THE SCENE Lack of Support for teachers and principals For decades, we have not had an education system at all ... The Ministry of Education’s senior ranks have been stripped of educators and people who understand learning ... School principals have been denied leadership support, boards have been overwhelmed with tasks they are not capable of doing, and worst of all, teachers have been left unsupported in delivering and assessing the curriculum [Bali Haque MNZM]1 In today’s NZ education environment, a curriculum area such as music relies on weekend workshops run by subject associations or ‘Networks of Expertise’ which only touch a relatively small number of schools and for a limited period. Inadequate teacher training Teacher training is critical. Universities are mainly in charge of this, but their high focus on bestowing academic degrees and on research falls well short of the mark when it comes to what a beginner teacher needs to know and be able to do confidently when faced with a classroom of primary students. NGTs [newly graduated teachers] are emerging from their ITE programmes needing to substantially develop their understanding of pedagogy, curriculum, assessment practice, and working with diverse learners and their parents and whānau.2 Teacher training in music pedagogy is particularly poorly served The disestablishment of teachers’ colleges has meant that dedicated music suites have been mothballed. These are where teacher trainees – especially those with potential to be the music leaders in their schools – were given opportunities to learn an instrument, to participate in beginner ensembles and choirs, and grow in confidence. As music is not a STEM subject, music pedagogy is relegated to less than six hours in total over three years. In some cases, trainees get nothing at all before they enter the classroom as beginning teachers. The current monitoring of teacher training programmes puts graduates in a very vulnerable position. Clearly there is no realistic expectation that the institutions will deliver beginning teachers with the range of skills and understandings that are required to meet teacher registration criteria. [Linda Webb]
Through an Official Information Act request, we asked for the evidence the Ministry of Education holds which enables its official to give such an assurance so confidently.
The Ministry’s response merely provided us with a list of inputs (grants and funding) and outputs (programmes and information) but did not give us any evidence of outcomes (results) being achieved in schools in the arts. When we pointed out this shortcoming in its OIA response, the Ministry replied that: ...it appears that you are seeking an opinion or explanation. We are therefore refusing your request under section 18(g) of the Act.
But, our OIA was not seeking an opinion. We just wanted proof that schools are providing arts education to meet the needs and interests of their students. IN THE WAKE OF THE TOMORROW’S SCHOOLS REFORMS (1989) Under Tomorrow's Schools, the Ministry does not consider curriculum its business. The Ministry line is, schools have flexibility to deliver their own local curriculum’s based off the New Zealand Curriculum. This means that officials can sidestep and claim that if ākonga are missing out on the music and arts, that’s because the schools they attend have chosen to prioritise other things. But when schools decide on the balance of their ‘local’ curriculum: • it is not a level playing field in the context of pressures placed on teachers and schools by government-led testing for literacy and numeracy and calls by politicians to get ‘back to basics’; • many schools don’t know what they don’t know. More and more of the present generation of boards, principals and teacher -leaders have little or no experience of the wide benefits of a vibrant arts programme; • schools do not have equitable access to resources and expertise. Some schools can ‘buy in’ specialist teachers because they are able to charge large activities fees. For too many schools this is not an option. Furthermore central government has abdicated its
obligations for:
• initial teacher education;
MINISTRY INDIFFERENCE In August 2022, An article appeared in the Dominion Post, and nationally in Stuff3. The message from the sector experts was: The arts are not taught sustainably in New Zealand schools or in teacher training.
Towards the end of the article a Ministry of Education official told readers that The Ministry is committed to supporting children to engage with the arts, and support teachers to deliver arts learning ... schools could provide arts education to meet the needs and interests of their students.
• in-service teacher professional learning development; • producing appropriate resources.
OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE PROGRESS IN 2023 Meeting with the Minister of Education In February, we met Hon Jan Tinetti in her office in the Beehive and talked to these points: • All children in our primary schools have the right to quality music learning.
• We know that too many schools are unable to deliver quality music education. • Teacher training in music is woeful and in-service teacher support is fragmentary. • There is a vacuum of leadership and accountability at central government level. • Music is fundamental to being human, whether individually or in a group. • We want to work with the Ministry on a way forward: this meeting is only the start.
The Minister instructed the senior official attending to be our liaison point with the Ministry of Education. We have subsequently been invited to be ‘critical friends’ for The Arts section of the Curriculum Refresh. At last we have an open direct line of communication with senior Ministry officials. THE CURRICULUM REFRESH Irrespective of the value of the drivers for the ‘refresh’ in other curriculum areas, we know that the arts are totally about respecting and nurturing differing knowledge perspectives and legitimising and celebrating all cultural backgrounds. We perceive that the curriculum refresh process gives the Ministry an excuse to delay investment in better teacher training and better in-depth longer-term PLD – investments that in The Arts are seriously overdue. Our position, as ‘critical friends’ is it would be far more strategic to lay the groundwork for the refresh by doing things now which increase the accessibility and importance of the arts in the school day, every school day. If ākonga at primary-age level – and from any background – are not succeeding in music and the arts, the reason has little to do with words missing from the present curriculum statement (for example regarding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and indigenous cultures). It is simply that most teachers do not have the skills and confidence to teach music and the arts: Helen Willberg reinforces this point from her own experience The rise of Te Matatini etc is affecting all schools and preschools where Māori music is alive if not well. The children I am in contact with get only Māori songs and recorded music. My bringing body percussion and flax rakau has been a revelation to the vocally challenged teachers I currently work with. So easy.
We have told the Ministry there is already a severe shortage of primary teachers skilled in music, and who could be redeployed as local or school-based resource teachers, mentors or advisers. By the time the refresh is ready to be brought to life in the classroom those with the expertise will have retired.
Tune Me In MENZA 15
WORDS: JEREMY WINTER & CO
We must advocate for music education because it matters. This article is an abridgement of a more comprehensive paper which gives, in greater detail, the backstory, referenced evidence and the bureaucratic roadblocks to overcome. Hopefully it provides motivation to join forces with other national subject associations to gain ground from the growing dissatisfaction with the status quo amongst educationalists and observers. The full paper has ammunition for ongoing advocacy including links to international research on the value of music for the whole learner and examples of overseas music education strategies.
NATIONAL MONITORING STUDY OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT The report of the 2021 National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) in the Arts4 has robust evidence that the arts in schools are not doing well. For instance: • The proportion of Year 8 students achieving at or above curriculum expectations fell from 62% in 2015 to 52% in 2021. • Most teachers indicated that at least 5 to 10 hours were dedicated to each [arts] discipline over the year. [ie. an average of 7.5 hours annually = 11 minutes per week over a 40 week school year]. • About half of principals rated dance, drama and music as having relatively low priority relative to other learning areas... [and] indicated no developmental focus in the arts in the past five years.
These findings prompted us to ask the Ministry, as a key stakeholder in this research, how it is responding to this report. The Ministry replied that The most recent NMSSA report has been considered by The Arts Writing Group as part of the refresh of the NZC.
As noted above, the Ministry thinks that a refreshed curriculum document will be the panacea: that somehow the refresh will ‘make good’ for the decades of appalling teacher training and negligible PLD in the arts. SOME SUPPORT IN THE MEDIA On 8 March 2023, Arts reporter André Chumko wrote in the Dominion Post and Stuff5: A new report describing plummeting achievement rates in the arts in New Zealand primary schools should be a wake-up call for officials on taking the arts education crisis seriously advocates say. Principals clearly did not understand what the arts were or what they could do for students, said Peter O’Connor, an arts expert from the University of Auckland. “When we had the best literacy and numeracy rates in the world, we had strong arts in primary schools. It’s a tragedy that link isn’t in here ... We’ve lost so much, no-one really cares.”
Commentator (and playwright), Dave Armstrong took a different tack:6 ... has it occurred to anyone that while you can combat truancy with a stick, you can also use a carrot? Could a comprehensive, well-taught arts programme – especially in low-decile schools, which the report says often miss out – give more students reasons for attending school?
IN THE INTERESTS OF GAINING CROSS PARTY BUY-IN ... Our advocacy team met earlier this year with two representatives of the NZ National Party: Chris Bishop is ranked 3rd in the National line-up and Chair for the 2023 Election Campaign; and Emma Chatterton, candidate for
Schools Choose
Remutaka, has been a music teacher at schools in Lower Hutt, Auckland and across the UK. Alas, a month after we met with Bishop and Chatterton, the National Party launched its education policy “Teaching the Basics Brilliantly”7. Most ominously it features a specific policy of “... an hour each on reading, writing, and maths every day”. So ... little room for much else in the school day. What about science, the new history curriculum, PE & Health, let alone the four distinct arts disciplines? Where does this leave teachers who are great at motivating learners by integrating maths, science, literature, social studies and the arts into holistic units of work? WHAT NEXT? If Labour retains the Treasury benches after October, MENZA and fellow subject associations must step up and bestow the Minister of Education with the mettle to challenge her Ministry’s indifference concerning the value of the arts and music in primary school classrooms. If we get a National-led Government after the election, we know that National ministers are not afraid to challenge their ministry’s officials and welcome contestable advice. It is imperative that this comes from sector experts, not just from business lobby groups. MENZA must be ready, willing, and up for it.
BEST PRICES G UA R A N T E E D
We owe it to the next generation. As Catherine Gibbs writes: Music teachers know that there’s something much deeper going on and perhaps it connects with leaving a legacy or at least making a difference for the next generation.... It’s actually about tapping into something that is the lifeblood of being human. It is emotional, it is creative, it is always working towards greater harmony, it is deeply satisfying.
And that’s why we can’t think of a reason why advocacy is not part and parcel of our professional roles in the system.
FUNDING A SS I S TA N C E
WORDS: JEREMY WINTER & CO
Principal author, Jeremy Winter Formerly head of music in secondary schools, District Music Adviser, music funding manager for Creative New Zealand, senior adviser at Ministry for Culture and Heritage
LINDA WEBB
Contributing author, Linda Webb MNZM for services to music education. MENZA board and international representative, senior lecturer and researcher in music education
E XC E L L E N T R ANGE
Q UA L I T Y I N S T RU M E N T S
1 https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/300930633/ school-education-reforms--lots-of-churn-and-continued-decline 2 https://ero.govt.nz/our-research/newly-graduated-teacherspreparation-and-confidence-to-teach 3 https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/129487021/ the-unrecognised-crisis-of-arts-education-in-new-zealand 4 https://nmssa-production.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/ 2021 _NMSSA_The_Arts.pdf.
TC’s Apply. Contact the Education Team:
0800 775 226 | education@kbbmusic.co.nz
5 https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/131434827/schools -treat-arts-as-low-priority-despite-link-to-numeracy-and-literacy 6 https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300828827/dave-armstrongyou-can-combat-truancy-with-a-stick-you-can-also-use-a-carrot 7 https://www.national.org.nz/teaching_the_basics_brilliantly
JEREMY WINTER
FUNDING A SS I S TA N C E
HELEN WILLBERG
Contributing author, Helen Willberg QSM for services to music. Early childhood music education expert, formerly senior lecturer in music: early childhood and primary, author of music education publications
CATHERINE GIBBS
Contributing author, Catherine Gibbs From 2000 to 2003 Catherine was The Arts - Nga Toi National Coordinator with the Ministry of Education, formerly primary school teacher, schools’ music adviser, music lecturer, resource writer
kbbmusic.co.nz
AUCKL AND
NORTH ISL AND
SOUTH ISL AND
ALBANY BOTA N Y EPSOM HENDERSON NORTHWEST TA K A PU N A
GISBORNE H A M I LTO N HUTT CITY NAPIER TAU R A N GA WELLINGTON
BLENHEIM DUNEDIN H O R N BY NELSON PA PA N U I QUEENSTOWN
0800 775 226
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MENZA EARLY CHILDHOOD
EARLY CHILDHOOD
A snapshot into a six-month sound investigation in an Infant and Toddler Early Childhood Education Setting
What is sound play and why is it important in early years learning contexts? Sound play experiences are where children have the opportunity to explore, investigate, and theorise about sounds. In ECE contexts, this can occur spontaneously in children’s play and through planned and intentional environment set ups. An example of spontaneous sound play could be children tapping on family play resources exploring the sound qualities of different materials such as metals, wooden objects and plastics. Planned and intentional sound play experiences will be discussed more in depth throughout the explanation of this sound investigation in the following sections. Both are valuable learning opportunities in ECE contexts as they support children’s growing understanding of the world around them.
WORDS: GRETA BULL-CROSSAN
We set out on this learning journey by introducing a new indoor soft sound environment that housed an array of open-ended natural sound-making resources such as pinecones, sticks, leaves, seeds, and shells. We wanted to begin the investigation from what took our children’s curiosity and wonder. For several weeks, we took observations of the ways children interacted in the soft sound environment, asking ourselves “What resources are taking their interest?”, “How are they using these resources to make sounds?”, and “How are they showing us their curiosity and sense of wonder?”. Almost immediately, we saw this fascination in the sounds of the leaves; breaking leaves, rustling them with their hands and feet, and observing and listening to them fall. Our leaf focus also coincided with the beginning of autumn, offering us many opportunities to get deeply immersed in our outdoor environment and get to know the different leaves, their colours and textures.
18 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
Moving into the winter months, we noticed that leaves were less readily available. In response, the investigation moved from making sounds with the leaves to recreating these sounds. Considering the age of our ākonga ranging from six months to two years, I was unsure if our tamariki would be capable of understanding sound representation and as a teacher I also dwelled on how I would be able to recognise these working theories in action. Putting my bias and fears aside, we began our recreating sounds phase by introducing new recycled resources into the soft sound environment that had similar sound potential as our leaves. These resources ranged from tissue paper, packing papers, bubble wraps, and recycled shredded paper from our atelier, arts environment. After many months of repeated experiences with the leaves, we observed our tamariki quickly adapt to these new resources, using very similar techniques to produce sounds. Most noticeable was ripping the packing paper, which had been a very popular technique to produce sounds with the leaves. Also, the idea of rustling the recycled materials together both with their hands and feet. As teachers, our ākonga showed us that the technique or method of making the sound was an important marker to look for when recognising and therefore supporting sound representation learning opportunities with our mostly non-verbal infant and toddler tamariki. Nearing the end of May, our teaching team discussed what sounds in our natural environment were grasping our tamariki attention and bringing our original dispositions of wonder and curiosity into our investigation experiences. We were in agreement that we felt there was a sense of change and movement from leaves to the rain, which we were experiencing in abundance. We began intentionally creating opportunities for our tamariki to get out for short bursts into the wild and wet Auckland weather. Here, we saw these dispositions of wonder alongside slow and intentional bodies, keen observational skills, and focused body language. But, we were challenged with how we could bring these experiences into our soft sound environment inside:
how could we harness the wonder of the rain for our children’s reflection within this investigation? This “harnessing of the rain” was a little more complex than we had anticipated. As we did with the leaves, we offered a variety of recycled resources alongside audio recordings we had made in the rain. However, our tamariki were continuing to focus on sticks and beat-making which had been a brief interest area earlier in the year. We experimented with offering more mindful, calm, low-sensory experiences of listening to our sound recordings of the rain with the thinking that this may spark some reflection on the sounds of the rain. But, again, no interest. In teacher discussions, we felt there needed to be a physical interaction, something we could offer like we had with the leaves to spark their exploration and connection-making. We decided to try using the projector to display a visual element of rain falling alongside the audio recordings. And, what a success this was. Again, we saw children fully immersing themselves, listening, observing, and interacting with the recycled sound-making resources with such joy and concentration. Within our observations, we saw many similarities in the children’s body language across the two experiences of physically being in the rain and exploring replicating these sounds. The children lifted their hands up as though they were catching the rain in their hands, patting their hands and tapping their feet against the recycled resources, and scratching pieces of cardboard in rhythms similar to the sporadic rain. Within our rain sound -making journey, we saw children share intentional emphasis on rhythm-making with the recycled resources that we had not seen earlier with the leaves. This new musical focus showed us the incredible abilities of our youngest learners to analyse the musical components of the sounds of the natural world, te taiao. Moreover, the musical learning that is housed within the investigation, familiarisation, relationship-building experiences with sound-making devices of any sort, namely in this context, are ones of the natural world.
GRETA BULL-CROSSAN
Across this six-month sound learning journey, we focused on allowing time for our tamariki to explore and build relationships with many sound-making devices of our natural world, te taiao. This time has allowed tamariki to have strong understandings of the sound potential of each resource and grow to be able use them with intent. We have seen how this has supported overtime their developing mechanisms of making sounds and their own individual and collaborative sound working theories. These experiences are foundational sound experiences as they learn to distinguish between pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre. With months to familiarise themselves with the simple sounds created with leaves, we could see our children employ the same techniques to make similar sounds with newer recycled resources showing their capability to explore recreating sounds and sound representation. Such learning could support future musical representation and interpretation. In later years, it could also support recognising the unique timbres and pitches of instruments. Another example worthy of consideration, is the way our children were able to apply appropriate musical elements to their representational sound-making such as with the rain. Having not previously seen the use of more rhythmic techniques such as scratching in sporadic patterns like the rain, we can see their ability to recognise what of these musical elements they are hearing and are therefore appropriate to use when recreating these sounds. As seen in this sound investigation, sound learning is an important part of early years musical play. Sound play creates opportunities for children to experience the musical elements in hands-on and ears-on ways. In the early years, children are making sense of the world around them and sound play is how they can learn and develop their own sound working theories and early musical knowledge.
BIO: Musician come music-educator, Greta began working in Early Childhood Education while completing her Masters in Music. Since, she has worked and studied the pivotal importance of music education in the early years. Currently, working as an Infant and Toddler kaiako in Auckland, she values sharing her knowledge of music teaching and learning specific to early childhood contexts through workshops and her day-to-day teaching.
Tune Me In MENZA 19
WORDS: GRETA BULL-CROSSAN
A great body of New Zealand and international early years musical learning literature is focused on singing or instrumental play, within early years musical learning with less discussing the importance of sound play. In this article, I will highlight the importance of sound play through sharing a six-month sound investigation within an infant and toddler ECE setting.
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
23 Conference
MARIA WINDER
Catching a Song
BIO: MNZM, BA, Dip Tchg (Primary) Australian Kodály Certificate in Early Childhood Education. Maria believes that singing is essential for children’s well-being and is every child’s birth right. She is a certified early childhood Kodály inspired music practitioner and registered primary school teacher. Maria works part-time for the NZ Choral Federation as Children’s Outreach Co-ordinator and teaches Kodaly-inspired preschool classes for All Together Now. She was the music specialist teacher at East Tāmaki School, Otara and at Ellerslie School in Auckland. She formerly worked for Victoria University in Wellington and subsequently, The University of Auckland as a district Music Advisor to Primary Schools. Maria has been a member of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, The University of Auckland Chamber Choir and currently sings in Luminata Voices Women’s Chamber Choir. Maria co-authored 'Hear Our Voices' a choral resource, published by NZ Choral Federation for leaders of children's choirs and has conducted massed choirs for the APPA Music Festival since 2004. Maria was a founding trustee, director of music education and co-author of Kiwileles Songbooks for the NZ Ukulele Trust (2007-2021) and a former board member of MENZA. She was awarded an MNZM for services to music education in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday honours. maria@thesoundofmusic.co.nz
MENZA EARLY CHILDHOOD
EARLY CHILDHOOD
A summary of how we can support beat keeping experiences from 0 to 3 and why it is important, particularly in regard to language.
Children catch the rhythm in the language of songs and rhymes by experience, feeling the beat and the phrases in the singing and experiencing the regularity of the beat through listening and movement. The repetitive nature of singing, rhymes and active musical play with children helps develop listening habits. By listening to and experiencing music and movement, they start to learn the meaning of sounds and gestures. They can recall rhythmic patterns in speech and melodies in songs and this helps develop auditory discrimination which is important in both language and music learning. The instinct to move as a response to sound is a natural way for babies to experience music.
WORDS: WINDER WORDS: MARIA JULIE WYLIE & LOUISE VAN TONGEREN
Parents and caregivers can lead the child aged 0 – 3 in musical movement and help them experience moving to a steady beat through tickling and bouncing rhymes and songs, lullabies, peek-a-boo and guessing games, action songs and finger plays.
STAGE ONE EXPERIENCING BEAT: Moving together For babies, the continuity of the beat is reinforced by moving together so the child experiences a steady beat through their whole body e.g. swaying to a lullaby, or bouncing to a chanted rhyme. The ability to feel the beat is developed over an extended period of time, so we repeat songs several times in succession. It is important for babies to be face to face with you as you sing with them, so they can see your facial expressions and so you can respond to them. The meaning of the text can be reinforced and communicated through movement. Practical Activity – Sleep, Sleep, Sleep My Babe BELOW Sing the song quietly, in a calming voice, holding your baby face to face, nestled in your arms and rocking gently to and fro. We are feeling the phrases in the singing and movement and experiencing the regularity of the beat. To personalise the song, you could substitute the child’s name. Upper body movement one to one, aided by an adult Holding hands, face to face and moving forwards and backwards, up and down, or swaying side to side, helps the child to experience the beat in their upper body with a knowledgeable adult. A scarf or a ribbon could be used to connect with a toddler one to one instead of holding hands. Children experience beat in language by hearing and feeling the stressed syllable. Movements should be on the stressed
syllable in the text. Singing of children’s songs reflect the rhythms of actual speech, observing the distinctions between long and short syllables. This is especially important when substituting children’s names. Moving together as a group Children can experience the beat in a group connected to a knowledgeable adult by lycra or the co-operband. This allows the adult to lead the song and the movement. The focus at this stage is still on upper body movement. If the child is anchored in one position, standing or sitting, they have more control of movement from their upper body.
Repeat the rhyme a few times and substitute children’s names in place of Connie. At the end of the rhyme, they could imitate their own sound and action for going down the plug hole.
STAGE TWO EXPERIENCING BEAT: Independent upper-body actions Until now, children have been experiencing beat as a result of the adult leading the activity. During this next stage, children experience beat by moving independently, copying and imitating a leader, using reciprocal movements or improvising their own movement to a song. Start with simple movements e.g. tapping knees at a tempo that matches the child’s inner beat and not too slow.
STAGE THREE EXPERIENCING STEADY BEAT: Walking to a steady beat in free space Once children have had multiple experiences of developing beat independently through upper body movement, Stage 3 will be to experience walking a steady beat. 2 -3 year olds are still developing the balance required for locomotor movement. Initial activities should involve singing and walking a steady beat in free space. They can then be guided by a knowledgable adult to walk in a line and in a circle with others, perhaps using a co-operband, or lycra, or holding hands. Eventually, children can be supported to walk a steady beat independently, preferably to songs that they are familiar with. 20 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
Practical Activity – Connie Connie in the Tub Children are seated in a circle. Tap your knees while we say the rhyme. Lift one hand in surprise on “Oh my goodness” and the other hand on “Oh my soul”. At the end of the rhyme, imitate the sound and action of Connie gurgling /swirling down the plug hole.
Children catch the rhythm in the language of a song by listening, singing and moving. The underlying steady beat in a song or rhyme is known to be important for language development. Researcher Usha Goswani found that dyslexic children struggle with speech rhythm and that nursery rhymes, dancing and music with the beat attached to the language can help children develop phonological awareness. Neuroscientist Nina Kraus suggests that rhythm is an integral part of both music and language. She found that children with steady beat independence are better readers. Tune Me In MENZA 21
WORDS: MARIA WINDER
Zoltan Kodály stressed the importance of beginning music education early and of using songs of the children’s native language as the earliest learning materials. Parents and early childhood carers play a vital role in supporting children to experience music. The easiest songs for children to imitate and remember are short, with repeated patterns and a limited range of notes.
LET’S GET SINGING!
LET’S GET SINGING!
FREE Teacher Professional Development Workshops in Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington and Christchurch
Free Primary and Intermediate PLD and mentoring available in Term 4 2023 and Terms 1 & 2 2024
Join us for a free, practical workshop on ways to use singing in the classroom for student development and wellbeing.
Group singing is an incredibly powerful tool for promoting hauora, creativity, learning and self-confidence in tamariki. Regular singing can have significant benefits for the emotional and educational development of your ākonga. And the great thing is, singing is free and every child has a voice!
If you have wanted to introduce or add more singing into your classroom, let us show you some songs and games that can support your students’ learning, improve hauora and help build their confidence and sense of community. This workshop will include • singing for teachers to enhance your own musicianship and wellbeing • how you can get your students singing, even if you aren’t a confident singer yourself • ways to use singing for routines, to reinforce learning, for mindfulness, and for fun! • Waiata Māori and songs for different year groups and where to find them
Four workshops to choose from: Auckland: Friday 3rd November, 4-7pm Venue: St Cuthbert’s College Presenter: Mary Cornish MNZM Mary Cornish has been teaching music and leading singing for over 20 years, and has conducted numerous festivals for children. Mary co-authored Hear Our Voices (for NZCF), the NZ Ukulele Handbook for Teachers, and the Kiwileles Songbooks.
Wellington: Saturday 4th November, 1-4pm Venue: Eastern Hutt School Presenter: Lala Simpson Madagascar-born and raised Lala Simpson is a Wellington NZ-based community song leader, song writer, singing workshop facilitator and singer who delights all with her joyful approach to singing and her focus on community singing.
Christchurch: Wednesday 8th November, 4-7pm Rotorua: Monday 13th November, 4-7pm Venue: St Margaret’s College Venue TBC Presenter: Rachel Wilford Presenter: Elisha Fa’i-So’oialo Rachel Wilford has been Rotorua-based Samoan teaching for many years as a Elisha Fa’i-So’oialo has a busy music specialist, choir director, career as a music and singing and singing teacher. She is a teacher at Rotorua Boys’ High conductor for the Northwest School. Elisha holds a Master music festival and is music of Music and is Pasifika Advisor director of the Christchurch for the New Zealand Childrens’ Primary Schools’ music festival. Choral Academy. RVSP by 27 October Scan the QR code to register Contact Maria Winder, NZCF Children’s Outreach Coordinator 027 226 8044 outreach@nzcf.org.nz
This workshop is part of NZCF’S outreach programme “Singing for Lifelong Wellbeing” and is funded through a grant from Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage.
Through grant funding from the Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the New Zealand Choral Federation (NZCF) is offering free PLD and resources for primary/intermediate school teachers. This funding is aimed at schools that want to establish a classroom singing programme or group/ choir. We can help you to get your students singing even if you aren’t a confident singer yourself. PLD includes regional workshops and ongoing access to resources including ways you can use singing in the classroom. We can help you find enjoyable songs and resources for young, developing voices and will advise about effective ways of working with singers in different year groups. There are still opportunities for mentoring available for up to five hours of one-on-one support, combining online coaching and in-person sessions at school. Fully online options will be available for rural schools. Priority will be given to schools where there is currently no singing programme or choir in place. If you are keen for your school or kura to enhance this part of your curriculum or school life, please register your interest with: NZCF’s Children’s Outreach Coordinator, Maria Winder outreach@nzcf.org.nz We will then contact you to discuss the best PLD/ mentoring plan for you. Places are limited, so be in quick to register your interest. This programme “Singing for Lifelong Wellbeing” runs until June 2024.
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MENZA BIO: At the age of 4, Suzanne attended her first BalletCONTENTS lesson. This was where her dream of becoming a Ballet Teacher began. In July 2019, Suzanne founded Ballet.Culture. Her aim was to create an environment that welcomes people from all backgrounds to learn the wonderful benefits of Ballet, in an empowering and fun way. Suzanne is a qualified Ballet teacher with The Imperial Classical Ballet (ISTD), but also has a working knowledge of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus and is a registered teacher with BBO (British Ballet Organization). She uses her experience to create and choreograph classes that reflect technique, poise and passion. Suzanne's qualifications go beyond Ballet, as she is also a qualified Early Childhood Teacher. This provides her with the knowledge to guide her students and encourage movements beneficial for their development.
Conference
Music and Movement
Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It’s the rhythm of your life. It’s the expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness, and envy. Jacques d’Amboise founded the National Dance Institute to promote dance to children.
imagination and exploring what their body is physically capable of.
I attended my first Ballet class at the age of four. When I say ‘attended’ I mean that I watched the class while hiding under a table. I was completely mesmerised by the Teacher, her movements so graceful and her enjoyment evident in her big smile. That was the moment I decided that one day I wanted to be a Ballet teacher. Today, I get to be just that. If you ask me what my absolute favourite part of being a teacher is, my answer is simple… Creating a safe space where dancers are encouraged to express their own individuality to become the best version of themselves.
A typical Ballet.Culture Preschool class consists of, but is not limited to:
WORDS: SUZANNE FRANKEN
When a young child hears music, their body naturally starts to move. We don’t need to teach children how to dance, but we can guide them to develop confidence to use music and movement for self-expression, to become immersed in their
24 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
At Ballet.Culture we do this by creating a class environment that inspire all of the above.
Moving to music that focuses on a change in tempo Examples: Music that changes between slow and fast or music with a pause. We enjoy using props like ribbons or scarves. This is where the connection between music and movement begins. Children listen to the music and then move their bodies accordingly. Exploration of movement Examples: Walking with pointed toes, marching, skipping and running. Different pieces of music are used to differentiate between the steps.
Using our imagination Examples: Pretending to be a butterfly coming out of a chrysalis. I usually ask the little dancers what colour butterfly they would like to be to add to the picture they are creating within their imagination. We learn movements that are relevant to Ballet Examples: Plies (making a diamond shape with our legs by bending our knees) or Rises (lifting our heels up and balancing). These movements will help with coordination and physical development.
Music is an integral part of choreography. It is important to choose music that students will connect to. Ask the questions and listen to the conversations. What movies are trending right now? You can never go wrong with a bit of Frozen or Moana. What music do they listen to at home? One of my pre-schoolers was very shy and even though I could see that all she wanted to do was dance, she would not let go of her mum’s hand. I asked her mum what her favourite songs were and the next week, I choreographed the class to include these. She has danced without mum since then and always has the biggest smile on her face.
Synchronising movement and sound Examples: Combining music and movement, through clapping or using musical instruments.
Include music and movement into your teaching practice, but be prepared to get involved. Forget you are an adult for a few minutes and let the music guide you. Dance like a young child, with pure abandon.
This encourages children to synchronise their movements to music and also helps with coordination.
MENZA EARLY CHILDHOOD
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
Suzanne Franken, owner/founder of Ballet.Culture
Tune Me In MENZA 25
WORDS: SUZANNE FRANKEN
EARLY CHILDHOOD
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
23
BIO: Hayley is a primary trained, music specialist teacher and has been teaching classroom music for over 25 years. Hayley is currently teaching Performing Arts from Kindergarten through to Year 6 students at Kristin School in Albany, Auckland. Hayley enjoys teaching music and movement in the classroom context as part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme at Kristin School. Hayley has been a board member of MENZA since 2022 and is the current president of ONZA (Orff New Zealand Aotearoa). Hayley is a keen advocate of using the Orff Approach to music education in an inclusive and holistic way using speech, movement, singing and playing instruments as part of her teaching.
Conference
A Taste Of Orff | NZ Aotearoa (ONZA): Sing, Say, Dance & Play
MENZA PRIMARY
MENZA PRIMARY
HAYLEY HUNTER
MUSIC & MOVEMENT LESSON: “Wonderful Weather” Here are some simple ideas integrating music, dance /movement, literacy and science concepts using the Orff Approach. Students will use speech, singing, instrumental music and movement to explore and understand different types of weather and changes in weather conditions.
Use words and phrases from the poem as rhythmic fragments to create a rhythmic piece using body percussion and then transfer onto untuned percussion instruments. Create
a 4-bar rhythm sequence using 4 different patterns joined together. Here are some possible keywords and rhythm fragments you could use:
1. START WITH A POEM
3. CREATE A MOVEMENT SEQUENCE
THE LITTLE RAINDROP
Running through puddles with a tumble and splash
Create movements and use gestures to imitate the different types of weather or activity mentioned in the poem. Read the words of the poem out loud and respond to the text with movement. Work with a small group to incorporate the body percussion sounds from the previous activity and explore the different elements of dance (body awareness, space, relationships, time, and energy) to create a movement sequence:
The thunder rumbles and grumbles, then crash!
•Rain
6. CREATE AN ACCOMPANIMENT USING MELODIC PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
Down comes the rain, plippety plop, plippety plop, plippety plop,
•Wind
Pitter patter goes the little raindrop
•Thunder & lightning
by Susie Davies-Splitter & Phil Splitter from “Rainbows, Trees and Tambourines” (Welcome to Music)
Perform your movement sequence while the poem is read aloud once more. Then try the movement sequence without the text.
Improvise and create a musical accompaniment for the poem on tuned percussion using the pentatonic scale. Use words or short phrases from the poem to create a pedal note, bordun (drone) and melodic ostinati patterns (ostinato = a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch). Play musical accompaniment while saying the poem aloud.
Pitter patter goes the little raindrop Sometimes fast, sometimes slow Can you hear the wind blow? Whoosh…whoosh…
Read the poem out loud and listen to the words and imagery used in the poem with eyes closed. Perhaps play a sound recording of a rainstorm whilst reading the poem to set the scene (for example “Rainstorm - Summer Rains, Taranaki” from Natural Heritage - A Selection Of New Zealand Nature Sounds by Ana and Norval Wiliamson). 2. EXPLORE FOUND SOUNDS WITH BODY PERCUSSION Read the poem once more and demonstrate how to use body percussion to create a soundscape to go with key words and phrases in the poem: •“Splishety splash, plippety plop, pitter patter” - pat fingers on palm of hand to sound like rainfall. •“Can you hear the wind blow?” - rub hands together and make “whooshing” sound with voice/breath to make the sound of the wind. •“Running through puddles” - pat knees to sound like feet running through puddles.
•Running through puddles
•Pedal note - play a low C “Splash” - bass metallophone 4. CREATE A MUSICAL SOUNDSCAPE USING UNTUNED PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
•Drone/Bordun - bass xylophone, bass bars or contrabass marimba:
-“Splash” C&G (play notes together) -“Raindrop” C&G (alternate notes) -“Little Raindrop” C G C G (cross LH hand over) -“Splish Splash” C&G (play notes together low, then play high) Ostinati patterns - soprano and alto xylophones, metallophones or glockenspiels -“Drip drop” (G E) -“Pitter patter” (GAGA) -“Splishety splash, plipperty plop” (GAGE)
Use untuned percussion instruments (drums, claves, maracas, guiros, triangles, cymbals etc) to create a soundscape for each type of weather and activity mentioned in the poem. Here are some ideas to try: •Rain - tap fingertips on drums, tap claves, click castanets, egg shakers •Wind - rub the skin of the drum with your hand •Running through puddles - pat tambourines, shake bells or tap triangles •Thunder & lightning - rapid, fast hand movements on a drum Read the poem aloud with percussion instruments accompanying the text. Play the soundscape without the text.
7. CREATE AN ACCOMPANIMENT USING UKULELES Using the open strings of the ukulele (G C E A), create a pentatonic accompaniment for the poem using the following ostinati patterns:
•“The thunder rumbles and grumbles” - stamp feet or pat hands on the ground to make a rumbling sound like thunder. •“Splash/crash” - clap hands together to create a splashing or crashing sound. 26 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
Tune Me In MENZA 27
WORDS: HAYLEY HUNTER
Splishety splash, plippety plop
WORDS: HAYLEY HUNTER
5. CREATE RHYTHMIC PATTERNS USING BODY PERCUSSION & UNTUNED PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
MENZA PRIMARY
8. PERFORM THE POEM WITH SINGING, MOVEMENT AND INSTRUMENTS Perform “The Little Raindrop” using speech, singing, body percussion, movement, untuned percussion, tuned percussion and ukuleles. Use Rondo Form (ABACA) for each different section: Section A - sing “Rain, Rain Go Away” with pentatonic instrumental accompaniment; Section B - the poem with body percussion/movement sequence; Section C - the instrumental soundscape. 9. OTHER IDEAS AND RESOURCES TO EXPLORE THIS THEME FURTHER: • RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY (Traditional)
-A pentatonic melody which uses “so-mi-la” pitches. -Add a simple pentatonic accompaniment using melodic percussion.
• WATER WATER by Janet Channon and Wendy Jensen from “Jump, Jive and Improvise”. -Sing the song and create simple actions to go with the lyrics.
similar to a child's world of play. It was developed by the German composer Carl Orff (1895–1982) and colleague Gunild Keetman during the 1920s. Orff-inspired teachers enable children to learn through singing, dancing, and playing with musical material drawn from the imaginative and cultural world of the child. Creativity is at the heart of the approach, which is certainly not a method. Key principles are: • Inclusive and collaborative experiences for all abilities with opportunities for participants to enjoy success in collaborative music-making • The centrality of elemental rhythmic experiences • A unity of language, movement, and music • A nurturing of expressive and creative artistic behaviour • Opportunities to improvise and compose • An emphasis on the aesthetic • A range of artistic activities through which children discover form and content in natural and creative ways
-Sing in canon (as a round).
• A carefully sequenced process in which learning is scaffolded through exploration and imitation in movement, speech and playing
-This song is not pentatonic but you can create a simple accompaniment for the song with a bordun and ostinati patterns in the key of D minor (as per the recording) or transpose into A minor to avoid needing a B flat note.
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS KIND OF MUSIC EDUCATION? Hand in hand with increased musical understanding,
• LISTEN TO THE RAIN by Julie Wylie from “Sing and Play”. -Sing the song and create simple actions to go with the lyrics. -Create a simple pentatonic accompaniment with bordun and ostinati patterns using tuned percussion instruments for the 1st section “Listen to the rain, listen to the rain, listen to the sound of the rain…” -Create an untuned percussion soundscape in the 2nd section “Listen to the sound of the falling rain, pouring down my windowpane…” -Create a movement sequence with scarves to go with the song. -Includes traditional rhymes - “Rain, Rain Go Away” and “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring”.
• IT’S RAINING, IT’S POURING (Traditional) arranged by Ian Lawrence from “Ukulele Magic” in the A&C Black Ukulele Series (available through Fishpond). -Play accompaniment for songs using open strings on the ukulele. -Use word fragments from the song to create pentatonic ostinati patterns: • “Drip Drop” - E & C strings • “Splash” - lightly strum fingers down all strings
learners can discover and develop their artistic abilities and practice their personal expressiveness. Everybody has musical abilities of some sort and can learn musical skills, develop musical appreciation and gain understanding in music with the Orff Approach. Participants of all ages and levels of musical ability can participate in an Orff music experience.
WORDS: HAYLEY HUNTER
• RHYTHM OF THE RAIN by Jerry Estes from JW Pepper.
WHAT ABOUT THE ORFF INSTRUMENTS? Percussion instruments, which are utilised in the Orff Approach, are natural extensions of the human hands and the human body. Originally hands, feet and the entire body were used as instruments in elemental ways. Later, drums, sticks, cymbals, and other sound sources were added in more sophisticated ways. The use of tuned percussion instruments (xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, and marimba) in the Orff Approach helps us to gain better understandings of the elements of rhythm and moving pitch. As players investigate, create, and play patterns on the barred percussion instruments, they learn to hear, play, see and feel the intervals they play. Thus, they have at least a three-way opportunity towards recognition of pitch and rhythm patterns. KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE ORFF APPROACH 1. The use of speech, language, and text to unlock the concepts of beat and rhythm.
2. The use of movement and body percussion to internalise and explore beat and rhythm.
-Incorporates a simple accompaniment on tuned percussion and unpitched percussion.
3. The use of percussion instruments to explore beat and rhythm in a kinesthetic way.
WHAT IS ‘ORFF-SCHULWERK’ OR THE ‘ORFF APPROACH’? The Orff Schulwerk, or simply the Orff Approach, is a developmental approach used in music education. It combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are
Leaders in Technology for Music & Arts Education
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door to music learning in a kinesthetic way. There are many practical advantages for having a music education with movement, especially for children. Learners are involved in the practice of fine and grossmotor coordination activities, the development of body awareness, balancing skills, refinement of all senses and activities which refine acute listening abilities.
-2-part choral arrangement for upper primary students.
ORFF NEW ZEALAND AOTEAROA (ONZA)
Canberra Girls Grammar School, Sep 2022.
WHY MUSIC AND MOVEMENT? Movement activities open the
• “Pitter Patter” - G & A strings -Create a movement sequence for the “rap” section of the song.
Music EDnet TV livestreaming the Kodaly Australia national conference from
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4. The use of tuned percussion instruments to unlock the concepts pitch, melody, and harmony. 5. The use of harmonic tools such as pedal notes, bordun (drone), melodic ostinati and the pentatonic scale to ensure successful improvisation and creative composition. 6. The use of imitation, exploration, improvisation, and composition as creative pathways.
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23
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
Conference
Conference
What works in my classroom when nurturing musical & expressive musicians?
Using NZ music to support teaching
Direct from this workshop to your classroom
Music teachers are already doing an amazing job of using New Zealand music to support their teaching and link with the curriculum, with the most common way to engage students being to prepare performances of New Zealand artists' work. This type of learning is specifically part of the "Communicating and interpreting in music" achievement objective in the arts curriculum.
I am very humbled to share what worked well in my own teaching experience with my colleagues. In this practical and interactive workshop for kaiako from ECE and Primary sectors, ways to promote and nurture musical and expressive musicians are explored through (1) the rationale, (2) inquiry -based learning, (3) repertoire, (4) students’ agency, (5) music elements, (6) music and drama in books. Effective practices conducted in my teaching in the past 20 years were discussed and demonstrated. Recordings and copies of the repertoire, resources, effective games, and everything were shared with all participants! Please kindly contact Edith on epoon@kristin. school.nz if you are interested in knowing more about the full content or any specific resources. There are six rationales behind my teaching: some borrowed, some initiated. They include: 1. We are all musicians.
2. Repertoire selection – it is all about appropriateness! a. Rhythms and Pitch / right range / complexity of the rhythms and the opportunities to engage students’ emotion – story telling, imagination and role playing! b. Use songs at all times (music-filled lessons) – greetings / transition / partner searching etc c. Lots of games and movement! d. Listening – role modelling 3. Students' agency [when we have choices, we own the music making process and enjoy it more] a. Choices to choose WHAT - their favourite songs in various contexts b. Choices to choose WITH WHOM - partners / pair / solo
3. We do what musicians do.
c. Choices to choose HOW – methods and media to demonstrate their understanding
4. Our essential agreement - TRUST, SAFE, TIME
d. Agreed success criteria & self-reflection
2. We use the terms musicians use.
5. We are here to make music. All movements, acting and games are to twist your brains and to distract you from singing / making music. So, our job is to keep singing and making music! 6. Being music educators, we are determined to upgrade our own teaching skills, knowledge, and musicianship. To promote and nurture musical and expressive musicians, I keep five things in my head at all time: 1. Inquiry-based and learn things in context — an inductive & explorational experience – engage the students!
Ple ase rem emb WORDS: EDITH POON-LAI
23
4. Elements of Music – what really works in my teaching? Effective and fun ways to illustrate these elements are explored when presenting various elements of music to our students. All elements are crucial when nurturing musical and expressive musicians. 5. Integrating Music and Drama through performances and story books. To conclude, ways to promote and nurture musical and expressive musicians were explored through (1) the rationale, (2) inquiry-based learning, (3) repertoires, (4) students’ agency, (5) Music elements, (6) Music and Drama in books.
er – Fu n and M usic -fil led less ons!
gin atio n! Sel f-re flec tion ! Sto ryte llin g and ima
30 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
BIO: Edith Poon-Lai has taught Performing Arts and Chinese to 4-11 year olds at Kristin School (Auckland) for the past 24 years. Her passion for Music began when learning the piano and singing in a school choir during her primary school years in Hong Kong. Edith has presented workshops for ONZA ECE projects, MENZA Network of Expertise and various Chinese education conferences. She is currently serving on the committee of New Zealand Choral Federation (Auckland). Edith holds a Master of Music Education from Auckland University and has completed her levels training in both Orff (ONZA) and Kodály (Australian Kodály Certificate). She is dedicated to nurturing children’s development when making, responding to, and creating Music. Mrs Poon-Lai has a channel on YouTube where all her original songs are published.
Preparing performances is a fantastic learning tool. It allows students to hone their skills on a particular instrument with accuracy and fluency, but also to practise ensemble awareness in conjunction with understanding the social dynamics of navigating group practice. Other ways music students are currently discovering New Zealand composers and artists are through researching a New Zealand music topic for the Level 2 NCEA standard AS 91278, along with analysis of songs /works at junior and senior levels. These tasks develop research skills, finding and processing/filtering information, in addition to understanding the elements of music (form, dynamics, texture, timbre, pitch, metre, rhythm etc) in context. THE IMPORTANCE OF SHARING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES Using New Zealand music in classrooms also extends beyond the arts curriculum.
SUPPORTING THE CURRICULUM IN THE FUTURE As teachers, we are all familiar with our current curriculum, but looking forward, the landscape changes slightly with curriculum updates and NCEA revisions about to be written and implemented. The new Aotearoa New Zealand's histories curriculum has three 'big ideas' • understand
• know
• do.
'Do' asks us to critically think about the past and interpret stories about it. A perfect way to 'do' is to incorporate the stories of our New Zealand songwriters. Music at NCEA Level 1 will include study of music in a Māori context, and the history curriculum asks students to demonstrate understanding of different perspectives on a historical event or place. All are opportunities for us to engage our students with the craft of our New Zealand songwriters and composers. INCLUDING NZ MUSIC IN THE CLASSROOM Sometimes, this can be as simple as providing a New Zealand soundtrack while your students work. There are many good playlists on popular streaming services available if you don't want to curate your own. Download a waiata and supporting content from Hei Waiata, Hei Whakakoakoa.
Not only are there some excellently crafted New Zealand songs, but there are many which deal with perspectives on events and issues in our history. The social studies curriculum asks students to 'collect and record information from a range of sources reflecting a variety of perspectives'. What better way to do that than through exploring New Zealand music as an expression of political and historical perspectives? Some great New Zealand songs for thought -provoking discussion about local historical events and issues are:
Classes can take a specific song and break down the sections to either understand the musical elements of each part of the music structure or to use the lyrics to define the intent or message.
• E Tū by Upper Hutt Posse (New Zealand Wars)
• John Hore's 'I've Been Everywhere'
• Parihaka by Tim Finn & the Herbs (invasion of Parihaka)
• The Exponents' Geraldine
• Chains by DLT feat. Che Fu (colonisation from a Pasifika perspective)
• Tiny Ruins' Me at the Museum, You in the Wintergardens.
• French Letter by Herbs (nuclear testing in the Pacific)
Check out Radio New Zealand's NZ song map: Songs about New Zealand places.
• Don't Go by Right, Left and Centre (opposition to the proposed 1985 All Black tour of South Africa) and, more recently, Urutaa and Rū Ana Te Whenua by Alien Weaponry (reference to a series of incidents between Māori and Pakeha in the early 1800s and the Battle of Pukehinahina | Gate Pa)
EDITH POON-LAI
BRENDA OAKLEY
You can also explore your local area through New Zealand music. Students could select a geographical area and find a song about it. There are many examples such as: • The Muttonbirds' Dominion Road • OMC's Land of Plenty
The AudioCulture's blog post Song lines looks at New Zealand geography in song, and includes a playlist you can stream in your classroom of the songs above.
Tune Me In MENZA 31
WORDS: BRENDA OAKLEY
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
MENZA SECONDARY
BIO: Brenda Oakley is a musician, secondary teacher and mum who lives in Rotorua. She's passionate about all things creative, especially encouraging students to engage in music study and performance.
MENZA SECONDARY INTROS MENZA
‘Changing Horizons’ was the theme of the 2023 World Symposium on Choral Music, held in Türkiye from 25th - 30th April, 2023. This prestigious event gathered more than 2,500 choral singers, presenters and arts professionals in the bustling transcontinental city of Istanbul. After the devastating repercussions of COVID-19, the theme ‘Changing Horizons’ suggested a broader understanding of choral music that includes traditions, styles and regions not previously included in more conventional traditions. To reflect this exploration of how ensemble singing might look like in the near and far future, more than 40 countries from five continents were represented. In addition to 44 concerts, delegates could attend keynote presentations, conducting and composing masterclasses, meet-the-composer sessions, open singing, reading sessions, panels, roundtable discussions and the EXPO.
at the Conservatory of Venezia and the Accademia Chigiana di Siena in Italy. The two demonstration choirs from Istanbul were Rezonans (mixed voices) conducted by Burak Onur Erdem (WSCM Festival Director) and Sirene (treble voices) conducted by Volkan Akkoç.
Earlier in 2023, I was accepted as one of eight international conductors to participate in the conducting masterclass. I am an Associate Conductor of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir under the mentorship of Dr Karen Grylls, but on a weekly basis, I am choral director of Cantare (premier treble choir) and Choralation (premier mixed choir) at Westlake Girls High School, where I work as Head of Music.
Klara Maljuga (Slovenia)
WORDS: FIONA WILSON
The conducting masterclass was scheduled from 22nd to 27th April and included public sessions for delegates, culminating in a concert on the final day. Ragnar Rasmussen (key tutor) is a conductor, university professor and composer based at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. He currently works with Nidaros Vokalensemble and Utopia & Reality Chamber Choir. Lorenzo Donati (guest tutor) is a conductor and composer, teaching
32 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
Preparations for the masterclass began with a zoom meeting with Ragnar and all the masterclass participants: Alberto Palacín Fernádez (Spain) Austeja Pezelyte (Lithuania) Jessica Fedora Amadea (Indonesia) Jose Alberto Azurdia Lamadrid (United States)
Lieu Tõnissar (Estonia) Fiona Wilson (New Zealand) After introductions, Ragnar outlined his expectations for the masterclass and outlined his teaching principles centred on Gravity, Breath, Listening and Presence. Each participant prepared six pieces for each choir from a range of styles and periods. The zoom meeting helped to break the ice so when we all met in person, we felt comfortable as a class and with our tutor, Ragnar. Each day consisted of three 2.5 hour sessions, in the morning, afternoon and early evening. Two sessions were used for podium time with the choirs and the third session was for Ragnar’s lectures, class discussion and practice of conducting techniques, rehearsal methodology and
interpretation. Complete immersion into the art of conducting for six days produced a pressurised learning environment, but the participants positively supported each other, learning a great deal through every teaching interaction, not just their own. A warm, energetic, and passionate teacher, Ragnar was skilled at bringing the best out of the participants and it was exciting to see each conductor’s technique develop quickly, even from one day to the next. At the opening Gala Concert, it was a thrill to see Ragnar conducting the Turkish State Choir and collaborating across Turkish and Norwegian music with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and their conductor Tōnu Kaljuste. Sessions with our guest tutor, Lorenzo Donati, focused on exploring our ideas and interpretation and developing them into conducting gestures, which complemented Ragnar’s philosophies. It was a huge benefit to have four days to learn privately with the choirs and tutors before the pressure of the delegates observing our lessons once the Symposium opened. Another interesting session was a discussion with three composing masterclass participants and their tutor, composer Ko Matsushita (Japan), regarding the sometimes simple but more often complex relationship triangle between composer, conductor, and the music. Highlight performances for me were delivered by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Batavia Madrigal Singers, Vancouver Youth Choir and Leioa Kantika Korala. The two keynote presentations that I found most stimulating were delivered by Anthony Trecek King ‘Building the Room’ and Maria Guinand ‘The Choral Conductor’s role in these changing times’. I appreciated being a member of a team of eight New Zealanders where I could support representatives Elise Bradley, Jono Palmer
MENZA SECONDARY
World Symposium on Choral Music, Istanbul 2023 Fiona Wilson (NZ)
FIONA WILSON
and Dr Karen Grylls, who presented ‘The Voices of Moananui-a-kiwa' (Oceania) as well as an Oceania reading session and international panel discussion. Other presentations that I greatly enjoyed were delivered by Panda van Proosdij ‘From Voice & Physique to Choireography’, Astrid VangPerdersen ‘Concert Design’ and Shireen Abu Khader ‘From Palestine with Love’. It was also a new and enjoyable experience to hear Turkish choral music - with its irregular rhythms and microtonality, it was an introduction to an exciting sound world. Our masterclass concert on the final day came too quickly but was hugely successful with each participant conducting two pieces, then receiving a certificate in a presentation. It was a proud moment for my classmates and I, as we all felt we had developed our skills and grown as artists. The masterclass was an intense experience that bonded us (as well as sharing about our musical cultures over delicious Turkish food!) and we have remained in touch with each other. On reflection, attending the WSCM was the most transformative experience in my choral journey so far. The symposium provided such an abundance of pedagogical material that was stimulating and exciting, and it was a great pleasure to hear some of the world’s best choirs perform live in concert. The wonderful people I have met and connected with have helped reinforce that the work we do each week with our choirs has an important place within a much wider and global scope. It is a vital part of our role as conductors to look up and look out - to keep imagining what might lie beyond our own horizons. Fiona Wilson
Tune Me In MENZA 33
WORDS: FIONA WILSON
MENZA SECONDARY
BIO: Fiona Wilson is a conductor and educator from Auckland, New Zealand. She is currently Head of Music at Westlake Girls High School, where she directs two of their award-winning choirs. Choirs under her direction have performed at national and international festivals, including the ANCA national conference, ChoralFest, and the inaugural Aspire Music Festival in Brisbane, winning both the choral division and the ‘Best Performance Award’ for the festival. Her choirs have regularly won Gold awards at the NZCF national choral competition, The Big Sing. Regularly seeking out collaborations with other arts organisations, her choirs have performed with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Choral, North Shore Brass Band, and Toronto Children’s Chorus. Fiona is a soprano and associate conductor for the Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir. Under the mentorship of its artistic director, Dr Karen Grylls, Fiona was chorus master for ‘The Blue Planet’ project.
WORKSHOP SUMMARY
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
2023 Conference
HE HONONGA
Teaching Music Theory & Aural Training with Music Ecademy
PRESENTED AT THE MENZA 2023 CONFERENCE “HE HONONGA”. Our workshop titled "Teaching Music Theory and Aural Training with Music Ecademy" provided a comprehensive overview of the Music Ecademy platform and how it can be effectively used in educational settings. The workshop encompassed various aspects, including practical demonstrations, strategies for incorporating Music Ecademy into the classroom, and insights into both student and teacher perspectives. Here is a summary of the workshop's key components:. Introduction: The workshop aimed to introduce our online learning resource Music Ecademy, demonstrate its functionalities, and provide practical insights into its use in the classroom. The workshop was divided into several segments, including student and teacher demos, learning strategies, ways to incorporate Music Ecademy into the classroom, and a practical portion where attendees could explore the resource for themselves. Common Problems in Music Education: : The workshop highlighted some common problems teachers face when teaching music theory, such as time constraints, the hunt for resources, the arduous task of marking, and the diverse skill levels of students. These challenges served as a backdrop for demonstrating how Music Ecademy addresses these issues.
WORDS: JAROSLAV TĀNE NOVAK
Why Learn/Teach Music Theory: The importance of music theory was emphasised, highlighting its role in fostering musicianship skills, boosting confidence in music performance, and honing composition techniques. Additionally, its broader impact on other subjects such as computational thinking and literacy/numeracy skills was underscored. Overview of Music Ecademy: The core features of Music Ecademy were presented. Music Ecademy is an online learning resource designed with a mission to engage students with music theory and elevate their learning outcomes. Attendees were introduced to individual student logins, course structure, curriculum relevance, and lessons. As it is self-directed, students of different levels can work at their own pace. The courses are divided into bite-sized sections accompanied by lessons and quizzes that ensure continuous assessment. There are hundreds of lessons and thousands of possible questions all nicely scaffolded to allow students to learn music theory successfully. Gamification in Music Ecademy: The workshop discussed the role of gamification in education, helping to increase student engagement and motivation. Music Ecademy's implementation of badges, leaderboards, and levels was highlighted as a way to encourage participation and keep students engaged.
34 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
Music Ecademy for Teachers: Attendees learned about the teacher's perspective within Music Ecademy. Features such as progress tracking, grade management, and automatic marking were demonstrated. Teachers gained competence in utilising the Music Ecademy Teacher Account. Curriculum and Content: Music Ecademy's curriculum alignment with major exam boards and national standards was explained. The courses are designed to make sure students learn everything they need to know to pass their exams. Special courses, such as musical terms in te reo Māori, were also highlighted. Hands-on Demos: Practical demonstrations enabled attendees to explore Music Ecademy first-hand from both student and teacher perspectives, aiding them in navigating the resource with confidence. Activities included navigating courses, completing lessons and quizzes, and downloading certificates. Demonstrated teacher features included tracking student progress both individually and across a class. Incorporating Music Ecademy into the Classroom: Strategies for integrating Music Ecademy into the classroom were presented. These strategies included individual work, group work, homework assignments, and flipped classroom models. Blended learning strategies, a key element of modern education, were discussed as well. Conclusion: The workshop introduced attendees to Music Ecademy, showcased its features, and provided practical guidance on its implementation in music education. With a focus on addressing common challenges, the workshop empowered educators with new tools and strategies to enhance their teaching of music theory. In closing, thanks to all of the attendees and a heartfelt thank you to MENZA for orchestrating such an exceptional event!
BIO: Jaroslav is a musician, educator, and co-founder of Music Ecademy, a web application that teaches music theory and aural skills. Jaroslav holds degrees in music and commerce from the University of Otago where he completed his Master’s thesis on the applications of e-learning and online software. He also undertook further studies in orchestral conducting at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts.
Leaderboards, levels and badges help to keep students engaged. Thousands of possible questions in hundreds of quizzes help students learn the best way possible – through practice! Online Learning with Music Ecademy! Join thousands of students and teachers across Aotearoa and around the world using Music Ecademy to improve musical literacy.
CURRICULUM-ALIGNED Developed in Aotearoa New Zealand. Curriculum following the major music exam boards, school curriculum including NCEA and musical terms in Te Reo Māori.
PROGRESS TRACKING Teacher accounts allow you to track your students' progress. With individual logins for each student, Music Ecademy is perfect for BYOD.
WWW.MUSICECADEMY.COM
QUIZZES & GAMIFICATION Leaderboards, levels and badges help to keep students engaged. Thousands of possible questions in hundreds of quizzes help students learn the best way possible – through practice!
info@musicecademy.com
WWW.MUSICECADEMY.COM info@musicecademy.com
JAROSLAV TĀNE NOVAK
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
At TE KURA - We’re writing all the lessons for NCEA Level One
23 Conference
MENZA TE KURA
TE KURA CORRESPONDENCE
BIO: Belinda Carey is currently a Kaiako Matua/Lead teacher for Puoro/Music at Te Kura/ Correspondence School. She is an active musician, playing bassoon in orchestras at the top of the South and the bottom of the North Island. She has been an HOD Drama and Music, HOF of Arts at Wellington High School, and Makoura College. She is a MENZA kaiarahi/national advisor in Music and is currently on the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh Arts team. Belinda has worked in Performing Arts and Community Arts in Australia and New Zealand and is a fearsome advocate for equity, the power of Music, and the rights of all students to have a comprehensive education led by specialist Arts teachers.
BELINDA CAREY
Maybe we can help, here’s our sharing takeaways.
For NCEA Level 1 the changes don't seem excessive but it is an opportunity. One of the big opportunities is to reassess our teaching through the Mataurangi Māori lens and the second is to think about how we can go back to really making learning matter rather than just assessment. The learning takes place, the assessment happens. For the last 18 months I've been working at Te Kura the Correspondence School as Kaiako Matua/lead teacher for music. I'm lucky to be part of a fabulous team. There are four music teachers, we are in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, and Christchurch. The great thing for me was being allocated time with this team to think about what would really work best. For us, change means changing everything, and we have had to write and code every lesson, for the following year. Whaitake - What do we need to take into consideration when writing the content for the NCEA change at Level One? This was the first big question for us. Before I started at Te Kura I thought of my own experiences as a student in that school, which was booklets and work sent back and forth in the mail. The reality now for Te Kura is very different. I'm a hybrid teacher. I sometimes work face -to-face with ākonga. I work from home and I work in an office in Wellington. Te Kura has over 30,000 students. Our knowledge about what works online is extensive and our challenge is to make sure that
online learning is not about just sitting at computers anymore. Our mantra is for students to be able to work anytime, anyone, anywhere. I have students all over the world. I have students who are aged ten to adult doing NCEA Level 1. I have students who are excluded, anxious, with special needs and gifted. So the challenge is also to make every student in our space feel like we're working for them.
The next challenge was: Whakamana - How do we know the students have learnt this and are ready for assessment, when we have such a holistic approach?
Style/Genre
Perform
Context
Compose
Whakawhanaungatanga - How do ākonga enter into an online world where they feel like they are welcome and that who they are really matters? How do we promote the feeling that their cultural identity is valued? Their prior learning and their individual aspirations are valued? How do we consider learning difficulties? Learning acceleration, and cover numeracy, literacy and still make the course extending and inspiring. Just to make things challenging there is no itinerant program at Te Kura and most of our students have no prior learning. We need to make the lessons challenging but accessible. Māramatonutanga - What musical knowledge and skills do ākonga need to learn in Level One NCEA? So this is where we started. We picked through all the new standards, and we found the subject specific words and topics that the students would need to know. We thought about how we could integrate these into a series of lessons/ online, that will cover all the aspects of Performance, Context, Composition, and Style. What we came up with were four modules based on Rangi/Melody, Tatangi/Harmony, Ūngeri/Rhythm and Hā/Instruments/timbre.
Students do the tasks and work their way through the modules. We identify opportunities with badges in the writing and they can click on the badge when they submit something, and it will start to colour in the picture of their learning in the matrix. We were pleasantly surprised when we did an audit of all our tasks. We have given the students plenty of opportunities to learn in every area. We believe they will have been exposed to a wide range of musical examples and styles. They can start anywhere and be assessed anytime. We have included a bi-cultural approach and we have clearly defined and subject specific literacy they will need to make sense of learning in NCEA Level 1. For this task of writing and coding a year's worth of lessons we had a bit of a head start. We've already written the Unit Standards, and these have proven to be very popular. The proof of course will be the feedback we get from students as they begin to work with us on their journey next year.
WORDS: BELINDA CAREY
For this we use a badge system and a matrix. As Illustrated below.
Te Kura Is a very different school from the one I imagined. I regularly talk to students through Teams, phone calls, texts, emails, and in feedback through My Te Kura online. We all run
face-to-face sessions, we run online Teams meetings for young composers, students interested in theory and exams. We recently held a concert in Auckland. We run an extraordinarily successful songwriting workshop which allows our students to understand and learn all the aspects of promoting and recording at a professional level. You can hear us on Spotify. Next year we will run online tutorials to get students started, then build teams and groups and do workshops and continue to build face-to-face opportunities in the community. We are very privileged to have been given time to write. We have had a whole year, one day a week for the team of three to write these lessons for Level 1. We are very aware of the pressures at schools and are only too happy to help and share any way we can to make others’ jobs easier. Feel free to get in touch if you want any support or if you think our work might work for you. We hope that the daunting challenge turns out to be a positive one for all of you. He eke waka noa. We are in this together. Belinda Carey and the Te Kura Music writers Team - Trevor Faville and Victoria Thompson.
Each of these words is initially described, linked to “Musician” and extension activities like Ableton Learn. Our approach was to make the learning in these modules practical, creative, to involve analysis, focused listening/whakarongo, recreation and synthesis.
Tune Me In MENZA 37
WORDS: BELINDA CAREY
It's usually with a mixture of horror and excitement that we contemplate changes in our teaching. Horror because we're already oversubscribed and extremely busy and excited because it's always good to have a chance to toss things in the air and see how they land.
He Waiata Whakataukī Hei ngohe korikori, kōrero, tākarokaro hoki Whakataukī as waiata with movement, speech, and play activities A new Poutokomanawa resource, created with the support of MENZA Networks of Expertise funding, was successfully launched at the 2023 MENZA conference ‘He Hononga: Connecting Within and Across’. ‘He Waiata Whakataukī’ presents five beautiful waiata based on whakataukī by singer songwriter Sean O’Connor (Ngāti Porou). Working in collaboration with illustrator Emily Cater and designer Maree Wilson, we have curated this collection of waiata, which includes newly created musical and movement activities that support relational and embodied music learning for primary classrooms here in Aotearoa. Embedded in whakataukī are ancestral messages reflecting shared values and philosophies, many of which have been passed down over generations. The resource aims to support learning te reo Māori in a way that explores the energies, wairua and mauri of a language practice that is steeped in the use of word play, metaphor, symbolism, and allegory. Whakataukī, as used in whaikōrero, invites improvisation and creative application1. Whakataukī are open-ended and when used in whaikōrero can enable insight in an audience and embellish an expressive response in a moment. The speaker can select whakataukī to support word play, rhetorical questions, and improvised melodies to help express the mauri or wairua of a moment. Whakataukī utilise metaphors, word play, and musical language and embellishments to weave people into relationships with each other, the space they are in, and new ideas and ways of thinking.
NGĀ PITOPITO KŌRERO O PUAWAIATA
Whakataukī are “gifts of mana left to us by our tūpuna to share with present and future generations”2.
The material shared in ‘He Waiata Whakataukī’ invites us to sit with each whakataukī for a time, to give them attention through play, creative process, movement, and shared singing. In this way we begin to build our own unique relationship with the whakataukī and are given a range of ways to attend to the energy of the ancestral messages embedded in the words. This includes through embodied experiences and the various senses involved in shared music making. By connecting whakataukī with creative learning processes and musical play, we hope to support tamariki to engage joyfully with whakataukī. Throughout this resource you will find musical material which aims to engage kaiako and tamariki in creative exploration, varied repetition, active listening, and playful musical engagement. In these ways the material provides time and space to notice and feel the rhythms of te reo Māori, the melodies and expressive elements of the waiata, and the various meanings within the different whakataukī, 38 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
as they emerge within your own classroom or community of learning. Learning sequences provided in the resource foreground relational and embodied teaching strategies and learning processes. In creating this resource we have aspired to celebrate, and help make tangible, physical, spiritual, and emotional ways of coming to know about the world and our place in it. Relational themes of love, presence, diversity, energy, balance, perception, deep attention, ecology, community, and ensemble consciousness can all be found within the waiata whakataukī material shared in this resource. To further support open-ended korero around these themes, each waiata has a ‘he wānanga’ section offered, which shares some background for each of the whakataukī waiata used in the resource. The resource aims to support kaiako to reflect on a range of musical (and broader arts-based learning) behaviours, musical literacies, and elements of music and dance, which tamariki are enabled to engage with in the activities throughout this resource. The resource invites kaiako to reflect on the different ways the material, activities, different learning behaviours, and teaching strategies support relational and embodied learning in their own classroom context. With a section on teaching strategies and learning designs the resource also supports kaiako to familiarise and Orff-inspired teaching sequences including call and response (tautitotito), embodying the beat (whakatinana i te manawataki), exploring phrasing (rerenga puoro), music mapping/graphic notation (mahere puoro), and rhythmic speech play (tākaro ā-kupu), ostinati (he rerenga tāruarua) and body percussion (papaki ā-tinana). Throughout the resource we have woven Māori kupu connected to the relational and embodied teaching strategies that are shared, with the support of Makaira Waugh. There is also an illustrated glossary page of these terms that can be printed as a poster to be used in the classroom. We hope this also supports kaiako to extend and normalise the use of te reo Māori as part of their music and movement teaching, here in Aotearoa. The whole resource, along with online support audio files and videos for waiata learning, can now be downloaded for free in the resource section of the MENZA website. Kia manahau! nā Priya and Sean.
PRIYA GAIN
POUTOKO-MANAWA FOR MENZA RESOURCES Poutokomanawa is a bicultural arts education collective, which was established in 2020 by Priya Gain and Makaira Waugh, along with support from their colleague Rawiri Hindle. The aim of this collective has been to create genuine spaces in bicultural arts education projects that give time and opportunities for rich, thoughtful, and critically reflective bicultural collaboration. As a collective we advocate for learning that is grounded in ngā toi, creativity, artistry, wellbeing, child-led exploration and play, the natural environment, and local place-based curriculum that engages with the place we call home here in Aotearoa, in Te Moananui a Kiwa, the Pacific.
PUAWAIATA
BIO: Sean O’Connor (Ngāti Porou) – Songwriter, Composer and Co-Creator of ‘He Waiata Whakataukī’ Sean is a singer/songwriter, recording artist, performer, and primary school music specialist. He is passionate about creating bilingual, English and te reo Māori, musical material to celebrate Aotearoa and its indigenous Māori heritage. Sean has led numerous projects in schools and in the community with his waiata whakataukī, including partnering with both MENZA and ONZA (Orff NZ Aotearoa).
SEAN O’CONNOR
The learning processes offered in this resource build on those used in our previous two Poutokomanawa resources: ‘Chase Across the Waves/Aruaru ki Tawhiti’ and ‘Te Koha a Tāne’. Within these resources you will find more embodied musical speech, songs, dance activities, and rhythmic play material interwoven with storytelling. The waiata whakataukī presented here are all connected thematically with both of these resources nanga and have been designedHe to W be complementary, particularly around themes of aroha and whanaungatanga; community Tuia is not a whakataukī It’s really ab and ecology. rather, it's a short phrase and what I intend
Tuia
with an important and rich value, message or meaning I believe it is called a tauparapara phrase part of an awakening you might have at the beginning of a whaikōrero Tuia i runga: we have our head and our spiritual nature We have our connection to Ranginui Tuia i raro: we have our earth that we stand on We have our body and our physical nature We have our connection to Papatūānuku In the middle we have this process of making our intentions real Our intentions are in our head They don’t mean anything until we put our feet on the ground
Tuia Tuia Kaitito Sean O'Connor
Tuia Tuia :
A part: sung with Kaitito hand pattern : Sean O'Connor
Part of it is the playful just being Of thinking about what w as humans living e in connection
Herenga is The commi we make t to live ecologicall
D A ## 5# * Gj D A * 4 G Bm D A Bm # 4 & œ œ ## 5#& 4 ˙™œ œ œ œ œ˙™œ œœ** œ ˙™ œ œ œ ˙™ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ & &4# 44 ˙™œ Eœ œœ œœi - tiœ˙™œnoaœœ œa - na˙™œ naœjœœ (te)a ˙™-raha.-˙œro, - ro Tu - i - a i ru - nga, œ œ tu -œi - œaœ œi œ a - bove, - low, (te)a - it ro -beha. ETu iBind ti iit ru noa a - na tu naibind - B part: - i a- instrumental - nga, - - a i ra - ro, with free movement it a - bove, bind it be - low, #B##Bind # ™™ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ part: instrumental with free movement & . # & œ ### œ ∑ œ œ œ ∑œ œ œ œ ∑ œ œ ∑˙ ™™ & œ œ œ œ œ œ . & Bm hand Gpattern A part: sung with
œ
D
A
Bm
G
Round in up to 4 parts, start at * Poutokomanawa© 2023
Round in up to 4 parts, start at *
œ œ
œ œ ˙ ta.
tu - i - a te he - re - nga ta - nga bind it in the mid dle where the peo - ple tu - i - a te he - re - nga ta - nga - ta. bind it in the mid dle where the peo - ple go
go
Poutokomanawa© 2023
Rewi, P. (2010). Whaikorero: The world of Māori oratory. Auckland University Press.
1
Poipoia Ngā Tamariki: https://www.tutamawahine.org.nz/poipoia_ nga_tamariki_1
2
Online support for all ‘Poutokomanawa for MENZA’ resources can be found Poutokomanawa 2023 in the Puawaiata section of the MENZA website under ‘Ngā Rauemi Resources’. This includes audio files for all the waiata included in the resource. The waiata are also be available on Spotify under ‘He Waiata Whakataukī’. ©
Tune Me In MENZA 39
WORDS: SEAN O’CONNOR AND PRIYA GAIN FOR POUTOKOMANAWA
BIO: Priya Gain Writer and Co-Creator of ‘He Waiata Whakataukī’. Priya Gain is a co-founder of Poutokomanawa and has led a number of Networks of Expertise projects for MENZA, including bicultural arts based educational resources for primary schools and numerous decolonising music education initiatives. She is a fully qualified Orff music educator (level 4) and has led professional development through ONZA (Orff NZ ) in the Wellington region for many years. She currently works in the School of Education, at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, teaching music, dance, and drama education as well as professional practice. She is currently completing doctoral research, through Te Puna Wānanga at the University of Auckland, on relational engagement between mainstream arts based education and ngā toi Māori. This research includes ongoing engagement with taonga puoro marae wānanga in the Far North region of Aotearoa, NZ.
MENZA PUAWAIATA
PUAWAIATA
MENZA MENZA PUAWAIATA PUAWAIATA
Mātauranga Māori Wānanga at Kenana Marae, Te Tai Tokerau
What I received from this wananga was not upskilling and understanding... It was so much more. The day of our 1-day wananga fell on the final day of a 5 day wananga that a collaboration of schools had just had at Kenana Marae, named Tai Orooro Tai Auaha. That morning, we were welcomed on with a pōwhiri and got a glimpse into the world that these Te Tai Tokerau students had been immersed in throughout the week. Their waiata tautoko was beautiful and their haka was a depiction of the pride and mana they felt, in this marae, on this whenua and in this kaupapa. It was a beautiful way to start the morning.
NGĀ PITOPITO KŌRERO O PUAWAIATA
After the pōwhiri we got into whanaungatanga with Horomona - who sets a professional, fun and safe space for learning, for
40 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
reflection and those "uncomfortable" conversations - right from the start. I learnt so much during this 1-day wananga. I learnt about our environment and the endless resourcing opportunities that are available when we walk in the Ngahere, along the beach or around our homes, our kura, our marae. I learnt to respect the gifts of Papatuanuku, to only take what is needed, to return what we don't and to "take from the ground" rather than to pluck, cut or rip from the living. I also learnt a lot about my students (without them even being there!). Horomona's clever and thought provoking experiences gave us as teachers the opportunity to see learning from our student's perspectives. To be unsure, to have to comprehend what the "teacher" is wanting from us, or to have to think on the spot. This is something I loved reflecting on and will carry in my teaching kete for years to come. One of the greatest things I learnt was about the importance of engaging with mana whenua, in authentic and meaningful ways. When we teach Aotearoa Histories, when we teach about pūrākau... are we teaching about stories from other regions because they sound awesome, or because we kinda
know that one story or because they're easy to find on google or the school journal register? Or are we looking at our rohe (area), finding the local iwi, hapū and engaging with them? Really engaging. Not knocking on the door with our hands out and asking for a story we can teach our students. But meeting kanohi ki te kanohi, having a cup of tea, inviting them or even better - going to the marae and taking the time to learn before we can teach. Throughout the wananga we were introduced to various Taonga Puoro, we admired and played some of the most beautiful taonga. We heard so many stories, whakatauki and played games like Papaki Rere. We made connections with other teachers, professionals and "lovers of Taonga Puoro" who had come from all over the rohe to learn too. It was an incredible professional development and I am really grateful to MENZA for providing the opportunity. These matauranga wananga provide opportunities for us to gain understanding and challenge ourselves. To step out, to reflect, to engage - and to be willing to learn in order to teach. I am even more grateful for Horomona and his mahi. For his ability to set the tone, to create an inclusive, fun, challenging and engaging day of learning that I'm sure was just the tip of the iceberg! His knowledge and expertise are inspiring.
At the end of our wananga we all had the opportunity to korero, to reflect and say something. The korero that came from this was rich, was sometimes accompanied by grateful tears, self-revelation or an excited "I can't wait to use what I've learnt"... But there was one unanimous statement in all of the final korero - "I hope that MENZA and Horo (Haumanu Collective) do more of these!". And with that I'll leave this article with a whakatauki: "Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini" - Success is not the work of an individual, but the work, connection and collaboration of many. Through genuine relationships our rangatahi mo apopo will thrive. Ashleigh McDonald BTchng(ECE), MEdLd(Hons)
Tune Me In MENZA 41
WORDS: ASHLEIGH MCDONALD
On the 15th of September I had the privilege of attending one of MENZA's wananga which were focused on Matauranga Māori, which was hosted by Christian McDonald and facilitated by Horomona Horo. I was really excited when I saw the pānui for this wananga. Having just spent Term 3 introducing my year 7 and 8 class to the world of Taonga Puoro through our Aotearoa Histories mahi, it was perfect timing for me to upskill and gain more understanding myself.
PUAWAIATA
MENZA PUAWAIATA
Tai Orooro Tai Auaha In June, I attended this week long wānanga at Te Kauhanga marae in the Far North. This is one of a series of ongoing wānanga organised by the team from Taipa Area School, headed by DP Christian McDonald.
NGĀ PITOPITO KŌRERO O PUAWAIATA
The approximately 50 ākonga who attended ranged from Years 7 – 13. Senior students were working towards NCEA credits in a wide range of Standards, from Taonga Puoro, Kapa Haka, Whakairo, Raranga and Hospitality to Visual Art
42 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
and Music, including credits in literacy and numeracy - there were up to 68 credits available for Year 11 learners (not counting level 2 and 3 Standards). Listening to students talking over the first couple of days, much of the chat was expressing excitement about the kai! The kitchen was run by Nicola Cameron and the Hospitality students, and the food was excellent and worth the anticipation. During the day ākonga worked in groups, choosing different activity stations – I was able to help lash a waka, and make uku (clay) taonga Puoro (there were lots of choices). With a focus on relational pedagogies (for example tuakana/teina), the daytime atmosphere was relaxed and ākonga had the space to learn without the pressures of thinking about assessments or moving to a new classroom space every hour. The feel of each day changed around mid afternoon, when the Kapa Haka emphasis of this wānanga kicked in. This end-of-the day kaupapa was more disciplined and focused as students worked
towards learning a performance bracket. The highlight of the week was on the Thursday night when whānau came to the marae and experienced the mahi that their children had put in through a shared hangi, a tour of the different kaupapa stations, and Kapa Haka, Dance and Taonga Puoro performances that were videotaped to provide evidence of learning. The assessment side of the wānanga was not widely discussed over the week, it just quietly happened at the same time. It seemed like everything just took place naturally and without effort – but this wānanga kaupapa is underpinned by a substantial amount of work and planning by Christian and the team. Holding Wānanga at the marae creates a safe space where ākonga can connect to the surrounding environment and learn authentically as Māori, away from the distractions and structure of the regulated school day. It is also a place where whānau felt comfortable to visit; it encouraged conversations
about learning, and whānau were obviously proud to see what their children were able to achieve in a week. Over the week I especially enjoyed listening to the kōrero that naturally takes place at a marae, whether in the wharenui or the wharekai, and I learnt a lot through doing, watching and listening – experiencing how everybody interacted with each other. I highly recommend attending a Taipa Area School wānanga - they are open for teachers, student teachers, researchers and anyone interested in attending. For more information about the kaupapa, see: Tania Utting Gain, P., McDonald, C., Sarich, W., Kahukiwa, K., McDonald, C., Sarich, W., & Kahukiwa, K. (2022). Upholding indigenous difference in Arts education: Noho Marae Wānanga as akin to a "mana of economy" in education. Teachers and Curriculum, 22(1), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.15663/tandc.v22i1.394
Tune Me In MENZA 43
WORDS: TANIA UTTING
Over the last four years at Taipa Area School, taonga Puoro has become its own standalone subject and a timetabled class. This has grown into an ongoing series of marae-based wānanga for taonga Puoro ākonga, and in turn, a model that can be replicated by other kura, marae and iwi, as well as providing professional development for teachers that attend. In this model, expert practitioners are invited to work with ākonga at the marae. Horomono Horo (Taonga Puoro, Matauranga), Kylie Simeon (Raranga), Latoya Graham (Kapa Haka), Wiremu Sarich (Taakaro, Maramataka, Hauora), Billy Harrison (Waka Ama – Kaka) and Darrin Pivac (Whakairo) were some of the kaiako that I was fortunate enough to meet and learn from at this wānanga.
MENZA PUAWAIATA
To tātou mahere māō Music education nz aotearoa
2023 Conference
HE HONONGA
MUSIC EDUCATION NZ AOTEAROA
Why a magazine article cannot teach us how to incorporate Māori Principles Into our Teaching Practice As a kaiako tauiwi, (non-Māori teacher), I am manuhiri (a visitor) to Te ao Māori. At our recent MENZA conference, I presented on the topic ‘How to Incorporate Māori Principles into Your Teaching Practice'. Some of the principles I discussed were having a deeper understanding of Whakapapa, Whanaungatanga and Manaakitanga. We all apply these principles to our teaching practice. However, having that deeper understanding and feeling confident in Te ao Māori is only made possible through relationships, through whakawhanaungatanga. I POSE THESE QUESTIONS TO YOU: How comfortable do you feel in a Māori space, and how often do you challenge yourself to be in a Te ao Māori space? How comfortable do you feel your tangata whenua ākonga are in a Te ao Pākeha teaching space? Everyone has challenges and feels uncomfortable in different environments. How can we make things easier for all our ākonga and ensure they feel safe and comfortable in our different classrooms?
The definition of whanaungatanga in the Māori Dictionary is: 1. (noun) relationship, kinship, sense of family connection - a relationship through shared experiences and working together which provides people with a sense of belonging. It develops because of kinship rights and obligations, which also serve to strengthen each member of the kin group. It also extends to others to whom one develops a close familial, friendship or reciprocal relationship. Ākonga need to feel safe and believe they can be who they are in the classroom. What I have learnt in my journey through Te ao Māori is to establish good relationships with your students. What works for Māori works for all. Take the time to get to know your students. I generally spend a good week getting to know my students at the start of the year before I start teaching any content. I have designed work that focuses on Whanaungatanga and asks the students what influences them to what music they listen to and get them also to ask their whānau and friends. Other tasks focus on who they listen to and what is the guilty pleasure piece of music they like. I also get them to share their summer playlist with me and turn it on when I am cooking dinner, driving or when the students come into the classroom.
WORDS: BEN LAU
Asking my students to do these tasks demonstrates to my students that I am interested in what they listen to and allows me to have deeper conversations with them in the future, and it also showcases what they like. It also gives me a great insight into who they are and potentially what they may be like in terms of learning style and personality. This is only an aspect of what I talked about in my presentation. However, what I say to any teacher on their Te ao Māori journey is, it takes time. You need to build relationships, be prepared to feel uncomfortable, and just take it one step at a time. For most, it is a different world from what we grew up in, but for Māori ākonga, they have been living in Te ao Māori all their lives.
DID YOU KNOW? We’re pretty big
With over 400 members, MENZA is one of the largest, strongest and most organised subject associations in New Zealand. We represent a broad spectrum of music educators, from ECE to primary and secondary schools, itinerant teachers, private tutors and more. We’re delivering on professional development In the last 12 months, over 150 members attended professional development workshops, talks or events across six different regions. That is over a third of our members benefiting from MENZA PD opportunities around the country. Later this year, we are looking to provide opportunities for teachers in Waikato, Auckland and Christchurch, and much more in 2024 – watch this space! We provide a platform to get your events noticed. We can help you promote events, activities and performances in your area by providing FREE event listings on our website. We also encourage members to join and share events on our facebook group – because music should be heard, shared, celebrated and enjoyed! List your event today. Visit menza.co.nz/events We’re making some noise on behalf of music education. In previous years, our advocacy work for primary education saw MENZA interviewed on Radio New Zealand and featured in the Dominion Post and New Zealand Herald. We are proud of our advocacy work.
We’re a powerful voice at the table. As the
official subject association for music education, MENZA nominates and is represented by members on MOE, NZQA, PPTA and other advisory or regulatory education review groups. We listen to our members and advocate on your behalf to ensure that music education in New Zealand can thrive at all levels, all over the country. We recognise the unique landscape of music education in Aotearoa. That’s why we provide local content, resources, research and teaching tools, written by New Zealanders with kiwi kids in mind. From practical tips on organising a recital or enjoying your school production, to researched articles on music psychology and pedagogy, or thought provoking personal insights on creativity, inclusiveness and excellence. Tune Me In provides a platform to share teaching resources, knowledge and expertise relevant to music education in Aotearoa.
Our members are our greatest asset.
MENZA represents a committed network of music specialists and educators, many of whom give up their time and energy to support the music education community through presenting workshops, organising and assisting with music festivals and events, or simply by sharing their knowledge, ideas and experiences with other members. As a MENZA member, you are part of a supportive community of engaged, enthusiastic educators to learn from, collaborate with and celebrate music in all its forms.
We celebrate achievement - and work hard to make sure the unsung heroes of the music education community are recognised and always delight when one of our nominations makes it through to be recognised in the New Year’s and Queen’s Birthday Honours.
HOW YOU CAN HELP Spread the word. The more members we have, the wider your network of support and the greater the opportunities for collaboration and shared expertise. By representing a large and diverse community of music educators, we can stand up, be counted and influence change. If you know somebody who might benefit from membership, or may have something to offer other members, spread the word. Membership starts from as little as $34.50 per year. Get your event out there! List your event on the MENZA website and share it with over 400 engaged, enthusiastic music education professionals at menza.co.nz/events. Get involved. If you would like to help bring professional development opportunities to your area, have expertise you wish to share, or want to discuss how you can contribute to New Zealand’s music education community, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us at admin@menza.co.nz and we will be in touch. Do you know someone who would appreciate becoming a MENZA member? Gift subscriptions are also available for just $34.50 (Including GST). Email admin@menza.co.nz for more information. JOIN US ON
MENZA GROUP
@MusicEducationNZAotearoa
M E N Z A (MUSIC EDUCATION NEW ZEAL AND AOTEAROA MĀTAURANGA A PUORO O AOTEAROA) IS THE NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL BODY THAT REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS OF ALL MUSIC EDUCATION SECTORS IN THIS COUNTRY.
PASIFIKA
BIO: Sola Vuna is a Tongan composer, Music and Language teacher at Manurewa High School and is also a talented singer and writer.
MENZA PASIFIKA
Island Style | Manurewa High School’s journey to the Big Sing Finale
SOLA VUNA
We are very proud of this. It is a great achievement for our school and the schools in south Auckland that we associate with.
WORDS: SOLA VUNA
What makes our choir unique is the indigenous vocal style we're bringing to the platform of the Big Sing which is predominantly western vocal/choral style. We're also promoting one of Tonga's unique music genres known
46 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
as Hiva Usu. Usu means mockery or joke but it means metaphorically as sacred or spiritual music that is non-western such as Hymns, Anthems, Masses, Liturgy etc. This unique genre brings out an authentic vocal style that predominantly is the opposite of the western vocal technique such as dropping the soft pallet, more nasal and chest voice or singing from the throat etc.
I’m not sure if indigenous vocal style is the right term for it but in other words, it’s singing Island style. With this technique, you can hear the text/lyrics sung and pronounced properly instead of articulating our language.
is to show the world how it is sung properly with the indigenous vocal technique. We look forward to the challenge and working together as a Pasifika group to help in this area.
The competition has been running in NZ for almost 50-60 years and dominated by Western Euro style. As the Big Sing want to adopt our Pasifika repertoire, our task as Islanders
Mālo ‘aupito | Sola Vuna
Tune Me In MENZA 47
WORDS: SOLA VUNA
It has been 20 years since the last time a choir from Manurewa High School has been to the Big Sing National finals.
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
Calling all IRMTNZ members to a KŌRERO our first national conference for four years…
Ignite!
Musical Theatre with Trinity Trinity’s Musical Theatre exams have a reputation for developing talent through an emphasis on the synthesis of singing, acting and dancing to achieve a fully integrated performance.
Rekindle the flame through discussions, seminars, musical collaborations
The industry-driven nature of the exams means that students are trained in skills that are authentic to the requirements of work and study in musical theatre. To find out more visit: trinitycollege.com/musical-theatre
Reconnect, Replenish, Revitalise
Everybody has something to offer, a piece of the puzzle, and by working together we can all flourish
Monday 15 – Tuesday 16 April 2024 Wellington Naumi Hotel (formerly CQ) & Queen Margaret College Contact the Conference Registrar for details: conference.irmtnz@gmail.com
Organised by Council Hosted by Wellington Branch IRMTNZ
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TEACHER TRAINING IN MUSIC TECHNOLOGY COURSES
www.learningideas.org
Mixing Techniques for Teachers Mixing skills are critical for any student that wants to share their music with the world.
Having completed the beginner course, I feel confident going forward in mixing and using this knowledge in my classroom teaching. Dragana Yelavich ST CUTHBERT’S COLLEGE, NZ
BEGINNER COURSE
INTERMEDIATE COURSE
ADVANCED COURSE
6 WEEKS
6 WEEKS
6 WEEKS
Overview of DAW’s Balancing Tracks and Editing Using EQ Reverb and Delay Effects Recording Live Music Exporting and Sharing
Basic Principals of Mixing Using EQ Reverb and Delay Compression Loudness and Peak Limiting Controls Chorus and Flange, Teaching Mixing to High Schoolers
EQ, Editing and General Mix Techniques Advanced Compression Noise Gates and Drum Replacement Shaping Tools Instrumental Mixing Techniques Pt.1 Instrumental Mixing Techniques Pt.2
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NCEA 1.1 Cheat Sheet For me, one of the most exciting aspects of the new NCEA is the freedom to teach a variety of music skills that are being closely dictated by the requirements of assessment. While every teacher probably claims that they teach to the curriculum and not the assessment, I think the evidence of how often we consult NCEA guidelines as opposed to the NZC would beg to differ (and I count myself firmly in this category). A good example is the new NCEA 1.1 which has the incredibly broad and non-specific title “Use Music Skills in a Music Style”. Music skills could be anything to do with preparing for a performance, developing compositional skills, using music technology recording platforms, ear training, improvisation, interpreting a score… the list goes on. While I believe this could be a bit of a nightmare for moderators comparing school to school, or even student to student within a school if they’re focusing on different skills, the great news for teachers is that we can create a course for ākonga that is engaging and should hopefully see more self-motivated students. NZQA have developed a very interesting task for this Achievement Standard called “Beats Recreation”. For this assessment students need to recreate a professional music track (minus the vocals). This is great for modern pop and electronic genres and will teach students a huge amount about music production, which will feed into their own original compositions.
skills will be to their own compositions. However, this means they might choose something too difficult. In that case I am going to guide my students towards tracks from Pure Heroine by Lorde. While this album might be 10 years old, the stripped -down nature of the tracks, with their thin texture, means there are less elements to reproduce, m Pure Heroine aking this more accessible for year 11 students. Also, it’s less likely that students will find descriptions on the internet of the chord progressions, melodies, and the music production/mixing techniques like they might for a Taylor Swift track. AURAL TRANSCRIPTION For me, this is the most problematic aspect of this “Beats Recreation” task. I have no issue with students using tools like Moises or the Hooktheory website to find the chord progressions for their songs. If students are demonstrating enough development and use of ‘music skills’ through their recreation (particularly the timbral recreation of sounds, which for me is the toughest aspect of this task) then I’m not sure we should be pushing students to transcribe all the chord progressions. Particularly as all we’ve expected of level 1 students so far has been chords I, IV, V and vi in the major key and in root position. It would be a shame to limit the songs that students can use to just those chords.
RECREATION There are some great models on YouTube already that show how to recreate a commercial track. Look up the YouTube channels from 93 Acres and Swick’s Classroom and you’ll see how you can use software such as Logic, Ableton and Soundtrap to reproduce a song. However, these often just show how they did it, without the background of why they made their decisions. For example, they’ll show a mixing decision, or a synth preset, and not describe how they decided on those sounds. This is where the teaching will come in. A big part of this process will be students learning how to: • Create a session and tracks in a DAW
• Use virtual instruments such as synths & samplers • Use EQ and reverb to a basic level (for level 1 I don’t believe it’s realistic to expect students to be using other ‘mix’ tools such as compression, mix busses, and other tools)
Students can also learn a lot about synths from the website learningsynths.ableton.com. The ‘playground’ aspect of this is great and makes what the different parts of a synth do so easy to understand.
• Reproducing the timbre or tone qualities of synths and instruments using virtual instruments and effects such as EQ and reverb
WORDS: DUNCAN FERGUSON
I will be producing a ‘flipped classroom’ resource that will go through these stages in depth (to be released term 4 this year all going well) but here are some great resources to get you going. WHAT SONGS SHOULD THEY USE? Anything the students love. I firmly believe that the class should not all be doing the same song decided by the teacher. The more ākonga feel like they have agency in the decision the more motivated they will be, and the more transferable the 50 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
Another tool I love is Syntorial. With this training programme students can learn to aurally identify synth sounds and recreate them in a very easy to understand and scaffolded approach. While it’s primarily an ear training course, it’s how I’ve done most of my learning about the different modules in a synth, and synth signal flow. I’ve been using the free version with my students for years and the ‘unlocked’ lessons have been all they’ve needed. However, if you find it useful for your school, I encourage you to support the developers and purchase a copy.
• Use the piano roll and step sequencers in the DAW to input and edit MIDI data
• Transcribing melodies, chord progressions and drum patterns
• And most importantly… describing the music skills they have developed.
I use Moises to create these ‘multitrack’ files, which ākonga can then import into their DAW to start the recreation process.
• Connect MIDI controllers & audio interfaces
Students should be:
• Operating a DAW such as Soundtrap, GarageBand, Logic Pro or Ableton (or other DAWs) to record and mix the track
DUNCAN FERGUSON
Therefore, I think we should be allowing students to use an app such as Moises to work out the chords. If you haven’t looked at Moises yet I encourage you to download the free trial and see how great it is. However, something I’ll delve more into with my resource is building a ‘toolkit’ of the top 10 most common chord progressions, drum patterns and common synth sounds which you can use to develop student’s aural skills. Learning about these through a scaffolded approach will then make it easier for students to recognise and transcribe what they hear in commercial tracks.
A note… if the song that students are using is in a tricky key (such as Ab), then use the transpose feature in your DAW to put it to a close key that is easier (such as G). This will make it easier to teach the ‘theory’ of major scales and harmony. TOOLS As I mentioned above, the Moises app and the Hooktheory website are some of the best tools to figure out the chord progressions of songs. However, Moises is also particularly useful in that it splits out a song to separate tracks for drums, bass, keys, guitars, vocals and ‘other’. This means ākonga can solo just one instrument when they’re trying to work it out. This will make it easier for them to reproduce a drum beat, bassline or melody, but I think it’s especially useful for recreating a synth sound or hearing a mix technique such as reverb.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD I am so excited to be doing this work with students next year. While I have done bits of this with students in the past, it’s always been hard to find time to fit it into the school year and go deep with it due to the requirements of NCEA and preparing students for assessments. And by doing this task in term 1, it will set students up with a huge amount of knowledge and skills which will feed into their own music production and composition. Please keep an eye out for the new resource I’m developing for this. It will be designed so that students can complete everything using free or cheap software and will largely be ‘flipped classroom’ so that kaiako don’t feel like they must learn everything before they can start allowing their ākonga to work in this field. For more information, please visit www.learningideas.org
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WORDS: DUNCAN FERGUSON
Guidelines for getting going with teaching and assessing the “Beats Recreation” task for NCEA 1.1 – “Use Music Skills in a Music Style”.
MENZA NCEA
BIO: Duncan has been the head of music at St Andrew’s College for 14 years and is the managing director of Learning Ideas Ltd. Learning Ideas has been supporting New Zealand kaiako for over 20 years with resources for teaching and assessing Achievement Standards in the areas of aural, music theory and music technology. He has been working for NZQA as a moderator, Unit Standard developer, exemplar writer and marker for over 15 years.
MENZA NCEA
MENZA NCEA
MENZA NCEA
Update on NCEA
Music Learning Matrix Curriculum Level 6 Learning Area Whakataukī:
ence makes the Te toi whakairo, ka ihiihi, ka Artistic excell wonder. in up sit world . katoa wehiwehi, ka aweawe te ao
Music is a sensory language that Music is an expression of, organises sound and can be and a way of connecting lly represented with signs visua , place ity, with, culture, ident and symbols and time
Music is a craft that can be continually developed and refined
Music expresses emotions and communicates ideas and intent
Music evokes emotions and responses
WORDS: MARTIN EMO
At Curriculum Level 6, students will…
52 Tune Me In MENZA November 2023
BIO: Martin Emo is the Ministry of Education Learning Area Lead (Dance, Drama, Music), based in sunny Whakatū (Nelson). He brings extensive experience in curriculum, assessment, pedagogy and digital technology in the Performing Arts. Martin has over 10 years of classroom experience as a secondary school music teacher alongside various roles for NZQA, MoE, Arts Online, Serato, Ableton and Melodics. He has listened to his entire vinyl collection over the last 5 years whilst completing a Masters and PHD in music education. www.martinthomasemo.com
whakapapa • explore the musical histories of their e stories, knowledges, and ideas unicat comm can music how ience • exper gh music throu ssed expre be can ty • explore how identi re diverse worldviews • understand how music is a waka to explo creative musical output • understand how diverse contexts inform te ao Māori is guided by tikanga from music how of • develop an understanding experienced in Māori music contexts pts i conce such as ihi, wehi and wana are • develop insights into how te ao Māor g makin relate to personal music pts • consider how ihi, wehi, and wana may through combining and shaping music conce ent contexts are expressed in unique ways s • explore how music styles from differ effect ed , for intend pts when composing or performing music • experiment with music tools and conce music al origin ng creati of • engage in different ways ing repertoire • practice aural skills and develop listen ng -maki music for skills al ologic • explore techn through reflection, practice, and dedication • strengthen instrumental or vocal skills within a range of contexts and settings • engage in creating and performing music systems to preserve or pass music on. aural and styles tion senta • explore visual repre
JAROSLAV TĀNE NOVAK
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