Teaching Composition at KS1 Megan Davis – Music Co-ordinator Exton and Greetham CE Primary School Venue: Hall – Oakham CE Primary School
10.45 Introduction
Please feel free to ask if unsure – or chip in with good ideas!
11.00 Practical session with 30 year 1/2 pupils using classroom instruments LO: To choose sounds and order carefully within a structure Warm up: Some of the following activities
Rhythm game – don’t clap this one back. Give out instruments Allow time to ‘bang’ –gets it out of their system! Invest in investigative lessons to pre-empt the banging Have clear signals for quiet. Instruments down and pushed away/ Sit on hands. Following instructions – with instruments – play following the sign.
Composing using a picture. In groups look at the picture – they need to select sounds to represent the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
the tiger the rain the wind the grass the trees
Time to try out and select sounds. How could we put the sounds together? Basic graphic score – use the pictures to create a score over time. Where will you place the sounds? Will you have all the sounds together? Will you have them one after the other? Will they build up? Listening to each other’s pieces. I liked… – Next time…..
11.30 Debrief in Oakham CE meeting room
Primary Music Composing Guidelines What is ‘composition’?
Composing relates very closely to performing and listening. You cannot carry out one without the other. When composing it is necessary to listen, appraise and perform, often all at the same time. The activities of the music National Curriculum are therefore closely inter-related. The word composing is an amalgamation of two words: ‘poser’ i.e. to put, and ‘com’ at the beginning of a word means ‘together’. To compose means to ‘put things together’. Composition is any activity in which pupils are involved in exploring, choosing, making/playing and ordering sounds. It may involve simple scoring. Ideally it is either performed live for an audience, or recorded and played back to the young composers. It can range from a few vocal baas and cheeps made by Reception children, to an extended ‘abstract’ composition using voices, pitched and un-pitched percussion and other sound makers.
Elements of Music
Rhythm:
don’t clap this one back tables and chairs to simple rhythmic notation
Melody:
limit to few notes… check understanding of pitch pentatonic
Structure:
like a story – beginning middle end/ recurring phrase (simple rondo) repetition/ repeating phrase (ostinato)
Texture:
1 instrument after another layering
Dynamics: Variations – loud/ soft/ silence/ moving from one to another notate just this….follow the stick Timbre:
instrument choice and mix…. Why? Make sure they get plenty of time to experiment….
Progression Levels – Key Words: Level 1 = Made and changed Level 2 = Organised Level 3 = Combined Level 4 = Relationships and intentions Level 5 = Devices and time and place
Key words chosen from the levels that show progression in composing:
Level 1
They repeat short rhythmic and melodic patterns and create and choose sounds in response to given starting points.
Level 2
They choose carefully and order sounds within simple structures such as beginning, middle, end, and in response to given starting points.
Level 3
They improvise repeated patterns and combine several layers of sound with awareness of the combined effect.
Level 4
They improvise melodic and rhythmic phrases as part of a group performance and compose by developing ideas within musical structures.
Level 5
They improvise melodic and rhythmic material within given structures, use a variety of notations and compose music for different occasions using appropriate musical devices such as melody, rhythms, chords and structures.
Starting points for composing An important issue to consider here is learning intentions. Do you select a starting point because you want to teach a specific aspect of music, or do you make your leaning intentions fit with your starting point? e.g. the story of the Hare and the tortoise = fast/slow/getting faster/getting slower, steady beat/tempo, erratic tempo. Can the musical focus be linked to the children’s learning in other areas of the curriculum/topic, and let the musical learning intentions come from that. A well-planned lesson or series of lessons based on a single theme can cover most of the requirements of the National Curriculum. Most music resources focus on a musical element (tempo, texture, pitch, duration, timbre, dynamics etc). Over a period of time the teacher should aim to cover all of these elements. If upon reflection you find that you have neglected one or more of these areas, look for ways of covering it. Pitch, duration (rhythm) and texture can be neglected. Dynamics, tempo and timbre are generally well covered. Non-Musical starting points, e.g.: Text: nursery rhyme/chant/poem/story. Topic: weather, pirates, machines, space, flight. RE theme/Assembly: Moses and the plagues, Good Samaritan. Picture/painting/poster. Moods/emotions: sad, happy, tired, angry. Animals: real or fictitious Games: producing/sequences of sound based on chance (e.g. throws of dice). Musical starting points e.g.: A piece of music: heard live or recorded A specified musical element/device: long and short, loud and quiet, high and low, fast and slow, etc. Drone, ostinato, meter, scale, structure etc.
Resources Don’t get out all the instruments – be selective. What you needs depends on the focus of the lesson. Don’t forget human resources – support staff, parent volunteers etc: Instruments Pitched percussion – large xylophone (alto or bass), 8ve block chimes, hand chimes, alto and soprano glockenspiels Keyboards – full size keys Unpitched percussion (must be good quality) – tambour, cymbals, tambourine, woodblock, tubular woodblock, tulip block, several shakers, guiros, claves Novelty instruments – rain sticks etc. Sound makers – sticks, scrapers, junk (plastic bottles, foil trays, bubble wrap, tissue paper, plastic bags etc.
Composing - General Key principles:
Do what you are confident with; Keep the framework of a successful lesson and change the stimulus;
Key considerations:
Have I used the levels to inform my planning and clarify expectations? How am I going to present the composing stimulus? How do I organise resources and work spaces? How do I cope with noise levels (stress)? What questions will I ask? How do I give my pupils control over their own learning? What technical language will I need to clarify?
Organisation When leading a music lesson, have the following things in place: Room in the middle to walk around CD player is plugged in and ready to go Enough time – at least 30 minutes preferably for Year 2 Instruments and sound makers in an accessible position Well planned lesson including opportunities for assessment Some general points on delivery and management:
Explain a task before groups have been organised and summarise it after. When presenting a task use non-technical a language that pupils will understand and always revise any techniques mentioned in passing that you assume that they have under their belt. Often pupils understand the technique but forget what it is called (e.g. ostinato). Whenever possible demonstrate how to go about completing the task that has been set (perhaps modelling with a ‘control group’ of pupils). Set realistic short-term targets. If a child asks whether they can work outside the restrictions set e.g. ‘Can we add a drum to our melody’, be careful not to open up the flood-gates and lose the focus of the activity. Move quickly between groups / pairs after initial dispersal and re-focus their work ‘on location’. Check work regularly e.g. 10 minute bursts, and collectively so that they can a) learn from each other and b) reduce stress levels caused by noise. Anticipate problems caused by dispersion and have a strategy ready for allocating work spaces. Sometimes it is useful to ask pupils to work individually or in pairs to begin with so that they have something to take with them if they later work in groups. Have strategies for organising group work e.g. teacher selected, friendship groups, random? And be firm. Build in ‘sedatives’ e.g. writing down ideas, progress made.
Eliciting a quality response:
Always say something about the work that you hear. Always balance praise with constructive criticism. Decide whether problems are caused by lack of performing skills or composing skills. Always ask questions about the decisions pupils’ made. Challenge them if they are being complacent. Encourage younger pupils not to accept first attempts. Be ready to suggest alternatives. Re-focus work if necessary When listening collectively to pupils work, be careful not to hear too many examples and lose the critical attention of the class. Use recordings of work by their peers or older students to inspire them and show what is possible. Be prepared for the unexpected. What is really exciting is when a piece of composition work breaks the mould and where a pupil’s own musical experiences interact with a given stimulus to create something unexpected.
Some general tips – in no particular order
‘Fierce’ discipline – make your rules, remind the children what they are each session and stick to them. If you are unsure of your ability to teach composition, start with sound effects. Make use of body sounds – the children bring their best resource with them to the lessons Establish routines – e.g. rest positions for instruments, how to put instruments down, warm up exercises, clearing up at end, carrying instruments. Use baskets/boxes for instrument types. Be fussy about the sounds that are being produced – aim for quality sound. Practice – do a few things thoroughly well rather than lots of things in a rushed manner. Be well organised. Start composition sessions with a warm up – involve everyone, practice a few basic skills. Don’t forget silence. If possible, let every child have a go on one instrument or sound maker during the course of the lesson – box of shakers, bamboo sticks, jingle bells. Demonstrate timbre, dynamics, tempo, rhythmic patterns etc. Let the children know what the elements/skills they are learning about. Be prepared to model each task that has been set (perhaps using a ‘control group’ of pupils). Use the correct vocabulary.