Feedback and Response to The Australian Curriculum: The Arts

Feedback and Response to The Australian Curriculum: The Arts

Debbie O’Shea, August 25, 2012

I would like to begin my feedback by saying that this document is a great basis for our National Curriculum.

There is one Glaring omission that MUST be addressed if this is to be a useful document.

Within Content and Elaborations, I see no mention of specific elements of music. Yes, we play, we sing, we move, we explore, we experiment… all great and necessary, but where is the content to be covered?

Allow me to illustrate my point:

In year 2 Mathematics we can see that we need to cover multiplication as repeated addition, and fractions of halves, quarters and eighths and tell time using the terms ‘past’ and ‘to’.

In Foundation to Year 2 Music Content Descriptions and Elaborations we have:

exploring the elements of music through playbased activities, for example moving or using voices and body percussion to experiment with sound and silence, fast and slow, long and short.

My question, what are the music elements that must be covered by this juncture?

Year One Mathematics does not just say ‘explore numbers’, it says specifically ‘Recognise, model, read, write and order numbers to at least 100’. Without listing this content, teachers/schools/systems might choose to cover numbers to 20 for year 1, or not cover any numbers, or maybe cover up to thousands with superficial understanding. Could they not?

Maybe my point is more easily illustrated in higher year levels?

Music Year 5 and 6 - Making

6.1 Select and discriminate between sounds and combinations of sounds to investigate the possibilities of sound

·         experimenting with varying combinations of sounds to create mood and shape ideas sing voices or available digital and acoustic sound sources

·         exploring music ideas, manipulating sound qualities, dynamics and articulation to use them in their own performances and compositions

·         identifying, remembering and recording pitch and rhythm patterns and phrases while singing, playing, improvising and listening to music

What sounds are they choosing from?

What pitch and rhythmic patterns are they using?

Making music at this point of a TEN year program, simply cannot be all be randomly generated,  off the top of their head, whatever notes I hit, whatever buttons I push!  

Of course this is not what is suggested by this text, but this is the problem, when nothing is specified, very little may be done.

At some point there has to be specific content listed that music be covered by specific junctures.

It is the role of this curriculum document to provide direction and ensure there is a national standard

The ACARA shape paper states that

“…all young Australians are entitled to engage with the five Arts subjects and should be given an opportunity to experience the special knowledge and skills base of each.”

So this document must make sure the special knowledge and skills are taught!

The paper also says:

“Learning in the Arts and the development of aesthetic knowledge are sequential and cumulative.

The new content, skills and processes specified in each band will be revisited in increasing complexity and sophistication in later bands.”

So it needs to specify that content, let’s build in the increased complexity and sophistication is ways other than adding appropriate verbs and adjectives to content descriptions.

Again the Shape Paper specifically says:

“Each subject in the Arts is unique, with its own discrete knowledge, symbols, language, processes and skills.”

Though the elements of music are listed (duration.pitch…) knowledge and symbols are not. Content must be specified in order to adequately inform teachers.

Lack of expertise within teaching staff cannot be used as an excuse to not list specific content.

Do we accept that a classroom teacher cannot cover fractions because they don’t understand them?

Do we accept that it is OK for teachers not to cover science because it makes them a bit anxious?

Do we accept that a teacher may not cover creative writing because they aren’t good at it themselves? NO!

If a level of up skilling and retraining of teachers, along with improving of teacher training is needed, so be it. If employment of specialist teachers is needed, again, so be it.

We simply cannot allow current deficits to dictate details of our National Curriculum.

 

I will conclude with a quote from a MEDIA RELEASE from Rose Naughton, Office of the National Curriculum Board entitled National Curriculum Consultation Begins Today, Friday 27 June 2008

National curriculum documents will make clear to teachers what has to be taught, what students

should learn and what achievement standards are expected of them.

So please, follow this intent and create a document that includes specific music content!

Music Teaching is a Stressful Job!!

I know that music teaching is a stressful occupation, particularly if, like me, you feel real commitment and passion for your subject and your students. So, when I came across this stress test, I thought I would share it with you, my wonderful Crescendo Community!

I am not exactly sure how it works, but this is amazingly accurate.
The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at St. Mary's Hospital.

Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical. A closely monitored, scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical; a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins. The more differences a person finds between the dolphins, the more stress that person is experiencing.
Look at the photograph and if you find more than one or two differences you may want to take a holiday.

 

Instrumental Teachers Workshop

with Michael Griffin and Debbie O’Shea

Topics include: The essential principles of learning music; new, exciting and relevant findings from the perspectives of neuro-science and psychology that inform more efficient practice methods; inspiring students to want to practice; creating your ‘Team’; and promoting your program...

Saturday July 14^th - 10.30am – 2.30pm

Cost: $150.00 per workshop Crescendo Members $130

(Students $50) includes notes and lunch

Venue: Voices of Birralee New Premises - 57 Carwoola Street, Bardon 4065

 (Off Simpsons Rd. Drive to the very end of the road - you will end up in a large car park, the venue is in a brick building with green awnings over the windows, past the clubhouse and next to playing fields.)

_______________________________________________

Don't miss this exciting event. 

Complete registration form can be downloaded here.

Tips from the Tech Fairy - Can I fix that?

Tips from the Tech Fairy:

“Can I Fix That?”

 

By Nathan Cahill - The Tech Fairy

  

If you don’t use Audacity to record your students performing in class, then take this Tech Tip: it will boost your class performance to ‘the next level’ by allowing the kids to hear and critique themselves.  Perhaps, though, you’ve tried recording only to find that the students just can’t keep in time – either with each other or with your tempo.  You can’t just stick a metronome on… that will come through in the recording… or will it?  This tip will even allow hearing-impaired students to feel involved in the music creation process. (Are the cogs turning yet??)

First, let’s set the tempo of the song to be eventually recorded… Do you have a student that you would love to just be still for one minute? Here’s how in 10 11 steps: (almost made it in 10…) 

1.       Open up Audacity and choose the “recording device” input from the Edit – Preferences

                             i.      This Tech Tip assumes the webcam mic as the most common ‘default’ input…

2.       Find the mic! (This may seem obvious, but it can be hidden well on some laptops!)

3.       Give the student a stopwatch

4.       Instruct the student that when recording begins, they are to tap close to the mic (quite hard…) every second for 1 minute (or choose a suitable timeframe…)

5.       Press the record button and get tapping OR pressing ‘R’ will begin and ‘SPACE’ will stop.

6.       The finished product should look like this: (It’s harder than it seems to begin – try it yourself!)

 

7.       Don’t worry – you can always undo or select dodgy regions to delete (I had to!)

8.       Press the Audio Track ‘Mute’ button  - the recording will turn grey, but… Voilà! You have a (reasonably) accurate silent metronome! (You can even rename the track to “Tempo” by clicking on the triangle next to “Audio Track” to the left…)

9.       Just press Record again, and the new track will begin recording while the red scrolling marker keeps time visually with the Tempo track!

What’s that? You don’t want everything to be recorded at 60 beats per minute? Ah, Audacity has thought of that, too!

10.   Before recording the accompanying track, select all of the existing audio with Ctrl+A, then select Effects – Change Tempo – Beats per Minute (BPM) from… to…

11.   And voilà again! You can now record your second track at whatever tempo you wish – just remember to ‘Mute’ the Tempo before going again…

 

Consider the handiness of this not only in classroom, but also in choir, a cappela, instrumental teaching etc contexts… All we have to do is think outside the box with what we have!

Happy Teaching!

 

See more tips from the Tech Fairy here.