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!
