MUED3603 Mix Bag Arrangement Reflection

The Hanging Tree, recently composed for The Hunger Games movies is current in today’s film music and lends itself to the use of ostinato and learning by rote. I chose this piece first and foremost because it is relevant and relatable to students in this age bracket. I have arranged the piece providing parts for any instrument in any transposition, plus alternative notations including chord diagrams and chord figures for bass instruments or guitar. Furthermore, I have also included the original recording for students to listen to and reference once they have learnt the simply ostinato. Additionally, I have built in a section for improvisation at Figure C. As “the keys to the Orff process are exploration and experience” (Choksy, Lois. (1986) it was necessary to include an opportunity for students to do so.

After workshopping my draft during class I was reassured that it was more beneficial to notate the last bar of whistling in the transposed pitch for each instrument rather than concert pitch.

“Children in Orff-Schulwerk approach music reading only after music experience with music sound” states Choksy, Lois. (1986). It is therefore important to note that even though I have created a score, this is mostly for the teacher’s reference only especially during the early stages of teaching by rote.

Students need to develop aural and ensemble awareness early on and as Frazee, J. & K. Kreuter (1987) articulate, “It is not difficult to convince a child of the need for notation, particularly if continuous improvisation creates the desire to keep a record of melodies invented”. By excluding notation until later students “learn to listen for “catch words” or “catch sounds,” to mark the entry of their instrument” (Wilhelm, K. 1974).

So the time will come later on for students to evolve from singing to Orff instruments and concurrently to their own instruments but only once they have mastered the stage prior.

This score arrangement allows teachers to implement modelling of aural learning to students in an interactive and enthusiastic way by using it predominantly /as an educator’s reference. Opportunities are planned so that “the whole class is also participating in informal, aural learning as students are learning to listen and copy recordings with their friends” (Ainscough et al., 2009, p. 150). Furthermore the class has opportunity to explore the teacher’s role as more of a facilitator of music rather than instructor allowing more freedom of thought within the interactive teaching environment.

Throughout the score there is room for exploration into attentive listening, engaged listening and enactive listening benefitting music students “in that students who apply listening to their learning will not only perform well but will also be more deeply informed” (Campbell 2004, p.189).

Reference List

Ainscough, M., Burton, I., Crawford, H., Cross, J., D'Amore, A., Davis, C., . . . Wolfe, A. (2009). Musical Futures. An approach to teaching and learning. (A. D'Amore Ed. 2nd ed.). London: Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Campbell, P. (2004). Teaching music globally: Experiencing music, expressing culture. New York: Oxford University Press.

Choksy, Lois. (1986). Teaching Music in the twentieth Century. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Frazee, J. and K. Kreuter (1987). Discovering Orff. New York, Schott Music Corporation.

Wilhelm, Keller. (1974). Introduction to Music for children: methodology, playing the instruments, suggestions for teachers. Mainz: Schott.