Composition in MuEd Task 2 e-Reflection
Below are my thoughts behind the constructive process of creating an iBook for content to teach composition.
The material I chose (+ why) and how my iBook evolved over the course of its development will be reflected upon below.
I chose to use Andante & Rondo by Doppler as my model piece for my composition unit as I absolutely adore it! The musical performance I did of it sits in a special part of my life and there is nothing better to teach in the world than something we are passionate about as teachers.
Story Telling or Composing?
I believe that music is an international language and that every piece tells a story. Therefore my main point to start from was to get the students to understand the story being told here before getting them to compose their own. I included a variety of activities for the students to partake in in order to explore their imagination for the story they believe is being told. It is important that they understand that there are no right or wrong answers when interpreting the music so after their initial interpretation I used persuasive language to get them to consider the story in the way that I believe the composer wrote it. Subsequently thinking of instruments as family members and telling a life event is much more relatable to high school students than dots on a page.
As I further understood the construction of this piece and the period it was from the more I knew it would be suitable for my students. Rather than it being a love story (classic Romantic period inspiration!) it was actually composed to showcase the Doppler brothers virtuosic flute playing, or sibling rivalry?! I also realised how important it was for students to understand the context of this piece as they were about to 'remodel it' themselves so I added in the "Analysis of the piece, composer & period" section. To avoid an essay on the aforementioned topic I included all relevant information for the students to learn through interactive widgets and a variety of relevant recordings with critical thinking questions attached.
Baby Steps- The Checklist
I originally included a traditional assessment notice outlining what was expected as a PDF into iBooks. This was fine and did the job UNTIL.... I came across the checklist widget!
This fantastic widget is concise, easy to read, interactive and dates when items are completed!! By changing the tense to 1st person I am encouraging students to take ownership of their work as well.
The Plan - Preparation is key!
It is important that students construct their composition in a thoughtful manner rather than pressing random keys on the keyboard to produce notes. I have assumed that my students have a satisfactory knowledge of harmony as my pretend students have previously composed for the classical period. Therefore they are able to abide by the rules however lack ownership of their composition. By brainstorming before starting to write notes out, I am encouraging preparation (also a great life skill to teach students!) of the story they are about to tell in the language of music. By including a variety of widgets to do so I am catering to different learning preferences.
The Layout
As with anything visual, the layout is important to get right. Balancing information with fun and motivation somehow through an iBook while also being pleasing to the eye was quite some trick! Things that I considered:
- Including at least one pleasant music or inspiration related picture on each page. It is important for the eye to be able to rest sometimes and if the students eye happens to wander and land on something that puts them back on target then I've done my job!
- Including colour in each an every page
- Drawing the eye to the task I would like them to listen to, watch or complete first.
- Assessing knowledge of context without having the given information on the same page
My personal findings...
What a foreign but upcoming thing to video yourself giving instructions to a class that you cannot read the faces of? I found this quite bizarre and off putting, I'm obviously a rookie! When I'm in the classroom giving instructions it is so easy to read students faces to realise if they understand what you are wanting from them. My continual, I guess reassurance of the phrases, "does this make sense?", "Do you understand what you need to do" etc caused retake after retake of recording. As frustrating as it is now I believe tasks like these are extremely beneficial to us as the next generation of teachers as it avoids us continually repeating the same instructions, allows students to move at their own pace and experience learning in different ways. I will be applying this medium of education to my teaching both in the classroom and privately to my 1-1 students.
