Developing confidence

Pupils need to feel confident to fully express themselves musically in a creative and performing context. They require frequent opportunities to develop confidence in their ability to experiment with musical processes and devices and to develop the mastery of performance techniques using the voice or playing an instrument. Effective modelling of performing and composing conventions will encourage pupils to engage and participate more readily in the music-making opportunities made available to them.

Peer modelling is a strategy that builds confidence in pupils. They will sometimes see adults who model skills or techniques as specialists and experts, demonstrating levels of creativity or virtuosity well beyond their capabilities. When peers are the modellers, pupils are more likely to see the skills being demonstrated as attainable and will be inspired to develop the same skills. Peer modelling was a ‘developing’ feature of the Musical Futures initiative (www.musicalfutures.org.uk) where instrumental skills for example were often ‘cascaded’ using peers as models. With some care taken to ensure that pupils use an effective, oral commentary to develop their contributions (i.e. moving them from explanation or demonstration to modelling), the approach becomes increasingly persuasive and powerful as a classroom strategy for developing pupils’ confidence.

Use Activity Resource 4a to see how one teacher used a modelling sequence to develop pupil’s confidence in creating ‘characterful’ melodic motifs.

You could now:

• develop your exploration of how to develop peer modelling by reading more;
• look at the other two tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by evaluating your work in modelling and identifying next steps.

Specialist musicians

Pupils need to be inspired and have the opportunity to take a very close look at accomplished musicians ‘in action’. These will include the class teacher and pupils with advanced musical skills. Inviting external performers into the classroom to model particular skills or techniques can also have enormous benefits on pupils’ and teachers’ understanding of musical conventions, processes and devices from a variety of diverse musical styles, genres and traditions.

The visiting musician might be a parent, a peripatetic music teacher from the LA Music Services, a locally known musician or group, or another teacher from within the school. Often, peers can be used as experts and effectively model their understanding of a challenge or task. With the teaching repertoire so broad at this key stage, an individual music teacher will struggle to be an expert in all areas of the music curriculum. Using experts in the classroom has a real benefit when considering, for example, the musical traditions of another culture or a musical genre vastly different from the music teacher’s experience and strengths.

One of the requirements of the National Curriculum (2008) is that the ‘curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to work with a range of musicians and watch and listen to live musical performances where possible, to extend their learning’. Use Activity Resource 4b to help you plan for these sorts of opportunities.

You could then:

• develop your exploration of using a range of musicians by reading more;
• look at the other two tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by evaluating your work in modelling and identifying next steps.

Portfolio of evidence

A portfolio of evidence is a useful way of modelling to pupils a range of possible outcomes. This is particularly helpful for pupils who find it difficult to translate verbal descriptions of practical work into musical sounds and performances.

Traditionally, the creation of a portfolio has been teacher-led, with outcomes from previous classes used to make explicit in sound the key musical features of practical work. However, the requirements of the National Curriculum (2008) suggest that there may be ways of involving the pupils more directly in the creation of their own portfolio of work.

The Key Concept ‘Critical understanding’ requires pupils to be ‘engaging with and analysing music, developing views and justifying opinions’. There is no reason, therefore, why pupils should not be sharing with each other their views on what makes for effective work, and selecting the examples of effective practice.

In addition, the curriculum should enable pupils to ‘build on their own interests and skills’. This implies that pupils should be able to create their own portfolio of work, using it to define their own personal standards and a body of work that reflects not just the teachers’ intentions but also their own musical passions.

You can use Activity Resource 4c to explore how the principle of pupils developing their own portfolios of work, and using them to share and reflect on what makes a good quality outcome, has been developed through the Numu web site.

You could then:

• develop your exploration of how to create a departmental portfolio by reading more;
• look at the other two tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by evaluating your work in modelling and identifying next steps.