Range and criteria

In order for pupils to develop their musical skills, knowledge and understanding effectively, teachers should ensure that a varied range of musical challenges is planned into schemes of work. The types of challenge include:

• working across different musical styles, genres and traditions (e.g. African drumming, music for film, notated vocal music);
• taking different roles within musical activities (e.g. singing, leading an ensemble, performing a solo instrumental piece);
• developing distinctive musical skills (e.g. evaluating work through written commentaries, improvising a jazz break, using various forms of music technology).

It is important, across all these challenges, that pupils are given opportunities to respond to challenges that involve abstract musical thinking (illustrated in Activity Resource 3c). This can produce greater creativity in pupils, since it is more open-ended in terms of outcome and requires a higher level of problem-solving skill. You can see a teacher’s plan for a Year 9 unit that deliberately sets out to develop abstract musical thinking by studying Activity Resource 3a.

If pupils are clear about the purpose of their work and the type of challenge they face, they should be equally clear about the success of their outcome. They need to be able to ask themselves: ‘How will I know when I’ve got there?’ Clear learning outcomes for both musical and creativity/thinking criteria will help them to do this, particularly if progression in the criteria is clear.

You could now:

• develop your exploration of how to establish appropriate success criteria by reading more;
• look at the other two tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by considering common challenges in creative teaching and learning.

Unexpected learning

Creative people are prepared to take risks to achieve an outcome of originality and value. Teaching creatively means recognising that unexpected things often happen, and that these can be valuable for all concerned. Teachers and pupils should ‘expect the unexpected’, and aim to capitalise on the learning opportunities that result. This will enable pupils to seek alternative solutions, overcome fear of the unknown, and develop problem-solving skills and imaginative thinking.

For teachers, this means:

• creating an environment which encourages curiosity, enquiry, problem solving;
• identifying when risk taking could be incorporated into an activity;

For pupils, this means:

• asking questions of themselves and the teacher that follow their curiosity and challenge musical conventions, such as ‘What if ...?’, ‘Why ...?’ and ‘How ...?’;
• having confidence in their own thoughts and ideas and knowing that these will be listened to seriously by others, especially the teacher.

These approaches can be used as lessons unfold, pointing individual pupils in new directions that build upon their first attempts to meet creative challenges. However, it is also possible to plan in advance the deliberate introduction of new challenges that will require all pupils to assimilate new ideas, take alternative paths or explore a curious idea. For instance, pupils composing a pop ballad might be told ‘What if the band’s instrument van breaks down and you have to do the whole performance a capella?’  

Use Activity Resource 3b to help you plan for the use of some ‘What if …?’ questions.

You could then:

• develop your exploration of how to capitalise on learning opportunities by reading more;
• look at the other two tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by considering common challenges in creative teaching and learning.

Group work and group talk

Group discussion will be a necessary element of most music lessons. Among the various strategies for structuring group work the following will be useful.

• Listening triads: Pupils work in groups of three. Each pupil takes one role – talker, questioner or recorder. The talker explains something, or comments on an issue, or expresses opinions. The questioner prompts and seeks clarification. The recorder makes notes and gives a report at the end of the conversation. Next time, pupils change roles.
  • Example: The talker gives an appraisal of their most recent piece of work. The questioner supports the talker by prompting constructively and clarifying points. The recorder summarises the discussion for the class.
• Envoys: Once groups have carried out a task, one person from each group is selected as an envoy. The envoys move to a new group to explain and summarise their group’s work and to find out what the new group thought, decided or achieved. The envoys then return to their original groups and give feedback.
  • Example: As part of a listening activity, groups hear and discuss the same piece of music. Envoys listen to another group’s ideas or answers and return to their own groups for comparison.
• Jigsaw: A topic is divided into sections. In home groups of four or five, pupils take a section each and then regroup into expert groups. The experts work together on their chosen areas, then return to their home groups to report on their area of expertise. The home group is then set a task that requires the pupils to use the different areas of expertise for a joint outcome.
  • Example: As part of a research session in the ICT suite, each expert group researches a different aspect of a topic, using the Internet and CD-ROMs. The experts return to their home groups to report back in turn. The home group now has within it knowledge of all the research carried out in this session.

You can use Activity Resource 3c to see how the same principles and methods for developing group talk can be used at other times when group work is needed in practical music sessions.

You could then:

• develop your exploration of how to use talk by reading more;
• look at the other two tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by considering common challenges in creative teaching and learning.