Context

Once the stage of understanding has been identified, the musical and cultural context of the style, genre or tradition being studied should be articulated in the planning process. This will enable pupils to learn how context informs the way that music works and influences its aesthetic values: see the National Curriculum (2008) Key Concepts – Cultural Understanding and Critical Understanding. No music exists in an artistic or social vacuum, and understanding the context of the music powerfully influences overall musical understanding. Read more . .^A

The following should be noted.

• The focus of contextual learning is the music being studied and its place in musical and social life. It is not about what pupils do in lessons. Read more . .^B
• Contextual learning therefore includes:
  • what the music is for – its purpose, intended effect on audience
  • what the roles of performers, composers and audience are for this type of music
  • what the function of the music is within society
  • what the social, historical, geographical and cultural positions of the music are
  • why this music exists.
• Contextual learning is required not so that pupils can learn about the contexts in isolation, but so that pupils recognise how those contexts impact directly on the music. Read more . .^C
• There is no pre-determined order in which pupils should learn about contexts. Read more . .^D
• Contextual learning is not about composers’ biographical details (e.g. Beethoven was deaf) – unless this has a direct and clear consequence on the music being studied.
• Contexts need to be described in ways that match the stage of understanding already established. Read more . .^E

Use Activity Resource 3a to watch one example of a teacher focusing on contextual learning with pupils. It will then ask you to work through the process of defining the context for the new or revised unit you are planning, and adding the information to the planning template.

You could now:

• develop your exploration of how to establish contextual learning by reading more;
• look at the other three tabs within this section of the unit (recommended) ;
• continue with this unit by considering common challenges in structuring learning for musical understanding.

Conventions

Conventions of a musical style, genre or tradition

Once the overarching understanding and context have been identified, the heart of the musical learning for understanding can be addressed: the conventions, processes and devices of the musical style, genre or tradition being studied. For example, in a unit on blues music, this might be fixed as learning about the use of structured lyrics in blues through call and response vocal lines, the blues scale, a defined chord sequence and improvising.

As with context, note how the focus for conventions is on the music. It is not about what pupils do in lessons. What conventions do cover, however, are the features that make up the music’s ‘genetic aural fingerprint’:

• the sounds, devices and ways of making music that when combined create a unique and immediately identifiable sound world;
• the essential aural ingredients that define that sound world – the things that, if missing, would mean that the music was something else.

Focus of the practical experience to engage with the music

When these conventions have been identified, the broad focus of practical musical activities that will enable pupils to access and understand these conventions will become clear. For instance, a unit on programme music will probably identify that a key convention is the way that the music uses short motifs to portray key characters: a good way of learning this would be through a composing activity.

Use Activity Resource 3b to help you identify the conventions of the music you are planning for, and the practical experiences that will support pupils’ learning of these conventions.

You could then:

• develop your exploration of how to plan for learning of conventions and a focus of the practical experience by reading more;
• look at the other three tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by considering common challenges in creative teaching and learning.

Details

The model of learning¹² established that the final layer of the planning process needs to identify the following.

• Given the conventions, processes and devices to be learned, what are the most important features of musical elements that pupils will need to learn about?
• Given the practical explorations pupils will need to be involved in, what are the most important musical skills that pupils will need to learn?

This process helps to articulate the difference between:

1. understanding how features of musical elements work;
2. developing practical skills.

Exploring how features of musical elements work is a form of knowledge-based learning: it requires an intellectual grasp of how, for instance, scale patterns are constructed. True understanding of this knowledge is only secured when it is applied in a practical context (e.g. by playing and using different scale patterns in performing or composing activities); but an important indicator of success in this area of learning is verbal explanation.

Developing practical skills is a very different form of learning. It requires pupils to learn how to improve their music-making skills, such as how to coordinate their left and right hands in keyboard playing or how to develop fragmented melodic ideas into a structured melody line.

You can use Activity Resource 3c to identify what aspects of these learning you need to add to your developing unit plan

You could then:

• develop your exploration of how to set expectations for all aspects of a unit’s planned learning by reading more;
• look at the other three tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by considering common challenges in structuring learning for musical understanding.

Sequence

Once the essential learning has been identified, you need to decide what activities will enable pupils to acquire this learning. When undertaking this task, it is crucial to identify the sequence of learning first, and only then decide on the practical activities that will best deliver each stage of the learning.

The first lesson of a unit will probably introduce the new style, genre or tradition and include a brief overview of its key conventions. This will enable pupils to understand what they will be learning about, and the key points of learning for musical understanding within the unit. The activities will need to engage and motivate pupils, since they will set the tone for the rest of the unit.

Now decide how you will sequence the essential aspects of learning identified in Tasks 11 and 12: understanding the conventions of the style, genre or tradition, the features of musical elements and the development of musical skills required to access the music being studied.

In the next lessons, therefore, you may wish to explore the identified features of musical elements. This will require practical exploration: musical knowledge cannot be embedded in pupils’ understanding simply through theoretical study. The next point in the learning sequence might then be to ensure that pupils can improve the musical skills that are also required to access the chosen conventions.

Finally, identify how these new aspects of learning can be brought together into a more extended practical task that enables pupils to apply the learning they have acquired within the context of the main style, genre or tradition.

When fixing these activities, remember to check whether the unit offers the chance to meet any of the National Curriculum (2008) requirements for a broad range of opportunities. You will not be able to incorporate all of these into every unit, but look for occasions when pupils might be: working with other musicians; working with other subjects; experiencing different performance contexts; using music technology, sometimes as a performing tool; developing leadership skills; exploring music and musicians in society, the music industry, property rights.

You can use Activity Resource 3d to work through this process of planning an appropriate sequence of learning for your new or revised unit. To see a worked example of this process, look at page 2 of Document 1j  61kb which is an example of a sequence of learning for a unit on samba, based clearly upon defined teaching objectives.

You could then:

• develop your exploration of how to sequence a unit’s planned learning by reading more;
• look at the other three tabs within this section of the unit (recommended);
• continue with this unit by considering common challenges in structuring learning for musical understanding.