Re-Writing the Music Curriculum

Last term I had a breakthrough lesson observation. It was described as a “lovely experience” and really impressed the observer. It was clear to me that I had come a long way since my previous drop-in (which really didn’t go according to plan) but at first it was difficult for me to recognise where I had made an improvement on lessons taught in the past.

By reflecting upon the last few months, pinpointing how I had altered my teaching style in lessons became easier. Since he joined the school last January, JAH and I have used our line meetings to really get to the heart of what Music teaching is about; drop-ins and lesson observations have generally led to interesting discussions about the reasons behind Music tasks and whether or not they really have value.

These discussions led to my re-writing of the curriculum and a merciless approach to cutting weaker schemes of work that did not inspire students to the level that I really wanted. I thought long and hard about what the real focus of each module was and made sure that it was clear to students (and anyone observing). In the lesson in question, I had made sure that the students knew that while the music they were playing was really simple (containing only a few notes), the focus should be on listening to how the different parts fit together. I also made it clear that no matter how easy and minimal the music is, an expressive performance is paramount. I demonstrated what I meant and then scaffolded performances by giving students time to put my feedback into action before bringing them back into class to perform together in one giant group; students were then ready for the assessment which took place in the following lesson. Despite the simple music, students worked hard to play together fitting their individual roles in time. I was proud to see the great team-work on show and the kind ethos behind the way they supported each other.

My next challenge is to make sure that the success of this lesson can be fed into all other schemes of work through signposted questions that help other teachers to achieve the same satisfying outcomes
Author JOR