www.funmusicco.com/musicteachersblog/2011/03/using-peak-state-in-music-education/
This article describes a new trend in being ‘peak state’ to increase enjoyment and retention!
| 10 Excellent Ways To Use An Interactive Whiteboard in the Music Classroom
So you’ve been given an interactive whiteboard (IWB) to use and you know you should be using as more than a simple projector or place to screen videos. The benefits of incorporating an IWB into your teaching are many: it allows you to create a bank of learning resources that can be used many times across multiple classes, you can replace some of your physical resources with digital versions so you don’t lose them. Luckily, you don’t need to rewrite your curriculum. By learning a few IWB basics, you’ll find that many of your current class activities can be adapted for use on an IWB. Here are 10 ideas to get you started. |
Today I told Year 8 that teenagers today learn ‘heaps’ from YouTube … I handed out keyboards … and pressed ‘play’ on THIS YouTube clip. All I had to do was wander around the class admiring their progress, and making a few corrections. 
INVITATION: MASTER OF MUSIC (PERFORMANCE TEACHING)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & INFORMATION SESSION
You are invited to a special public seminar led by Professor Gary McPherson, Director, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
Presenting evidence-based approaches to music performance teaching, this presentation is a preview of the exciting new Master of Music (Performance Teaching) program.
Music educators, undergraduate music students, and those wishing to teach instrumental music in the future are encouraged to come and experience some of the innovative teaching that will feature in this course, as well as find out essential information and ask questions.
Refreshments will be served after the presentation.
TIME & DATE: Saturday 15 October 2.30pm
VENUE: Melba Hall Melbourne Conservatorium of Music The University of Melbourne Gate 12, Royal Parade Parkville
COST: FREE – bookings are essential
BOOKINGS: Anastasia Russell-Head rua@unimelb.edu.au or 03 8344 3673
COURSE INFORMATION: http://www.conservatorium.unimelb.edu. au/grad/mmusperfteach
Message from Kodaly Assoc:
Big Kodaly Day – 17 November
Cripps Centre, Caulfield Grammar School, Caulfield Campus, 217 Glen Eira Road, East St Kilda,
After the fantastically inspiring inaugural ‘Big Kodaly Day’ last year, we are very excited that Dr James Cuskelly is able to share more of his expertise with us. James will lead us in the developmental process useful for teaching older beginners. His ability to enthuse and bring about effective learning in students across all ages and abilities is now firmly internationally recognised. His content is sequential and his processes and presentation of ideas are succinct… in a word, brilliant! Plus musicianship & more…
Bookings using http://tinyurl.com/3cjlk9z
The next exciting event in the aMuse 2013 PL calendar is a full-day “The Singing Classroom” workshop.
A PL designed to encourage primary teachers to sing more regularly with their classes. The workshops aim to build teacher confidence, provide a range of resources and to model skills in teaching songs.
If you’re interested, please come along.
If you know someone who would be interested, please pass this info on.
http://www.amuse.vic.edu.au/PL2013/singingclassroom2013_allday.htm
Monday, March 18
10.00am – 3.00pm
Statewide Resource Centre
150 Palmerston Street, Carlton
$100 per person
$40 for tertiary students
Lunch and morning tea provided
New music teachers are encouraged sign up to The Music Teacher Project online forum at www.musicteachersproject.net
This is a new online community especially for first-year music teachers. Share stories about your music teaching experiences – positive, negative and everything in between. It is a dynamic and exciting place, where you can explore who you are as a teacher, ask questions and support one another through this first crucial year.
ASME NSW in conjunction with MusicEDU and ENGADINE MUSIC are bringing PD on the road for an informative and fun filled day of PD in Term 2, 2013 (25 May).
Cost $10-$45
SATURDAY MAY 25, 2013
KINROSS WOLLAROI MUSIC CENTRE – ORANGE
10.30- 4.30pm
This PD will involve presenters from Sydney including ASME NSW Chair Brad Merrick, who will provide an update on ACARA, The Australian Curriculum as well as presenting a session on approaches to teaching performance in the HSC. Following the opening lecture, a series of smaller workshops will be provided for rotation for the delegates and their interest.
A selection of other experienced Sydney teachers will be coming out for the day and will share their expertise with you. The aim will be to provide PD for both classroom and studio teachers. Some of the areas that will be touched upon include: -
• Emerging trends with technology in class including keyboards, computers and apps
• Approaches to developing vocal skills, instrumental skills and repertoire selection
• Teaching activities and resources for the Primary and Lower Secondary Classroom
• Strategies for teaching aural, composition, performance in electives and the HSC
You are invited to participate in a classroom music workshop and an ongoing research project at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. 6-7 September, 2012 @ Gippsland, Vic.
The workshop is free and your participation include:
· Musical Futures resources
· Networking opportunities
· Lunch and refreshments
· The opportunity to be involved in a dynamic program and be part of the research group that assists in is rollout in Australian schools.
For more information, visit the Musical Futures website www.musicalfuturesaustralia.org or call Ken Owen on 0411 694 710
ABC Keys to Music – listen to a 4-part series of audio podcasts from May 2009. Richard Gill and Graham Abbott discuss the importance of quality school Music Education for all Australian children.
(Scroll down the webpage to the heading “Music Education Series”)
As a new initiative, nine new Special Interest Groups (SIGS) have been set up to operate at the forthcoming International Society of Music Education (ISME) world conference Thessaloniki, Greece July 15-20th 2102.
One of these is the Active Music Making (AMM) SIG which is focused on studying, promoting, and advancing music pedagogies that facilitate students actively making music.
The aims of the AMM SIG are to demonstrate, promote, and advance well-established music pedagogies based on active music-making (e.g. Orff, Dalcroze, Kodály, Gordon and others). Activities will include dedicated workshops, papers, posters and symposia. Please email for more info.
We invite you to submit a proposal in one or more of these categories – workshops, papers, posters and/or symposia as part of the Active Music Making SIG. Submissions for each individual presenter are limited to a maximum TOTAL of four, with a limit of two submissions in any of these categories. The deadline for submissions is midnight (your time) October 1st, 2011.
SUBMISSION STEPS:
1. Log into the system at www.isme.org – you need to be a current financial ISME member to apply
2. Click on Submit or Edit Saved Proposal
3. Click on Submit Proposal for World Conference
4. The only other choice is Commissions – SIGs are part of the World Conference
5. Submit Proposal for World Conference (including SIGs and Vocal & Instrumental Forum)
6. Click on which type of submission
7. You get to the Submission page. In the Topics/Area menu, click on the name of the SIG – Active Music Making!
We are looking forward to having you as part of our very first Active Music Making SIG.
Alexander Technique Weekend Workshop with Robert Schubert from the University of Melbourne
A two day workshop led by Robert Schubert specifically designed with musicians in mind.
When: 27th and 28th August 2011. 10am -5pm
Where: Boroondara Brass Band Rooms. Ferguson Stand, Glenferrie Oval, Hawthorn
Cost: $100.00 per person.
The Alexander Technique helps evaluate and improve your habitual movements.The Alexander Technique is a
way of learning about how to be comfortable in your own body. Discover how your habits affect your life
and work towards better movement and posture. By changing how you move as you go about your daily activities
Alexander Technique can help you to resolve long-term pain, voice problems and ergonomic problems.
Alexander Technique can also help you to achieve better self-awareness, better performance, and better patterns of movement in all physical activities.
The cost for this 2 day intensive workshop will be $100.00 per person. Paid directly to Boroondara Brass.
If you are interested in attending this course please email your interest to admin@boroondarabrass.org
Go to resource: An Integrated Expressive Arts Program: drama, dance, art, music was written by Wendy Schiller and Ann Veale. Published by the Australian Early Childhood Association, 1989.
Go to resource: An Introduction to Music in Early Childhood Education by Joanne Greata is published by Thomson Delmar Learning, New York, 2006. Read more…
http://www.artmusfair.eu/education/
A European Network Conference on Education of Contemporary Music – from Kindergarten to Generation 50+ in the frame of the “Weimar Spring Festival of Contemporary Music”
That is the artmusfair.EDUCATION from 28 April until 01 May 2011 in Weimar
New Music for New Audiences, under this motto the European Composers’ Forum initiates the first special issue of the ARTMUSFAIR network conferences, named artmusfair.EDUCATION 2011, as part of the XII. Weimar Spring Festival of Contemporary Music. German and European actors and experts from the music scene (composers, musicians, etc.) and music education (teachers, university lecturers, audience developers, etc.) are invited to join together in the three-day networking conference from 28 April until 01 May 2011 in Weimar to take part in round tables, workshops, project presentations and concerts, to update each other on their skills, experiences and different backgrounds to consequently forward the important field of teaching contemporary music in a modern education context.
www.asme.edu.au/ASME_Standards05.pdf
Under the following headings: Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice, Professional Values, Professional Relationhips
As part of our PD programme for this year, ASME NSW is offering an afternoon PD Course for recently graduated teachers and those who may have been appointed in the last 1-2 years. It will be on Saturday the 19th of November, from 1 – 4.30 pm at Macquarie University. More info here.
A free lesson plan from Nick Jaworski designed for Year 9-12 students reflecting on MUSIC & IDENTITY. It involves using Audacity (or other music editing software) to create a 3 minute audio project. This project may suit Challenge-Based-Learning principals.
There is an opportunity to be involved in a Programme being undertaken by AITSL. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has responsibility for establishing professional learning flagship programs that support national education priority areas. The Professional Learning Flagship Program: Leading Curriculum Change will aim to enhance teachers knowledge, skills and confidence to plan for, support and lead curriculum change, including school level implementation of the Australian Curriculum. Classroom teachers with curriculum change leadership responsibility in a school are the primary audience for this flagship program.
AITSL have a number of resources available on their dedicated Leading Curriculum Change web page www.aitsl.edu.au/lcc
Please also note that this website is the place that all interested individuals go to register an expression of interest in The Professional Learning Flagship Program: Leading Curriculum Change.
Should you have an interest in leading such curriculum change, follow the link above and consider applying to be partof the programme.
Go to resource: The Australian National Council of Orff Schulwerk Inc (ANCOS) is the Australian organisation for Schulwerk music education methodology, and is linked to the Orff Institute in Salzburg. Read more…
Autumn Music Seminar – Friday 18 & Saturday 19 May 2012
This years seminar will enrich your music programme by providing access to excellent practitioners and innovative resources adapted for Australian
classrooms. Presenting this year we are fortunate to have an international expert from Hungary, Lilla Gabor, and from interstate, Celia Christmass
(WA) and Anne Comiskey (Qld), plus many more!
Highlights include:
• NEW Orff Stream of workshops
• Songs, games and teaching strategies
• Daily sessions to develop your aural skills
• Choice of electives
• Practical sessions focussed on excellence in teaching and deliveredby working educators
• Opportunity to network with other teachers
• Gain insight into strategies for developing students listening, music literacy and aural skills.
Each day will run from 9am – 5pm at St Alfred’s Anglican Church, Corner Springfield Rd and Koonung Rd, Blackburn North.
Program details are on the
Kodaly website at http://www.kodaly.org.au/Events.html
Bookings using http://tinyurl.com/29thefl
Elissa Milne blogs her ideas on the changing shape of music teaching
http://elissamilne.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/being-musical-being-a-music-teacher/
Big Kodály Music Day’
Saturday 12 November 2011
Aimed at teaching older beginners (middle/upper primary and lower secondary), learn to develop a sequential music program which develops musicianship and understanding, powerful questioning techniques, ways to differentiate the curriculum, and constructivist (inquiry-based) learning.
Presenter: James Cuskelly
James is an amazing teacher who will lead us in the developmental process useful for teaching older beginners. His content is sequential and his processes and presentation of ideas are succinct… in a word, brilliant!
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm Registration from 8:30am
Venue: Cripps Centre, Caulfield Grammar School, Caulfield Campus, 217 Glen Eira Road, East St Kilda, Vic
Cost: Full registration: $105 KMEIA Members / $125 Non Members. F/T Student price: $40 (Registration fees includes Morning Tea and Lunch)
Online bookings go to: http://tinyurl.com/3cjlk9z
More information at www.kodaly.org.au or phone 03 9535 7035
After watching the Mitra TED talk together (http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud.html), and discussing the future of learning for today’s teenagers, 12-13 year olds in a Music class were asked to get into groups, devise their own “Big Question” to do with music, and come up with a researched presentation. Grouping was flexible, and open to change. Each group had to appoint a ‘granny’ for encouragement. Presentation format was up to each group.
Questions included:
“Who first invented music?”
“How do people respond to different genres of music?”
“How do disabled people experience music?”
“How has music changed over the last 100 years?”
“How is music education different across the globe?”
After half an hour, any student who was without a group (and therefore without a big question) was teacher-guided to collect photos of unusual instruments to present to the class.
Only a few students took the ‘unusual instrument’ approach. Two students found a superficial answer to their question in 5 minutes and settled on it. The rest worked collaboratively and enthusiastically – even those students who avoid practical music making, which was pleasing!
4 lessons were given for the task – 3 of which were in a computer lab. The level of working noise was greater than normal, but very productive. Most students were on task for the vast majority of the time. Excitement was evident in most students. Collaborative work was predominant, with all students voicing their opinions at various times. Weaker students often found themselves working with stronger peers. Groups changed a little throughout the 4 sessions, finding a better balance. Questions of the teacher were few and far between, having encouraged students to seek answers from their group.
Presentations were predominantly in PowerPoint, with students taking turns to read from the screen. This Project-Based Learning (PBL) or SOLE (Student-Oriented Learning Environment) task formed one of six assessment tasks for the year, under the title of “Self Nominated Project”.
The teacher found the sessions lively and entertaining, having the rare chance to sit back and observe active learning as an interested spectator. From a teaching point of view, the SOLE experiment was fun, energising, painless, and surprisingly easy – students did as much thinking as the teacher, which is my new goal for classroom teaching!
Watch this TED talk on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3jYVe1RGaU with Middle School students. Then ask them to self-organise into groups (with internet access) and pursue their own choice of ‘big question’ to do with music.
One recent trend in education is “Challenge-Based Learning” (CBL) … real-life, relevant, project-based learning (often using Apple software). Read more …
http://www.scoop.it/t/challenge-based-learning-resources
http://www.apple.com/education/challenge-based-learning/#cbl-engaging-video
Charanga is a digital learning community for music education – once paid up and subscribed, you have access to digital lesson materials and support.
Go to resource: Children, meaning-making and the arts, edited by Susan Wright, is published by Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest NSW, 2003. Read more…
Go to resource: Comparing Dalcroze, Orff and Kodaly: choosing your approach to teaching music by Gilles Comeau and published by CFORP, Vanier – Ontario, 1995, is translated from the 1995 thesis by Comeau. Read more…
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781607091950
“Minds on Music” – This textbook enhances preservice and practicing music educators’ understanding of ways to successfully engage children in music composition. It offers both a rationale for the presence of composition in the music education program and a thorough review of what we know of children’s compositional practices to date. Minds On Music offers a solid foundation for planning and implementing composition lessons with students in grades PreK-12.
THIS NING is an online meeting place for teachers to suggest repertoire for class bands (Year 3-10): http://musicteachersnetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/songs-for-kids-in-musical?id=6343590:Topic:2305&page=2#comments Pick a few songs, and ask groups of student to learn them by ear or using the internet. Give them 6 weeks and see what happens!
Go to resource: Creating Meaning Through Literature and the Arts by Claudia Cornett (2006) is a textbook specifically for classroom teachers. Read more…
THIS article has practical suggestions for promoting Critical Thinking skills in the music (and instrumental teaching) classroom – both primary and secondary.
Go to resource: Dalcroze Australia is the official Dalcroze association in Australia and offers courses for teachers. Read more…
Go to resource: Dalcroze Eurhythmics – Music Through Movement : Early Childhood Education Lessons and Ideas for Teachers in Music by Heather Gell and edited by Joan Pope, is published by the Heather Gell Dalcroze Foundation, Callaway International Resource Centre for Music Education, Nedlands WA, 2006. Read more…
Go to resource: Dalcroze Eurhythmics in Today’s Music Classroom by Virginia Hoge Mead, is published by Schott Music Corporation, New York, c1994. Read more…
Go to resource: Dalcroze Today: an education through and into music by Marie-Laure Bachmann is published by Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1991. Read more…
http://whatmusicmeans.mypodcast.com/
Dr Scott Watson (US) shares his experiences as a music educator and conductor via a series of free podcasts.
Show students the MusicCareer website with its list of ‘careers in music’. Students should choose a career which interests them, and spend the rest of the year undertaking career-related activities, eg. practising (= performer), writing a list of equipment they think school should buy, listening to songs and writing what emotion it evokes (= music therapy), changing songs to words … ENJOY!!!
Go to resource: Education in the Arts: Teaching and Learning in the Contemporary Curriculum, edited by Christine Sinclair, Neryl Jeanneret and John O’Toole, is published by Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 2009. Read more…
TIME: This year’s performance time is Thursday 1st November, at 12.30pm AEDT (It will be 9.30am in the West).
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For all teachers who have signed up (free) for MCUI 2012, there is now access to Music Pods – FREE short video segments to help you teach the song View a sample HERE.
http://www.mustechalley.com/rhhsmusictech/My_Blog/Entries/2012/1/26_Finger_Composing.html
A cute blog post which reminds us to allow young children be creative on their own terms.
FLAME AWARDS: This year’s theme is: ‘creative and engaging ways of delivering music education’. Entries are open to Primary and Secondary schools across Australia in 2011.
Visit the Flame Awards website for entry information
http://www.musicplayforlife.org/index.php/campaigns/flames
Due 22nd August, 2011.
2011 Flame Awards have announced 23 finalist schools. This year’s finalists use technology and social networking to engage students, teach ukulele during class music lessons, promote song-writing to reinforce literacy, employ music therapists to work with special needs students, and timetable music lessons for every day of the school year.
Here are the 23 Finalists for 2011 Flame Awards – rewarding engaging and creative school music departments:
St Christopher’s Primary School NSW - a primary school embracing technology in so many ways, from composition to creating their own video hits segments
Guardian Angels Primary School QLD – recording studio used to compose music for weekly school news, parents co-learn at their child’s music lesson, 10 generalist staff involved in school instrumental ensembles
Henbury School NT – amazing special needs and music therapy program which uses research to inform its practice
Harrison School ACT – research-based music program = Music for Happiness … happy students perform better in all areas, studying quality music to inspire high achievement, teachers teach other teachers to lead music groups, lunchtime music clubs, Glee Club
Ernabella Anangu School NT – new indigenous school music program based on communication; features song-writing, music from many cultures, use of computers & student-initiated content; 100% involvement in choir with lots of time allocation as well
Girraween Primary School NT – early years music features innovative visual aids & games, across the Primary years music features in other subject areas, music hut for play-time, music games and technology used to teach notation and theory
Merri Creek Primary School VIC – composition from Year 1 with a biennial CD burned of student compositions, creativity and composition leads to performances of their own works & discussion of each other’s compositions
St Andrew’s Catholic College QLD – webpage for music activities, emails to parents re. music news, connections with indigenous owners of the school land, parents fundraise to bring renowned guests/composers/performers to the school, lots of music IT – which is available to students at lunchtime, strong community connections
MLC Burwood NSW – all girls are involved in annual Opera House concerts, guest composers and performance workshops, outreach to other schools, use of technology to enhance learning
Killara Primary School VIC – jam sessions with parents, composition from Year 1, student-run music events at lunchtime, cross-arts activities, Ultranet for sharing musical opinions
Footscray City Primary School VIC – Steiner / mainstream school with music as a fundamental element, massive variety of ensembles, innovation and engagement are core school-wide values
North Lake Senior Campus WA – 3 campuses use the internet to create a virtual music classroom, Moodle allows online tutorials at home and uploading videos of student performances, also collaborative online performances, video tutorials allow refugees and ESL to re-play lessons slowly as needed
Cowper Public School NSW – tiny school with amazing engagement, cows and chickens are an innovative feature of music performance and composition, ‘Opera with the Cows’ brings 1000 audience to the town and students sing with professional opera singers, award-winning choir
Boggabilla Central NSW – a low socio-economic school re-writing musical resources to bypass low literacy and confidence levels … inspiring achievements in 12 months, use 2-note power chords on guitar and compose music specifically to match student skills, wrote a new school song based on schools’ social values program
Boneo Primary School VIC – Glee Club, boomwhackers, djembes, ukuleles, instrumental lessons @$10, Music Matters PLN (Professional Learning Network) to unite isolated teachers, sharing music lessons online with other countries – the world is our classroom
The Patch Primary School VIC – music is integral to school & community, music features in many cross-arts activities, musical activity feeds off cultural community, Orff and Musical Futures methodologies, class sets of marimbe/ukulel/recorder/djembe, Music spreads to other KLA, creative music grant – composition results are shown on website, song-writing
Ferny Grove State High School QLD – composition, community involvement, YouTube presence, 24 ensembles, aim to create a sense of belonging which promotes student creativity and experimentation
Croxton School VIC – special needs school employs a music therapist, creativity within a structured environment, song-writing project, DRUMBEATS, emphasis on learning social skills & self-esteem through music, use visual cues and repetition to maintain student focus
Smith’s Hill High School NSW – boys only guitar + vocal group, offers single semester elective subjects which are cross age (year 8-10), 3 day music camp, overnight busking ensemble trip to Sydney, variety of large ensembles
St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School QLD – Year K, 1, 2, 3, 8 have 20 mins of music EVERY day (Kodaly-based), community choir, staff outreach to refugee school
Spring Gully Primary School VIC – assisted by 20 years of composer-in-residence – original song-writing is integral to learning and sharing at this school … ‘Big Book’ style songbooks are created, to share with other classes
Parkhurst State Primary QLD – technology used to engage middle years (digital composition & podcasts), integrates music with other subject areas, students create multimedia projects which are music-rich, invite other schools to use their facilities
Resurrection Primary School VIC – a Song Room school, great work by Song Room staff, including training up non-specalist staff; school radio station; plans to take on ukulele ensemble across school
This month (October 2012) Klerrisa Music’s ACCESS site (usually available to paying customers) is FREE to all teachers. Browse through brilliant resources (Middle School to High School) and sample tastes of many different units, lesson plans and worksheets.
http://gmajormusictheory.org/Freebies/freebiesFP.html This website features FREE songs in a logical sequence for learning to play keyboard AND read music at the SAME time. I use it with Year 7 students, but it suits younger and older students as well! Songs with GREEN dots are free — blue dots require payment. Many songs have accompaniments as well.
Once you sign in (free), you will receive a link (via email) to watch 3 free video lessons on basic djembe technique.
| A message from Jozzbeat:
Principals…. Here’s your opportunity for Melbourne and Sydney metropolitan Primary schools to test drive the classroom music program “Jellybeans Music” in your OWN school! For a limited time during Term 4, we will send out one of our Jellybeans Music teachers to your school for a Jellybeans lesson with a class of your choice. If you’ve not seen Jellybeans Music in action before, take this opportunity to see the program that many schools, Principals and parents are talking about. For more information on the program go to: www.MyJellybeansMusic.com.au Call the office – 1300 307 506 or email us HERE to book in. |
http://artspop.yodelservices.com/
Each of the Arts has a number of units designed to complement the National Curriculum. Scroll to the bottom and choose “Music”!
Click here to download FREE teaching kits for teaching pop music to Middle School students – using the Musical Futures approach. Handouts include song lyrics, keyboard chord fingerings & guitar chord fingerings.
Thanks to Coombeshead Academy for sharing their resources freely
We would like to invite you to host a FREE Music Count Us In/The Singing Classroom workshop at your school during September or October.
Here’s a final reminder of the opportunity to have a workshop in your school.
Bookings are filling fast – we already have more than last year!
Please send an expression of interest asap if you are interested.
The workshops will be 1.5 half hours long, run after school and open to all of your staff as well as other teachers in your area. Each participant will receive a resource booklet packed with useful songs, action songs, games and composition ideas, which includes this year’s MCUI song – and a CD!
This year’s workshops will be delivered by Susie Davies-Splitter and Sue Arney.
Below is a list of dates that we are available to come to your school/venue to run a workshop. All dates are open – we have indicated dates which would be best for us to come to country areas, however everything is negotiable and we are happy to discuss options.
Please let me know asap if you would like to book one of the dates below to host a workshop in your school.
Warm regards,
Sue Arney s.arney@bigpond.com
Project Officer
Association of Music Educators
September
Tuesday 11
Wednesday 12
Thursday 13
Friday 14
Tuesday 18
Wednesday 19 (country)
Thursday 20 (country)
Friday 21
October
Monday 8 (country)
Tuesday, 9
Wednesday 10
Thursday 11
Friday 12
Tuesday 16
Wednesday 17
Thursday 18
Friday 19
Monday 22 (country)
Tuesday 23
Thursday 25
Friday 26
www.essential-music-practice.com/learning-new-pieces.html
This website offers some free games for inspiring multiple repetitions when learning new pieces. Other parts of the webpage offer advice re. practising an instrument at home.
HERE is a free e-book re. how to practice.
The author has also written a book (for purchase).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI9d9jW1ouc
This amazing TV series (on YouTube) shows how a choir master tackles “raising education standards” for UK boys in Year 5-6.
Manhattan School of Music has instituted a groundbreaking distance learning program — the first of its kind at a major conservatory — devoted to exploring the use of state-of-the-art videoconference technology for music education and performance.
Use the internet to take 50 minute classes with your students, or to undertake professional learning for yourself / your community.
Go to resource: Hands on Music Outcomes: a practical teachers guide to implementing the curriculum framework curriculum guides & progress maps joyfully in the classroom, by Sue Noonan, is published by Rossendale Press, Exmouth WA, 2005. This volume is intended for primary teachers and comes with an accompanying disc. It contains music activities and guides for assessment.
Go to resource: Heather Gell’s Thoughts on Dalcroze Eurhythmics & Music Through Movement is edited by Joan Pope and published by CIRCME, University of Western Australia in association with the Heather Gell Dalcroze Foundation, Nedlands, WA, c1996. Read more…
helpful article – Music teaching ideas for when you are ill or weak-of-voice
Go to resource: The History of Music Education in Australia by Robin Stevens is published on the Deakin University website and provides an outline of the development of music education from colonial settlement through to now. Read more…
Go to resource: Improvisation and Conducting from a Dalcroze Workshop in Thailand 2008, run by Sandra Nash, demonstrates Dalcroze music and movement activities for music students of different stages. Read more…
This blog, set up by Jozzbeat to discuss the Ramp-Up project, shows what Australian teachers can achieve by sharing their musical questions / comments / videos via an online community.
Go to resource: Issues in expressive arts curriculum for early childhood: an Australian perspective. Published in 1996, guest editor Wendy Schiller. Read more…
A Jozzbeat percussion chart has appeared using the Music: Count Us In 2012 song.
It’s an online, animated chart (JellyBeans-style) for classes to play percussion with. Great for learning rhythm reading and concepts of arrangement. ENJOY!!
How do you get FREE access? Sign in to Music: Count Us In … then email monica.mpfl@mca.org.au asking for the JellyBeans chart access. ENJOY!!!
Beginning in Term 1 201, Jozzbeat will be hosting a national project called ‘JellyMusic 2012′ that aims to have 500+ Primary Classrooms around Australia all working with a comprehensive library of quality P-7 music resources.
JellyMusic is an exciting new subscription service for Australian classrooms, including software that runs on Interactive Whiteboards and Digital Projectors and comes with a wide range of age appropriate repertoire and activities.
‘Music. Play For Life’ are supporting by hosting the ‘Community and Contact’ zone. This will be a blog-type zone where all participating schools and teachers can communicate and share teaching ideas. We aim to produce valuable research data on how music is being run in school classrooms across Australia, which we will tender to ACARA (the National Curriculum body).
We are looking at a number of 2-3 hour national ‘induction’ workshops to kick off the project. We could certainly look at putting one on in your area with a good number of schools represented.
You (or your schools) can sign up for the project at www.jozzbeat.com/jellymusic-signup
Schools can participate for FREE (that’s right…FREE!), or additionally you can choose to pay for a whole year’s content.
To kickstart the project Jozzbeat will be providing free induction workshops to help all teachers (Classroom and Specialist) get comfortable with both the technology and the teaching and material. These workshops will occur in key centres across Australia where school numbers warrant, and online.
Please send queries to: info@jozzbeat.com
an MCA publication -
Journal of Music Research Online www.jmro.org.au: this refereed journal includes music education research
How does one find authentic creativity? In his last talk before passing away, Malcolm McLaren tells remarkable stories from his own life, from failing school to managing the Sex Pistols. He argues that we’re living in a karaoke culture, with false promises of instant success, and that messiness and failure are the key to true learning.
Katie Noonan and Musica Viva are using video-conferencing and Google + to connect music students across geographical boundaries.
An entertaining article by a Primary Music teacher who entertains her students with bubbles, colourful hats and knock-knock jokes … in the interests of keeping students on task.
http://theapple.monster.com/training/articles/858-keeping-students-engaged-in-music
http://www.ted.com/talks/jose_abreu_on_kids_transformed_by_music.html This TED video (10 mins) describes 30 years of Jose Abreu working with El Sistema and at-risk kids. |
Kodaly Biennial National Conference will be held 2-5 October in Adelaide, South Australia. This is a 4-day conference for anyone interested in music education from birth through to senior secondary, in classrooms and in choral and instrumental settings. Keynote presenters include: Helga Dietrich (Hungary), Cyrilla Rowsell (UK), Richard Gill, Dr Deanna Hoermann and Professor Ann Brewer (all from Australia). Much more at www.kodaly2012.com Contact: Yvonne Tysoe ytysoe@gmail.com
The Kodaly National Conference 2-5 October 2012 in Adelaide
“It’s TIME: The Importance of Music Education”, will be held at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide
There is still time to book for what promises to be a fantastic event:
Keynote Speakers:
More information at kodaly2012.com
Registrations now open and can be done using: goo.gl/PPAFG
Recently the Kodaly Committee discussed 2 issues and would like your input and feedback.
1. The need for mentors for new teachers and teachers who are new to Kodaly.
2. The committee would like to have better information about what Kodaly programs are offered in schools.
We would be most grateful if you can take a few minutes to fill in the survey and to also pass on to your colleagues. Go to the following link for the
survey: http://tinyurl.com/6nvhp2q
Many Thanks
Glenys Gijsbers (for the Kodaly Vic committee)
The Armidale Chapter of the Kodaly Music Education Institute of Australia in association with NECOM will be holding another exciting workshop at Old Teachers College on the weekend of October 20-21 this year. Two wonderful teachers, Judith Johnson and Tim Sherlock are the presenters this year. Judith Johnson is the author of many texts used by music teachers throughout Australia. She has 30 year’s experience using Kodaly ‘s method in schools and recently retired from the School of Music at the University of Queensland where she also taught aural musicianship and classroom methodology to teachers in training. Her vast experience and delightful personality will make this a very special learning experience. Teachers attending the weekend will receive 10 hours of accredited PD and Judith will take a special stream concentrating on early childhood methodology – a wonderful introduction for those new to Kodaly methods.
Tim Sherlock is a renowned choral conductor, composer and teacher in Brisbane. He regularly teaches at the January Kodaly Summer schools. His interest is in composing and arranging for choral ensembles and his works are in great demand by children’s, youth and adult choirs. There will be a choral reading session during the weekend of some of Tim’s music. He will also give a special workshop on composition for Year 11 students preparing for the HSC.
Enquiries can be directed to Inge Southcott via email: ingesinger@bigpond.com
Free podcasts and online presentations re. connecting with students while teaching Music.
Philosophy and pedagogy discussed.
An online system for planning instrument and small group lessons, and supporting student practice at home. Currently free, while in the beta phase.
Includes room for students to record (online) their daily practice and questions.
Is your school still buzzing after last week’s HUGE music-making session? Now is the time to apply for musical professional learning funding for 2013. Learn the guitar or ukulele. Join a community choir. Enrol in an Orff or Kodaly course (Primary classroom music pedagogy). Enquire about Musical Futures (Middle School). Subscribe to online resources through Jozzbeat or Musica Viva. Register for ECCPA (Early Childhood Music). Investigate MEP (Canberra). Book the Singing Classroom (Vic). Browse the More Music Toolkit … or email schools.mpfl@mca.org.au for some more ideas.
Article: “Music and the Mind” by Nina Jackson: www.independentthinking.co.uk/Cool+Stuff/Articles/247.aspx
“The Little Book of Music for the Classroom” (also by Nina Jackson, pub. Crown House) is a comprehensive resource encouraging generalist classroom teachers to use music to assist learning and memory. Various lists of instrumental music are matched to activities – enhancing fact memorisation, creating a relaxed classroom, motivation to learn, problem solving, etc.
80-120 beats per minutes is often the best choice, as is avoiding lyrics. Find out more: www.independentthinking.co.uk nina.jackson@independentthinking.co.uk
Looking for trial Primary schools (Australia) to test-run a new Primary Music delivery system on Interactive Whiteboards – complete with lesson plans, audio clips, video instructions and music charts. Suits generalist classroom teachers with little or no music knowledge.
Please email me if you’re interested: schools.mpfl@mca.org.au
http://soundhouse.org.au/packagepop/subscribe.pdf
SoundHouse is an Australian resource-writer, student workshop and Professional Development provider, specialising in multi-media.
The above link will give you more information about on-line resources to help teach classroom guitar, percussion/drum, keyboard and practical theory ($199 per year) or email info@soundhouse.org.au
Go to resource: MMADD about the Arts: an introduction to primary arts education, by Deirdre Russell-Bowie, is published by Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest NSW, 2nd edition 2009. Read more…
http://www.musiccountusin.org.au/remository?func=select&id=45
The 2011 (free) Teaching Kit for “We’ve Got the Music” just went online. It features free lesson ideas and teaching resources for Primary and Middle School classes, as well as brilliant ideas for inclusion and special needs. It is designed for generalist classroom teachers and music teachers alike.
All feedback welcome. Bring on 1st September 2011!!
If you haven’t signed up, please do, then you’ll be able to view the Teaching Kit.
Go to resource: Music Education in Primary Schools, written by Graeme Askew, published by Education Australia (1993), this resource is for students and teachers, and incorporates Kodaly and Orff methods. Read more…
Go to resource: Music in Action is a magazine published by the Australian Music Association. Read more…
Go to resource: Music in childhood: from preschool through the elementary grades, written by Patricia Shehan Campbell and Carol Scott-Kassner. Read more…
Go to resource: Music in Education is a website established by Dr Bob Smith, a retired teacher and author of Creative Musical Experiences. Read more…
Go to resource: Music in Primary Schools, by Alan True and Wendy Fullerton, is published by Journey, WA, 2008. Read more…
Go to resource: Music Skills for Classroom Teachers, by Robert Winslow, Shelley Wiest and Leon Dallin, is published by McGraw Hill, Boston, 2001. Read more…
MusicTime! Great Classroom Ideas for Years 5 – 8
Presented by Dr Ros McMillan
Want to finish Semester 1 fired with enthusiasm for Term 3? This workshop, designed for teachers of students in Years 5 – 8, will provide participants with a wealth of ideas for units of work as well as one-off activities that will appeal to students from upper primary to junior secondary.
This is not an easy group to cater for as many Year 7s will experience music for the first – and last! – time in their lives in this school year, while Year 8 students can be one of the most difficult age-groups to engage in music-making of any kind. Upper primary school students, too, are not always the amenable students of earlier years, with most of them having strong views on what makes music as a school subject ‘good’.
Thus, Year 5 – 8 teachers face the difficult task of planning a curriculum that is enjoyable and relevant for their students as well as fulfilling to teach. At the same time they may be required to provide music classes for a one-year, or even one-semester, subject that their school administration believes is all that students need to continue the study of music in later school years.
Working with typical classroom resources, participants at this workshop will be assisted to plan stimulating and rewarding lessons for students of all abilities. Through a variety of hands-on activities, teachers will be shown how to fulfil the requirements of the new Australian Curriculum, one in which a rich, creative and coherent curriculum is at the centre.
COST
$130.00 (members)
$190.00 (non-members)
DATE
Friday 24 June
TIME
9.30am – 3.30pm
VENUE
Statewide Resources Centre
150 Palmerston Street, Carlton
Melway reference — Map 2B:H6
Booking essential
Lunch is provided
http://amuse.vic.edu.au/2011_PL/ros_mcmillan.htm
Ros McMillan has been teaching and researching music education for almost 50 years, including 20 years at the University of Melbourne where she was Senior Lecturer then Head of Music Education, and 13 years as Director of Music at the PresbyterianLadies’ College, Melbourne. For the last decade she has been writing music workbooks for teachers and students with over 10,000 students using her books. Ros is a keyboard player, specialising in improvisation.
Go to resource: Music, movement and the young child, by Heather Gell, is published by Australasian Publishing Company, Sydney, 1973 (New Revised Edition). Read more…
www.musicalfutures.org.uk Musical Futures is a fairly new approach to teaching instrumental music to Middle School students. This website gives you pedagogy ideas, background info, repertoire suggestions (including lyrics and tab), marking criteria, powerpoint presentations to show students about the process of rehearsing, etc. The basic idea is to create class “rock bands” and encourage students to teach / assist each other with a common goal – making contemporary music.
Here are some examples of the free resources shared by teachers who engage in Musical Futures programs:
Let It Be – includes marking / achievement checklist
Scouting for Girls – This ain’t a love song …
Scouting for Girls – She’s so Lovely
Beat It
Beat It with tab
http://www.musicalfutures.org.uk/resource/27646
Half of the students who took part in Musical Futures agreed that they felt better about school as a result. Read more on the above link.
Lesson Idea: In the spirit of “Musical Futures”, give your students access to the MP3 of “We’ve Got the Music” … divide them into groups of 4-6 with drums / guitars / keyboards / ukuleles / percussion, etc … ask them to come up with their OWN version of “We’ve Got the Music” (about 30 mins) simply by using their ears, playing along with the MP3, experimenting and supporting each other … share their performance attempt with the class.
The key factor is that the student performance SHOULD sound different from the original MP3, reflecting the group’s creative interpretation.
“We’ve Got the Music” is the 2011 program song for MUSIC: COUNT US IN
There’s a new online (free) magazine published in UK to support Music Education …
http://teachingmusic.tumblr.com/lessons/
A blog about NEW ways to teach Year 6 – 12 classroom music. Includes philosophical discussion AND free lesson plans.
http://australianmusiceducators.ning.com/ is an Australian discussion forum for music educators. It was set up with the intent of discussing ideas on classroom band programs, but it really is a forum for discussion on any aspect of Australian music teaching from P-12. At present there is a small group of members, but I am hoping to build it up and draw on a wide range of professional knowledge and experience.
This group is completely FREE (in a monetary sense, not a moral or metaphysical sense).
Please come along and check it out. The page is run as a ning, which is basically a social network with a particular focus. It is great for online discussion, linking of video and photo and has facility for you to blog. All you need to do is create an account.
http://cnx.org/content/col10214/latest/ “Sound Reasoning”
“Sound Reasoning” is a web-based, introductory music appreciation course. It features an explanation, followed by a relevant musical audio quote.
This e-text offers a new approach to music appreciation for adults or 17-18 year old students, focusing on style-independent concepts. While the course concentrates primarily on Western classical and modern music, the concepts that are introduced apply to music of any style or era. The goal of “Sound Reasoning” is to equip you with questions that you may ask of any piece of music, thereby creating a richer and more comprehensive understanding of music both familiar and unfamiliar.
Level 1 Orff Schulwerk Course at ACU, Melb. - Wed 18th to Fri 20th, Mon 23rd to Wed 25th Jan, 2012 9am to 5pm
This 36 hour intensive course will take place at ACU, (Australian Catholic University, Melbourne) Victoria Parade, Fitzroy with presenters Susie Davies-Splitter and Dr Carol Richards.
Orff Schulwerk offers a holistic approach to music education. It integrates singing, speech activities, movement, folk dance and the playing of percussion instruments to encourage active music making in an inclusive atmosphere. The course is 36 hours and includes the following 6 subjects: Orchestration, Pedagogy, Recorder, Vocal, Movement and Dance and Technique and Improvisation. Participants will be encouraged to develop their understanding and skills in order to confidently share music experiences with students of all ages and stages of development.
This course is accredited through ANCOS (Australian National Council of Orff Schulwerk) and successful completion of this course will enable participants to gain credit at ACU towards a Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies* with the possibility of continuing into the Masters of Education course *Approval pending. No musical experience or knowledge is necessary however it is expected that participants will familiarise themselves with some basic music theory and concepts prior to the course.
This course is for early childhood, primary and secondary pre-service, studio and classroom teachers, music and performing arts specialists, caregivers, parents, music therapists, group leaders, allied health practitioners, musicians, artists and anyone who loves music or uses music in their workplace with children or adults. Early bird registrations are due by Fri 2nd Dec, 2011 and all applications must be received by 16th Dec, 2011. For further info and a flier contact Susie.Davies-Splitter@acu.edu.au
… a brand new ‘Orff NSW’ website! It’s a one-stop-shop for fabulous resources, news, sample lessons, information about our courses in NSW and the ACT – including the Sydney Levels Courses in the September school holidays – and MORE!
All our Professional Development courses in NSW are endorsed by the NSWIT and are designed to strengthen your skills and confidence in teaching music and movement using the creative ‘Orff Schulwerk’ approach. Registrations for the ’Dance as a Creative Art’ workshop (4th August), on the Central Coast, presented by the wonderful Sue Lane, close this week.
Go to resource: The Orff Schulwerk Association of South Australia is a non-profit organisation that supports teachers in music education, and is the SA branch of the national association for Schulwerk methodology. Read more…
Penrith Valley Learning Centre is working through issues with troubled students via music recording and video creation projects.
http://sharedconcernsstage2.com/
Welcome to the web portal for my PhD project. This project seeks to investigate the ways in which instrumental teachers can improve their teaching practice through collaboration with other instrumental teachers by means of a web based forum. It expects that the forum will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences and become a medium for group problem solving thereby allowing teachers to learn from each others’ experiences and improve their own teaching practice.
LINK HERE – thanks to Midnight Music!
Amy Burns is an experienced elementary music teacher at Farhills Country Day School in New Jersey and the author of Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom
Amy’s writes about her classroom activities and also about the professional development workshops she runs at Elementary Music/Music Technology. She also has a website where she uploads notes from her conference presentations and maintains lists of useful links for Smartboard (interactive whiteboard) resources and more.
Amy has started curating collections of links on the visual sharing site Pinterest [this is something I'm finding very useful too. In the future I'll be writing a post about Pinterest and how you can use it to keep track of resources. You can find me on Pinterest here] and has boards that feature music she has used in her 2011-2012 concerts, iPad apps she uses in her PreK-Grade 3 classes and websites she uses in class.
Allison Friedman is a general music, chorus and band teacher at South Salem Elementary School and she maintains two websites: one contains student work, links and class information and the other is a wiki set up to share her interactive whiteboard resources, links and other files with music teachers.
Units of work for her general music classes can be found on the General Music page (follow the links to each year level). She also has links to the digital media work she has done with students, including podcasts, videos and pictures.
Teacher resources include worksheets and lesson ideas and a long list of Smartboard resources
Karen Garret – from Central Park School in Birmingham Alabama – is well-known for her Music Tech Teacher website containing excellent music games and quizzes. Most of the games were tailor-made my Karen herself, but they are available to use for free from her site. Popular games include Fling The Teacher – a hangman-style quiz game in which correct answers contribute pieces to trebuchet which “flings the teacher” once completed – and Hoop Shoot – a quiz in which a correct answer allows you to try your luck shooting a basketball into a hoop.
In addition, Karen shares an extensive collection of lesson plans, complete with objectives, correlation to national standards and step-by-step instructions. The lesson plan collection can be found here.
I first came across Cherie online while I was researching ideas for using interactive whiteboards in the music classroom. Cherie has contributed a number of resources to the SMART Exchange (the Smartboard file-sharing website). Cherie has her own blog – Just A Little More: Musings about music and technology – where she publishes Smartboard Notebook lesson files (use them as inspiration if you have a different type of IWB), interactive music site links, and iPad resources.
Like Amy Burns, Cherie is using Pinterest to curate her useful links and she has 60 boards that inlaced links for music iPad apps, music education and many more!
Tanya is a Kodaly specialist from Colorado and blogs about her music classroom at Teaching Elementary Music: Tanya’s Blog. Tanya also has a collection of ideas for Kodaly teachers using interactive whiteboards – including videos of students in action – at her other blog: The Kodaly Aspiring Music Classroom.
http://www.musiceducation.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/youtube-lesson-compilation.docx
THIS link takes you two random uses of YouTube in music-related lessons. If you have suggestions, PLEASE email them to schools.mpfl AT mca.org.au
Go to resource: Rhythm, Music & Education by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, published by the Dalcroze Society, London (originally in 1921) sets out the Dalcroze methodology for music education. Read more…
One of Australia’s pre-eminent conductors and a passionate advocate of music education, Richard specialises in opera, musical theatre and vocal and choral training.
Join us for this second Music Makers Address, hosted by ABC Classic FM’s Mairi Nicolson.
Plus, performances from 40 young singers from Southern Voices.
The Address will be recorded and broadcast in ABC Classic FM’s Music Makers on Sunday, August 14 at 1205.
DATE: TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011
TIME: 7pm – 8.15pm
No reservation is required and admission is free.
Doors open from 6pm.
VENUE: The Iwaki Auditorium,
ABC Southbank Centre,
120 Southbank Boulevard,
Southbank (cnr of Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street)
Please join Richard Gill and Mairi for refreshments in the Green Room at the conclusion of the evening.
For further information contact:
Ngaire Duffield, Producer, ABC Classic FM, Melbourne
p: +61 3 9626 1716 | m: 0408 052 336
e: duffield.ngaire@abc.net.au
http://www.abc.net.au/classic/
Go to resource: Show and Tell is a webpage published by the Department of Education and Training (NSW).
The Singing Classroom is a Professional Learning program designed and delivered by aMuse for generalist primary classroom teachers offering them support, confidence, skills and resources to sing more regularly with their students.
The workshops are interactive and fun (often hilarious!). Each participant receives a resource booklet and CD.
Two workshops are now available:
1. In-school workshops where the presenter comes into your school to work with all staff:
http://amuse.vic.edu.au/PL2013/singingclassroom2013.htm
2. Full-day workshops where individual or groups of teachers can attend a centre for a five-hour workshop:
http://amuse.vic.edu.au/PL2013/singingclassroom2013.htm
We encourage you to consider a workshop in your school, or to encourage friends and colleagues to get involved.
Sue Arney
Professional Learning Coordinator
Association of Music Educators
150 Palmerston Street. Carlton 3053
P 03 9349 1048
F 03 9349 1052
Singing Teaching for Beginners
Presented by
Jenny Caire
Estill Master Teacher & Estill Course Instructor
Saturday July 9th, 2011; 2 pm ˆ 5 pm
NewHope Baptist Church, Springfield Rd
Blackburn North, Victoria
Teaching beginners to sing? Beginning to teach singing?
This workshop is for YOU!
Good technique: where do I start?
How much anatomy do I need to know?
How much anatomy do I need to teach?
Repertoire for beginning singers?
Warm-ups for students?
How can I correct breathy tone?
Smooth transition across the passagio?
Bring your questions or send them prior to the workshop for discussion on the day
Cost: $70
Registration and pre-payment essential to confirm a place.
jcaire@optusnet.com.au; 0404919854
Use a global network of other Music teachers to inspire your teaching practice!
Andy Z has published an online PowerPoint with pointers to blogging, Twitter, RSS feeds and more …
School band rehearsals from a different perspective: read the blog here
Go to resource: Teaching Music Magazine is a periodical published by MENC (Music Educators National Conference, USA) and is available online via subscription. Read more…
Go to resource: Teaching rhythmics: principles and guidelines for teachers of Dalcroze eurhythmics by Elizabeth Vanderspar, is published by the Dalcroze Society, London, 2005, and is recommended by Dalcroze Australia.
Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it — and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.
Go to resource: The rhythm inside : connecting body, mind, and spirit through music by Julia Schnebly-Black and Stephen Moore, is published by Rudra Press, Portland, Oregon, c1997, and is recommended for teachers by Dalcroze Australia. It has a section on Dalcroze exercises.
Go to resource: The Unfolding Human Potential: an exploration of the teaching of eurhythmics by Mary Brice, and published by Editions Papillon, Geneva, 2004, examines the methodology of Dalcroze. Read more…
There’s a new way to let students view YouTube clips online … www.viewpure.com. The teacher copies the URL address from a YouTube clip, pastes it onto the viewpure.com website, clicks “create”, and it creates a new webpage (which students can view) with the YouTube clip on its own (without ads or comments). Copy and paste the newly create URL address and give it to your students.
Here’s an example I entered into ViewPure of ACO playing to surfing footage …
http://viewpure.com/m0NJyVCQpIs
HINT: Don’t click on the “Download” button (bottom of ViewPure screen) – it is only advertising!
Music teaching at USQ is being revolutionised by the social media and a new team-teaching approach which helps students to collaborate with their colleagues and to work with professional musicians.
The new teaching technique is the brainchild of Toowoomba-born singer and music lecturer Melissa Forbes, who abandoned a legal career to do what she loves – perform and teach music.
“The new teaching approach emerged from the second year song-writing class,” she said.
“The students needed to learn how to collaborate, be more flexible, and to better communicate musical ideas.”
“Most of our music graduates become school classroom music or instrumental teachers, so as they learn in a collegiate atmosphere, they are also learning how to teach and how to encourage creative group learning,” she said.
Mrs Forbes said the course was evolving organically and has incorporated the use of social media such as YouTube where students see and hear their favourite performers.
“The students seem far more interested in acoustic covers of songs rather than the song as sung by the original artist with the million dollar music video. They want to see someone who’s like themselves, who is really good at playing the song on an instrument,” she said.
“Some of these cover artists are so successful they’re doing tours of the USA on the basis of what they’ve uploaded to YouTube.”
“Copyright is a problem for uploading existing songs to the internet but the students are learning to write their own songs, perform them and use social media to upload their work to the internet,” Mrs Forbes said.
One of Mrs Forbes’ covers of Michael Jackson’s song “Don’t stop ‘til you get enough” from her album “No more Mondays” is on YouTube.
“We also use our own in-house social media platform ePortfolio so students can share their work in a multi-media environment,” Mrs Forbes said.
School of Creative Arts music co-ordinator Dr Phillip Gearing said the results of the new teaching method in the Bachelor of Creative Arts will emerge over the next few years however he will collate preliminary results from the first semester using the new teaching techniques and present them at an international conference in Liverpool, England in July.
In the new teaching format, students gather each week for two-hour workshops which address different musical topics where, for example, the lecturers demonstrate how they work together from the moment they pick up a new score, through the process of learning a new work to putting the finishing touches to a professional arrangement and performance.
Instrumental technique is also developed through weekly instrument-specific classes.
The music practice classes are taught in a team by Mrs Forbes, Dr Gearing, clarinettist Martin Crook and pianist Alison Riethmuller who demonstrate different aspects of performance, teaching students about the musical elements of rhythm, melody, harmony and intonation in the context of rehearsal and performance.
The effect of the team teaching classes is to hot-house the learning experience by combining the enthusiasm and musical skills of the lecturers and inspiring the creativity of their students.
Professional musicians are also invited to classes to perform and to talk about how they work together.
The workshop-style classes have proven very popular with the students notching up almost 100 percent attendance for the 22 first year music students.
Creative Arts head of school Dr Janet McDonald said the huge increase in the number of first year music students this year from throughout the state was a positive response to the updating of the University’s popular theatre, music, visual arts and creative media degrees.
“Students can study combined degrees across the creative arts, making our graduates versatile creative artists who will be ready for workplaces that have seen rapid change in the past few years,” Dr McDonald said.
For more information contact:
Melissa Forbes 07 4611 1153
Email: Melissa.forbes@usq.edu.au
Go to resource: The Victorian Orff Schulwerk Association is a non-profit organisation that supports teachers in music education, and is the Victorian branch of the national association for Schulwerk methodology. Read more…
This year’s VMTA Clifford Lecture is to be held at the State Library Theatrette on Sunday August 7, 2.00pm.
It will be presented by Prof Gary McPherson, Ormond Professor and Director,
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
The topic is:
“Evidence based approaches to teaching music to children and adolescents”
Every year, thousands of Australian children begin learning a musical
instrument and embark on an aspect of skill acquisition that is not only
complex and time-consuming, but which also requires years of dedicated
practice and commitment in order to achieve success. A major challenge for
research, therefore, is to find better and more efficient ways for
developing the range of skills required to perform proficiently.
With the above as his context, Professor McPherson will describe recent
research that provides new insight into the nature of musical ability,
development and identity. His presentation will be framed to show how
development is uniquely individual and how various forces act to either
enhance or hinder each learner¹s musical potential. Practical examples will
be included and discussed that teachers may like to consider in their
everyday teaching practice and that have been shown to enhance student
learning and motivation to continue learning and participating well into
adult life.
Tickets: $20 VMTA members/ $25 non-members/ $12 full-time students
To book, simply call 03 9415 1314 or email the office vmta@vmta.org.au.
Booking forms are also downloadable from our website
www.victorianmusicteachersassociation.org.au.
Go to resource: VOSA (Vic Orff Schulwerk Assoc) Resources, articles, ideas and lesson plans for incorporating the Orff approach to Music education (hands-on percussion and ensembles). Resources are split into two sections: Early Childhood resources (aged 0 – 
& ages 9+. Also includes ideas for Music and movement.
VOSA will be holding the “Living Music and Dance Conference” on May 27 & 28 at the Darebin Arts Centre. This is a fantastic opportunity to attend a world class music education conference. Our key presenter Lenka Pospisilova is a world class International presenter specialising in the Orff method. Lenka returns to Melbourne having last presented in Adelaide, Australia at the National Orff Conference ‘Creating New Blends’. The conference is geared to classroom teachers and music teachers who work with children in the primary and middle years.
The conference will:
More information can be found on the VOSA website - http://vosa.org/
Ginette Aitchison <ginette_aitchison@hotmail.com>
Go to resource: The West Australian Orff Schulwerk Association is a non-profit organisation that supports teachers in music education, and is the WA branch of the national association for Schulwerk methodology. Read more…
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Their site has links to membership details, workshops, conferences, and further professional learning.