BLOG POST #5 How does music communicate a message, and what impact will this have on my teaching?

Responding Statement

There is no doubt that music communicates a message. Described throughout the Australian curriculum across the grade levels, students develop music knowledge and skills to 'communicate meaning and ideas', and identify and present to an audience 'intended purposes and meaning' to music (ACARA, 2019). 

But how do audiences or students understand the meaning or idea of a composition? 

Exploring the work of Lilianne Doukhan and her chapter How Does Music Convey Meaning? from her book In Tune with God (2010) and Wolfgang Stefani's article Is There a Message in the Medium? (2018), both present plausible ideas about; from where and how music is perceived. Doukhan's (2010) work pointing out that our understanding of meaning comes from within; our interpretation of music is culturally derived and takes on a different understanding between people, cultures, and communities according to our experiences and moral understandings. With this perspective, it could be suggested that music materials for the classroom need to selected and planned with more care. It should also be expected in a diverse classroom for there to be a greater variety in points of view and answers given in a music discussion or activity.  While on the other hand, Stefani (2018) addresses the impacts of globalisation, particularly focussing on how music in the movies have conditioned our understanding of various meanings and emotions. With this understanding, a more general meaning will be perceived in the classroom, meaning it can result in more controlled topics or activities and will make collaborative tasks easier in unpacking how the elements of music impact the meaning.

Learning in Music

Uncovering the final two concepts of the elements of music from the Australian curriculum, this week we explored dynamics and form. Dynamics refers to the volume and intensity of a sound (ACARA, 2019) or how loud or soft the music is (Tasker, 2019). The dynamics within a song can be identified by the formal notations as seen in figure 31. 

Figure 31: Formal notation for dynamics (Tasker, 2019)

A gradual increase or decrease of volume can be notated and identified by a crescendo (getting louder) or decrescendo (becoming softer), adding to the meaning of the music by expressing movement with the aural effect.

Form refers to how the elements of music are arranged to make music or the structure of a piece of music (Tasker, 2019). The form of a song could be a verse, chorus, verse structure. An activity to do with primary students in identifying form could be playing to the beat or rhythm of a song and changing instruments for each form or structural change in the music. For example, Verse = drum, Chorus = waving scarves, Bridge = bells. 

Making in Music

This weeks' making in music activity included all the elements of music, and to plan for form, we were to narrate or express a story, for example, as seen in figure 32, a ship's journey at sea when a storm hits. An evident verse, chorus, verse structure will shape the compostions form. A storm is a great story to express dynamics as the 'storm' gradually rolls in in chaos and then fades away.

Figure 32: Ship's journey at sea (Tasker, 2019)

Composing a musical accompaniment of David and Goliath 1 Samuel 17 my group composed using a variety of instruments to add timbre and texture to the expression of the Bible story. Figure 33 shows an informal notation of our composition, demonstrating knowledge of rhythm, texture, timbre, dynamics, and form.

Figure 33: Informal notation of David and Goliath accomplishment

Figure 34 depicts a performance of our composition. Can you hear David or Goliath?

 Figure 34: David and Goliath performance

This activity  would be most suitable to stage 3 as they explore the content descriptor:

ACAMUM089 Develop technical and expressive skills in singing and playing instruments with understanding of rhythm, pitch, and form in a range of pieces, including in music from the community

(ACARA, 2019)

But this activity could be modified to support the learning of other grades by placing focus of the lesson or task on other elements of music like dynamics. Limiting the number of available instruments or instruments to be included can also simplify and better guide the task for other grades and abilities.

Further, this activity could be integrated into English or HASS KLAs as students create an aural storyboard or timeline of a shared text or historical events.

Responding in Music

Reflecting on the making in music activity, a self-assessment rubric allows learners to identify where they think they were working at on this activity in reference to the achievement standards. The success criteria presented in figure 35 is complex and should be modified for primary students.

Figure 35: Self-Assessment Rubric (Tasker, 2019)

A peer reflection could also be conducted from the making in music activity as students discuss and peer-assess the elements of music used for the composition, to sound like its intended story; the meaning of music. For example, ask students to focus on one element of music, of their choice, and explain: what is it that makes the piece of music sound like a storm? This could include how a change in timbre symbolises a shift between the calm sea conditions and the uncontrollable conditions during a storm. The soft timbre of strings and woodwind expressing the calm before and after the storm and the harsh timbre of brass instruments representing the anarchy and chaos of the storm.

Questions to consider when listening and perceiving the meaning of music:

• How does music communicate a message?
• Which of the elements of music are involved?
• How does the music I choose for my class, communicate my values?

References

ACARA. (2019). Retrieved from Australian Curriculum: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Doukhan, L. (2010). How Does Music Convey Meaning? In L. Doukhan, In Tune with God (pp. 57-62). Autumn House.

Stefani, W. (2018). Is There a Message in the Medium? Elder's Digest, 22-24.

Tasker, J. (2019). The Music Curriculum EDUC 24112 – Curriculum Studies: Creative Arts. Cooranbong, NSW, Australia: Avondale College of Higher Education.