I imagine that most music teachers are similar in finding the start of the academic year something of a whirlwind - meeting new classes, implementing new schemes of work (this year more than ever with the new specifications for GCSE and A Level) and on top of that, gathering new repertoire and galvanising the students for extra-curricular ensembles. And so, when I was asked to write this blog post reflecting on my priorities for September, it took me a moment to step back from all the chaos and work out what they actually were - apart from staying afloat! Having thought back over the lessons I’ve taught in the last few weeks, though, two key themes stand out.
Firstly, I have tried at all times to have high expectations for every student - in every year group - right from the outset. "Start as you mean to go on" may be a hackneyed phrase, but I think it's true in music lessons more than most. It's often too easy for students to believe that they "aren't very good" at music - or that the only good musicians in their class are those who play instruments and are in the school choir - but as teachers we know (or at least, we believe!) that all students are able to be great musicians, in their own way. Of course, succeeding as a musician is about more than just self-belief, but the link between what students often believe about their musical abilities and their resulting achievement is undeniable - I'm sure we've all experienced students who, with challenge and encouragement, have performed or composed something that they might, alone, not have considered themselves capable of.
So what does this mean in terms of my lessons so far this term? I'm can't pretend they've all been super well-planned or excessively resourced - the work involved in seeing in all the changes at the top end of the school means that a lot of lesson “recycling” is going on in Key Stage 3 - but what I have tried to ensure is that every student has felt challenged, straight away. Year 7s have been tested on their prior musical knowledge in whole-class ensemble work and singing, while year 8 have been faced with musical notation in remixing Pachelbel's Canon with an expectation that none of them have forgotten how to read it over the summer. Year 9 are exploring keys, chords and atonality as they analyse and compose music for horror films - with every student contributing to performance tasks. Ok, none of this is ground-breaking stuff - but the point is that every student is expected to think, and "I don't know" or "I can't" will never be acceptable answers.
Of course, there is a risk, with having high expectations, that some students might feel a little alienated - those that have less musical experience than their peers, perhaps, or those for whom performing doesn't quite come as naturally. So, what to do to counteract any feelings of uncertainty amongst all these new classes - many of whom are, of course, still getting to know each other as well as me? My solution: singing. And lots of it! Everyone can do it, it requires almost no resources (and certainly minimal mess) and it goes such a long way towards not only helping classes bond together through music, but teaching students how to internalise musical ideas - which later on becomes key to musical understanding and analysis. I make everyone sing in almost every lesson - and no exam students are exempt from joining the school’s senior choir! That’s not to say, again, that every lesson is a wonderful, fully-planned, festival of vocal music - but I try to find some small way to use voices to aid learning whenever possible. Going back to my previous examples - Year 7 have been creating vocal graphic score performances, as a whole class as well as in small groups, while Year 8 have sung the ground bass and simple melodies to Pachelbel’s canon more than enough times to know them off by heart (and to be able to pick them out on another instrument with ease!) Admittedly, I haven’t tried asking Year 9 to sing cluster chords and chromatic ostinatos as they’ve been learning how to use them - but singing major and minor triads in three-part harmony goes some way to aiding understanding of semitones and tonality.
With only one week left to go in September, it’s fair to say that term is well and truly under way. I’m not quite snowed under yet - but the concerts and school performances coming up in October will see to that before too long. And when they do, I’m sure I’ll have even less time to focus on my teaching - and especially on Key Stage 3 - but hopefully if I keep having high expectations, and keep singing, I can ensure that my students continue to make progress as musicians, and to enjoy their lessons - even when I’ve got lots of other things on my mind…
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