Expressive Arts
Expressive Arts
Expressive Arts
Acknowledgements
Materials written and compiled by Sue Lauer.
In consultation with
Gary Stonehouse – Curriculum Development Division, NDOE
Lynne Patterson – St Benedict’s Teachers College
Romic Topiso – Dauli Teachers College
Bernadette Montes – Madang Teachers College
Neville Unduka – Balob Teachers College
PASTEP
Unit outline
Unit # Modules
Visual Arts
1.1
Unit 1
Performing Arts
Expressive Arts 1.2
Music
1.3
Icons
@ Write or summarise
F Activity or discussion
Table of contents
Music 1
Objectives 1
Section 1: Music in the Curriculum 2
Introduction 2
Topic 1: Music skills 3
Singing 3
Playing 4
Inventing (composing) 4
Listening 4
Movement 4
Topic 2: Student development in music 5
Topic 3: Music in the PNG curriculum 6
Topic 4: Language and music 7
Music vocabulary 8
Section 2: Understanding Music 9
Topic 5: Music concepts 9
Elements of music 9
Understanding performance elements 11
Style in music 14
Topic 6: Notation 17
Topic 7: Musical instruments 18
Topic 8: Papua New Guinean music 23
Singing 23
PNG music industry 24
Section 3: Teaching Music 27
Topic 9: Planning a music lesson 27
Managing a music lesson 29
Topic 10: Integration 30
Topic 11: Teaching singing 31
Parts of a singing lesson 32
Topic 12: Assessing music 33
Topic 13: Resourcing music programs 33
Making simple musical instruments 33
Equipment 34
Glossary 35
References 37
Music
This module is designed to introduce students to the range of skills appropriate to the teaching
and learning of music. Students will be given opportunities not only to learn about the skills but
also to apply them in a variety of situations.
Objectives
By the end of this module students will be able to:
1. Recognise and describe basic elements of music such as beat, rhythm, pitch, melody,
timing, volume, tone, harmony, expression and sequences
2. Demonstrate skills of reading music, keeping time, keeping rhythm, voice projection,
singing, playing instruments
3. Consider the application of the skills outlined above in the primary classroom
4. Discuss, express opinions and appreciate with pride, traditional and modern music and
musicians in PNG
Introduction
Music is essentially an aural art form. Our contact with it is mainly through hearing, but musical
performance can involve bodily movement and the senses of touch and sight. Music is an art
form that evolves continually. It reflects the experiences of the composer, performer and
listener, as well as the social and cultural environment in which it was created. Music has the
capacity to evoke strong responses. Whether we experience music through performing,
composing or listening, music excites and moves us in many different ways and for many
reasons.
Music can be used simply for relaxation and entertainment. It can be part of other arts forms
(art, dance, theatre, film), give a sense of achievement through mastery of skills, and provide a
satisfying group identity through membership of a performing vocal or instrumental group.
All students derive fulfilment and enjoyment from involvement in music. It is part of life for
young people in our society. Music in education should reflect the ways music is used in
society, with students learning by involvement in creating, experimenting, recreating, discussing,
researching, listening to, analysing, and appraising music.
Students enjoy sharing a musical experience with others, for others, or for personal pleasure.
These may be formal or informal activities, and can involve playing a musical instrument,
singing, and using computers, synthesisers or other electronic equipment.
Singing
• Singing well is an achievable goal for almost all students
• Learning to sing requires regular and frequent practice
• Learning to read and write music will reinforce singing skills
• An effective way of helping the average student to sing in tune is to ensure that in the
early stages songs are pitched within a limited and comfortable singing range
• The vocal range should gradually be expanded with age, experience and confidence.
Expression, pleasing tone quality, correct articulation of words and clarity of diction
should be cultivated and reinforced.
Playing
• Playing an instrument requires considerable physical and technical skill
• Playing also calls for expression, feeling and interpretation, and these aspects must
never be ignored or sacrificed in the pursuit of technical facility
• One way in which the young student can be introduced to playing is through body
percussion - the use of different parts of the body to accompany songs
• Correct instrumental technique should be taught from the outset
• The ability to read written music is not a prerequisite for playing any instrument and
can be an obstacle for a student in the early stages, inhibiting fluency, correct
technique, inner hearing and music memory
• When the student is ready, the introduction of the music staff will offer a very wide
range of possibilities
Inventing (composing)
• The ability to create is present in every student in varying degrees.
• By giving students opportunities to explore and organise sounds in their own way,
often within set guidelines, they learn to develop and express their ideas and feelings
through music
• Aural, vocal, instrumental and sometimes notational skills are put to use
• Only very basic skills or understandings are needed to begin
Listening
• Every time students sing, play, or invent, they need to listen critically to the music they
are making
• Students need the opportunity to develop basic listening skills before being taught
traditional music notation
• Students should develop the ability to remember, recognise patterns, -organise and
conceptualise
• Students should develop the ability to hear the music they see and follow a musical
score
Movement
• Offers enjoyment
• is a means of aesthetic expression
• physical coordination and musical development combine in preparation for music
performance skills
• music provides opportunities for dance
• music provides opportunities to express a physical response to music
F Activity 1
• Make a list of the different music you have access to. Listen to several
minutes of each type and note how each affects you eg feelings,
images, memories.
• Take note of the movements you make as you listen to music.
Early years
A child learns to speak by interacting with others. The process by which a child learns music is
similar. The musical repertoire of a child on entering school might include songs and singing
games learned either at home or socially, as well as music heard in the community, on radio,
television or film. Students of this age learn through play and exploration. They can develop the
ability to sing in tune and to read and write simple music during this period. Songs are an ideal
way of learning music. Singing games, for example, involve the student playfully, physically,
intellectually and musically.
Later years
Because of their increasing level of cognitive development, most older students should be able
to read musical notation and understand key signatures, time signatures, grouping of notes and
stem placement as a natural part of their learning activities. The development of psychomotor
skills is important in learning to play musical instruments.
Students also enjoy and respond to many kinds of music beyond their own performance
ability. Efforts should be made to maintain and nurture this attitude throughout a student's
schooling. Attractive features in music for this period could include catchy rhythm, brisk
tempo, a beautiful melody, interesting timbres or unexpected accents. Students have a natural
impulse to move, and music educators stress the importance of experiencing and feeling music
through movement, particularly in the early
stages of musical development.
Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence
We use our musical/rhythmic intelligence to calm ourselves, to maintain a steady rhythm when
moving. Musical intelligence is involved when you hear a tune on the radio and find yourself
humming it all day. This intelligence is active when we use tones and rhythmic patterns
(instrumental, environmental and human) to communicate how we are feeling, what we believe,
or to express the depth of religious devotion or national loyalty.
F Activity 2
• Read the upper and lower primary syllabuses and study the objectives
for music.
• Select a suggested activity from each of the grade levels and do the
activity yourself or with your group.
.
Teaching units should be integrated and stories, music, songs and art should be chosen to
relate to the children’s world. Papua New Guinean examples should be substituted where
examples in books from other countries do not relate to student’s backgrounds eg nursery
rhymes.
By the end of Grade 8 students should be able to:
• Describe how instruments produce sound
• Hear the sound difference of the instruments i.e. Those which are struck, shaken,
scraped, stamped, plucked or rubbed
• Create and perform various rhythmic patterns (ostinati) on a variety of Papua New
Guinea traditional musical instruments and other sound-making objects (both
separately and as accompaniments to songs)
• Create and perform other short rhythmical compositions, developed through rhythm
imitation and improvisation
• Identify, read and perform several different distinctive rhythm patterns and in this way
associate distinctive rhythm patterns with specific musical cultures
• Notate rhythm patterns either by using simple graphic notation (developed by students
themselves to suit their needs) or by using elementary western notation
Strings Brass
The Orchestra
Percussion
Wind
Concept map
F Activity 3
• The words in the vocabulary list following all have a special meaning in
music. Use the information in this module and other appropriate
reference books and people to make your own music dictionary.
• Draw pictures to go with some of your definitions.
• Translate as many words as possible into Tok Pisin or your tok ples
Music vocabulary
pulse tempo dynamics time signature
loud soft fast instrumental
slow accent metre rondo form
timbre tone colour volume score
pitch high low semi-breve
phrases repeated contrasted syncopation
echo melody simple anacrusis
complex harmony repeated tune
parts ostinati vibrato major
scale rhythm melody triplet
vocal effects clicking humming group
glides slides falsetto natural
expression tone style flat
harmony form colour harmonic texture
bar beat chord minor
clef dynamics flat crotchets
key sequence mode note
rest sharp staff pattern
staccato theme variation band
suite signature octave quavers
pentatonic contemporary pause notation
graphic notation steps coda legato
minims
Elements of music
One of the aims of music education is to help students understand what it is that contributes to
the overall effect of a piece of music. When we first hear music we usually perceive it as a
whole. As the music becomes more familiar, we become aware that it is made up of many
interacting elements.
Pitch
Pitch in music is the sensation of highness or lowness of sound determined by the frequency of
sound waves. A musical note is a sound of definite pitch.
Duration
Each musical sound or silence takes up a certain amount of time. Combinations of these
produce the interacting elements of music:
Melody
• A melody or tune is a succession of musical pitches
• Melodies get higher (ascending) or lower (descending) or stay at the same pitch
• Pitches in a melody can be repeated, or can move by steps or leaps
• The same melody can be recognised and performed at different pitch levels
• The range of a melody can be wide or narrow, according to the pitch difference
between the highest and lowest notes in the melody
• A melody cannot be separated from its rhythm
Rhythm
• The steady underlying pulse in music is known as the beat
• Beats usually fall into groups of two or three combinations of these - metre
• The metre becomes apparent by listening for the beats that are stressed - accent
• The rhythmic pattern in music is the pattern that occurs by combining sounds and
silences of varying lengths
When we listen to a piece of music or a song, we feel a rhythm – a regular pulse or throb like
the tick of a clock. This beat or rhythm is what makes us tap our feet or nod our heads in time
to the music. Rhythms can be written down and to do this there are signs and symbols used all
around the world.
Not all the sounds of music are regular, even though the pulse beat might be regular. Some
sounds (notes) are longer than others. The arrangement of sounds (notes) into different lengths
and patterns gives us the rhythmic variations found in music. In written music, the length of a
note or sound is shown by its shape.
Structure
• Music is made up of patterns
• Patterns in music are sounds and silences of varying lengths heard in succession
• Every pattern has rhythm
• Melodic patterns are also known as tonal patterns (tone meaning a sound of definite
pitch and duration)
• Patterns are musical ideas or building blocks which can be repeated, varied or
contrasted
• A noticeable pattern that recurs during a piece of music is known as a motif
Tonality
• The tonality of a melody arises from the pitch relationships within it
• Melodies tend to centre around a particular note called, in different contexts, home
note, tonal centre, final, keynote or tonic
• Tonalities can be recognised as being major, minor or modal
• Melodies that do not centre around a particular pitch are said to be atonal
Counterpoint
• Counterpoint occurs when two or more melodies are interwoven
• Simple forms of counterpoint are rounds, canons and partner songs
• Counterpoint can be described as melodic or horizontal harmony
Harmony
• Harmony in music can be melodic (horizontal) or chordal (vertical)
• A chord may be defined as a combination of three or more sounds
• The smallest element of harmonic progression or movement consists of two different
chords. Melody and harmony do not function independently. A melody implies a
number of possible harmonies, each of which will influence the melody’s character.
F Activity 4
• Experiment expressing your feelings (eg fear, anger, contentment)
through vocal sounds only (no words).
• Produce different volumes, pitches, tones and noises to communicate
your meaning.
• Listen to the natural rhythmic patterns of the environment eg traffic,
wind blowing, rain on the coconut palms, and so on. See what rhythms
and beats you can identify.
• Read a story and practise ‘illustrating’ it with various sound effects,
music, beats, tones etc
• Dynamics
• Tempo
• Timbre
Dynamics
The degree of loudness in music is referred to as dynamics.
• Music can get softer or louder
• Dynamics can change suddenly or gradually
• Dynamics are indicated on a musical score by symbols or words
• Many factors affect dynamics, e.g. number of performers, style of music, type of
instrument, how the sound is produced
Tempo
• The pace of the beat determines tempo
• In notated music the tempo is usually indicated
Timbre
• Timbre is the distinctive colour that distinguishes each sound
• Timbre is also referred to as tone colour
• Each instrument (e.g. voice, wind, string, electronic, percussion) has its own
characteristic timbre
• The material (e.g. wood, metal, skin) from which a sound is generated contributes to
the timbre
• Different timbres can be generated from the same source (e.g. strings - bowed,
plucked; tambourine - shaken, struck)
• Musical sounds can be produced, manipulated and modified electronically
Duration
• Clap the beat as you learn the song
• Add body percussion to accompany the song as you sing it
• Play the rhythm of the song on instruments
• Experiment with singing the song at different speeds - discuss which speed sounds the
best
• Add a spoken ostinati (repeated phrase) throughout the song
• Add a body percussion sequence to accompany the song
• Use a loud instrument to play on the accented beats (ie. the first beat of every bar)
Dynamics
• Use symbol flashcards to show when to sing loudly and softly
• Conduct the class using hand movements to show when they are to sing softly or loudly
• Use a puppet to indicate this, i.e. when the puppet faces the class, they sing loudly, when
the puppet hides its face, they sing softly
• Sing the chorus louder than the verse
• Accompany the song with soft Instruments for one verse and loud instruments for
another verse - discuss which sounded better
• Add appropriate dynamics in relation to the events or character of the song
Pitch
• Show the highs and lows of the melody of the song with your hands in the air
• Draw a picture of the highs and lows of the song on the blackboard or on paper
• Add tuned percussion to play the beat of the song, using the note indicated by the guitar
chord above the music to tell you when to play the chime bar, and when to change
• When appropriate, sing the song as a round (cheek first if this will work)
Tone colour
• Use different instruments to represent different characters or events in the song
• Use instruments to create appropriate sound effects to accompany the song
• Accompany the verse with one type of instrument and the chorus with another category
of instrument
• Create a graphic score based on the song and play it with a variety of instruments
• Experiment with speaking parts of the song in contrast to singing the other parts
Structure
• Use one set of instruments when the verses are sung, and another set when the chorus is
sung, to show the structure of the song
• Use instruments to show the same and different phrases of the song
• Play a rhythmic introduction to the song; repeat this as an ending for the song
Style in music
Style in music is a synthesis of the interaction and structuring of the musical elements (inner
circle) and historical, cultural and social contexts (outer circle).
Most people can recognise musical styles such as pop, jazz, folk and classical. However there
is a great diversity of musical styles resulting from the interaction of historical, cultural and
social factors and the elements of music. Many different styles of music have evolved in the
twentieth century.
F Activity 5
• Listen to as many different styles of music as possible
• Describe the main characteristics of each of the styles as you listen eg
tempo, beat, rhythm
• Name some artists who represent each of the styles
Topic 6: Notation
Music can be written in a number of different ways and different systems of writing music suit
different types of music. Most music however is written in western notation.
The first section of music (1) shows the melody, or tune. With every note of the melody, other
notes can be played to give a harmony. The second section (2) shows the harmony to the first
note of the melody. The third section (3) of music shows counterpoint. Here, three more
melodies are shown underneath the tune. Each of these melodies can be played on its own.
Notice that the first note of each of the melodies is the same as that in the second section. The
fourth section (4) shows the rhythm of the tune. It is written on only one line of music instead
of a staff (group of five notes).
Examples of notation
Graphic notation is a method of writing down musical concepts, and uses symbols such as
dots and strokes. For example, the symbols below might be drawn to represent two sounds,
the first one louder than the second.
˜ —, ¢ ¡
Visual notation uses objects to represent the concepts. Graphic notation can be used as a
means of notation in its own right, or as an introduction to western (conventional) notation.
Many listening and movement activities involving rhythmic patterns should precede the
introduction of western (conventional) notation.
F Activity 6
• Design a series of symbols which could be used in a primary
classroom to introduce notation, for example
à (soft), ã (loud)
• You could use symbols for high, low, fast, slow, short, long, up, down
• Use body percussion or instruments to play sounds to match the
symbols, for example
àà ããà (soft, soft, loud, loud, soft)
• Listen to a piece of music and use your symbols to map the first few
lines of the music.
F Activity 7
• Select a piece of bamboo, rubber hose or plastic pipe and experiment
with sounds using the techniques described above.
• Cut different lengths of soft plastic tube and swing them around to
produce different sounds
• Collect a number of identical bottles and fill them to different heights.
What happens when they are tapped?
Instrument categorization
There are thousands of different musical instruments in the world. In Papua New Guinea there
is a greater diversity of instruments than anywhere else in the
Pacific Instruments include struck sticks, stamping tubes, slit drums, rattles, jaws harps,
musical bows, bull roarers, flutes, panpipes, trumpets, etc.
To be able to study and compare these instruments it is necessary to categorise them. The
Chinese were the first to organize musical instruments into eight categories. However, the four
categories, now almost universally accepted by specialists come from India.
F Activity 8
1. Select a traditional instrument from each category. Discuss how they are
made and played.
2. Collect or make examples of traditional instruments. Try playing the
instruments
Singing
PNG has many different traditional singing styles. Each style is different because it uses
• Different scales (pattern of pitches)
• Different rhythms (pattern of beats)
• Different tones (ways of making sounds) e.g. Through nose, etc
• Different harmonies (ways of singing different pitches together)
Traditionally, songs were transmitted from one generation to another orally. There were no
written texts or music notation to follow. This is still the best way to learn traditional songs
accurately so teachers are encouraged to invite village musicians to teach songs to their
students where possible. Songs can also be learned with the assistance of a sound recording of
village musicians. While some songs may be performed publicly, the performance of some of
the songs of particular cultural groups may be restricted to particular members within the
society.
The diversity of vocal quality, both within provinces and from province to province, is one of
the richest indications of the wide range of expression found in Papua New Guinea song. It is
very important that teachers encourage pupils to use their own culture's music patterns and to
sing in their own traditional singing style i.e. singing very high, (falsetto) through their noses,
following a leader, etc.
Types of song
In every PNG society there are many traditional songs. There are:
• Lullabies (songs that mother's sing to babies)
• Village game songs
• Work songs ( for cutting sago, paddling, hunting, gardening, etc.)
• History songs (that tell what happened in the past)
Other types of songs can be taught. These should be taught in a language the pupils
understand. They are:
• National songs (like the flag song and the national anthem)
• Prayer songs (for use at the start and end of the day)
• Church songs: about caring for other people and god, and for special occasions such
as Christmas and Easter
• Songs from other lands: to help the pupils to understand other people's customs and
cultures, and make them feel part of the international family of nations
• Songs for learning English such as action and naming songs
• Rounds: where different groups start singing at different times causing harmony
• Harmony songs: where different groups sing different melodies at the same time.
Traditionally many societies had the men and women singing different parts at the same
time.
F Activity 9
• Build up a collection of PNG songs to use for different grades. Some
songs should be in the vernacular and others translated to English.
• Collect action and naming songs which will help children learn English.
stringband sound has a real swing to it in a lazy South Pacific kind of way, but it varies widely
from the bright and happy Tolai (East New Britain Province) sound to the more dirge-like and
sombre Manus stringband music. Virtually every PNG village has a stringband, whether for
performances at festivals and sing-sings or just people getting together to jam. PNG rock
musicians think stringband music is a bit unsophisticated. They like good hard rock, maybe
with a reggae feel.
Prominent among early achievements was that of PNG's internationally-renowned rock group
Sanguma, which toured the world and received "rave" reviews in the international scene. The
country has seen local musicians follow suit like George Telek Mamua, Buruka Tau, Patti Doi
and Ben Hakalitz who have scored plusses while doing overseas stints as guests and contract
musicians.
Telek
George Telek is PNG's most successful musician. A Tolai from near Kokopo,
Telek says he chewed a magic buai (betel nut) when he was a boy which gave
him his wonderful and unusual voice. Most of PNG's successful musical
artists are graduates of universities and music courses, but Telek has a very
grassroots background and little formal education. He grew up near Rabaul
when the PNG music industry was in its infancy. From the late 1970s he
taught himself guitar while working in various rock and roll bands, and he kept
his roots in stringband music by singing with the Moab Stringband and the
Jolly Rogers Stringband. Through the 1980s and early 1990s, Telek sold lots
of cassettes as a solo artist and as a frontman for bands like Painim Wok,
Kagan Devils and the Junior Unbelievers. He worked in Australia at world
music festivals. In 1997 he released his first, self-titled album to an
international market in Australia.
TWO "golden oldy" string bands are being revived for a part in a locally based
gold mine's public awareness program. The Longerlasting string band of
Pangeifua village on the west coast of New Ireland and the Luhtian string band
of Rasese village of east coast Namatanai, are being resurrected by Lihir
Mining Company to help document the Lihir gold project’s role as a major
partner in the development of the New Ireland Province. They will record a
string band number and a choir performance, to be eventually known as the
"Lihir theme song". The song, after it is recorded, will be used exclusively to
introduce a monthly awareness radio program produced by the LMC public
relations office for broadcast on Radio New Ireland. Choir groups who will be
recording the song on Lihir are also being encouraged to translate it from
Pidgin into the Lihirian language.
Post Courier, 21 March 2000
POPULAR local unity song Wan Kantri, recorded and produced by the Barike
band, has been selected as the theme song for PNG's 25th Independence
anniversary. The song was chosen by the National Events Council to be
adopted as the theme song, portraying the anniversary theme of "Walking
Together, Wokabaut Wantaim and Raka Hebou". Band leader Glen Low said
Barike, which owns the rights to the song, had proudly given the approval for
the song to be used as the theme song. "We feel proud because as a band
that has been around for the last 20 years, we feel that through the song we
have contributed something to the country through what we do best," Low
said.
The new-look band comprises George Telek Mamua as the lead singer and
Karol Tulai on vocals, Low on bass and Donald Lessy, guitars and keyboards.
National Events Council Chairman Peter Barter confirmed that the song had
been chosen as the theme because it carried a unifying message and stirred a
national spirit of unity when it was first released in 1992. Wan Kantri was
co-written by Low, Lessy and Matalau Nakikus who were original members of
the Barike band and former vocalist Kanai Pineri and was produced by Lessy.
The song became immensely popular throughout the country and is often used
in many national events and on radio to promote unity
Post Courier, 10 July 2000
Hundreds of Kanage fans, the popular Eda Ranu character, will soon be
tapping away to the beats of his music. Alphonse Dirau, 30, from Mikarep
village, Bogia, in the Madang province, who has secured a huge following with
his Kanage character on TV, will release a solo music album, currently being
recorded with Chin H Meen studios in Port Moresby. It is predicted the album
will be a sellout because of Kanage's huge popularity. The album titled 'You
make it a what?" after his famous words on EM TV, contains a mixture of
contemporary, rock, disco, reggae and sentimental music.
The National, 9 February 2000
Often several of these may be contained in one carefully devised activity. Make sure that you
take into account the following requirements:
Interest
All people seem to respond to music. To maintain this interest in a learning setting the selection
of materials and mode of presentation require careful consideration. A teacher's genuine
interest in the student and enthusiasm for music can be sensed by student.
Needs
Music is a means of expressing feelings and ideas. People express themselves musically by
singing, playing or composing. Those not actually making music themselves can enjoy music by
listening, or express themselves by moving (e.g. dancing, marching, aerobics, clapping, foot
tapping).
Students have different preferred learning styles, such as visual, aural, kinaesthetic. The music
program should provide for all these styles. Students have different rates of learning and will
not complete an identical task at the same rate. There will also be different rates at which the
same student completes various music tasks. For instance, a student with limited psychomotor
skills could take considerable time to master a recorder piece but have highly developed aural
skills that enable him/her to memorise quickly and accurately.
Achievement
All students are capable of musical achievement. Teachers need to observe students in many
different types of musical activities to gauge the degree of that achievement. Sufficient time for
regular and frequent practice is absolutely necessary for students to develop musically. Many
musical skills require repetition over a period of time so that they eventually become automatic.
Students benefit far more from short, frequent music experiences than infrequent, protracted
ones. It is the teacher's challenge to make this repetition purposeful and interesting.
Singing
• Vary the ways you teach the song - sing it loudly, softly, faster, slower, clap the beat,
tap the rhythm, until children have learned the song confidently
• Learn song line by line, phrase by phrase or as a whole song if it is short
• Sing, or play, the song through, having children join in during the chorus
Listening
• Listen to a recording of the song
• Compare different recordings of the same song and discuss the differences; eg.
instrumentation, words, style, etc
• Listen to half the class sing the song, while the rest of the class adds appropriate
actions and/or instruments
• Make up a simple dance to the song and have some children singing, others playing
instruments, and others dancing
• Have half the class sing the song, and have the other half listen for clarity of words,
expressions and overall entertaining performance
Moving
• Dramatise the events of the song
• Add suitable body percussion actions to the beat of the song
• Make up a simple movement sequence and repeat it throughout the song
• Create a simple folk dance to the song
• Add appropriate actions to represent the words of the song
• Have some children moving to the song, others playing instruments and others singing
Playing instruments
• Use instruments to play the beat of the song
• Add some instruments to play the rhythm of the song
• Use different instruments to represent different events and characters in the song
• Use tuned instruments to accompany the song, playing them on the beat and
changing them in relation to the guitar chords above the song
• Use instruments to create a simple introduction to the song; repeat this as an ending
• Add instruments for appropriate sound effects throughout the song
Organising sound
• Create a graphic score based on the song
• Add a simple accompaniment to the song using percussion instruments
• Use instruments to represent the different characters and events in the song
• Play and sing some parts of the song loudly and some parts softly
• Add a spoken ostinato (repeated phrase) throughout the song
Science Arts
Investigate the properties of Create music for particular
sound occasions
Experiment with sound Create sound tracks
Mathematics Language
Count accents, beats Write lyrics
Practise number facts to a Use music with stories
melody Dramatise songs
Music and song can be used in different subjects to assist memorisation, reinforce concepts,
provide a stimulus, provide opportunities for experiment, develop language skills, improve
motor skills and co-ordination, and to enthuse and motivate.
F Activity 10
• Select a theme suitable for a lower primary class.
• Select a song to go with the theme. The song may be traditional or
contemporary, from PNG or elsewhere. (In your school you can
approach community members for a suitable song and invite them to
teach the song.) If there is no suitable local or other song, plan a
creative song-writing activity. Students could make up a song about the
theme or topic, using another tune they know.
• Plan a music (rhythm) activity, using different instruments to make
rhythm patterns that accompany the song, or using body percussion
Selecting songs
When choosing songs to teach your class, consider whether a song has:
• A comfortable range
• Suitable words
• Melodic appeal
• Emotional appeal
• Rhythmic appeal
• A single melody line
A good test of a song's appeal is whether you, the teacher, like it, can remember the words
and can sing it without too much difficulty. Teachers should check the content of lyrics so that
no stereotyping or discriminatory language is included.
Some songs in the repertoire should be simple and easy to learn, enabling students to feel a
sense of achievement. Other songs should be chosen because they are more challenging, and
through practice will extend the student’s vocal abilities.
Vary the character of the songs in the repertoire. Nursery songs, folk songs, national songs,
songs of respected composers, art songs and popular songs of good quality should be
included. Material selected should reflect the background of the students involved.
Teach many songs but give attention to perfecting a few for special performances, working on
expression, dynamics, clear diction, simple instrumental accompaniments (if appropriate) and
other voice parts (if appropriate). Create occasions for your students to perform. They could
perform for the principal, staff, students, parents, elderly citizens, another school or the general
community. Frequent performances will heighten the student's motivation to sing at their best,
especially if they are recorded on audio or video.
It is very important that PNG children enjoy and are proud of singing songs from their own
culture (in tok ples) and from other cultures in Papua New Guinea. Singing is a very enjoyable
activity and it encourages pupils to co-operate and makes them feel that they belong to a
community.
Learning to sing is the result of many repeated attempts to imitate sounds made by others.
Two essential components are: -
• A good model to imitate (teacher/parent/ student)
• Many opportunities for the student to hear his/her own voice individually, enabling
comparison with others
Singing in tune, like other fine motor skills, can be developed only through practice. An
atmosphere which is constantly supportive and encouraging is essential so that the student
does not become self-conscious and give up.
Formulating profiles of children for recording their progress is recommended as being more in
keeping with the nature of music education than attempting to give children marks or grades.
As music teaching and learning are mainly activity-based, assessment is best done through
direct observation, anecdotal records and checklists.
Five basic areas of skill need to be assessed. These concern the child’s ability to:
• Respond to music
• Describe music
• Relate sound to notation
• Use the elements of music in performance
• Use the elements of music in composition
Children need feedback from assessment procedures in order to know where improvement is
needed and how this can be achieved.
Instrument sticks. Give each child a pair of sticks. These can be cut from various widths and
lengths of dowel rod or readily available timber
Kazoo Wrap wax paper loosely around a comb, hold it to the lips and hum.
Rattle caps Collect bottle caps, punch a hole in each one and string them on wire or a coat
hanger
Tambourine You will need two paper plates for each child, paper strips, small pebbles
(rice, seeds, shells), glue and scissors. Decorate the bottom of the paper plates
and glue the paper strips to the inside of a plate. Place pebbles on one plate
and glue or staple the other plate to it so the decorated section is exposed and
the pebbles are trapped inside.
Traditional instruments Check with the local community for types of instruments available and
make use of community people to help with the construction of instruments for
use in the classroom.
Xylophone Use four to eight identical glass bottles. Pour water in each one to different
levels. When you strike each bottle gently with a spoon or stick you will hear a
musical note. If you have a good ear, you will be able to tune the bottles to a
musical scale.
Equipment
• Sound system
• Portable player
• Wall charts
• Music stand
• Cassette tapes
• Song collection
• Sheet music
• Department resource books
• Instruments – tambourines, chime bars, recorders, cymbals, maracas, guitar, piano
Glossary
Accent the emphasis of certain beats or pulses in music by playing them louder
than other beats.
Bar one unit which has 2,3,4 or more beats. It has a vertical line to show that
the unit has finished; A double bar line (two vertical lines) shows that the
music has finished. If there are two dots before the double line sign this
means that the music is to be repeated.
Dynamics is changing from soft to loud, loud to soft, fast to slow, or slow to fast
Harmony different pitches which sound good when they are sung together. e.g. a high
pitch and a low pitch
Different cultures like different harmonies. In PNG, many fascinating and
beautiful harmonies such as different flute and singing harmonies were
developed by musicians. In Papua New Guinea, traditional music seconds
are common. (i.e. singing doh and re together) in early western music,
fourths were common (i.e. singing doh and fah together). Today most
western harmonies use many thirds and sixths (i.e. singing doh and me
together; or doh and la together.) Church music has developed 4-part
harmony singing around the world. i.e. Soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
Melody the sounds we sing. A melody is made up of a number of phrases. If a
melody has words, it is called a song.
Metre regular, predictable accenting of certain pulses (say, every second, every
third or every fourth pulse), which gives music a certain rhythmical feel'.
Ostinati are rhythmic and melodic patterns which go with songs. They can be made
by clapping hands; hitting body parts such as thighs, chest, arms, etc;
clicking fingers, making different noises with the mouth: clicking the tongue,
whistling, making popping sounds
Ostinato a rhythm pattern which is repeated regularly throughout a song or
instrumental piece of music. Most musical cultures in the world make use
of ostinato. An ostinato is different to the pulse or beat of music because it
does more than simply marking out the steady pulse of the music. It is
usually more interesting to listen to than the pulse of the music because it
has more. complicated rhythms
Phrases the basic building blocks of the structure of music. All music has structure.
In a song, a phrase is usually what is sung between two breaths taken by
the singer. In simple songs which have only two phrases, the phrases
balance each other. These two phrases function like a question and its
answer. Phrases have shape or contour, according to the arrangement of
pitch levels chosen by the composer. Phrases are often repeated and
contrasted, within a musical composition. Some phrases are echoed
Pitch the height or depth of sounds. i.e. how high or how low a sound is, in
relation to other sounds. If a sound is hummable or singable, it is said to be
o definite pitch. If it is not possible to hum or sing a sound, it is said to be o
indefinite pitch
Pitch is the way a melody goes up and down. It can be drawn as a picture
Contour
Pulse the on-going movement of music. Pulse can be either regular or irregular,
though it is most commonly regular
References