The Ice Dance from Edward Scissorhands, which can
be viewed above, has a variation of pitch, dynamics and rhythm used
and voices used, which indicates a three-part texture. This is a good example
that will allow students to understand the musical concepts, which will be
beneficial to understand the meaning and style of different music.
I often thought that instrumental music was plain and
uninteresting. Listening to this song while thinking about what the
high-pitched sounds, dynamics and voices used represents allowed me to see that
there is a story behind each music tune. In my future classroom, I would get my
students to think about what the pitch, dynamics and voices used represent,
rather than merely listening to the tune. This will allow them to understand
the meaning of this wordless piece, which is the essence of appreciating
instrumental music.
After
getting them to appreciate instrumental music, I would get them to work in
groups of 4 to create sounds that represent their interpretations of what may
happen after a scene in a story previously read. When students are given the
freedom to create their own sounds, their motivation to learn will increase
(NSW DET, 2004, as cited in Valerio, 2002, p.33). This will give them ideas
when putting it into writing.
References
Elfman, D. (2014, March 26). Ice Dance live [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkztEK9NnHI
Valerio, K. M. (2012). Intrinsic
motivation in the classroom. Journal of
Student Engagement: Education Matters, 2(1), 30-35.
