Music Strand 4: Integrating music in the wider curriculum

This week’s tutorial had us creating tunes that represent our interpretations of a particular text explored. This influenced me that using the appropriate musical instrument that produces the appropriate pitch level and applying the correct rhythm and dynamics is mandatory when interpreting the meaning of a text. For instance, playing the glockenspiel, with a fast rhythm and extreme loudness is inappropriate to represent small, gentle steps. 

Thus, prior to getting them to interpret the text, I will play a few instruments of different pitches in different rhythms and with different dynamics. Students are then to interpret the mood of the sounds produced by each instrument, what each dynamic expression represents, what each rhythm played tells about the speed. This is followed by providing them the answer and explaining the reasons to my answer, allowing them to discover whether their answers are correct. I would then get them to play these instruments, incorporating rhythm and dynamics, to interpret what these sounds reveal about the characters’ actions in the scene. As Hallam (2010) states, rhythm helps students in developing phonological and spelling skills which are useful for reading and writing. Furthermore, creating music allows them to understand the characters’ thoughts, actions and motivation, which is the key to understanding a complex text (Goldberg, 2017, p.79). This will increase students' interest in learning about complex and uninteresting topics. 

References

Goldberg, M. (2017). Arts Integration: Teaching subject matter through the Arts in Multicultural Settings. New York, NY: Routledge.

Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Eduation, 28(3), 1-32.