Music Investigation

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Music Investigation

•  
• Outcome 1 Investigation
•  
• The combined class approach using a Listening
  Journal highlights the elements of Music in a
  progressive pedagogy to develop greater depth of
  understanding in the elements of Music. Previous
  and current examiners reports, detail the lack of
  understanding by many students of the elements of
  Music eg. melody students discuss rhythm,
  dynamics etc but not the characteristics of the
  melody! This workshop aims to give teachers a
  Listening Journal approach that highlights a
  variety of Musical elements and builds on student
  knowledge progressively throughout the year, to
  bring depth of understanding to the Focus Area.
•  
• 2011 VCE Study Design . . . On completion of
  this unit the student should be able to
  demonstrate understanding of performance
  practices, context/s and influences on music
  works.
• Key Knowledge includes
• Aural and theoretical concepts that underpin ways
  in which elements of music, including structure,
  melody, harmony, rhythm, tone colour, texture,
  dynamics, tempo, articulation and
  instrumentation, are characteristically treated
  within a sample of works representative of the
  Focus Area Strategies for preparing performances
  of selected group and solo works
• Idiomatic instrumental techniques associated with
  the sample of works
• Performance practices and conventions associated
  with the Focus Area and sample of works
• Leading composers/performers associated with the
  selected Focus Area and sample of works
• Social, cultural, personal, historical,
  geographical and commercial influences that
  impact on the selected Focus Area and sample of
  works
• Ways in which works chosen for performance are
  representative of the Focus Area
• Issues that impact on interpretation of works
  selected for performance
• Music terminology and language appropriate to
  identification, description and discussion of
  characteristic features of the sample of works
  and works selected for performance

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Music Investigation

• Elements of Music

3
Music Investigation

• Key Skills includes the ability to
• Describe the Focus Area
• Aurally and visually analyse a sample of music
  works that are representative of the Focus Area,
  including works that are selected for performance
  in Area of Study 3
• Apply aural and theoretical Knowledge to
  identify, describe and discuss
• Ways in which elements of music are
  characteristically treated in the sample of works
• Idiomatic instrumental techniques associated with
  the selected Focus Area and ways in which they
  are applied within the sample of works, including
  works chosen for performance
• Social, cultural, personal, historical,
  geographical and commercial influences that have
  had an impact on both the Focus Area and the
  sample of works
• Performance practices and conventions associated
  with the Focus Area and ways in which these might
  be applied in performance of the selected program
  of works
• Issues that influence interpretation of works
  selected for performance
• Use appropriate music terminology and language

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Focus Area
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Variety of Focus Areas

• The development of Nocturnes (for Solo Piano)
  beginning with the styles origin with John Field
  (Nocturne in C minor) and then looking at
  innovations made by other composers such as
  Chopin and Faure as well as the different
  approach of C20 composers.
• The stylistic characteristics used by Guitarists
  Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler and Albert King, and the
  use of different variations of a finger-picking
  method to achieve the style.

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Class Time Structure

• Listening Journal Elements of Music
• Aural Training Intervals, Chords and
  progressions, rhythmic and melodic dictation as
  appropriate
• Theory select one piece from program, specify
  the tonic key, find the modulations and how they
  relate to the tonic or chord progression within a
  phrase/section
• Technical work or exercises designed and
  practical work on exercises OR
• Investigation research question OR
• Composing/Arranging/Improvisation exercises
  linked to the above

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Unit 3 Timeline

• Week of March 12 Trial performance of Focus Area
  works, (at least 15 minutes of contrasting
  works), and technical work and exercises
• Week of March 19 Submit draft of how technical
  work and exercises is assisting your development
  and understanding in preparing your Outcome 3
  pieces submit draft of progressive analysis and
  research discussing characteristics, techniques
  and performance practices of your Focus Area
  works
• Week of April 19 Submit draft of
  composition/improvisation/arrangement and how
  this
• relates to your Focus Area

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Unit 3 Timeline cont.

• Week of May 2 Presentation of technical work and
  exercises explaining how they have improved your
  instrumental skills and understanding of the
  Focus Area
• Week of May 10 Report Presentation - (performance
  and commentary or multimedia or written or a
  combination) discussing characteristics,
  techniques and performance
• practice of works representative of your Focus
  Area- SAC
• Week of May 18 Technical work and exercises SAC
• (including a written description of how
  selected performance techniques, technical work
  and exercises have supported the student as an
  instrumentalist, and in their preparation of
  works for Outcome 3)

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Unit 3 Timeline cont.

• Week of May 25 Performance of at least a 15
  minute program of
  Focus Area works
• Week of May 25 Submit and perform
  composition/improvisation/arrangement and
  outline how your created work relates to your
  Focus Area
• Weekly Aural and Theory exercises relevant to
• Focus Area analysis
• Weekly Progress report and plan for next week
• Focus Area Research

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Listening Journal
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Listening Journal

• Name the instruments
• Detail the Form/structure
• Rhythm
• Melody
• Harmony
• Tone Colour
• Texture
• Instrument techniques
• Style?

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Key Words

• Melody
• Ascending, descending, repetitive, short, long,
  high, low, wide range, small range,
  stepwise/smooth, based on a scale, based on a
  triad, jagged, made up of phrases, uses
• sequences, tonality scale forms, modal,
  contour, draw a line-graph of the phrase shape,
  upbeat, anacrusis, angular contour (leaps),
  motive, register, unison, chromaticism
• Rhythm
• Riff, straight, shuffle, jazz, swing, latin,
  describe note values within a phrase, short
  rhythmic patterns, call and response, ostinatos,
  off beat, notation, time signatures, mixed
  metres, polyrhythms, dotted rhythms, even,
  syncopation, tacet, duration, note values, pulse,
  regular, irregular, repetitive, hemiola,
  isometric
• Used as to maintain momentum, as part of the
  structure/form, ostinato, to provide pulse/beat,
  to create unity, to create contrast
•  
• Harmony
• Chord progression, tonality, primary triads,
  7ths, altered chords, describe the chords within
  a phrase, modulation, consonance, dissonance,
  resolution
•  

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Key Words

• Dynamics
• Loud, soft, crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo,
  fade-out, fade-in, moderately loud, moderately
  soft, sforzando, smorzando
•  
• Tone Colour
• Timbre, warm, cold, shrill, mellow, woody,
  bright, bleak, dark, light, heavy, percussive,
  Guitar amp effects, effects units, Powerchords,
  mute
•  
• Texture
• Monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic
•  
• Interpretation
• Rubato, rallentando, register, Piano pedalling,
  vibrato, change of register,
• Recording techniques effects, reverberation,
  mutlitracking,
• Ornamentation trills, mordents, drops offs,
  smears, pause, harmonics, melismas, scat,
• Articulation legato smooth, semi-legato,
  staccato, mezzo-staccato, marcato, accents,
  tenuto, slides, bends, hammer ons, pull offs,
  damping, pizzicato, double stop, mute
• Tempo slow, fast, broadly, lively, accelerando,
  rallentando, ritenuto, ritardando,

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Listening Journal

• Describe the different rhythms heard in excerpt 1
• Write the different rhythms heard in excerpt 1
  that you have described 
• Describe the shape of the melody in excerpt 2 
• Draw the shape of the melody in excerpt 2
• Describe the variations in tone colour throughout
  the excerpt
• Describe the structural and expressive role of
  each instrument in excerpt 2

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Listening Journal

• Select one instrument, and detail the use of
  articulation throughout the excerpt
•  
• Write the rhythm of 2 instruments/voices that
  performed in excerpt 1, include the articulations
•  
• Identify and describe the interpretative
  decisions you believe is evident in the
  pre-recorded work
•  
• What expressive elements have been used in the
  excerpt and what effect do they have?

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Listening Journal

• What style is this piece of Music? Describe why
  you think it is this style.
•  
• Discuss how the performers approached performing
  the melody and rhythm to highlight the style.
•  
• Discuss how the performers approached performing
  the melody and rhythm to demonstrate variety
  within the style.
•  

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Music Language

• Highlight the use of key words to extend student
  language

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Music Investigation

• Outcome 3 Performance (including Technical Work)
• On completion of this unit the student should be
  able to present a performance of music works that
  communicates understanding of the Focus Area.
• Key Knowledge includes
• Strategies for planning a performance program
  that communicates understanding of a selected
  Focus Area
• Strategies for developing and refining accuracy,
  control, fluency, flexibility, dexterity,
  security, coordination and clarity in performance
  as relevant to the selected works and instruments
• Idiomatic instrumental tone qualities and
  variation of tone relevant to the selected
  repertoire
• Stylistic characteristics, musical structures and
  textures, and use of other elements of music in
  selected works as they relate to the Focus Area
• Ways of achieving purposeful shape in music
  through artistic variation of expressive elements
  of music, including tone quality, tempo,
  phrasing, articulation, dynamics and texture
• Strategies for developing expressively shaped,
  informed interpretations of works that
  demonstrate understanding of relevant historical
  and contemporary performance practices,
  conventions and artistic balance between relevant
  personal, stylistic, practical, technological,
  historical and cultural influences
• Roles of, and relationships between, instrumental
  voices in selected group works, or parts within
  the texture of solo works in achieving artistic
  balance, blend and variation of texture

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Technical Work Exercises

• Students specify one piece of Music from their
  program
• Students state what the key of the Music is
• Students write the scale one octave ascending
• Students write three technical work scales
  related to the
• tonic key
• Students highlight one rhythm in this piece
• Students write an exercise using the tonic key
  scale, and the rhythm
• Students design three exercises using the rhythm
  and combinations from the scale

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Exercises

• Exercises are directly related to their piece of
  Music
• All technical work and exercises are used in
  practical sessions
• Exercises are designed to enhance the knowledge
  of the elements of Music
• Students keep a weekly journal of technical work
  and exercises
• Student knowledge and technical skill is
  progressively developed

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Assessment Tasks
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Unit 3 Assessment Tasks Outcome 1

• Weekly Listening Journal Elements of Music and
  stylistic characteristics
• Weekly research documented to include over the
  Semester characteristics, techniques and
  performance practices of the Focus Area
• Analysis of a sample of works (at least two) from
  the Focus Area program that highlight the
  Elements of Music
• Audio/video excerpts to support analysis
• Discussion of characteristics and practices and
  other issues that influence interpretation of
  Focus Area works

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Unit 3 Outcome 1 SAC

• Present a report (performance and commentary or
  multimedia or written or a combination of these
  formats) that discusses characteristics,
  techniques and performance practices of works
  representative of a Focus Area. The report will
  need to define the Focus Area and include
• Analysis of a sample of works
• Audio/video excerpt to support analysis
• Discussion of characteristics and practices and
  other issues that influence interpretation of
  works

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Unit 3 Outcome 1 SAC

• 1. Focus Area statement
• 2. Detail the stylistic characteristics of the
  pieces in your performance program
• 3. Audio/Visual excerpts to support your analysis
• 4. What techniques and performance practices are
  representative of your Focus Area?
• 5. What has been the most interesting thing you
  have discovered from your research to date?
• 6. Present your performance/commentary of the
  above

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Unit 4Assessment tasks Outcome 1

• Weekly research to reflect on and evaluate their
  interpretative approaches to the music works
  being prepared for performance - balance relevant
  personal, stylistic, practical, technological,
  historical and cultural influences.
• Prepare (drafts and refine) program notes based
  on the Focus Area research and evaluation, that
  may be used to introduce the Outcome 3
  performance program. These notes will inform the
  Focus Statement provided by the student for the
  end-of-year performance examination

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Unit 4 Outcome 1

• Assessment Task Class Presentation of Program
  Notes
• Evaluate and present your interpretative approach
  to your Focus Area program of Music works.

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Unit 4 Music InvestigationTimeline
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Unit 4 Timeline

• Week of July 12 Trial performance of Focus Area
  works, (at least 10 minutes of contrasting
  works), and technical work and exercises
• Week of July 19 Submit draft of
  composition/improvisation/arrangement and how
  this relates to your Focus Area
• Week of August 2 Presentation of technical work
  and exercises explaining how they have improved
  your instrumental skills and understanding of the
  Focus Area

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Unit 4 Timeline cont.

• Week of August 10 Creative Work Presentation SAC
  - Outcome 2 Present and perform a composition,
  improvisation or arrangement of a music work that
  uses characteristics, performance techniques and
  other conventions relevant to the Focus Area AND
  an explanation of how the work is representative
  of the Focus Area (written or multimedia or oral)
• Week of September 18 Technical work and exercises
  SAC (including a written description of how
  selected performance techniques, technical work
  and exercises have supported the student as an
  instrumentalist, and in their preparation of
  works for Outcome 3)

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Unit 4 Timeline cont.

• Week of September 25 Performance of at least a 10
  minute program of Focus Area works
• Week of September 25 Performance of created work,
  with explanation on how this relates to Focus
  Area
• Weekly Aural and Theory exercises relevant to
• Focus Area analysis
• Weekly Progress report and plan for next week
• Focus Area Research

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eMail Address

• morton.lynne._at_edumail.vic.gov.au