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Musical Futures Musical Futures and Newly Qualified Teachers: A Case Study

Applying Musical
Futures to an Existing
Scheme of Work
Anna Gower

ISBN: 978-1-905500-06-2

Musical Futures Applying Musical Futures to an Existing Scheme of Work

Applying Musical
Futures to an Existing
Scheme of Work
Anna Gower

This article by Champion School teacher Anna Gower demonstrates how one school used
the Musical Futures (MF) ethos and approaches to overhaul a traditional Year 8 Scheme
of Work (SoW) that wasnt engaging all students.
The content of this SoW is the Blues, but as this is an exercise that fundamentally explores pedagogy, this
process could be applied to a SoW covering any musical content.
Aims of reviewing this scheme were:
q To write MF approaches into schemes of work at KS3
q To make experience of all musics authentic and meaningful
q To integrate performing, listening and improvising into practical work every week
q To build upon skills covered in previous SoW (Year 7)
q To develop relevant resources pitched appropriately for Year 8 to challenge and support all learners
q To reduce the amount of teacher-led learning within the SoW and to use informal learning to encourage
independent and personalised learning experiences for the students
The Musical Futures website contains details of the teaching and learning strategies for the band
carousel approach (www.musicalfutures.org.uk/resource/27355) and the informal learning model
(www.musicalfutures.org.uk/resource/27362).
The colour coding of the tables below are as follows:
Activities which are teacher-led
Use worksheets as the basis for learning
Student-led using resources other than worksheets

Musical Futures Applying Musical Futures to an Existing Scheme of Work

Activities which are teacher-led | Use worksheets as the basis for learning | Student-led using resources other than worksheets

BLUES SCHEME OF WORK: BEFORE

1

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

ACTIVITIES

HOMEWORK

RESOURCES

q Introduction to Blues music

q Starter: show video of Blues artist

q Learn to sing Woke Up This Morning

q Five facts about

Blues artist

q Lyrics on powerpoint

q Understand the terms chord and triad

(Voluntary G&T
extension HW
= guitar project)

q Easy guitar chords worksheet

q Learn to play chords on keyboard

and guitar
q Plenary: revise key terms;
mini-performances
2

q Revise terms chords and triad

q Starter: review homework facts

q Understand how to assess peers work

q Revise chords on guitar and piano

q Listen and assess peers work using
Listening back chart

q Set two personal

targets for the
unit using Levels
in Music grid

q Plan project

q Understand how to work effectively

in groups in music lessons

q Starter: review targets set as homework

q Piano cards
q Keyboards / guitars
q Project plan on powerpoint
q Piano cards
q Easy guitar chords worksheet
q Audio recordings
q Keyboards / guitars

q Plenary: as appropriate, e.g. sing

through Woke Up This Morning
or other song
3

q Videos of Blues artists

q Listening back chart

q Levels in Music worksheet
q Examples of music targets
q Fill out project diary

q Rules for practical work in

music on powerpoint

q Learn how to create a bass line

q Go through rules and expectations of

practical work in music

q Understand the term root note

q Demonstrate adding a bass line

q Easy guitar chords worksheet

q Start working in their groups

q Keyboards / guitars / basses

q Tidy away

q Project diary

q Plenary: review keywords to date

q Bass guitar worksheet

q Piano cards

q Blues project worksheet

Activities which are teacher-led | Use worksheets as the basis for learning | Student-led using resources other than worksheets

Musical Futures Applying Musical Futures to an Existing Scheme of Work

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

ACTIVITIES

HOMEWORK

RESOURCES

q Understand the mood behind

Blues lyrics

q Starter: as appropriate

q Fill out project diary

q History of Blues on powerpoint

q Understand how structure in music is

labelled with letters (AAB lyric format)

q Discuss lyrics format and mood

q Lyrics from previous students work

q Continue group work some groups to

start writing own lyrics

q Piano cards

q Tidy away

q Keyboards / guitars / basses

q Continue to work effectively in a group

q Easy guitar chords worksheet

q Plenary: as appropriate

q Project diary
q Bass guitar worksheet
q Blues project worksheet

q Continue to work effectively in a group

in preparation for performance
q Learn how to incorporate
improvisation into the Blues
q Understand the terms improvisation
and scat singing

q Starter: as appropriate
q Demonstrate the Blues scale and show
how to fit it into the Blues format

q Fill out
project diary

q Blues videos
q Piano cards
q Easy guitar chords worksheet

q Continue practical task. Every student

to learn to play the Blues scale on piano

q Keyboards / guitars / basses

q Project diary

q Tidy away

q Bass guitar worksheet

q Plenary: as appropriate

q Blues project worksheet

q Blues scale worksheet

q
Prepare for recording

q
Starter: as appropriate

q
Record final performances

q
Groups rehearse and then record
q
Groups that finish first to start You Have
Finished Recording sheet.

q
Complete You
Have Finished
Recording sheet

q
You have Finished Recording sheet
q
Piano cards
q
Easy guitar chords worksheet
q
Keyboards / guitars / basses

q
Tidy away

q
Project diary

q
Plenary: as appropriate

q
Bass guitar worksheet
q
Blues project worksheet
q
Blues scale worksheet

q
Assess final recordings of Blues

q
Starter: as appropriate
q
Listen back to each piece complete
the Listening Back Chart
q
Fill in targets and levels from teacher
in planners
q
Plenary: as appropriate

q
None set

q
Listening back chart
q
Audio recordings
q
Teacher assessment feedback sheets

Musical Futures Applying Musical Futures to an Existing Scheme of Work

Activities which are teacher-led | Use worksheets as the basis for learning | Student-led using resources other than worksheets

BLUES SCHEME OF WORK: AFTER

1

LESSON OBJECTIVES

LEARNING STRATEGIES

HOMEWORK

q To become familiar with the sound of Blues music through listening

1. Whole class warm up

q To express a preference for a piece of music giving musical reasons

2. Group work informal

listening tasks

q Research an allocated Blues

artist minimum of five facts

q To recognise commonly-used musical instruments and Blues conventions

2-4

CAROUSEL:
q Keywords: chord and triad
q Play at least C triad or one note in time to a backing track using keyboards,
or move between chords C, F and G in time, using 1, 2 or 3 note chords.
KEYWORDS: PENTATONIC, IMPROVISE:
q Understand how a pentatonic and Blues scale can be used to create a melody,
through either:

3. Plenary: feedback from

listening tasks
1. Relevant starter (whole class
warm up or singing)
2. Either carousel model or in
small groups working through
the same objectives
3. Plenary: revise key terms;
mini-performances

q Complete extended Blues

listening question (2 weeks)
(LEVELLED) then complete a
diary entry for subsequent
weeks using NUMU
(www.numu.org.uk)

Playing pulse notes of the pentatonic/Blues scale

Improvising using the pentatonic Blues scales and appropriate rhythms in
time to the backing track
KEYWORDS: AAB STRUCTURE:
q Learn to sing/perform to a Blues backing track
q Compose appropriate lyrics to suggest a mood in keeping with Blues style
q Demonstrate an understanding of the structure of Blues lyrics
OPTIONAL:
q Add a bass line/drums
5-6

q Perform and record as a whole class and workshop the components of the
Blues studied applying keywords and exploring how a piece can be structured

q Video and record to assess

together at the next lesson

q Understand structure in music (AAB lyric format), include head and

improvisation in the final piece

q Informal assessment and

reflection upon performance

q Assess final recordings/performances/video

q Peer assessment

q Class discussion and feedback

q Self assessment

q Evaluate the project

Musical Futures Applying Musical Futures to an Existing Scheme of Work

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

SCHEME 1: BEFORE
The majority of learning in lesson time is teacher led,
or taught through a variety of worksheets which
would appeal mostly to aural and visual learners with
good literacy and some basic notation reading skills.
Homework tasks allow students more opportunity to
direct their own learning under headings provided
in the project diary. NB as with any SoW teachers are
encouraged to deliver content through a range of
appropriate strategies.
Listening activities within this SoW are limited and
there is no evidence of students experiencing any
authentic Blues music beyond what they see on the
video in the very first lesson. Other listening tasks
include the teacher demonstrating the elements
of the Blues that the students will be learning and
listening back to completed student work at the end.

SCHEME 2: AFTER
Authenticity
Groups and practice spaces are named after Blues
artists and each space contains an information poster
about the relevant artist. Students research their
artists background as a homework task and share this
information with others (see also informal learning
and listening tasks below).
Informal learning and listening tasks
At the beginning of the project, students are given
a selection of recordings on a CD (of the artists the
groups are named after) and in their friendship
groups are asked to complete a series of tasks.
These include: placing each piece into a timeline to
emphasise the development of Blues music; multiplechoice tick charts; and comparison questions along
the lines of a simplified GCSE question. They are also
challenged to choose one extract and complete an
extended listening task to identify which elements of
the music are typical of the style and why they prefer
one above another.
Informal learning
Students spend a lesson exploring a different
component of the Blues using a carousel model with
the aim of getting the class together to workshop a
Blues piece at the end. They work together to devise
their own objectives in each lesson and support
learning through peer teaching and sharing of skills.

Integrating performing, listening and improvising

This new scheme uses a range of audio, video and
written resources so that students can select the
best method of learning for themselves. A backing
track, based on a 1950s Blues genre, is provided for
groups to perform along to. Individual audio tracks
for each part in the carousel are broken down into
tracks, including bass line, improvising on pentatonic
and Blues scales, swing rhythms and lyrics with video
tutorials, in addition to worksheets using notation
and chord symbols.
Written tasks and assessment
To fit with the requirements of the school assessment
policy, one opportunity for a piece of written work
that can be levelled using National Curriculum
level criteria was included. In this scheme it was an
extended listening question based on the students
own selection of Blues music. As this was the first
opportunity for students to complete this kind of
assignment, no guidance was given beyond the initial
setting up of the task, in keeping with the informal
nature of the project. In subsequent schemes,
feedback, exemplar work and guidance were given
once the areas in need of development had been
identified. Improvements in attainment have been
tracked through the project. NUMU blogs are used
to keep an ongoing record of progress made in
the project and to encourage self evaluation,
reflection and describing the activities using relevant
musical language.
To incorporate formative self and peer assessment
into each lesson, levelled tick charts, based on
National Curriculum level descriptors, have been
developed to be completed by students at the
end of each lesson. Often used to prompt group
discussion and the opportunity for students to assess
each other, these are combined with formative
teacher assessments to come to an agreed level for
the practical work at the end of the unit. This also
ensures that the processes of learning, as well as the
outcomes, are assessed.