Listening and Responding
Identifies and distinguishes between contrasts in musical elements and identifies characteristics of a piece of music

Shares and explains personal responses to the music (PK, CI)

This is a series of snapshots of teaching and learning in one musical context – a piece of music called "Taku Manu E" featuring Cook Islands drumming. The teacher has asked the students to listen for instruments that they can identify. They listen intently and respond to this exciting musical experience. They hear the piece twice before responding. Individual students are seen identifying the following:

The teacher takes this lead from the student and teaches the whole class the rhythm. She also teaches them the difficult syncopated rhythm at the end of the phrase. She divides the class so that one half perform the student-identified rhythm and the other the more complicated syncopated rhythm. They perform it as it is heard on the recording and play along using body percussion with the music supporting them. They are experientially learning to play the aurally identified repeating (ostinato) rhythmic pattern from the music. They achieve this task and the holistic learning experience makes for meaningful understanding.

The teacher is now asking an open-ended question on wider aspects noticed in the music.

The teacher then asks a more reflective question about their personal feelings towards the music and why they feel that way. Throughout the questioning, the teacher affirms and reinforces their responses:

• "It makes you want to stamp your feet 'cause the rhythm gets louder and it sounds really good."
• "It makes you want to dance 'cause the tempo gets faster and the dynamics get louder."
• "It makes you feel like you're on an island because of the drums and the conch horn."
• "It makes you feel sort of angry inside because of the strong rhythm."

The students are able to express their personal responses and relate these to features of the music. They are thinking creatively and critically, showing understanding of the learning context and using developed musical vocabulary.

Reading and Recording
Identifies and distinguishes between contrasts in the elements of music, and compares and describes characteristics of music (PK, UC)

Students listen to part of the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (around three minutes of the music). They have listened to it on an earlier occasion as background music to other study. The teacher asks what they noticed happening in the music:

• "Sounded like it was going faster 'cause there were more notes going into the music ..."
• "It got slower and softer like the wind" [describing the second theme of the music not heard on this clip].
• "As more instruments joined in it got louder and then it just stopped" [describing the opening eight bars].

The teacher is now asking about similarities between the two pieces of music they have listened to and discussed:

• "They've both got strong rhythms and they repeat again."
• "They both get softer then louder."
• "It seems like more instruments join in, it seems like ... um ... it gets faster and more exciting."

Students then rehearse the opening motif/idea from the music in the air with their hands showing the changes in pitch and the rhythmic pattern.

Listening and Responding
Experiments with a featured pattern from the music (PK, UC)

After setting up the room with untuned percussion instruments, the students work in small groups to work out the same motif. They have been told to start on the note E. They work quickly to problem-solve and work out the pattern in pitch and rhythm. A group is seen working it out with one girl, supported by her group, playing their version, EEE C DDD B on the xylophone. They are thinking aurally by remembering the shape and pattern and applying it to new sounds (not in the same key as the recording as this would not be possible with the xylophone keys available on these instruments). This reinforces experientially the overall understanding of the musical characteristics of the classical period they have researched in their wider study of Beethoven, his life and music.