Context elaborations – level 7 music – sound arts

• Inquiry and perspective
• Imagination and connection
• Production and transformation

The context elaborations mirror culturally responsive pedagogies.

Each context elaboration is coded, using the summary notation recorded with each strand. A bold strand code indicates a dominant strand in the given context. If both or all codes are bold, they are considered to have equal weighting in the given context.

Inquiry and perspective

The contexts for learning outlined below make links to the music – sound arts key concept of inquiry and perspective.

Possible context – traditional cultural music

(UC, PK, CI)

• Select and investigate a traditional cultural music form from Aotearoa or the Pacific appropriate for performance at an interschool cultural festival or local community event, for example, kapa haka or ura pa’u.
• Extend and refine skills in the music by participating in a series of workshops, perhaps taught or led by a tutor or whānau member from the local community.
• Learn the musical parts and use video recordings of rehearsals to refine performances.
• Undertake a learning inquiry to find information about the traditional materials used (and the significance of these) in instrument construction, costumes, props, and facial or body adornments associated with the music and dance.
• Perform the music at the festival or for a community event and reflect on the experience of this performance and on other performances.
• What is valued? What has changed in the performance style or execution over time?

Possible context – development of music genres over time

(UC)

• This context embodies manaakitanga or the new impacting on the old (music styles and practices, new technologies, and socio-cultural influences on music and people).
• Investigate the ways in which music genres have developed over time as a result of the influence of individuals or social and cultural factors.
• Possible examples include:
  ○ Palestrina on polyphonic vocal music
  ○ John Cage on twentieth century art music
  ○ Miles Davies on jazz
  ○ social movements (for example, Christianity’s impact on Polynesian music forms, slavery’s impact on early American jazz music)
  ○ cultural factors (for example, street improvisation on hip hop and rap music, or carnival/street festivals on samba music).

• Share findings as a class in a presentation (oral, digital, audiovisual).

Possible context – impacts and influences

(UC)

• Students work in pairs, reflecting ako or the equal engagement of each student in the paired work.
• Investigate the impacts and influences of key figures on the developments in modern contemporary art music. Examples include:
  ○ Igor Stravinsky
  ○ John Cage
  ○ Schoenberg / Webern / Berg
  ○ Gustav Mahler
  ○ Edgard Varese
  ○ Nadia Boulanger
  ○ Steve Reich
  ○ Karlheinz Stockhausen.

• Explore the practices of recent and current pioneers of contemporary music in New Zealand and compare their experiences and training and contributions to the genre with the pioneers listed above. Possible examples include:
  ○ John Psathas
  ○ Gareth Farr
  ○ Jack Body
  ○ Victoria Kelly
  ○ Karlo Margetic
  ○ Dorothea Franchi
  ○ John Elmsley
  ○ Jenny McLeod.

Possible context – folk music inheritances

(UC, PK)

• Individual inquiry into a folk music culture relating to personal ancestry invoves autonomy or tino rangatiratanga.
• Investigate the context of your own cultural background – compare the perspective of those older than you with your own experiences in the contemporary world.
• What musical elements have remained the same and what have changed?
• What physical elements (such as instruments, use of voice, recording devices) have evolved to reflect the world in which these elements are now used?
• How has relocation impacted on the music of your ancestors? In what contexts do you hear the forms of folk music?
• Present a short seminar, including musical examples, to teach your class more about yourself and your background.

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Imagination and connection

The contexts for learning outlined below make links to the music – sound arts key concept of imagination and connection.

Possible context – collaborating around a musical idea

(DI, PK, CI)

• Students work collaboratively, reflecting ako or the equal engagement of each student in the work.
• Discuss ways to connect a musical idea through several related compositions. Explore imaginative ways to link but also to differentiate between the movements.
• Consider using a selected palette of colour (timbres) and use different combinations in different movements or sections.
• Collaboratively (in a group of three) create a composition based on ideas or images seen in triptych artwork and using unity and variety as the primary device.
• Perform the music and evaluate how successfully the balance of unity and variety in its function communicates a musical intent.

Possible context – expressing an issue

(DI, PK, CI)

• Teacher and students working together on this context exemplify whanaungatanga and ako.
• Compose (both teacher and students) solo music work based on an important issue or concern, for example, a topic directly relevant to teenagers, such as rebellion, dealing with rejection or bullying, exploring limits.
• Select an approach, such as a personal response or a biographical or autobiographical explanation of experiences related to the issue, to form an expressive musical intention.
• Investigate background information on the subject matter or issue (finding images, narratives, current events articles, interviews, and digital resources) to inform and influence the composition.
• Use these findings to improvise musical ideas and concepts and to develop musical phrases/motifs within an appropriate genre to reflect the issue and expressive intention.
• Select and use a range of compositional devices and choose an appropriate structure for the music and relevant production technologies (for example a symbolic instrument) to compose the solo.
• Both students and teacher will perform and share the work.

Possible context – testing the limit

(DI, PK, CI)

• Compose a solo music work based on a pre-determined limitation. Limitations could include restricting the notes or scale used, predetermining randomly the instruments that may be employed, or using chance to generate a form.
• From the limitation, develop an expressive musical intention or idea, which supports or is reflected by the selected limitation.
• For example: “I want to show by using a 5 note scale, that I can generate, select and shape a significant amount of expressive material despite the obvious limits – it shows that I can still be inventive with a very small range of pitch decisions to make.”
• Investigate background information on the intended idea (find images or narratives) to inform and influence the composition.
• Use these findings together with ideas from peers to improvise rhythms and melodies, chords and clusters, and to develop music phrases/motifs appropriate to the genre to reflect the issue and expressive intention.
• Select and use a range of compositional devices and choose an appropriate structure for the music and relevant production technologies (for example, a looping pedal and amp) to compose the solo music.
• Discuss the process and outcomes with others, refine and review the work.

Possible context – explore ways of generating music

(DI, PK)

• Working together in order to explore demonstrates whanaungatanga.
• Explore a range of compositional processes and experiment with ways of generating music. (Processes are ways of initiating, conceptualising, producing, and evaluating composition in music.)
• Experiment with a stimulus or purpose including: images, art works, pieces of dance, emotional states, current events, political or environmental concerns, poetry, literature, or dramatic works.
• After selecting a stimulus or inspiration point, develop a musical intention or reason for the music to be created, research ideas and explore sound possibilities, and then choose appropriate performers and a genre and method for producing music.
• Select, combine, and structure musical ideas.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working with selected processes over others.

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Production and transformation

The contexts for learning outlined below make links to the music – sound arts key concept of production and transformation.

Possible context – performing a repetoire

(PK, CI, UC)

• Working together and performing for diverse audiences demonstrates ako and tangata whenuatanga.
• Learn a repertoire of three songs (each of two to three minutes) from a contemporary music genre, for example, songs based on a political protest movement.
• Alternatively, collaborate with others to research and learn a contemporary classical piece using Greek rhythmic ideas based on the individual pieces found in Zebeikiko by John Psathas or using the “tone clock” concept presented in Jenny McLeod’s Tone Clock Pieces.
• Perform music from the repertoire on different occasions, where appropriate/possible, including: at whole-school events, music showcases, community events, and prize giving or for junior classes.

Possible context – showcasing musical theatre

(PK, CI, UC)

• Working together and performing for diverse audiences demonstrates ako and tangata whenuatanga.
• Learn a repertoire of three excerpts from songs from the musical theatre genre.
• Look at a range of musical theatre examples and contexts from a range of time periods (traditional musicals to more modern rock operas).
• Reproduce songs from their musicals context. Possible musical examples to consider include:
  ○ “If I were a Rich Man” (Fiddler on the Roof)
  ○ “Tonight” (West Side Story)
  ○ “This is the Hour” (Miss Saigon)
  ○ “Out Here On My Own” (Fame)
  ○ “Memory” (Cats)
  ○ “King Herod’s Song” (Jesus Christ Superstar).

• Perform music from the repertoire on several different occasions, where appropriate/possible, including: at whole-school events, music showcases, community events or places, and prize giving or for junior classes.

Possible context – performing folk music

(UC, CI)

• Working together with traditional musical forms demonstrates ako and tangata whenuatanga.
• Learn and perform folk music forms such as Cook Islands drum dances or Samoan sasa from cultural musical specialists.
• Investigate the cultural context of the music forms including where and when they are traditionally performed and for what purposes.
• Examine, learn, and practice the characteristics typical of the music form.

Possible context – all that jazz

(UC, CI)

• Learn and perform music forms such as the waltz or 1950s rock’n’roll or 1930s swing.
• Investigate the social context of the music forms including where and when they were and are performed and under what circumstances.
• Examine and learn/practice the movements typical of the music form.
• Investigate how and why these forms have changed over time and context.

Possible context – understanding and communicating the style

(PK, UC, CI)

• Choose a music genre/style that is typically performed for entertainment or artistic purposes, such as a ballad, electronic dance music, jazz, contemporary classical, musical theatre or kapa haka.
• Learn about the performance features, techniques, and stylistic requirements of the style being performed.
• Perform the music to communicate a clear understanding of the style.
• Share reflections with and critique the performances together.

Possible context – reflection and critique

(UC, CI)

• This context demonstrates whanaungatanga.
• Work together (groups or class) to examine key aspects of recorded music performances from an established group of professional musicians, such as:
  ○ ENZSO by Eddie Raynor and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (available as a DVD and CD)
  ○ Omnifenix by John Psathas performed by Michael Brecker (sax) and the Orchestra Sinfonica dell’Emilia Romagna “Tocanini”
  ○ Untouchable Girls (the movie), with original songs performed by the Topp twins.

• Identify and analyse the key features of the music, including:
  ○ its compositional features
  ○ the use of devices such as unison and sequences; unity and variation
  ○ song structure
  ○ use of production technologies
  ○ stylistic features of the context or genre
  ○ performers and performance setting
  ○ the ideas, moods, and emotions being communicated to reflect the composers intention.

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Last updated July 2, 2012

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