Music is an art form deeply rooted in human nature. It is a discrete body of knowledge, a unique form of communication and a means by which feelings and interests are organised and expressed. It is a profoundly satisfying area of individual and shared experience, fostering a deep sense of well-being. Music offers lifelong opportunities for the development of imagination, sensitivity, inventiveness, risk-taking and enjoyment.
Children of all ages and abilities have potential in music, and music education celebrates individual differences among them. The child's musical expression and responses to musical experience are valid, and his/her creations and innovations in musical compositions are fostered and valued. The ability to explore with guidance and to experiment and take risks with sound combinations is an essential aspect of musical growth. Music education also recognises similarities among children and the joy of shared experiences which demand collaboration, concentration and discipline. Musical activity, alone or with others, contributes to the child's developing creativity and self-esteem.
Music education is part of a balanced curriculum which aims to develop the whole spectrum of the child's intelligence. It involves learning in the major domains of knowledge, skills, attitudes and feelings, and the senses. It therefore contributes to the wider curriculum in a myriad of ways. For instance, while listening to music for pleasure or for specific elements and patterns, the child develops skills in discrimination, concentration and reflection that are necessary for understanding in all disciplines. Long and short-term memory is developed and spatial reasoning is enhanced as the child learns to form mental images of physical objects, to hear the sounds they make internally and to recognise differences between them. The ability to visualise and to think in abstract form enhances problem-solving skills in many areas of the curriculum. During the process of making music the child experiences satisfaction and a sense of achievement as he/she performs or creates, alone or as part of a group. The child develops technical and artistic skills, involving muscular co-ordination and sensitive movement, as well as skills of perseverance and self-discipline that are essential to self-expression.
Music education brings the child to an awareness and appreciation of his/her unique cultural environment and ethos. Irish music is one of our strongest living traditions and it represents the experience and aspirations of generations of musicians. Among the many purposes that are embraced by Irish music are the pleasure of listening, the need to remember, the desire to celebrate and to enrich the energy of dance. All these purposes are implicit in musicial activity for children, both in solo and in group work. In exposing children to the rich background of their native musical traditions as well as other musical genres, music education contributes to the children's knowledge and understanding of others, their times, their cultures and traditions.
The music curriculum
The music curriculum comprises three strands:
Listening and responding
This strand emphasises the importance of purposeful, active listening in order to elicit physical, verbal, emotional and cognitive responses. It gradually builds on the experience of earlier classes by providing the child with opportunities to listen to a range of familiar and unfamiliar musical pieces, by focusing on a widening range of sound sources and by challenging the child to respond imaginatively with increasing precision and musical sensitivity.
Performing
This strand dwells on the importance of using the voice, the first and most accessible instrument for the child, both for the sheer enjoyment of performance and as a means through which musical skills may be expanded. Song singing is a vital aspect of the child's early musical development. Children learn first to perform simple songs through listening to and imitating others. Young children also enjoy improvising their own chants and tunes on homemade instruments, musical toys or 'found' sound sources. These early compositions are valuable musical experiences and help the child to become sensitive to musical expression. As confidence grows, the child's repertoire should be expanded to include songs and tunes with a wider range of notes, Irish songs and songs of different cultures, styles and traditions. As independence and competence develop, the child will also enjoy the experience of simple part work, ranging from performing a simple ostinato (repeated pattern) or drone to the addition of a second part (higher or lower) towards the end of sixth class.
The development of musical literacy is closely linked with the song singing programme in the early stages and is expanded through playing simple melodic instruments. In the music curriculum, literacy is explored through its two main components, rhythm and pitch. It occurs in response to a need to record or recall a musical experience -- a rhythm pattern, a melody or an entire song -- rather than being considered as a set of isolated skills.
Opportunities to demonstrate growing confidence and understanding in making music using other music sources are afforded in the strand unit 'Playing instruments'. At first the child performs on tuned and untuned percussion instruments and later experiences melodic instruments (for example tin whistle or recorder). The child is encouraged to perform both from memory and from simple notation.
Composing
This strand seeks to develop the child's creativity and uniqueness, first and foremost by providing an avenue for self-expression. In the strand unit 'Improvising and creating' the child selects and sequences material from the range of sound sources available. This involves the child in listening and in deciding which source best suits the purpose and best captures the essence of what he/she wants to communicate or portray. Finally, the child is given opportunities to evaluate the composing process and to record his/her work in the strand unit 'Talking about and recording compositions'.
The musical elements
Musical activities are suggested within each strand unit that enable the child to develop an awareness of and sensitivity to the inter-related elements of music (pulse, duration, tempo, pitch, dynamics, structure, timbre, texture and style) and to grow in musical understanding. Young children should not be expected to articulate these elements; rather they should be guided towards showing their understanding through singing and moving. As children mature and develop they may reach a more conscious understanding of musical concepts, at which point the teacher may introduce the terms.
Active music-making
Active participation in musical games and in other pleasurable musical experiences is fundamental to the child's acquisition of musical knowledge, understanding and skill. The curriculum emphasises active responses and music-making at all levels. This enables the child to gain first-hand experience of what it means to be a listener, performer and composer in the world of music.
Sequence, breadth and depth
Curriculum content is outlined for each of the four levels, and it is important that each strand unit and sub-unit is explored each year to ensure continuity, depth and breadth in the programme. The strands and strand units offer teachers a sequenced, comprehensive programme on which to base the teaching and learning of music in the classroom. The music curriculum is based on the philosophy of sound before symbol. Added to this is the belief that musical knowledge is best acquired through moving from the known (e.g. knowing the melody and words of a song) to the unknown (e.g. the isolation and naming of the rhythm patterns within the song), from the simple to the complex, and from an experience (e.g. clapping in time) to a conscious understanding of that experience (e.g. an understanding of pulse). In this respect simple tunes learned through imitation in the early stages, ranging from two notes to five notes (pentatonic), can be useful in exploring rhythmic and melodic features in later classes.
Selection of content
Within the strand units and sub-units examples and suggestions of possible approaches are included in italic type. Teachers may choose from among these and similar suggestions from other sources to devise a plan of Listening and responding, Performing and Composing activities to match the needs of their pupils while preserving a balance between Irish music and music of other cultures, styles and times.
The choice of content will be determined by the previous musical experiences and needs of the children. At times, these may best be accommodated through attempting the content suggestions given for an earlier level, rather than those recommended for their particular age group. The pace at which the children move through these early stages will vary, but while older children may be able to understand the theory more easily, it is important that an appropriate sequence of development is maintained. This is of vital importance in the area of musical literacy, where the translation of 'sticks' and 'blobs' on lines and spaces into musical rhythms and melodies is as important as the theoretical understanding.
The school music programme
The school plan will cover the nature and extent of music in the school, recognising the social and cultural environment, the varying needs of the children and the available resources. Given that the music curriculum is closely linked with other arts subjects and integrated with other areas of the curriculum, the class teacher is the most appropriate person to teach the music programme. The school plan will acknowledge the many activities in the music curriculum that may be organised successfully without the need for specialist knowledge, while allowing for additional support from colleagues, parents, local music groups and audiovisual resources where these are appropriate.
Assessment
Assessment, as in other areas of the curriculum, is an integral part of teaching and learning in music. The section on assessment outlines how a range of assessment techniques can enrich the learning experience of the child and provide useful information for teachers, parents and others.
Integration
Integration is an important principle of the curriculum. Engaging children in activities that encompass a number of objectives from different strands or from different subject areas is an effective means of teaching. Integrated themes can be highly motivating and satisfying for children and are particularly useful in multi-class situations. In the music curriculum, links within music itself are referred to as linkage, while connections that occur between music and other subject areas are described as integration.
Language
Language is such a universal influence in the teaching and learning process in music that particular examples of how various content objectives may be integrated with language are not signalled in the music curriculum. The teacher uses language, whether Irish, English or another modern European language where appropriate, to present, to question, to guide, to suggest, to illustrate, to explain and to stimulate the child to think. It is in discussing and responding to music that the child clarifies ideas as he/she describes, speculates, explains and expresses thoughts, feelings and ideas, orally or in written form. Language is important, too, in helping the child to gain access to and to retrieve information about music. Language is developed through music, while in turn, musical knowledge can be developed through language. The extent, therefore, to which language is an integral part of the teaching and learning process should be a consistent concern in the planning and implementation of the music curriculum.
Information and communication technologies
The child's understanding and experience of music can be broadened and enriched in various ways through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The music curriculum provides vast opportunities for the development and application of musical concepts and skills through the use of ICTs and likewise, many programs that encourage active listening, musical playing and meaningful composing can heighten the relationships between the Listening and responding, Performing and Composing strands.
Multimedia technology offers high-tech support for a range of graphic, textual and sound sources which can greatly enhance understanding in music. Through using CD-ROMs or the internet, children can have opportunities to see and hear various instruments, especially those which may not be readily accessible for them in their own environment, such as some orchestral instruments or traditional instruments from other countries. Children can experience the delight of exploring sound through electronic media, acquiring skills and concepts at their own rate, recording their improvisations and compositions, and reviewing their work alone or in collaboration with others.
Through the use of websites, schools, classes and individual children can share written, aural and visual accounts of their musical traditions, performances, compositions or preferences in music. Live performances can be received and transmitted to mutually interested audiences, thereby stimulating immediate, focused listening and purposeful, active responses. Many themes and topics of local, regional or global relevance can be prepared and presented in a variety of electronic media and communicated to a wider audience throughout Ireland, Europe or the world.
Glossary
Terms used in this curriculum that may be unfamiliar are explained in the glossary on pages 92-94.
Aims
The aims of the music curriculum are
- to enable the child to enjoy and understand music and to appreciate it critically
- to develop the child's openness to, awareness of and response to a wide range of musical genres, including Irish music
- to develop the child's capacity to express ideas, feelings and experiences through music as an individual and in collaboration with others
- to enable the child to develop his/her musical potential and to experience the excitement and satisfaction of being actively engaged in musical creativity
- to nurture the child's self-esteem and self-confidence through participation in musical performance
- to foster higher-order thinking and lifelong learning through the acquisition of musical knowledge, skills, concepts and values
- to enhance the quality of the child's life through aesthetic musical experience.
Broad objectives
When due account is taken of intrinsic abilities and varying circumstances, the music curriculum should enable the child to
- explore the expressive possibilities of a variety of sound sources, including the voice and home-made and manufactured instruments
- listen to, enjoy and respond to a wide range of music, including various genres and styles from different periods, cultures and ethnic groups, both live and recorded
- develop sensitivity to music through making physical, verbal, emotional or cognitive responses
- demonstrate and describe differences between sounds and silences, showing a sense of pulse, tempo, duration, pitch, dynamics, structure, timbre, texture and style
- perform, vocally and instrumentally, from a range of musical styles and traditions relevant to the class level, with particular emphasis on Irish music
- acquire the musical skills that enrich musical understanding and are necessary for creative expression
- imitate with accuracy rhythmic and melodic patterns using the voice, gestures (hand signs), body percussion and manufactured and homemade instruments
- recall and perform expressively musical phrases and pieces, using tuned and untuned percussion or melodic instruments, from memory or from notation, as appropriate
- develop confidence and independence through taking the initiative, making decisions and accepting responsibility for learning, individually and as a member of a group, through composing activities
- select and structure sounds to create his/her musical ideas
- improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns in response to music, movement, ideas, poems, stories and art works
- talk about the appropriateness and effectiveness of his/her composed or improvised music
- devise and use a range of graphic and standard notations
- record compositions using electronic media.