In March I attended two different project sessions in two different schools. The first school most of the pupils had physical disabilities and the second the pupils had more behavioural difficulties. The projects were building towards an event called ‘Inclusive Classroom’ which involves a big concert with 6 additional support needs schools performing different pieces composed by Lewis Forbes and based on Holst’s Planet Suite.
(read Lewis’s blog here: http://www.drakemusicscotland.org/news/guest-blog-5-lewis-forbes-the-red-planet-suite/ ).
The sessions I observed were about this theme and explored Holst’s suite. My learning experience: In the first school I observed the Associate Musician had the students listen to the musical score from a recording before playing individually. I think the latter was to make sure everyone knew their part and the technology was working as it should. Then they tried playing the piece as a whole with everybody playing together. As it was the second last session before the concert, this worked without a hitch, well nearly, as a piece of technology didn’t quite work first time so the Associate Musician remained calm and patient to work things through. At the second school the Associate Musician had the pupils playing in small groups individually first. The groups were; pitch and un-pitched percussion, Figurenotes keyboards, guitar and base again using Figurenotes and a drum kit. The challenge with this was that the concentration levels of the groups not playing instruments strayed. Following this the whole group rehearsed together and this was achieved by giving clear and precise instructions by the Musician, such as: everybody pick up your instrument, everybody listening, lets play after the count of four.
(read Lewis’s blog here: http://www.drakemusicscotland.org/news/guest-blog-5-lewis-forbes-the-red-planet-suite/ ).
The sessions I observed were about this theme and explored Holst’s suite. My learning experience: In the first school I observed the Associate Musician had the students listen to the musical score from a recording before playing individually. I think the latter was to make sure everyone knew their part and the technology was working as it should. Then they tried playing the piece as a whole with everybody playing together. As it was the second last session before the concert, this worked without a hitch, well nearly, as a piece of technology didn’t quite work first time so the Associate Musician remained calm and patient to work things through. At the second school the Associate Musician had the pupils playing in small groups individually first. The groups were; pitch and un-pitched percussion, Figurenotes keyboards, guitar and base again using Figurenotes and a drum kit. The challenge with this was that the concentration levels of the groups not playing instruments strayed. Following this the whole group rehearsed together and this was achieved by giving clear and precise instructions by the Musician, such as: everybody pick up your instrument, everybody listening, lets play after the count of four.