Drive for secondary level I
"Musik aktiv", the new teaching aid from the publisher Schweizer Singbuch, provides a wealth of teaching materials that encourage creative design and initiative on the part of pupils. The content is aligned with Curriculum 21. So far, the songbook and 7th grade student booklet have been published.
Fender amplifier, electric guitar and, first and foremost, the microphone: even the cover picture of Music active makes it clear what is in demand at the upper school: rock and pop. But not only that. The new teaching aid offers a varied and concentrated insight into the world of music with lots of ideas for the classroom.
Let's briefly visualize the situation on site: Twenty young people, twelve or thirteen years old, some still half a child, others in full puberty, the boys with a voice change, and everyone is somehow embarrassed. So how do you teach music at secondary level I? How to start? With a song, a dance, a reflection on a work?
"Beat the stuff" - building from movement
The first task in booklet 1, which the pupils have in their hands, is: "Feel and hear the pulse." This gives the "beats per minute", the bpm. Sounds more crisp. Measure and compare with others. Experience the pulse - body percussion - move to time signatures - greet each other in the groove - construct a rap. From the nucleus of one's own pulse, a series is developed that takes up the most diverse aspects of music and packs them into motivating tasks in which the pupils are active and contribute their own ideas.
Booklet 1 has three chapters. Chapter A deals with "Rhythm and movement", chapter B with "Voice" and chapter C with "Class music-making". This structure makes sense. It is easier to start making music through movement than through one's own voice, for example, which many young people perceive as somehow strange. And when making music in class, playing instruments is initially an obstacle. So let's get moving and grooving: "Listen to the audio file and go to the right step sequence. You have to clap the accented beat" (booklet 1, page 9). Other topics that are systematically developed are, for example: setting a movie scene to music, imitating a drum kit by beatboxing, forming a class band. The corresponding audio files with exercises and music examples can be found online at: www.musik-aktiv.ch
Signor Abbate, But with cream please - the songbook
The new songbook contains 239 songs. What does a collection of songs for lower secondary level look like? What is popular with young people today? And what do we absolutely want to pass on and preserve as a cultural asset? Mani Matter is with The Zundhölzli represented, the Spiritual controls the poignant Motherless Child and Beethoven the bilingual canon Signor Abbate. In addition to such classics, many popular songs of more recent date such as Aisha, sung by Khaled, or Rolling In The Deep by Adele/Paul Epworth. Before singing, however, there are warm-ups for singing and getting into the groove, for loosening up and concentrating, for sound formation. Vocalises, ostinati, circle songs, canons.
The songs in the following chapter come from Switzerland and neighboring countries. Lueged vo Bärg und Tal, Teresina bella, But with cream please by Udo Jürgens. The musical journey then runs counter-clockwise from the Balkans to Eastern Europe, then northwards via Scandinavia and Ireland along the coast to the Iberian Peninsula. From there it goes to the New World. Cuba (Chachacha, Bolero), followed by African and Israeli songs. The "Spiritual-Jazz-Latin" chapter includes catchy tunes by Bob Marley and Harry Belafonte. The musicals and films offer beautiful, catchy melodies, including Lion King and Les Choristes. Most of the songs come from the rock/pop genre. This is the music that is closest to the young people and is particularly suitable for accompaniment with the band. Newer pop songs: Up in the Sky from 77 Bombay Street, Heaven by Steve Lee, Manhatten by Bligg. Classical songs are included in the chapter "From other eras". Arrangement and performance suggestions complement and enrich the songs.
Sine curve and air ringing - Musicology
The last pages of the songbook are dedicated to musicology. This includes music theory, instrumentology, acoustics and rhythm exercises", while music history covers Western art music as well as jazz and pop history. There's room for all of this on a good 30 pages. It's a bit short, but compact and easy to grasp.
"Show what you can do" - alignment with Curriculum 21
The publishing house Schweizer Singbuch publishes Music active new teaching material that is explicitly geared towards the requirements of Curriculum 21. Creative processes are central to the subject of music: "Pupils develop their creativity by getting involved as individuals, engaging in creative processes in the group and developing their own ideas. They explore, experiment and improvise with body, voice, rhythm, sound and various instruments and media. Completed creations can be presented in class or across classes." (LP21MU)
For music lessons, the curriculum's focus on skills means moving away from reproducing and towards creating in the sense of trying out and contributing one's own musical ideas. Pupils are also encouraged to share their musical activities with each other and to teach each other. This is exactly where Musik aktiv comes in: In the tasks "Show what you can do" (pupil booklet), the performative character of music is called for. In the "Reflections", pupils think about what they have done and what they can do next to improve their skills.
"A practical guide to the world of music"
The new teaching material is beautifully designed. It is not overloaded, both visually and in terms of content. The choice of songs is wide-ranging in terms of style and time, and the exercise books encourage as much student activity as possible. In this respect, the name Music active should be understood programmatically. Overall, the teaching material takes a holistic approach to music education, which includes practical exercises as well as talking about music and one's own artistic activities.
Musik aktiv - Lieder und Musikkunde, student book (7th-9th grade), ISBN 978-3-9524739-0-0, Verlag Schweizer Singbuch, Amriswil 2017
Musik aktiv - ein praktischer Reiseführer in die Welt der Musik, Aufbaureihen Heft 1 (7. Klasse), ISBN 978-3-033-05988-7
The booklets for grades 8 and 9 will be published soon.
