Song Arrangement - CME Assignment 1

WHAT SONG? BRIEF GOAL

My selection or choice of popular music is the song by Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean - As long as you love me. The reason why I specifically chose this song is not just because it is famous, but because it is a song that a lot of students can identify well with. This is mainly evident through the use of ostinato and learning by rote.

Leading students to music making has always been one of my main goals or considering factors in the process of arranging this song. According to Regina Murphy (2013), a couple of strategies that allow for this to happen include: guiding the children towards a better understanding of the music, explaining and mediating, and by assessing the children's expression and their ability to relate to the music" (2013, p. 109) through their direct experience with instruments.

ARRANGEMENT PROCESS

In arranging this song, I began to arrange it a bit like the original with regards to key (C minor), entry of instruments and to its rhythm in intricate detail. After presenting an earlier draft, I began to work on my arrangement again based on the feedback given:

• Perhaps change it to an easier key - this way xylophones are included.

• Always check the layout of individual scores or parts - the final bar took a whole line.

• Include double bar lines so students can distinguish the different sections.

• Have students playing their instruments through the whole song so that they do not stay or wait doing nothing - most of the time they will get distracted, even talk and lose count.

I believe this checklist has been complete.

HOW MY ARRANGEMENT ADAPTS TO THE PEDAGOGIES STUDIED

Click here to access score and parts.

Modelling Aural Learning - refer to guitar tabs and chord diagrams in score.

Orff Approaches:

1. Singing - Vocals sing the main melody

2. Body percussion / instrument transfer - I included 'hand claps.' This can be further transferred to clapsticks when performed with a group. Shakers are also a transfer from patschen.

3. Ostinati / learning by rote - Evident throughout the entire arrangement

4. Improvisation - After final chorus, everyone will improvise in turns while other play the final chorus accompaniment.

5. Percussion - Inclusion of percussion lines such as a drum set, shakers and hand claps or clapsticks.

6. Ensemble - Evident in whole song - huge instrumentation. Refer to the addition of xylophones. Transposing instruments are indicative of a mixed bag arrangement and are only there as required for purpose of making it easier (if in a classroom situation), but there's no 4 horns - only 1 or possibly 2.

Where in Literature?

Modelling Aural Learning - Students learn through "aural-visual demonstration or modelling" (Webb & Seddon, 2013, p. 753). Students "need to understand that music exists beyond the written notes on a page, that interpretations can be applied, and that it is acceptable to experiment with ideas" (Green, 2009, p. 102).

Orff:

1. Singing - According to Frazee (1987, p. 20), Orff's philosophy includes how "the voice is the primary melody instrument" that is highly dependent on listening.

2. Body percussion / instrument transfer - Body percussion is a useful tool in allowing students to gain an understanding on the quality of sound that percussion instruments really produce, as it is naturally built within the body. "Orff teachers typically use stepping, thigh-patting (called 'patschen'), clapping and finger snapping for sound gesture compositions" as Frazee highlights (1987, p. 22).

3. Ostinati / learning by rote - In reference to Choksy (1986, p. 97), imitation is one of the significant elements of Orff Schulwerk and is highly "used to insure a role model for creativity." Colley (2009, p. 64) also mentions that students "learn music by rote" and that "music must be 100% 'experiential.'"

4. Improvisation - Frazee (1987, p. 20) elucidates the significance of improvisation in its application to the Orff Schulwerk: "Improvisation involves putting skills to work to invent new material and is of great importance in music... learning situations."

5. Percussion - According to Choksy (1986, p. 93), "the elemental style of Orff teaching begins with primal music - with the drum and the fundamental beat, man's earliest musical experiences."

6. Ensemble - As Choksy mentions (1986, p.98), "music cannot be made where there is no community" highlighting the inherent need of an Orff ensemble. He also states (1986, p. 144) how "ensemble is a key element in the Schulwerk" through "speaking, singing... and playing." It is essential to motivate out students and have them involved: "Opening up instrumental possibilities in music education offers the benefit of greater inclusivity both from a cultural point of view and in the ways proficiency requirements and even motivation, for example, are challenged as barriers to entry and involvement" (Webb & Seddon, 2013, p. 763).

Reference List

Choksy, L., Ambramson, R. M., Gillespie, A. E., Woods, D. (1986). Teaching Music in the Twentieth Century. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, pp. 92-103 and 137-143

Colley, B. (2009). Educating teachers to transform the trilogy. Journal of Music Teacher Education 19 (1): 56-67

Frazee, J. (1987). Discovering Orff: A curriculum for music teachers. Mainz, Germany: Schott, pp. 14-33

Green, S. (2009). Improving motivation for music at Key Stage 3. In Creating a musical school. England: Oxford University Press

Murphy, R. (2013). Enhancing creativity through listening to music. In Teaching music creatively. New York: Routledge.

Webb, M. & Seddon, F. (2013). Music instrument learning music ensembles, and musicianship in a global and digital age. Chapter in Oxford Handbook of Music Education. New York: Oxford University Press.