Curriculum 2A Assessment 2

Part A

The following writing focuses on a year 12 music unit of work based on music of radio, film,
television and multimedia. This unit of work explores a diverse range of repertoire within this
genre and looks at many well-known composers such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer and
Jerry Goldsmith while also looking at films such as The Lord of Rings, Harry Potter and Goblet
of Fire and Star Wars III Return of the Sith. It also explores the use of advertising jingles.
While this unit of work provides clear learning goals and set of outcomes and assessments for
students to complete, there is a need to encompass all music learning activities that are indicated
in the syllabus. These learning activities include performance, composition, musicology and
aural (Board of Studies NSW, 2009).

When looking into the repertoire of this of this unit of work, there are a variety of film scores
that are explored and analysed. This unit of work has clearly expanded on different styles that
exist in film scoring and invites students to think critically about the key features of a film score
in reference to the concepts of music. Such in-depth analysis of music incites students to gather
a deep knowledge and high-order thinking as students analyse and synthesise topic specific
repertoire through the use of music metalanguage and key concepts relating to the unit of work
(NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006). However, there is a strong focus on
learning through musicology and aural and needs to consider the syllabus requirements.
Students are required to learn music through a combination of aural, musicology, performance
and composition activities (Board of Studies NSW, 2009). While the final assessment for this
unit of work requires students to create a presentation based on all learning mediums of music
education, it is essential to give students a balance of different in class, homework and
assessment tasks considering these different aspects in preparation for the final assessment task.
When looking at the “Music of a Commercial” activity, providing students with a list of
products to choose from to advertise rather than have students create their own product will
allow students to reflect on cultural and historical contexts of advertising jingles while focusing
more on composition rather than business and sales. When further considering the unit of
work’s heavy focus on musicology and aural, adding performance and compositional tasks may
assist and prepare students for their final assessment. It is also important for teachers to
considering their effectiveness of planning, structuring and sequencing lessons, while also
developing effective teaching strategies (NSW Education Standards Authority, 2011). This unit

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of work implements repetitive research and aural tasks and requires a balance of all methods
of music education to improve the sequencing of this unit of work. Replacing the multimedia
homework task with performance task may further create variety the student’s learning, as tasks
such as the “Library Research Task” and viva voces already engage students in musicology
and aural learning. In performance tasks, students can perform a piece while accompanying a
small section of any of the films mentioned in this unit of work. Student’s should choose their
own repertoire for this performance. This will allow students to think about how their chosen
stimulus fits the mood of particular scene, while also working towards learning through music
performance. Students may also improvise a short section to accompany a film as this may
expand on compositional learning outcomes within the context of film and media music (Board
of Studies NSW, 2009).

This unit of work provides highly contrasting repertoire and considers the different styles of
music that are composed within a particular genre. While there is a diverse range of music that
is explored in this unit of work, this unit of work puts a strong focus towards aural and
musicology. Changes made to the “Music of the Commercial” assessment task as well as the
adding of performance tasks may prevent the given tasks to seem repetitive, as it is essential to
learn music through a combination of the necessary music learning activities.

Part B

A students’ self-regulation depends on their level of autonomy and initiative to complete given
tasks while behaviour management is rarely required (NSW Department of Education and
Training, 2006). Music rehearsal is a key to creating a highly effective music performance.
While performance is a key learning activity that must be practiced in music education (Board
of Studies NSW, 2009), it is important to consider how students continually remain engaged
in the informal learning processes contained in music making and performance (Davis, 2014).
This writing will consider how self-regulation is achieved in the informal learning space that
is music rehearsals, in reference to three strategies of self-regulation; goal setting, goal
operating and goal monitoring (Burnette, O’Boyle, VanEpps, & Pollack, 2013). This reading
will also discuss the how a balance between student autonomy and effective feedback may
further promote self-regulation during rehearsal.

There are various processes a student must take when working towards self-regulation. When
setting goals for students, it is important to consider whether these goals are both challenging
and achievable (NSW Education Standards Authority, 2011), while providing specific desired

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outcomes which can be used as a reference point during process towards these outcomes
(Burnette, et al., 2013). When likening this idea to music performance, the desired outcome is
for students to perform a piece of music while meeting set criteria specific syllabus
requirements. Goal operating involves that activities that are directed towards the achievement
of a goal. In a performance, the general process towards a performance is in fact rehearsals.
Finally, goal monitoring relies on the use of resources to obtain a goal, while also considering
the constraints that heed the ability to satisfy set criteria. When considering these processes
towards improving self-regulation, there are many strategies that music students can implement
in order to work towards self-regulation. The self-regulated music performer music is
essentially categorised by their ability to “plan execute and evaluate learning activities while
maintaining a productive motivational state” (Miksza, 2015, p. 220). When setting performance
goals, a student can choose a piece to perform while following the HSC syllabus requirements
such as the topic of music, syllabus outcomes and the concepts of music (Board of Studies
NSW, 20009). Working towards a final performance goes beyond practicing. There are
systematic steps that a performer considers in a rehearsal including “problem identification,
strategy planning and evaluation,” which are key components of self-regulation (Leon-
Guerrero, 2008, p. 91). There are various ways in which goal monitoring can be practiced
during rehearsals. When performing in a collaborative space, students can implement peer
assessment to discuss and provide judgement of how to meet performance criteria, as this
provides an opportunity for students to support learning within an ensemble (Pulman, 2010).
When reflecting on these processes that are involved when working towards a performance,
these steps that are taken reveal that self-regulation can be achieved through music rehearsal.
As students are given clear outcomes when working towards a performance, they must ensure
that they meet these outcomes through routine rehearsal and effective evaluation in reference
to the performance criteria.

Music rehearsal is an informal context of learning that provides more autonomy and may
improve self-regulation. This self-regulation may be achieved through a student’s ability to
choose and select their own repertoire for a performance. In music education and performance,
students are inclined to select music and repertoire based on personal preference (Barrett &
Stauffer, 2012). Such freedom of choice provides students an opportunity to become
independent of their own actions (Green, 2009), as students move towards rehearsing their
selected repertoire while allowing behaviour management to be kept at a minimum (NSW
Department of Education and Training, 2006). While students are given more autonomy on the

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selection of their performance repertoire, this may provide relevance in learning as students are
given an opportunity to explore and relate their background knowledge to learning (Barrett &
Stauffer, 2012). Granting this autonomy to students may act as a motivational tool during the
rehearsal process and may improve self-regulation. While student autonomy plays a vital role
in promoting self-regulation, teachers must also provide effective feedback on ways student’s
can improve their performance. Through effective feedback, teachers may be able to incite a
metacognitive approach to improve their learning (Leon-Guerero, 2008). It is important for
teachers to demonstrate their understanding of assessment knowledge and ways a student can
improve their learning through effective feedback (NSW Education Standards Authority,
2011). As metacognitive refers to the ‘thinking of one’s own thoughts’ (Leon-Guerero, 2008,
p. 92), this method of thinking may provide students an understanding of how to monitor and
self-evaluate their own progress while working alone. This level of critical thinking may assist
students in strategizing and assessing the areas of their performance that need improvement.
Such self-evaluation considered during rehearsal would display a student’s strong sense of self-
regulation, as they are influenced by teachers to act in their own learning experiences during
the rehearsal process. While student autonomy provides opportunity for student self-regulation,
it is essential for educators to incite self-evaluation through the relevant performance
requirements. A balance between autonomy and effective feedback may act as effective
methods of inciting student self-regulation.

There are many aspects that must be considered when working towards student self-regulation.
When discussing the use of goal setting, operating and monitoring, the rehearsal process may
effectively follow these steps as students rehearse and reflect on steps to improve their playing.
These improvements work towards a final product, being the performance itself. Rehearsals
therefore provide the ability to improve student self-regulation, as it encapsulates the processes
contained within self-regulation. These steps of student self-regulation can further be achieved
through a combination of providing more autonomy and effective feedback.

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 References
Baker, J. (2012). Learning in a teen garage band: A relational narrative enquiry. In M.
Barrett & S. Stauffer (Eds.) Narrative soundings: An anthology of narrative
inquiry in music education. New York: Springer.

Board of Studies NSW (2009). Music 1 Stage 6 Syllabus (Publication no. 2009396).

Retrieved from file:///E:/Downloads/music-1-st6-syl-from2010+Music+1%20(1).pdf

Burnette, J., O'Boyle, E., VanEpps, E., Pollack, J., & Finkel, E. (2013). Mind-sets matter: A

meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation. Psychological

Bulletin, 139(3), 655-701.

Davis, S. (2013). Informal Learning Processes in an Elementary Music Classroom. Bulletin of

the Council for Research in Music Education, 23-50.

Green, L. (2008). Music, informal learning and the school: A new classroom pedagogy (pp.

93-118). Aldershot: Ashgate.

Leon-Guerrero, A. (2008). Self-regulation strategies used by student musicians during music

practice. Music Education Research, 10(1), 91-106. Miksza, P. (2015). The effect of
self-regulation instruction on the performance achievement, musical self-efficacy, and
practicing of advanced wind players. Psychology of Music,43(2), 219-243.

NSW Department of Education and Training. (2006). Quality Teaching in NSW Public

Schools: A Classroom Practical Guide (Publication No. SCIS 12733270) Retrieved

from https://app.education.nsw.gov.au/quality-teaching-
rounds/Assets/Classroom_Practice_Guide_ogogVUqQeB.pdf

NSW Education Standards Authority. (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

(Publication No. DSSP-28195). Retrieved from

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/apst-
resources/australian_professional_standard_for_teachers_final.pdf

Pulman, M. (2010). Assessing personal attributes in the group rehearsal. Music Education

Research, 12(4), 395-414.

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State of NSW Department of Education and Training. (2003). Quality Teaching in NSW

Public Schools: Discussion Paper (Publication no. 1131553). Retrieved from

http://www.darcymoore.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/qt_EPSColor.pdf

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Online interactive learning site:
https://year12music1.wixsite.com/musicofmultimedia

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