Summary
The aim of creating Action Learning Groups was to move away from just providing “tips for music teaching” workshops at the beginning of a PGCE course. From past experience beginning music teachers really value opportunities to share their musical expertise (the Peer Tutoring Sessions are always very popular according to their evaluations), but we also wanted to encourage them to think, share, develop and even challenge their own experience in order to begin the process of developing their initial professional practice while still at university.
Action Learning Groups provide opportunities to share expertise and “a chance to test beliefs and assumptions and learn what works” in a “safe environment to explore new ways of thinking and doing” (www.actionlearningassociates.co.uk).
Why Action Learning Groups?
Past experience has indicated that beginning music teachers relish the opportunity to share their skills and “teach” each other, particularly in a non-threatening and informal learning environment. At Birmingham City University we decided to build on this notion of “peer tutoring” and create small Action Learning Groups (ALGs) who worked independently and informally.
In addition to a large music room we have five smaller spaces available as practice rooms. Each of these practice rooms is equipped with a range of music technology to support computer based midi and audio recording of composing and performing. Each Action Learning Group (ALG) worked in one of these practice rooms in response to a series of open ended musical tasks that were available on the university’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The results of these musical tasks were then uploaded onto the VLE and shared across the whole music group.
During their first tutorial all our beginning music teachers create an individual Subject Knowledge Action Plan. This is designed to identify areas of weakness in terms of subject knowledge. The aim is to address these areas of weakness in a number of ways throughout the PGCE course. By mixing subject knowledge expertise within each ALG (a conservatoire graduate working with a music technologist, for example), they supported each other to address their Subject knowledge Action Plans.
Case Studies
Through their Subject Knowledge Action Plans a number of beginning music teachers identified their lack of experience working with music technology and working as composers.
As a starting point we decided to take advantage of the music technology available in the practice rooms. Through composing each ALG could develop their knowledge of music technology and explore innovative ways of using a basic but flexible programme to upload and develop their own musical ideas
Case Study 1: Just preset patterns 
Even using preset patterns to compose, unique and individual musical identities can still appear. Consider
which used preset patterns. The comment from the ALG that created this composition was very straightforward;
This is our tune. We decided to give it a Greek feel. It sounds a bit like the sort of thing you might hear on holiday in the Mediterranean.
The language that is being used is very informal and even childlike (using words like “tune”) and this was continued by members of other ALGs:
Hey guys i thought that was class. It had such a good feel to it. I enjoyed the beat and the tune, it all blended nicely together.
Praise, using relaxed and informal language, was a very important feature of the responses from other ALGs. It helped these beginning teachers to become acquainted with each other and to create a positive group dynamic:
That’s awesome! who played that guitar? or is it a loop?Brilliant, I was really getting in the groove, and the ending was genius!
However, there also comments that are more specific. Some relate to the musical product:
Humour mixed with brilliant sounding ideas. Really creative! I liked your use of panning to musically develop one of your main ideas.
Others, from the ALG that produced the composing, relate to the music technology used:
I think the programme is a bit confusing to begin with. If students had a lesson or two on how to use it, I think it would be a great resource to use! As long as you know how to use it, you can make it as difficult or as easy as you want. And the opportunity is there to challenge every child, no matter what their ability is.
Case Study 2: Preset patterns and midi sequencing combined
This used a combination of preset patterns and midi sequencing:
We used Garageband to create our piece. The drum and bass are samples from within the programme but we played all the other parts on a keyboard linked by MIDI. We wanted the piece to represent a clubbing experience, as if we went from one room to another within the club. Therefore we have a dance style and a bit of a rock/jazz style as the piece goes on, and finished the piece in a dance style.
Again this engendered a number of informal, positive responses from other ALG groups, for example:
Euro so good!! i just kicked out of the comp room for dancing! You just can’t help it!
However, this composing also generated an interesting discussion about the nature of the music technology being used:
I have never used the software before, but having used similar software, the programme obviously enables me as a teacher to produce really high quality audio resources relatively quickly, as well as allowing pupils a chance to make 'their own music'. As somebody else said, GarageBand is not off putting to technophobes and I think only a limited knowledge of terminology is needed until you get to more advanced/sophisticated usage.I can't help but think that dragging and dropping samples is a bit like painting by numbers. It doesn't allow a pupil any insight as to why what they have done (or should I say, chosen) sounds 'good'. All the samples sound good on their own. Most the samples sound good together (until the mix is too busy). All the samples are automatically imported in the correct key, time signature, etc. - and whilst this is a good thing, I think it is also a bad thing. It is composition by cliché, almost; part of learning to compose is learning what does not work, as well as what does. And, perhaps just as important, learning why something does or doesn't work? That's if you just use the presents though, hooking up MIDI gear conquers that argument.
On the other hand though, I think using samples allows people to compose emotionally. What I mean, is that you can think of what you want your piece to be, and then you flick through looking for a sample which best suits the emotion/style you want.
In response to the discussion the tutor suggested:
The aims of this task were to encourage everyone to become familiar with the opportunities that Garageband provides but to also move beyond the basic motivational aspects of preset patterns and include some of your own. This can begin the development towards not having to use any preset patterns at all which would be the ideal.
Case Study 3: Just midi sequencing
This did not use any preset patterns:
The composition was built on our own patterns, all of the guys… contributed great ideas! As far as I know, we did not use any of the "preset" patterns (actually I didn’t know that they existed! I do really need to work on GarageBand...).
There were very positive comments from this ALG about the programme used:
The whole process was extremely useful for me as I have never used before anything like that to compose! It was an amazing experience and surely I am going to use this programme or anything else available at schools. I’m sure that pupils do enjoy this kind of composing activities!I love Garageband! I used to work in a City Learning Centre in Leeds where we worked with a lot of primary schools using Garageband and I would definitely want to use it in the future! I hadn't used the programme for over a year so it was great to get back into it although now I am coveting a Mac of my own. I have a birthday coming up so you never know...
Key issues
The responses to this initial ALG task were overwhelmingly positive. Creating a positive group dynamic is worthwhile in itself but there are some key issues that can be addressed from such a task.
- The potential of music technology
. . . the computer becomes a type of ‘meta-instrument’ that is infinitely flexible and perfectly tailored to each composition’s requirements (Savage, 2005)
- The value of composing
Composing is . . . the surest way for pupils to develop musical judgement and to come to understand the notion of "thinking'' in music (Paynter, 1997).
Links
The idea of beginning music teachers “messing around musically” is very appealing (Informal Learning/Pedagogy and Student teachers, Finney, 2008):
Acquiring the language of music requires immediate experience of it and the chance to use and experiment with it, finding out what it says and how it works by using it (Odam, 2000).
Links with informal learning are crucial in an age when informal pedagogies should be part of any music teacher’s repertoire of pedagogical approaches (Informal Pedagogies, D’Amore, 2008):
The five key principles (of informal learning) are:
- Learning music that pupils choose, like and identify with
- Learning by listening and copying recordings
- Learning with friends
- Personal, often haphazard learning without structured guidance
- Integration of listening, performing, improvising and composing
(Green, musicalfutures.org.uk).
Composing collaboratively in an ALG links with a number of QTS Standards (2007):
Q2: Demonstrate the positive values, attitudes and behaviour they expect from children and young peopleQ4: Communicate effectively with . . . colleagues . . .
Q6: Have a commitment to collaborative and cooperative working
Q14: Have a secure understanding of their subjects . . .
Q32: Work as a team member and identify opportunities for working with colleagues, sharing the development of effective practice with them.
Challenges for ITE
When should beginning teachers consider how their own subject knowledge expertise can be used pedagogically?
What professional teaching attributes can be addressed within a university setting?
How can beginning teachers consider their own personal teaching identities before they teach in a particular school context?
