OPTION 1: WAIATA
What to do
You are going to create a new arrangement of a popular contemporary waiata. You will use a range of music skills, including aural skills, to transform a popular waiata into a waiata style typically included in a kapa haka programme – specifically, a waiata tira or a waiata-ā-ringa.
Through careful listening and other observations, you will need to identify the differences between the style of the contemporary waiata and your chosen kapa haka waiata style. Then you will rearrange your chosen popular waiata to make it fit the style of a waiata tira or a waiata-ā-ringa. You are aiming to show how you have developed and extended your music skills, and applied them to your finished waiata tira or waiata-ā-ringa.
The assessment of your arrangement will be focused on a portion of the waiata only, such as a verse and a chorus, although you may wish to arrange the entire piece for your own sense of accomplishment. Your arrangement does not have to include an accompaniment, but if you do include an accompaniment, this will be assessed as well.
This Assessment Activity can be done individually or in groups of two or three but, if in a group, your evidence must be individually identifiable, represent your own work, and meet all the requirements of the Standard.
As well as submitting your arrangement as a live presentation or video recording, you will submit a brief description of:
the skills you developed and used while you were creating your arrangement
how you used these skills to make the waiata fit the kapa haka waiata-ā-ringa or waiata tira style.
How to present your learning
To submit your waiata arrangement, either present it live for your kaiako, or as a video recording. If you have been working on this Assessment Activity in a pair or small group, all members need to take part in the presentation. Your presentation or video recording will need to show the music skills you have used to arrange your chosen waiata.
Although the presentation needs to be good enough to enable your arrangement to be clearly communicated, the primary focus is on the range of skills you have applied to create your arrangement, and how you have applied these skills, so the quality of the performance as such will not be assessed.
Your submission may be just the section of the waiata you have selected, or if you present the whole piece, you will need to clearly indicate which section of the waiata you are putting forward to be assessed.
If you have arranged for a waiata-ā-ringa, hand formations and body movement need to be included.
You will also need to submit a recording of the original popular waiata for your kaiako to see the changes you have made from the original.
If you choose to do the Assessment Activity individually but are not able to demonstrate all components in a live presentation (such as harmonies or an accompaniment), you may either:
include your peers in your presentation (closely directed by you)
submit a sound recording or DAW file that includes all vocal and instrumental parts, in addition to the live or video presentation
submit a notated score for the additional vocal and instrumental parts, in addition to the live presentation or video recording.
The description that accompanies this submission can be verbal, written, or a visual presentation. If in a pair or group, each member must submit their own description.
Timeframe
Your kaiako will provide the timeframe for this Assessment Activity.
Getting started
Choose a contemporary popular waiata, such as what you might see on Whakaata Māori/Māori Television, via music platforms, or hear on the radio. The waiata you choose must be composed in te reo Māori and grounded in mātauranga Māori. You can spend time learning about the waiata and the composer, as well as discovering the meaning of the kupu or lyrics, the broader kaupapa, the chords, etc. To help you get to know the waiata well, you can also learn to play and sing it. In the Student Resources section there is further guidance to help you before you start creating your waiata tira or waiata-a-ringa.
Student resources
Here are some things you could do to help you before you start your arrangement:
If working in a pair or small group, discuss how you would like to work together, and decide on some tactics to ensure you function well together. Discuss also how you will let your kaiako know about your progress, and how each of you is contributing to the project along the way.
Select your popular waiata and check your song choice with your kaiako.
Discover the meaning of the kupu and learn the melody and chord progressions either by ear, by researching them, or alongside your instrumental kaiako or mentor.
Identify the style of your chosen waiata and consider the components of the music (including physical and language components) that contribute to this style.
Watch recorded kapa haka performances of waiata-ā-ringa and waiata tira and decide on the waiata style you will use for your arrangement.
Think about the specific skills you will be using to create your new version of the waiata, identify skills you will need to strengthen as the project progresses, and consider effective ways to build these skills.
Connect with your kaiako, or mentors in your community, to seek technical support and guidance for the music skills you will be using to create your arrangement. Make this an ongoing practice.
Wānanga with friends, whānau or key people such as kapa haka mentors, and do other research to develop your understanding of your chosen kapa haka waiata style.
Identify the main aspects of the original popular waiata that you will need to rework in order to incorporate your new kapa haka style. Keep a journal or make notes of your observations.
Start to consider any other characteristics that you will need to introduce into your new version of the waiata.
Experiment daily with your singing, playing, movement, facial expressions, and so on. Record yourself or keep notes to ensure you remember any useful new material.
Here are some questions you might like to wānanga about:
Who has knowledge and experience in the areas that this Assessment Activity draws on? Consider members of my whānau or community that I could wānanga with.
When choosing the popular waiata that I will be arranging, how will I decide if the kaupapa will transfer respectfully over to a kapa haka form?
What are some key musical features of the popular te reo Māori/mātauranga Māori waiata that gives it its popular or contemporary style?
What are some of the key musical features and concepts in the waiata-ā-ringa or waiata tira style that I have chosen to arrange the waiata for?
What changes will I need to make to the popular waiata to make it sound and look like the kapa haka waiata form I have chosen?