OPTION 3: CATCH IT!
What to do
You are going to demonstrate your ability to hear music and represent it, in keeping with a music style, by responding to one of the following options:
Playback: listen to a music extract and learn to play it back by ear. Your playback should demonstrate your understanding of the key features of the music style. You can choose to playback on a single instrument or multiple instruments, as appropriate to the music extract.
Transcribe: notate a music extract using a representation system that best suits the music style. Your transcription should include details that clearly represent the style of the original music extract.
Your kaiako will provide different musical extracts that are in clearly identifiable music styles. You will select a playback or transcription activity that will be the most beneficial for your own musical development, such as a melodic line, a harmonic progression, a bass line, or a drum/percussion line. The playback or transcription needs to be appropriate to the instrument. For example, a piano extract would require you to playback or transcribe both hands, or a vocal line would require you to also incorporate the lyrics or kupu.
You must demonstrate your understanding of the music style that is evident in the extract by incorporating these details in your playback or transcription. This may include strumming techniques, phrasing, dynamics, articulation, and feel. You are aiming to playback or transcribe the extract as accurately as possible, showing how you have developed and extended relevant music skills and applied them to this activity.
Both assessment options are strictly individual activities, even though you may have practised aural skills together with your peers as part of your teaching and learning programme.
The length of your submission will vary depending on whether you have selected to playback or transcribe. A playback would be up to one minute or approximately 32 bars, whereas a transcription would be up to 40 seconds or approximately 24 bars.
Description
As well as submitting your transcription or playback, you will submit a brief description of:
music skills you have developed and used in order to complete your playback or transcription
decisions you made to ensure your work was in keeping with the music style of the original extract.
This description can be verbal, written, or a visual presentation.
How to present your learning
For a transcription, you will submit a handwritten music score. A transcription would be up to 40 seconds or approximately 24 bars.
For the playback, you will play the extract to your teacher on an instrument, without a backing track or other instrumentalist(s). A playback would be up to one minute or approximately 32 bars.
Include your brief description as part of your submission.
Timeframe
Your kaiako will provide the timeframe for this Assessment Activity.
Getting started
First, listen to each extract provided by your kaiako. Decide if you would like to do the playback or the transcription activity, and then choose one extract as your task. The assessment relies on an accurate understanding of the musical characteristics of the style you have chosen, so take your time deciding first on the style of the extract. Think about the characteristics of the music that is typical of its style.
If there are multiple instrumental and vocal lines in the extract, ask yourself which part of the extract would best demonstrate the characteristics of the style. You can pick from the chords or harmonic progression, the main melody or vocal line (including lyrics or kupu), a harmonising line, drum or percussion lines, the bassline, and so on. Alternatively, your kaiako may provide individual instrumental or vocal extracts for you to choose from.
As a starting point, it may help to work out the key and metre of the piece.
If you have chosen a playback, consider the following steps:
With your instrument, work out the part by ear. Work at this, bar by bar, until playback is as accurate as you can get it.
Use notes or other visual cues to help you to remember what you have worked out.
If you have chosen a transcription, consider the following steps:
Listen to the extract a few times. Work out important information, such as the time signature and key.
Set out your score template, including well-spaced bar lines.
Experiment with an instrument or voice to work out various sections practically.
Proceed with notating the extract.
Student resources
If you have chosen to do the transcription:
you may use headphones, play the material as much as needed, and have an instrument at hand to work things out on. However, it is essential that no music software or other resources are used to assist in this activity.
If you have chosen the playback:
you will work out how to play the extract by ear through experimentation without the help of any music software or other resources. You may use visual or other notated prompts that you have created by yourself, to help you with your playback.
You must work on your chosen activity in class time only so that your kaiako can verify that it is all your own work.