Inquiry-Based Learning Approach

                Source: https://issuu.com/moe_star/docs/providing_a_rich_music_learning_experience_music_c 

Inquiry-based Learning encourages students to explore topics, ask questions and experiment creatively with musical ideas. This teaches students the skills of generating different ideas, perspectives and responses through divergent thinking, as well as dispositions and values associated with inventive thinking.

WHAT

Focussing on both music-making and development of musical knowledge and skills, inquiry-based learning is undergirded by these processes of instruction: (i) Gradual Release of Responsibility; (ii) Staged Self-Directed Learning Model; and (iii) Inquiry Continuum. The Music Inquiry Framework below features four modes of inquiry, representing the various ways in which students may be guided to learn about music with increasing degrees of self-directedness. They can be used in any combination or sequence based on the profile of the students and their level of readiness. (STAR, 2020)

How this Strategy Links to Inventive Thinking

1. Dispositions of (i) Being curious and inquisitive to notice, observe, ask questions and seek to address them; and (ii) Being open-minded, creative and imaginative to consider different possibilities. 

• Inquiry- based learning advocates authentic music learning experiences that develop thinking skills (including inventive thinking). When guiding our students to inquire about music through listening, performing and creating, students will have the chance to explore what the music means and how to express themselves through music.  

2. Socio-emotional skills of problem-solving, self-motivation and self-reflection

• Inquiry-based learning empowers students to take ownership of their own learning by allowing them to decide how they learn about music. This builds student motivation to learn and also leads to greater retention of learning, deeper understanding and more positive attitudes towards continued learning or music. (STAR, 2020)

3. CAIT5: Knowledge and understanding of issue being explored

• Inquiry-based learning takes on a constructivist approach. This approach encourages students to be self-directed in their exploration of an issue to build their own knowledge and understanding. (STAR, 2020)

Suggested Strategies for Using in the Music Classroom

• Use of ‘What if’ questions: Teachers can ask students to consider different scenarios (e.g. ‘What if we played this on a different instrument?) or changes in musical elements (e.g. ‘What if we played this loudly/softly or quickly/slowly?’), then allow students to experiment with the outcomes to discover the answers for themselves.

• Experimentation with Sound Exploration: Teachers can set up “sound stations” using different objects and ask students to create their own soundscapes or rhythmic patterns. Students can be encouraged to think about how they might combine or layer different sounds to create different musical sounds.

• Student-Led Investigations (Choice-based Learning): Teachers can allow students to choose their own musical topics to explore, then guide them with questions and provide them with relevant resources. Students can then share their findings with the rest of the class.

More on Inquiry-Based Learning In Music

• Video: Inquiry based Learning in Elementary Music by Amy Deaton - Bow Wow Wow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3SatyFEcO0) 

• Research Article: Inquiry-based learning in music: Indicators and relationships between key pedagogical practices and the quality of critical thinking by Pamela Costes-Onishi and Dennis Kwek (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359400442_Inquiry-based_learning_in_music_Indicators_and_relationships_between_key_pedagogical_practices_and_the_quality_of_critical_thinking)

Lesson Ideas on Inquiry-Based Learning In Music

References

Costes-Onishi, Pamela & Kwek, Dennis. (2022). Inquiry-based learning in music: Indicators and relationships between key pedagogical practices and the quality of critical thinking. Research Studies in Music Education. 45. 1321103X2110574. 10.1177/1321103X211057457. 

Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts. (2020). Providing a Rich Music Learning Experience. Singapore: Ministry of Education. (Link to eBook: https://issuu.com/moe_star/docs/providing_a_rich_music_learning_experience_music_c)