Year 6

Ensemble Playing

Performers prepare and collaborate with each other to be able to fulfill their roles successfully and contribute to their ensembles' success

What?

We are learning:

How to read and write music to be performed by a group.
How to create and record a composition focusing on form and structure.
How to play instruments with others, developing ensemble skills and an awareness of audience.

Why?

We want to understand:

Function - How are musical elements combined to create a composition.
Perspective - There are multiple solutions to complete a musical composition.
Responsibility - Performers must develop skills and contribute positively to fulfill their roles.

How?

We will achieve this by using:

Critical thinking:
- Consider meaning of materials.
- Take ideas apart by separating them into component parts.
Creative thinking:
- Apply existing knowledge to design new products.
- Consider multiple alternatives.
Social Skills:
- Learn cooperatively in a group, taking roles and reaching agreements.
- Help others to succeed.

We started our inquiry by watching a performance by Walk off the Earth, a very exciting band that plays covers of famous songs in very innovative and creative ways. These are two of our favourite videos:

Our first task was to play a song collaboratively, sharing one melody among 6 instruments. We had to use our thinking skills to organise our work and our social skills to reach agreements and work well together:

Report abuse