IVT Group 5

Group Discussion

Ng Sheng Jun, Izharul Haq, Zeng Xinyi, Li Keer

For the workshop activities and learning outcomes, we aimed for the students to learn the
definition and role of a composer. This is probably because that a composer may be a word
that is new to them in the music vocabulary.

We also aimed for the students to learn more music vocabulary like ostinato and bass line, as
well as learn components that make up music.

We also encouraged the familiarity with unknown instruments like the Chinese Guzheng,
which many of the students had never encountered before in person.

There was also the goal the cultivate music appreciation among the students, as a form of
etiquette and respect for the performer. One example is when Sheng Jun was performing, all
the students were attentively listening to his performance as he played a slow melancholic
music. On the other hand, the students were excitedly chatting about when Xinyi was
performing on the Guzheng, as she played a very captivating and vibrant music.

We also gave short quizzes where we recap learning points to make sure they are paying
attention.

No, we did not a written lesson plan. The lesson was planned verbally and memorised as
opposed to being written down. Each part flowed effectively, and each member has ample
time to present.
Although we had struggles managing the class, we believe we achieved all our desired
teaching goals. The concept of music composition was introduced with semi-rehearsed live
composition where Izharul assigned pre-set motifs with different roles to the other members.
This proved effective in instilling what the role of a composer is as even if the students did
not remember the term ‘composer’, they displayed an understanding what one does. Basic
ensembles skills. To teach this, we played a game where students utilised 3 types of body
percussion actions in time with the song. Over time, although both the Kindergarten and
Primary School students faced trouble learning the actions and body percussion as it was a
significant amount of unfamiliar content, they showed a significant improvement in their
timing as we worked with them.

We feel that our greatest strength is our adaptability. In both workshops, we were faced with
unforeseen circumstances. Both classes that we took did not learn the song “It’s a Small
World” even though we were told they would have. As such, we took on extra
responsibilities in the moment to write the lyrics and teach the melody to the children. We
were also able to adapt to the spaces whether it be because of the unexpected lack of space, or
use of the amenities like the whiteboard. In terms of the students, we were able to adapt to the
students’ behaviours. For example, we were able to reward them by performing a fun song
for them at the end as well as engaging with introverted or non-participatory students. To our
surprise, both the Kindergarten and Primary School class we relatively well-behaved. As
such, we rarely needed to use prompts such as the “One Silent Clap” and did not need to
establish new ground rules at all.

Moving forward, we would like to introduce the students to scales by explaining the basic
definition of a musical scale. We then can then, delve into several different musical scales.
For example, we can have the flute perform a Major scale, the piano play a Chromatic scale,
and the Guzheng play a Major Pentatonic scale. We feel that introducing this would be
important as it is a fundamental component of the music they consume. Building on this, we
would like to give a brief introduction to chords as well.

(600 words)

Workshop video link :

https://studentnafaedu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/f21mt0437_student_nafa_edu_s
g/En-w8FJ9rINLpqa8YkHEnGoBPiQZX-rXB6pc22qTxC9zoA?e=ZsXzIF
Individual report
Ng Sheng Jun

I discovered that I am quick in adapting to the classroom environment when things do not
go according to plan, as for my groupmates, they are quick in reacting to the changes that I
do when I must adapt on the fly. An example is when we realised that the sparkle tots'
students had not learnt the song that we planned to teach, we used the whiteboard that the
teacher has kindly brought to use to write down the lyrics of the song, making it easier to
teach the actions of the song too. Keer was on medical leave for the sparkle tots’ workshop,
of which she could only inform her unavailability to use on the week of the workshop. We
had split the workload between me, Izharul and Xinyi, which was completely fine with us,
not disrupting our groups dynamics.

I have learnt that kids these days are becoming more intelligent, due to their increased
exposure to Artificial Intelligence. Therefore, we should include more Brain wracking games
and activities for them to work with for music teaching.

My contribution to the team was the instrument mover. I helped to carry the keyboard and
the guzheng to the venue from school and back. I was also in charge of the transport to and
from. The rest of my group members were the music arrangers and advisors.

The distribution of responsibilities was fair and even. Even though Keer was on medical
leave, we assured that she can rest for a full recovery so that she can get ready for our
primary school workshop. I played the piano for the sparkle tots' workshop and Izharul
composed for only me and Xinyi and he played the piano part for his own live composition.
We also spent more time teaching the lyrics and movements to them since Keer was not
there to introduce her instrument to the students, which gave us an extra 5 to 10 minutes or
so to work with.

2 ways that I can improve on my workshop is to have more detailed meetings or rehearsals,
as well as more experimenting.
(350 words)