MMMUSICUSICUSIC A A ACECECE

MMMUSICUSICUSIC A A ACECECE 222

MMMUSICUSICUSIC A A ACECECE M M MAESTROAESTROAESTRO

A TA TA TEACHEREACHEREACHER’’’SSS G G GUIDEUIDEUIDE

Page 2 Music Ace Teachers Guide from www.etcetera.co.uk

What is Music Ace?

Music Ace is an on-screen learning resource designed to introduce listening skills and the basics of music theory to beginning musicians. It is aimed at ages 8-adult, according to the writers, and would be suitable for use in school at Key Stage 2 or 3 depending on the background experience of pupils.

Guided by the on-screen teacher, Maestro Max, students work through the lessons at their own pace, building up a personal profile of achievement. Each lesson is accompanied by a game which reinforces lesson concepts.

Music Ace also comes with Doodle Pad, a simple notation-based environment for composing original music or modifying and experimenting with sample pieces of music.

Music Ace is ideal for classroom use either for individual pupils each on their own computer, or, using a projector, as an aid in whole class teaching of musical concepts. The software also includes a comprehensive teacher’s guide that suggests ways of getting the most out of Music Ace in your school setting.

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The Music Ace Family

The first volume of Music Ace concentrates on areas of pitch notation, and doesn’t touch rhythmic notation, which is useful for teachers who would like to avoid the American duration names (quarter note, half note etc.). Beginning with an introduction to the staff, pupils are guided through pitch notation on bass and treble clefs, notes on the piano keyboard, ledger lines, dynamics and timbre, semitones and tones (called half steps and whole steps), sharps and flats, the key signature and major scales.

Music Ace 2 moves onto rhythm and duration, including note lengths (down to semiquavers), rests, bars and barlines (called measures), dotted rhythms, syncopation and time signatures, including 6/8. Music Ace 2 also extends the work on pitch covered in the first volume, adding more key signatures and major scales, minor scales, intervals and work on melody and harmony.

Music Ace Maestro combines all the lessons and games found in Music Ace and Music Ace 2, rearranged into an order that ensures sensible learning progression. (Overlapping material and reviews are omitted). Doodle Pad is also included. Designed specifically for use in the classroom, Music Ace Maestro is only available in Educator Version meaning that it can handle data for up to 240 pupils.

The software package includes a range of tools which allow the teacher to organise and customise lesson progress and pupil assessment data flexibly. It also comes with an upgraded Teacher’s Guide containing information, suggestions and photocopiable worksheets designed to enable the teacher to get the most out of Music Ace in the classroom. A complete list of all the lesson titles in Music Ace, Music Ace 2 and Music Ace Maestro can be found on page 12 of this booklet.

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Lessons and Games Pupils are taught by Max, the on-screen teacher, and an array of happy bouncing notes. The interface is extremely simple, requiring only easy mouse clicks, and the instructions are spoken aloud by Max as well as written on the screen, so pupils with weaker reading skills can still follow the directions. During lessons and games, the screen is relatively uncluttered, so the overall effect is easy on the eye and it is obvious which button the user should be pressing, making it suitable for younger children. The format of the lessons and games means that while learning essential musical basics, pupils are also receiving a thorough ear-training as they are hearing notes and rhythms at the same time as seeing them on the staff. The games also focus on ear-training as they require pupils to, for example, distinguish between high and low notes, or listen to a sequence of notes and then play them on the on-screen piano keyboard.

The screen is colourful, clear and uncluttered

Students become familiar with music notation as they see it

displayed on the screen

Max’s instructions are spoken aloud as well as written on the

screen

Treble, bass and grand staff are used as appropriate, in

combination with the on-screen keyboard, to develop music

reading skills and link to instrumental work

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The emphasis on learning the notes of the piano keyboard is useful in a secondary school setting where the keyboard may be commonly used as a performance instrument in the classroom. Each lesson is introduced by a short excerpt of well-known classical music, and is divided into several short sections, each with an interactive element. Excerpts of classical music are used for most of the examples in games as well as lessons. The games act as a review and also provide a little competition between users through the high score record. Students can earn bonus points and are rewarded for high scores by a cheering audience.

The Doodle Pad The Doodle Pad allows users to create music by clicking noteheads onto a staff. There are several pre-existing samples, which can be altered and re-arranged. The Music Doodle Pad can be used for fun, for free-composing, or, with input from the teacher, for extending the concepts covered in the lessons. The comprehensive teacher’s guide that accompanies Music Ace gives several suggestions as to how the Doodle Pad can be used for reinforcement and extension, as well as 20 specific activities which could be used either with individual students, or with the whole class (using a projector to display the computer screen).

Games are linked directly to lessons and have the same

number

Excerpts of classical music are used as examples

Music Ace keeps track of each

student’s score

Games use the same colourful and clear interface as the

lessons, with instructions printed on screen and spoken aloud

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As with the lessons and games, the interface is colourful and easy to use. Notes are placed on the staff by simply clicking on the required note length and dragging to the correct position. Note lengths are indicated by the size of the notehead. Notes open their ‘mouths’ as they are played and are also shown on the piano keyboard. The simplicity of the interface does make it ideal for younger students, but may provide some limitations for more advanced students. Pupils at Key Stage 2 will enjoy composing simple pieces using Doodle Pad, and although it is unlikely to be a powerful enough tool to fulfil the composing requirements at Key Stage 3, it would make a useful introduction to composing using computer software. However, at both Key Stages, Doodle Pad can be used effectively for demonstrations by the teacher, and also for exercises designed to reinforce concepts covered in the lessons. As pupils are already familiar with the interface design, they will not need to learn any new concepts to be able to use Doodle Pad quickly, and so will soon be able to use it themselves, and design exercises and tasks for other pupils to complete. The simplicity of Doodle Pad also means that it can be mastered by non-specialist Key Stage 2 teachers in minutes, unlike some other software products designed for composing in the classroom.

Note lengths are indicated by the size of the notehead Different key signatures can be selected, and accidentals can be enabled or disabled as required Notes are shown both on the grand staff and the piano keyboard below

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In The Classroom The easiest and most effective way to use Music Ace with a class is to have one pupil per computer, working independently on Music Ace. However, Music Ace can also be used successfully if this level of resources is not available: • Students work in pairs or threes, taking it in turns to operate the mouse • A group of students work on Music Ace using the available computers (one student per

computer) and a student with strong music/ICT skills is chosen to supervise the session, while the teacher works with the other pupils

• In the Key Stage 2 classroom, groups of students can use Music Ace at different times during the week as the structure of the software means that little teacher input is needed

• At Key Stage 3, Music Ace can be used as part of a classroom rotation including performance or composition work, and theory worksheets (included in the Music Ace Teacher’s Guide)

• If one computer is available, Music Ace can be used as a teaching aid for the whole class by linking a projector to the computer and displaying the computer screen on the classroom wall or a display screen

• Pupils can work alone as the software charts their progress through the lessons and games, showing where any lessons have been skipped or left incomplete so it is easy for the teacher to keep track of progress

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Teacher’s Guide The Teacher’s Guide included with each version of Music Ace includes a complete summary of the skills and concepts covered in the software, as well as suggestions for using each aspect of Music Ace in the classroom, activities for use with Doodle Pad, and a range of photocopiable masters including activities designed to reinforce lesson concepts, progress record sheets, certificates, manuscript and a large piano keyboard with notes of the staff printed in treble clef, ideal for pupil use or display purposes. Links to the National Curriculum Taken together, Music Ace and Music Ace 2 (or Music Ace Maestro) cover most of the basics of musical notation and notation theory, and orientation on the piano keyboard. It is particularly good at teaching the more repetitive, theoretical fundamentals, which many students find difficult to master unless they receive instrumental lessons. While the National Curriculum programmes of study tend not to specify study of these areas, it is clear that progression through the attainment targets in performing, composing and listening/appraising becomes much easier if pupils are comfortable with the conventions of staff notation and are discriminating listeners. At GCSE level, pupils are expected to be familiar with bass and treble clefs, key signatures, time signatures, etc. and also to be able to notate melody and rhythm by ear. Music Ace provides essential foundations in all these areas.

Music Ace provides essential basic training in music theory It teaches repetitive fundamentals in a lively, interesting and interac-tive format.

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Key Stage 2 Because Music Ace is suitable for use by a non-specialist teacher, it is ideal for classroom use at Key Stage 2. Without any additional input, Music Ace will help to cover the following areas from the programmes of study:

Teachers can use Music Ace to learn too, and with the addition of just a little musical knowledge, and the help of the activities suggested in the Teacher’s Guide, even the non-specialist teacher can use Music Ace to provide a progressive, effective music education at Key Stage 2.

1b) Pupils should be taught how to play tuned and untuned instruments with control and rhythmic accuracy

Music Ace teaches pitch and rhythm notation to allow pupils to play from music, and teaches the notes on a piano keyboard, leading towards playing simple melodies

2a) Pupils should be taught how to improvise, developing rhythmic and melodic material when performing

Music Ace encourages musical experimentation through the Doodle Pad, and teaches pupils a range of rhythmic and melodic ideas that they can include in their own improvisations

2b) Pupils should be taught how to explore, choose, combine and organise musical ideas within musical structures

The introduction to a wide range of basic concepts (high/low, loud/soft, fast/slow, sharps and flats, major/minor, dotted rhythms and syncopation, etc) allows pupils access to a much wider range of musical ideas to use in their compositions

3a) Pupils should be taught to analyse and compare sounds 4a) Pupils should be taught to listen with attention to detail and to internalise and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

The focus on developing discriminating listening skills throughout Music Ace enables pupils to learn to listen carefully and recall and compare sounds in a variety of contexts

5d) During the key stage, pupils should be taught . . . through using ICT to capture, change and combine sounds

The Music Doodle Pad allows pupils to create their own music and rearrange and alter samples of music

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Key Stage 3 Music Ace does not aim to replace classroom teaching, but rather to supplement it. At KS3, it can provide the perfect ‘catch all’ for pupils arriving at high school with widely varying levels of musical education. More advanced pupils can skip the earlier levels, perhaps just testing their knowledge of an area by playing the game associated with that lesson. Pupils with little musical training can begin at the beginning, working at their own pace.

A teacher may wish to structure the lesson so that small groups of students spend part of the lesson on Music Ace while the others are engaged in a practical activity. More able students could perhaps work together on an extension activity, such as an ensemble performance. At KS3, the National curriculum introduces a specific requirement to work from notations (including staff notation). This is aiming towards GCSE level, where students will be required to be familiar with bass and treble clef.

Use Music Ace to Boost Attainment Levels • From Level 4 onwards, pupils are expected to perform using ‘simple

notations’ and record their compositions using ‘a variety of notations’. With its emphasis on learning staff notation and relating that to the piano keyboard, Music Ace can help the teacher to boost attainment levels in performing and composing.

• Many of the lessons covered in Music Ace lend themselves to extension work in performing, composing and listening, e.g. work on major and minor scales, dotted rhythms, syncopation and chromatics, melody and harmony. As pupils develop an understanding of these basic musical ideas, they will be increasingly able to include them confidently in their own compositions (‘they use appropriate musical devices such as melody, rhythms, chords and structures’ Level 5). Doodle Pad gives pupils opportunities to practise these concepts.

• The ability to read and understand a score will give pupils a great advantage in listening and appraising activities (‘they evaluate, and make judgements about, the use of musical conventions and other characteristics’ Level 7).

• Working by ear is important at all levels of music achievement (‘While performing by ear . . .’ Level 4; ‘working by ear and making appropriate use of musical notations’ Level 8). Music Ace gives a thorough grounding in aural discrimination and pitch and rhythm recognition.

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Towards GCSE Many pupils do not take GCSE partly because they feel they won’t be able to achieve high grades. They feel that they are ‘no good at music’, perhaps because their music reading skills aren’t good enough. The beginning of year 10 is really too late to start catching up shaky notation skills, but early training using Music Ace gives even those pupils who have never had an instrumental lesson outside of the classroom, the confidence to approach the notation-related questions at GCSE on the same level as pupils who have been learning piano since the age of three. The confidence with notation and orientation on the piano keyboard that Music Ace gives, allows pupils to concentrate on composing either on their instrument or using ICT, without being hindered by poor theoretical skills. This is especially true for pupils who may be excellent performers on an instrument that doesn’t use conventional staff notation such as guitar. Learning pitch and rhythm theory with Music Ace will enable pupils in that situation

to extend their creative range, composing in different styles and for different instruments.

Graded Exams

Many pupils also take graded exams on their instruments, with the Associated Board, for example. These exams have an aural training element that can require note recognition, sight singing, rhythm and melody repetition, and interval recognition. The detailed aural training provided by Music Ace will also serve as excellent preparation for these grade exams.

Games reinforce lesson concepts and also provide aural training invaluable for GCSE listening and also the aural compo-nent of graded instrumental examinations

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Matrix of Lesson Topics

Lesson Topic Music Ace Lesson #

Music Ace 2 Lesson #

Introduction to the Staff 1 1 Introduction to the Piano Keyboard 2 2 Playing with Pitch 3 3 ABC’s of the Piano Keyboard 4 4 More Piano Key ABC’s 5 5 The ABC’s of the Staff 6 6 The ABCs of the Treble Staff 7 7 More Treble Staff ABC’s 8 8 Keyboard Review 9 9 Below the Treble Staff 10 10 Above the Treble Staff 11 11 Loud and Soft, Same Pitch 12 12 The ABC’s of the Bass Staff 13 13 Above the Bass Staff 14 14 Below the Bass Staff 15 15 Same Pitch, Different Timbres 16 16 The ABC’s of the Grand Staff 17 17 Half Steps and Whole Steps 18 18 More ABC’s of the Grand Staff 19 19 Sharps and Flats 20 20 Sharps and Flats on the Staff 21 21 More Sharps and Flats on the Staff 22 22 The Key Signature 23 23 Introduction to Major Scales 24 24 Beat and Tempo 1 25 Hearing Rhythms 2 26 Review 1: Note Names 3 27 Review 2: Sharps and Flats 4 28 Basic Rhythm Notation 5 29 The Quarter Rest 6 30 Major Scales 7 31 Melody 8 32 The Measure 9 33 Sharp Key Signatures 10 34 Notes Longer Than a Beat 11 35 More Sharp Key Signatures 12 36 Dotted Quarter Notes 13 37 Flat Key Signatures 14 38 Rests 15 39 More Flat Key Signatures 16 40 Syncopation 17 41 Sixteenth Notes 18 42 Minor Scales 19 43 Three Sounds Per Beat 20 44 The Time Signature 21 452 Intervals 22 46 The 6/8 Time Signature 23 47 Introduction to Harmony 24 48

Music Ace Maestro Lesson #