Music Cross-Curriculum

Through the Music lesson we learned the aspects of cross-curricular teaching in Music, allowing us to become more familiar with the different types of ways to incorporate more than one subject into a lesson. It also gave us a chance to think and discuss ideas about what kind of subjects we would link together

What is the purpose of cross-curriculum?

-To explore links

-To remove the idea that subjects are stand-alone... They all relate to each other and all interlink in some way.

FOR EXAMPLE: Language comes into everything. What is it that language gives us that separates us from the world?---> words in songs, yet music can do well without spoken language. Is it its own form of language?

-More efficient, can teach more than one subject at once

-fun

-more creative opportunity

-reinforcing other subjects

-opens doors to other subjects e.g. making the music in which to dance to

-symbiotic --> different subjects provide stimuli for others.

However, the dangers to cross-curricular teaching should also be noted.

-emphasis is can be too much on one subject --> need solid learning objectives for EACH SUBJECT

-overload of material

-Tenuous links --> Don't force 'just because' they are there.

We talked about the different approaches that could be taken to cross curricular teaching…

Thematic

This is when there is a general topic or theme being taught in which subjects arise from, for example:

o Historical- victorians. This could lead to English creative writing, with a potential of drama and becoming the character to describe what their life was like etc.

o Geographical- Australia

o Science- light, sound.

One thing which did stand out to me during the session was the necessity for a balance between the learning objective and the activity. And this can be achieved through the model of different levels of cross-curriculum. (Sneider 2001)

CONNECTION- One subject supplements another but without an actual learning objective. It is the most simple form… could be singing a song to learn times tables: learning objective is out in place for learning times tables but no specific learning objective for music; but the benefits are still there for including music.

CORRELATION- there are learning objectives for all subjects involved. Follows the thematic approach to cross curricular teaching

INTEGRATION- Learning objectives for all subjects. Follows a symbiotic approach; the idea that the children would begin with creating the music in order to create a dance in PE to.

How can music be used in cross-curriculum?

Thematic

• Seasons, science

• Sound, science

• Geography, countries

• MFL, songs for new vocabulary

Symbiotic

• P.E., dance

• Writing a story then creating a piece to match

• Computing, using software to create music

• Making Musical instruments in D.T. to play and make songs

Next during the session, we talked about cross curricular ideas for music and science; as it was the event for ‘Science under the Stars’ being held in Edge Hill University on the same day.

• Singing songs

• Recycling to make musical instruments “STOMP” – making a “junk orchestra”. Children are therefore inspired to take part in influencing the environment in a good way and it raises awareness of global warming and taking care of the planet for children while they are composing their songs.

• Composing songs with natural materials outside

• Composing about about planets- Need to know qualities of planets.

- Holst follows the mystical, mythological view to colour his music

- Or we could follow physical qualities

Musical listening: what does space music sound like?

-Orchestral: children may be influenced by famous compositions of orchestral pieces which are used commonly used with movies influenced by space. E.g. ‘Space Odyssey’ Richard Strauss.

-influenced by media- John Lewis advert ‘Half the world away’ Oasis.

-Doctor who- technological sounds.