Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-5wvtr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-16T21:33:37.492Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The organisation and assessment of composing at Key Stage 4 in English secondary schools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2011

Jonathan Savage  and
Martin Fautley
Jonathan Savage*
Affiliation:
Institute of Education, Manchester Metropolitan University, 799 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 2RRj.savage@mmu.ac.uk
Martin Fautley
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, Law and Social Science, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B42 2SUmartin.fautley@bcu.ac.uk
*
Correspondence to Jonathan Savage
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper explores secondary school music teachers' current practice with regard to the organisation and assessment of composing at Key Stage 4. It draws on research undertaken on a nation-wide basis in England, via the use of two online surveys and face-to-face interviews. In terms of the organisation of classroom composition, the study found that the place of staff notation is currently under-theorised in terms of a developmental musical thinking tool, as opposed to what might be termed a ‘storage system’. The research also found that ICT has brought composing to a wider range of participants. Considerably more time is spent on composing than other musical processes within a typical Key Stage 4 music classroom. The study found that music teachers are, in general, satisfied with the sorts of assessments which are being done at Key Stage 4. Examination Board criteria for assessing composing are universally utilised but there is a feeling that whilst these criteria are fit for purpose, they do not always reflect the effort that students have put into their work. Some styles which are ‘set’ by examination boards are seen as being inappropriate for some students to access.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , July 2011 , pp. 135 - 157
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ABRSM (2008) Assessment of Composing at Key Stages 3 and 4 in English Secondary Schools. Research Report for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music by M. Fautley & J. Savage.Google Scholar
ADAMS, P. (2001) Assessment in the music classroom. In Philpott, C. (Ed), Learning to Teach Music in the Secondary School (1st Edn), (pp. 163–176). London: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
ASSESSMENT REFORM GROUP (1999) Assessment for Learning – Beyond the Black Box. Cambridge: University of Cambridge School of Education.Google Scholar
ASSESSMENT REFORM GROUP (2002) Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles. http://k1.ioe.ac.uk/tlrp/arg/publications.htmlGoogle Scholar
BERKLEY, R. (2001) Why is teaching composing so challenging? A survey of classroom observation and teachers' opinions. British Journal of Music Education, 18, 119–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BLACK, P. (1995) Can teachers use assessment to improve learning? British Journal of Curriculum and Assessment, 5 (2), 7–11.Google Scholar
BLACK, P. & WILIAM, D. (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. London: School of Education, King's College.Google Scholar
BLACK, P. & WILIAM, D. (2006) Assessment for Learning in the Classroom. In Gardner, J. (Ed), Assessment and Learning (pp. 9–25). London: Sage.Google Scholar
BLACK, P., HARRISON, C., LEE, C., MARSHALL, B. & WILIAM, D. (2003a) Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press.Google Scholar
BLACK, P., HARRISON, C., LEE, C., MARSHALL, B. & WILIAM, D. (2003b) The nature of value of formative assessment for learning. Improving Schools, 6 (3), 7–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BLACK, P., HARRISON, C., LEE, C., MARSHALL, B. & WILIAM, D. (2004) Working inside the black box. Phi Delta Kappan, 86 (1), 8–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BRAY, D. (2000) Teaching Music in the Secondary School. Oxford: Heinemann Educational.Google Scholar
BRAY, D. (2002) Assessment in Music Education. In Spruce, G. (Ed), Aspects of Teaching Secondary Music. London: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
BROPHY, T. S. (2000) Assessing the Developing Child Musician: a Guide for General Music Teachers. Chicago: GIA Publications.Google Scholar
BURLAND, K. & DAVIDSON, J. W. (2001) Investigating social processes in group musical composition. Research Studies in Music Education, 16, 46–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. (2000a) Examining experiential differences between improvisation and composition in children's music-making. British Journal of Music Education, 17, 227–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. (2000b) How children ascribe meaning to improvisation and composition. Music Education Research, 2 (1), 7–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burnard, P. (2002) Investigating children's meaning-making and the emergence of musical interaction in group. British Journal of Music Education, 19, 157–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. & YOUNKER, B. (2004) Problem-solving and creativity: insights from students’ individual composing pathways. International Journal of Music Education, 22, 59–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. & YOUNKER, B. (2008) Investigating children's musical interactions within the activities systems of group composing and arranging: An application of Engeström's Activity Theory. International Journal of Educational Research, 47 (1), 60–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. & YOUNKER, B. A. (2002) Mapping pathways: fostering creativity in composition. Music Education Research, 4, 245–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BURNARD, P. & YOUNKER, B. A. (2004b) Problem-solving and creativity: insights from students’ individual composing pathways. International Journal of Music Education, 22 (1), 59–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BYRNE, C., MACDONALD, R. A. R. & CARLTON, L. (2003) Assessing creativity in musical compositions: the importance of flow. British Journal of Music Education, 20, 277–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BYRNE, C. & SHERIDAN, M. (2001) The SCARLATTI papers: development of an action research project in music. British Journal of Music Education, 18, 173–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COHEN, L., MANION, L. & MORRISON, K. (2007) Research Methods in Education (6th Edn). London: RoutledgeFalmer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CRESWELL, J. (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (3rd Edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
DCSF (2008) National Curriculum for Music. London, DCSF.Google Scholar
DFES (2002) Training Materials for the Foundation Subjects, London, DfES.Google Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (1999) The Composing Labyrinth: student Composing in the Secondary School. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.Google Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (2005) A new model of the group composing process of lower secondary school students. Music Education Research, 7, 39–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. (2008) Assessment in Music Education – Questions and Answers. Matlock: NAME (National Association of Music Educators).Google Scholar
FAUTLEY, M. & SAVAGE, J. (2011) Assessment of composing in the lower secondary school in the English National Curriculum. British Journal of Music Education, 28, 51–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GLASER, B. & STRAUSS, A. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New York, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.Google Scholar
GORARD, S. & TAYLOR, C. (2004) Combining Methods in Educational and Social Research. Buckingham: Open University Press.Google Scholar
HARLEN, W. (2005) Teachers' summative practices and assessment for learning – tensions and synergies. The Curriculum Journal, 16 (9), 2, 207–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HARLEN, W. (2007) Assessment of Learning. London: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JAMES, M. (1998) Using Assessment for School Improvement, Oxford: Heinemann Educational.Google Scholar
JOHNSON, R. & ONWUEGBUZIE, A. (2004) ‘Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come’. Educational Researcher, 33 (7), 14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MACDONALD, R., BYRNE, C. & CARLTON, L. (2006) Creativity and flow in musical composition: an empirical investigation. Psychology of Music, 34, 292–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MAJOR, A. (2007) Talking about composing in secondary school music lessons. British Journal of Music Education, 24, 165–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MAJOR, A. (2008) Appraising composing in secondary-school music lessons. Music Education Research, 10 (2), 307–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MARSHALL, C. & ROSSMAN, G. B. (2006) Designing Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
MIELL, D. & MACDONALD, R. (2000) Children's creative collaborations: the importance of friendship when working together on a musical. Social Development.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MILLS, J. (1991) Assessing musical performance musically. Educational Studies, 17, 173–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ODAM, G. (2000) Teaching composing in secondary schools: the creative dream. British Journal of Music Education, 17, 109–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PAYNTER, J. (2000) Making progress with composing. British Journal of Music Education, 17, 5–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PUNCH, K. (2009) Introduction to Research Methods in Education. London: Sage.Google Scholar
SAVAGE, J. (2009) A survey of ICT usage across English secondary schools. Music Education Research.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
STEPHENS, J. (2003) Imagination in education: Strategies and models in the teaching and assessment of composition. In Hickey, M. (Ed), Why and How to Teach Music Composition: A New Horizon for Music Education (pp. 113–38). Reston, VA: MENC.Google Scholar
STOBART, G. (2001) The validity of National Curriculum assessment. British Journal of Educational Studies, 49, 26–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
STOBART, G. (2008) Testing Times – The Uses and Abuses of Assessment. Abingdon: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
STRAUSS, A. & CORBIN, J. (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
WILIAM, D. (2000) The meanings and consequences of educational assessments. Critical Quarterly, 42, 105–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WRIGHT, D. (2003) Making friends with your data: improving how statistics are conducted and reported. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 123–136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed