A Reflective Lens: Music Pedagogical Research to Transform Practice | Page 27

A Reflective Lens:
Music Pedagogical Research to Transform Practice

on his percussion instrument, she would stop the practice
and guide him. She was also the one who directed the
whole practice by conducting the group and specifically
instructing them when to come in.
From the lesson videos, peer coaching happened mostly
through peer demonstration in either singing or playing
an instrument, especially during the first two lessons when
students had just been exposed to the concepts. This
was before students had put everything together for their
composition. For example, when Student C asked Student
A in Lesson One how to play the different types of bordun
accompaniment, Student A took over the xylophone and
demonstrated the three different types of bordun. She
then suggested he play another pattern as it sounded
more complicated compared to the other two patterns.
Peer Correction
From the transcripts, it was found that students used
precise music terminologies (specifically the eight concepts
focused in the study) in their discussion. Another piece of
notable students’ behaviour was peer correction when
someone misinterpreted something. For example, Student
A corrected her group members who were confused
between melody and melodic ostinato: “No, that one is
melodic ostinato, the melody is this one, following the
lyrics of the song.” Student J from Group 2 also corrected
her peers by explaining the difference between rhythmic
ostinato and melodic ostinato: “Rhythmic ostinato is
only the rhythm, only clapping like using ‘ta, ta’. Melodic
ostinato adds the melody played on the xylophone.”
Musical concepts were reinforced during peer correction.

My group mates corrected me from the
mistakes I made so that is how I succeeded in
playing my bordun accompaniment.
[Student C, Reflective Journal]
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