A Reflective Lens: Music Pedagogical Research to Transform Practice | Page 94

Becoming a Reflective Practitioner:
A Music Teacher’s Exploration of Singing Games

of 21CC. Through social interactions, pupils learn how to
manage their emotions which lead to building self-esteem
and self-confidence.
From our findings, pupils were able to vocalise the
intended learning objectives and made use of the desired
vocabulary. They were able to sing the solfège accurately
with the correct hand signs most of the time.
Pupils also demonstrated their ability to transfer their
learning to new situations. After learning the quarter rest
through the freezing game in a simple “Teddy Bear” song
with only 2 notes (so-la), it was very easy for them to point
out rests in new songs. When I sang “Peas Pudding Hot”
in the ensuing week, my pupils could accurately pick out
the places where the rests were supposed to be without
me telling them.
Pupils also internalised the solfège of the songs and were
able to perform the hand signs without audio cues. I
applied little mini tests (learning assessments) that were
“game-based”, where I hand-signed the songs that my
pupils had learnt. Once they recognised the song, they
would raise their hands and whisper their answer to me.
A correct answer would warrant them a sticker. The game
was well received and I was able to assess my pupils.
Gardiner (2000) discovered a way to measure the musical
skills and concepts acquired through a detailed battery of
“Learning through Music examinations” developed at the
Conservatory Laboratory Charter School in Boston. They
found that “knowledge of a song is measured not simply
by being able to repeat it after it has been learned, but to
repeat it with and without the words, while clapping the
underlying beats, or while pointing to the pitches of the
melody”. This is often part of a Kodály lesson where pupils
are asked to do this on a regular basis, thus showing that
learning has taken place before more complicated pitches
or rhythms are added.

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