Students
Australia’s school populations are diverse. Students and teachers come to school from different home cultures and socio economic backgrounds. While this diversity is a positive feature in Australian schools it sometimes throws up challenges, for example in managing students’ behaviours, and their engagement with school and with each other. These case studies from real schools show how some common challenges are being met with music.
Common challenges are:
- Diverse / challenging student population
- Truancy
- Multi-cultural school population
- Unwilling boys
- Bullying at lunchtime
- Advice
If you require more information about any of these please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at Music. Play for Life.
Diverse / challenging student population
| Solution | Case Study & Further Reading |
|---|---|
| Music as a teaching tool for academic subjects (with special needs students) including a sensory room and adapted instruments | Henbury School |
| Therapeutic Drumming course for staff and student groups run by Music Therapists | Niland School |
| Allow for flexible planning in music lessons - respond to student needs day-by-day as they arise | Ernabella Anangu School |
| Music promotes listening skills & focus | Dundula Primary School |
| Ensemble participation promotes listening skills, focus, cooperation, self-respect and empathy | |
| Set Middle School projects involving collaborative, digital compositions | |
| Small groups of 12 learning Djembe and percussion music throughout the year ("Izo Beat program") | Islington Public School |
| Persevere and celebrate each small success; design a development, aural and sequential classroom program around music; build a support network in & out of school; consider the children FIRST; maintain a sense of humour | Debbie O'Shea @ Eatons Hill State School |
| Invite parents to attend (and learn at) instrumental lessons with their child | Cygnet Area Primary School |
| A well-designed music program can promote mental health of students | |
| Active music involvement impacts positively on students' behaviour | Walpole Primary School, Dundula Primary School |
| Use games and concept-pictures to assist musical learning | Girraween Primary School |
| Teach assembly songs with Auslan / Makaton sign language | Bicheno Primary |
| Employ a qualfied Music Therapist to work with at-risk and special needs students | |
| (Middle School) Tailor learning specifically to match individual learning styles | |
| Use welfare funding to pay for a Drum Beats program for at-risk students on Monday morning (a positive start to the school week!) | |
| Use a student composition instead of a school bell (between classes | |
| Take advantage of the enthusiasm for learning which is embedded in pop culture | Parkhurst State School |
| Music therapy, dance therapy, adapted music equipment (Sound Beams and Banana Boards), Karaoke, percussion | Glenallen School, Turner School |
| Multi-campus schools can connect their music students via an intranet (eg. Moodle) site | North Lake Senior Campus |
| Remove the ban on student MP3 players and mobile phones in the classroom - harness their motivational power! | |
| Through music, focus on ABILITY rather than dis-ability | Croxton School |
Truancy
| Solution | Case Study & Further Reading |
|---|---|
| 55% of Principals agreed that high quality Music Education programs motivate students to attend/stay at school | USA Michael Blakeslee MENC |
| Introduce Drumming programs which target (1) disengaged/at-risk students & (2) an indigenous/ethnic group | Curran Public School |
| Songwriting in English / Indigenous / other languages | Neutral Junction School |
| Organise tour/s to regional schools | |
| Encourage upper primary bands with a few old guitars and an enthusiastic teacher |
Multi-cultural school population
| Solution | Case Study & Further Reading |
|---|---|
| Repertoire and instruments are drawn from the school population's language and culture groups | Moil Primary School, New Farm State School, Neutral Junction School, Curran Public School, Padstow Park Primary School, Ernabella Anangu School |
| Sing and perform Indigenous healing/sorry songs | Port Lincoln |
| Ask parents and students for repertoire suggestions from their cultural background | |
| Ask parents and multicultural community leaders to come and teach their songs | |
| "Multicultural kids … have seen ... a way of connecting to a more powerful vision of themselves" | Dulwich Hill Public School |
| Instrumental music (played by a whole-class ensemble) has no 'spoken language' barriers | |
| Break down racial misunderstandings through learning multicultural music | Bees Creek Primary School |
| Learn/write songs in the local indigenous language/s and share them with local bush school students | Alice Springs Steiner School, Neutral Junction School Music Outback |
| Shyness and nerves disappear through on-going participation in music | The Hand-in-hand community music program: a case study by SJ Garber |
| Create space for didgeridoo solos and clap stick fills in rock band arrangements | |
| Djembe and percussion lessons (preferably in groups of 12) which share multicultural drumming beats and techniques | |
| Music Outback Foundation uses Music education to improve general education outcomes, assists in the preservation of ancient language through song-writing, promote healthy young lifestyles through creative expression, promotes leadership within remote Indigenous communities | Music Outback Foundation www.musicoutback.com.au |
| Unite multicultural communities through singing evenings | Jervis Bay School ‘More of this’: Bridging the empathetic divide by reaching out through music making.by Susan West |
| Teach a blend of Western and local Indigenous music | |
| Use IWB and video-conferencing to connect with other cultures and classrooms - "The world is our classroom." | |
| Help heal the horrors of past life and increase self-worth through learning and performing Music | Padstow Park Public School |
Unwilling boys
| Solution | Case Study & Further Reading |
|---|---|
| Boys only choir (small or large) | All Saints' College Jnr School, New Farm State School, Sandgate State School |
| Marimbas and percussion groups | Deepwater Public School, Islington Public School, Cowper Public School |
| Form a Taiko Drumming group, which can perform at local Primary Schools and events | Tatachilla Lutheran College |
| "We don't learn about music. We MAKE music." | |
| Making music is a stressbuster equalling sport | Melbourne High School |
| Simplify pop charts - write them to suit the skill-level of individual students / ensembles - ensuring success | |
| Sport groups sing to intimidate opponents | Melbourne High School Male Voices: Stories of Boys Learning Through Making Music / ed ACER Press |
| Encourage boys to create lunchtime rock bands with a few old guitars | |
| Concert management assignment & other cross-curricular units of work | Marryatville High School |
| Unwilling performers/singers are valued stage hands, song-writers and recording technicians! | |
| Middle Years Circus Program | Dalyellup Primary |
| Use Music technology to engage boys (and girls) | |
| Set up a school Radio show | Dominican School |
| Musical Futures - form class rock band groups which choose their own repertoire & students teach one another (guitar, drums, keyboard skils) | www.musicalfutures.org.uk |
| Use mobile phones to record performances and provide feedback to other students & teach concepts via embedded videos on the school webpage | |
| 100% student and teacher engagement in Music is expected (and role modelled by staff) | Alice Springs Steiner School |
| Form a Heavy Metal Cello Group (boys-only) | Footscray City Primary School |
| Hold Sol-fa championships at lunchtime (for girls and boys) | St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School |
Bullying at lunchtime
| Solution | Case Study & Further Reading |
|---|---|
| Lunchtime student-run radio show | |
| Australian Idol competition during some lunchtimes (encourage own compositions too) | Port Lincoln |
| Make guitars available at lunchtime | Bellingen High School |
Advice
| Solution | Case Study & Further Reading |
|---|---|
| Create an annual internal choral/music festival with every student involved, student leadership & an external adjudicator | All Saints' College Jnr School |
| "When something's fun, I don't mind working hard!" | ASME Australian Journal of Music Education 2010, No. 1 "Attributions for Success: exploring the potential implace on music learning in high school" Rosevear |
| Keep the music curriculum up-to-date with latest musical trends and technology | |
| Create ensembles or groups to suit every instrumental student in the school |
Music: Play for Life is the Music Council of Australia's grassroots campaign to get more Australians making music: in schools, communities, everywhere.
The More Music Toolkit was produced with the kind assistance of the Ian Potter Foundation.