Experimenting with Music

Experimenting is a dynamic process that is fundamental to music-making. Experimenting is connected to the musical processes of exploring and presenting. In experimenting, students connect theoretical studies to practical work and gain deeper understanding of the music that they engage with.

In the process of experimenting with music, students engage more deeply with music to develop and refine their musical decisions, practise their musical skills and develop musical works as they:

• select musical prompts or stimuli for their work and to inform their musical decisions. Students work with selected relevant findings from diverse musical material

• apply their knowledge, conceptual understandings and skills to their work while experimenting with musical material

• develop ideas and work as creators by experimenting with creating conventions and techniques, and as performers by experimenting with performing practices and techniques

• practise through the processes of trialling, refining and revising musical material. Students learn to control and personalize practical and technical skills in creating, producing and performing music

• evaluate/reflect critically on their music-making and consider how the use of their findings will affect their work. Students discuss the challenges encountered—and any possible solutions.

Experimenting is experienced in the three roles of researcher, creator and performer. In these roles, students will be experimenting with musical materials, musical findings, musical decisions and musical skills. Experimenting is not an isolated, static or linear process, but a dynamic and interactive process that informs and inspires the student’s work across each of the roles.

Informed musical decision-making is paramount, and including examples of the decision-making, commentaries of inspirations and choices of musical material in students’ music journals is advised. Thoughtful experimenting in the three roles will lead to effective and successful assessment in the course. Reflection and evaluation is a key part of the musical decision-making and experimenting process. It is used to judge the progress of the work and to analyse if, and how, the musical choices function together in the student’s work. The experience and guidance of teachers will also be of utmost importance in guiding students through their experimentation.

Throughout the course, students will learn to experiment with a range of musical material and stimuli. It is recommended that all experimentation will be guided by, and connected to, the four areas of inquiry as this will help students to focus their research and studies. Ensuring a balanced approach to experimenting with all areas of inquiry will also help students to be best prepared for assessment tasks across the curriculum.

Experimenting as a researcher

Experimenting as researchers offers students the opportunity to investigate and analyse music, and apply findings with direct practical relevance to their own work. At the same time, the musical work will prompt research in order to find more information that is directly related to, and further informs, the work in progress.

Informed by research, and through critical reflection, students continuously refine their work. By selecting relevant information, techniques and concepts from their findings, they make musical decisions and develop their ideas further.

The critical thinking and reflecting that leads to the sourcing and justified use of relevant musical information is an important feature of experimenting.

Through experimenting as researchers, students gain deeper understanding about music by:

• analysing music to inform their own work

• reflecting on how the music they are studying will inform their own practice

• reflecting on how to develop the music they are working on

• making musical decisions in relation to their findings

• experimenting with musical material, musical findings and musical skills.

Through the course, students will experiment with a range of music from the four areas of inquiry across diverse contexts. For the assessment submission, however, students will submit work that specifically relates to musical material from a local and/or global context. Students will explain and justify their choices in the assessment submission. Students will learn to articulate a rationale for their practical experimentation in creating and in performing based on their inquiry and practical work. The rationale will form the basis of an experimentation report. The rationale justifies the choices of source material, including the choice of context and area of inquiry, and will help students to spotlight specific aspects of their experimentation leading to a more in-depth—rather than wide-ranging—engagement with the musical material in this report.

Students will also learn to write commentaries, in which they explain the experimentation process and the evolution of the experimentation stimuli, clearly evidencing the musical decision-making processes that have guided the experimentation.

Experimenting as a creator

Experimenting as a creator offers students the opportunity to trial and shape musical ideas, make artistic choices and, in the process, develop less familiar or unfamiliar skills through composing, improvising and arranging music.

When experimenting, students may also choose to arrange or remix music. The focus in arranging or remixing is on the effective modification, manipulation and transformation of the musical elements and qualities of an existing piece.

Through experimenting, students gain a deeper understanding of how music is constructed and composed. They apply their findings to their own work, paying attention to:

• the intention and purpose of music in context

• the use of musical elements, including, but not limited to, duration, dynamics, harmonic and/or melodic developments, pitch, rhythm, structure and form, texture, timbre, tonality

• use of production elements and techniques.

Experimenting as a performer

Experimenting as a performer offers students opportunities to shape and develop the communication of musical ideas, technical proficiency, interpretations and expression. It is important for teachers to guide their students towards heightened awareness and conscious experimentation as performers. Experimenting should not merely be intuitive and unpredictable, but specific and tied to inquiry and reflection on the learning and development. Through regular practice and experimenting, students refine their performing skills and develop an independent musical voice.

As performers, students should consider the intention, purpose and context of the music. They will experiment with the ways in which music can be communicated, paying attention to:

• performance techniques

• the use of musical elements, including, but not limited to, duration, dynamics, ornamentation, instrumental or vocal range, pitch, rhythm, texture, tempo, timbre

• interpretation(s), including, but not limited to, use of articulation, effects and other expressive and productive techniques, phrasing.