MUED2605: Children, Music and Educational Settings

Reflection on the syllabus and manifesto statement (20%), Programming and lesson planning (40%), Peer teaching (40%).

MUED1008

MUED2605 is our first Teaching Methods unit which is focused on primary music education. This unit is taken in preparation for Professional Experience 1, typically incorporated in the unit but was instead separated into a three week block after the completion of the course. My review of this unit will be split into my experience within the course itself and how the course influenced my first teaching placement at my assigned public school.

This unit was run remotely for seven weeks and in person for the remaining five of the semester. The online weeks were structured as one hour intensives which gave us more opportunities to work in small groups and contribute meaningfully to discussions in class. There weren't heavy readings to do in the class and what we prepared for each class ended up being relevant to the lesson itself. Our classes in person were very similar to MUED1010 and MUED1005 with us learning songs targetted towards different stage levels (Early Stage 1, Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3) and doing small group teaching exercises. Our assessments in this unit were all practical and useful. The peer teaching task was really daunting to prepare for but the fifteen minutes went by fast because it was so much fun. We also had many important discussions about cultural diversity, classroom management and repertoire selection in this class that are all critical issues worth negotiating in our practice as music educators in the 21st century. Every class was highly engaging and only affirmed just how ready I was to get into a school and start sharing all the songs and enjoyment that I myself received in the course.

MUED2605 enabled a natural transition for me into my first teaching placement which I completed at Dee Why Public School. I did my placement directly after the end of the teaching period for USYD for three weeks (this overlapped with STUVAC and finals). While it was not the most ideal time to be staying away from home and embarking on what would be some of the most intense (and sleepless) days of my life, I was fortunate to be placed at a school despite the circumstances and found myself making a second home out of the school quickly. The school uses Orff-Schulwerk pedagogy which MUED1010 and this unit have both prepared me well for and this reflected particularly in my lesson planning and delivery of content during my teaching. I also made a conscious effort to incorporate music of different cultures and genres during my time teaching at Dee Why which I felt helped me form really meaningful connections with the students and deepened their understanding of the significance of music to their lives, others and wider society. My best classes were with Year 5 in which we did World Music and my highlight of my placement was delivering a lesson on Aboriginal mission songs. This class was not only an example of just how well MUED2605 prepared me for teaching primary music but also was a culmination of my learning in the Music Education degree overall.

One thing I wish MUED2605 could have prepared me better for was teaching children with special needs. I was trusted with a class on my final day of placement which I was incredibly nervous for. I think a week dedicated to teaching special needs classes would enhance the unit a little more. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this unit and owe a lot of it to Jim. Not only is he now famous for having the fastest turnaround with assessment feedback out of all the lecturers I have had thus far, he was also incredibly approachable, open to being challenged and inspired many of us to be the best we could. I had so much fun in MUED2605 and look forward to reporting about my next Methods class this semester!

1x 2 hour seminar

3.5/5

None; classes were not recorded and the latter half of the semester was attended live in person.

Jim Coyle

None; all the readings and resources for this unit were provided on Canvas for us to access.

5/5

None

2020, Semester 2

88 HD