Shorecrest School

Project-Based Learning in Upper School Music Theory Honors

Source/Author: Shannon O, sophomore
May 06, 2016
Arts


Many classes assess the knowledge of their students at the end of the year by means of a cumulative final exam. But students in the Upper School Music Theory Honors class were challenged to do something different. In lieu of a written final exam, the students were assigned a final musical project that would count for a large percentage of their semester grade.

In accordance with teacher Ethan Updike’s philosophy advocating project-based learning, the Music Theory students were given the task of writing their own compositions. They spent the majority of the quarter writing these pieces and then peer-reviewing each other’s compositions.

This project was similar to a final exam in that it tested the students’ knowledge of the material, but it gave the students the opportunity to apply and present the knowledge they acquired in a more tangible form.

The project required the students to:
  • select a key signature, time signature, and structure
  • create a chord progression
  • write a melody
  • add non-chord tones (a type of embellishment)
  • compositions had to have three sections: the exposition, the development, and the recapitulation.
  • each section had to contain at least 16 measures, adding up to a total of 48, so each piece was roughly two minutes long.
After several months of hard work both in and out of class, the students finished their projects. Then, they presented their compositions before a small audience.

You can listen to two student compositions by clicking on the links below:


More News


You may also be interested in...