Music Technology: GarageBand
Music Technology Project: Beowulf
Our Year 4 pupils recently took part in a Music Technology project, working alongside a professional musician and a member of A Little Learning. The project gave our pupils an opportunity to work collaboratively and creatively, using Garage Band software to create their own music.
The children were tasked with using this software to compose pieces of original music to accompany chosen scenes from their key text, Beowulf, as retold by Michael Morpurgo.
Over several weeks, the children developed their understanding of how musical compositions can be created and carefully shaped. Once they had selected their chosen tempo, they started layering sounds. They had to think hard about the sound quality created by each instrument (the timbre) and also worked to compose their own melodies, bass lines and additional accompaniments.
Beowulf: The Soundtrack, Class 4A
Beowulf: The Soundtrack, Class 4F
Beowulf: The Soundtrack, Class 4G
Beowulf: The Soundtrack, Class 4I
Pupils Achieve Arts Award
It has been a great pleasure to present 130 Cleveland pupils with distinguished Arts Award certificates. Arts Award is managed by Trinity College London in association with Arts Council England.
The Arts Award qualifications are designed to inspire learners up to the age of 25 to grow their arts and leadership talents. Most of all, they aim to support and encourage learners of all levels and abilities and from all backgrounds and cultures to engage and participate in the arts.
To achieve their Arts Award, the children had to take on a challenge in an art form, participate in arts activities, experience arts events, get inspired by artists and share their arts skills with others. They created a portfolio to keep a record of their creative work and progress along the way, and they were supported by an adult who has trained as an Arts Award adviser and acts as an assessor,
facilitator and mentor.
These awards have been bestowed on the children who successfully completed this Arts Award programme, in which they worked alongside a working musician to compose their own original musical compositions, which they then shared with the community, as part of their Beowulf production. They used music software and iPads, to create layer sounds, develop a musical structure, adjust tempo and, finally, complete their pieces of music. They then composed their own voiceovers to accompany their soundtracks. We are very proud of the children for achieving this incredible award.