Scissett Middle School
A year 8 class (all aged 12 and 13) of about 27 students with class teacher and 2 students. An hour long session.
| name |
what tunes your world |
| Jordan |
Dubstep |
| Cameron |
Dancing |
| Miss Hollis |
Singing in my car |
| Bradley |
Playing sports |
| Liam |
Playing rugby and cricket |
| Emma |
Hanging out with my friends |
| Emma |
Dancing |
| Lizzie |
Writing songs |
| Ella |
Music |
| Libby |
My family and my cat |
| Molly |
Drawing |
| Beth |
Dance |
| Jess |
Happiness |
| Sophie |
Drama |
| Olivia |
Reading (probably) |
| Grace |
Singing |
| Isobel |
My dog and music |
| Judy Sims |
My long haired black fluffy cat |
| Joe |
The fact that I’m so awesome |
| Steven |
Rugby and my dog |
| Micheal |
Lasagne |
| Liam |
My friends and family |
| Jordan |
Potatoes |
| Miss Saunders |
Tuning Forks |
| Jack |
Falling out of trees |
| Nick |
Rugby, my friends, my x-box |
| Jacob |
playing sports |
| Tom |
fish and chips |
After we had just got the sruti box out we had another member of staff bring in a small singing bowl – sadly not an ‘a’ but a very nice tone.
A series of 5 pieces and lots of chat.
1) Tom (electric guitar) accompanied by Steve. Sustain and suspense.
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2) Joe (electric drums) accompanied by Emma.
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3) For the third one we wrote a ‘song’ using words that the drone made us think about. Also a short discussion about how it didn’t make sense! It took several tasks to get it how we wanted it. Accompanied by Lizzie
Slow and painful and scary
Relaxing and rainfull and fast
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4)Sophie on alto sax, accompanied by Jess. Confident and exploratory playing.
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5) Full group improvisation, with Jordan on the drone. Started off very quietly, then clarinet and electric guitar, some whispering, coughing, shuffling, a violin, a flute, some voices, talking, body percussion, sticks, glissandi, singing voices, whispering, chant, conversations, a real mix, scale on the clarinet, tunes, talking, shuffling, louder voices, laughter, solos coming out of the mix for a moment, more giggling, talking, stamping, a clap, an ending. Lasted 3 and a half minutes – the longest piece.
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This final piece was very interesting in the way that it was an improvisation with no rules except for the fact that it had a drone. Some of the group seemed comfortable with this and played and engaged and listened. Others didn’t quite know what to do and looked and evidently felt unsure. Like with the first question (‘what tunes your world’) they were not sure where they stood or what was expected of them. The longer the piece went in it felt as of some of the group thought that I would eventually tell them to stop, but of course I didn’t and at the end I said well done and that we would put that recording, alongside the others on the tuning worlds website. (Here it is.)
This project is not about doing the expected or doing what usually might happen in a music class or doing something right, it is about exploring responses to the drone and here is a great one by a group of 30 young people.
Hugh Nankivell
