Second
Level
Expressive
Arts
Context for Learning:- As part of an interdisciplinary learning
context on Scotland and Scots language, the children have been
exploring the poem of Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns. Initially
exploring the text, then through drama. Finally this led to the
children being asked to re tell the story using their own musical
ideas.
Prior Knowledge and Experience that led to this being the experiences and
outcomes focussed on in this learning context.

Understanding musical scores

Understanding of notation

Wide knowledge of a range of instruments and the sounds they make

Personal experiences of playing their own musical instruments

Prior knowledge of features of Scottish music e.g. scots snaps/Scottish rhythm

Collaborative group work skills in negotiation and compromise well established
Using the Experiences and Outcomes below, we have considered and concluded that the following evidence
demonstrates achievement at the first level in music.
I can sing and play music from a range of styles and cultures, showing skill and using performance directions,
and /or musical notation EXA 2-16a
I can use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to experiment with sounds, pitch, melody,
rhythm, timbre and dynamics. EXA 2-17a
Inspired by a range of stimuli, and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my
ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical activities. EXA 2-18a
I have listened to a range of music and can respond by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and
accept constructive comment on my own and others’ work. EXA 2-19a
Key to Understanding Evidence
Teacher Voice
Pupil Voice
Parents Voice
Learning intentions
Create mood and effect in a piece of music by making choices about the type of instruments and the way they are played.
Use musical direction and a form of notation to perform a rehearsed piece in front of an audience.
Reflect on their own and their peers’ performances to identify strengths and areas to improve in relation to a devised criteria.
Our Success Criteria for using music as a medium to re tell a well know Scottish poem
The success criteria was identified following the children listening to Malcolm Arnold’s piece and as a result of reflections on their performance through the
early stages of the creating process. The children used the following criteria to scale their performance; a score of 1 meant that the children strongly agreed
with the statement whilst a score of 5 meant that they strongly disagreed
Learning Activity:- Opportunities for the children to explain what they have learned and how this related to their
success criteria
Evidence:- The pupils listened to Malcolm Arnold’s orchestral
piece ‘Tam O’Shanter’. The learner could identify reasons why
this piece told the story well, and provided a personal response
following their listening. She was able to talk about how
sections of the piece created a mood and the ways the choice
of instrument influenced this.
“The music creates a spooky atmosphere and sound a little scary”
Significant Aspect of
Learning:- Evaluating and
The witches dance was easy to pick out as you could hear the Scottish
tune and we heard the bells
Evidence:- Child provides a clear explanation of their piece of music, highlighting to
“Sometimes I feel it is difficult to understand the
the listener what they should be able to hear. It is clear that many ideas from their
music, but when it fits in really well, the music, beat
success criteria have been realised in their final composition. The children were able
to reflect on their own and each others’ work using the terms What Went Well
(WWW) and Even better if (EBI). The children’s comments were used as a check list
when offering feedback on their own and other’s work . The learner has shown an
awareness of requirements for a quality performance and an ability to reflect on her
a story to music. I enjoyed experimenting with all
Expressive Arts
the child has had
horse, being drunk”
I enjoyed creating the music as a group and putting
Appreciating aspect of the
This exemplar shows that
Tam’s tune, sounded funny in parts and we could imagine him on his
and rhythm a thrill comes through your body”
Evaluating
creaCreatCreating
own and peer’s performance which is illustrated in her comments.
opportunities to analyse,
explore and reflect
In particular in 2nd level
music the child
 can describe and
evaluate their own and
others’ work against a
the instruments and hearing the music coming
together. It gave me sense of achievement
given criteria
Try to get your timing a bit better
“We played our section through today using our score,
we had to be organised, coordinated and confident with
“It flowed better and we could hear
every instrument clearly”
our score reading, next time we want to jigsaw the whole
song together with the other groups.”
Next Steps for the Learning, The children identified that they would like to perform to an unknown audience
I have used communication and team work skills to work out the structure and order for our Tam O’ Shanter music
The learner contributed to a class discussion and
survey about effects created in their piece. She was
able to describe how the choice of instruments, the
sounds they generated, the use of dynamics and pitch
all contributed to the spooky effect.
Learning Activity:- The children performed their completed Tam O’ Shanter Composition to and audience of parents and
pupils. They reflected on their performance using the criteria they had identified from Malcom Arnold’s piece
Evidence The learner demonstrates a confident and capable
performance, following the score, communicating with her group to
play a central role in her group’s presentation. She was able to
follow a musical score and notation whilst demonstrating knowledge
and application of musical concepts with the use of ‘copy cat’ or
repetition, rhythm and dynamics whilst playing the keyboard.
Watch video: A confident and capable performance
Evidence The learner confidently explains her groups’
choice of instruments, how they have been carefully
selected, sequenced and combined to create desired
effects and contribute to the overall composition and
the final performance. This encourages the audience
to listen and enjoy the performance.
Watch video: Choice of instruments
Presenting
creaCreatCreating
Significant Aspect of
Learning:- Presenting
Aspect of expressive arts
This exemplar shows that the
child
can perform and present for
different audiences and be a part
“I have never written my own
of an audience for others
piece of music before and I have
can demonstrate working
always aspired to”
collaboratively as well as learning
independently
The children used the scale to
experience enjoyment and
reflect on their performance, the
contribute to other people’s
majority of children recognising
enjoyment through creative and
that they could follow performance
expressive performances and
direction sand read musical notation
presentations
and scores to ensure a flow to the
In particular in 2nd level music
music.
the child can
“Fabulous demonstration of musical creativity”
Children demonstrate how they can perform music to a
wide audience and contributing to their enjoyment. The
children followed musical direction and their scores in
order to deliver a polished performance. Using their
success criteria, the children tried to make their piece
flow.
 perform music (from other
“Fantastic variety of skills and talents”
styles and cultures)
demonstrating accurate
pitch, melody, rhythm,
“It doesn’t matter how it looks it’s the sound that’s
important”
Next Steps for the learning :- The children identified that they would now need to work on their timing of their pieces to
improve their performance and the flow between each groups’ performance.
timbre and dynamics
 give and follow
performance directions
and use musical notation
Learning Activity:
The pupils worked in groups to interpret a section of Tam O’ Shanter, using their identified criteria
as a reference point for success.
Creating
creaCreatCreating
‘We have written a time line for our section and now we need to start thinking
Evidence:- The learner worked cooperatively with her group to
First Level Expressive Arts
about writing out a score
produce a brainstorm of appropriate instruments for her story
section. Following on from her opportunity to listen to and
evaluate evaluate Malcolm Arnold’s orchestral piece ‘Tam
O’Shanter’. She recognised the use of trills in Scottish music and
offered several ideas one of which was using the keyboard and
The time line clearly demonstrates the required rhythm and indicates
where they will annotate the dynamics on their completed score. The
children have begun to order the sounds and select the musicians.
Significant Aspect of
Learning
This exemplar demonstrates that
flute in a copy cat fashion.
the child
can be creative and express
themselves in different ways
will be able to express themselves,
think innovatively, meet challenges
positively and find imaginative
solutions to problems
can work co-operatively and
communicate with other, and in
doing , show initiative,
dependability , leadership and
enterprise
“I liked how the flute and
the keyboard interlocked,
it gave it a smooth melody”
In particular in 2nd level music
the child can

can create musical ideas
using sounds, pitch,
melody, rhythm, timbre
dynamics and music
technology

can show evidence of
understanding music from
a range of different
styles and cultures linked
to performing and
creating
The learner demonstrated application of her creating skills during a ‘music
challenge’ activity. The task was to provide an accompaniment to a melody
within a timescale of 30 minutes. The learner confidently selected
instruments she felt were appropriate and correctly identified chord
changes within a twelve bar blues structure. This resulted in a strong
performance of the ‘Rockin Foods group’ to a wide audience,
demonstrating knowledge and understanding of pitch and rhythm and skill
in applying them.
The learner has produced a layered score indicating which
instruments have to be played, by whom and when, incorporating
melody rhythm, beats, dynamics and pictorial representation of
timbre.
Next Steps for the learning:- Build on knowledge and understanding of performance direction and musical notation through
the use of layering as an introduction to the complexity of an orchestral score. Begin to apply this knowledge through the
creation of their own score including the use of technology.