Teacher Resources

Improvisation ideas and alternative notation for pupils who do not read and more. Read about the benefits experienced by learning disabled people when they have been given the opportunity to play a musical instrument. See what has been done by others.

Forum

Join in discussions and share ideas about teaching and learning musical instruments for and by the learning disabled. Encourage others with your success stories.

Music Certificates

This is a new initiative provided by Melody for those for whom a formal exam is not the most appropriate way forward. It provides a form of assessment for which there is no pass or fail, but allows each student and his teacher to create his own agenda within certain prescribed limits. The assessment will be done by a qualified music teacher who is aware of the problems experienced by those with learning disabilities. The student will come out of the assessment with a certificate and a report form. The report form will contain details of what has been assessed and will therefore be a means of recording progress as each assessment is done. It will make suggestions for improvement and further development.

Melody Music Certificates are unique in that they provide total freedom for teachers to send an individual agenda for each pupil. Several pupils, for example, may do Melody Music Certificate level 1 stage 1, and yet what each pupil actually does will display a wide range of ability. Comparisons between pupils will not be made. The progress documented from one stage to another will vary from pupil to pupil according to their ability and will enable pupils to enjoy the experience of doing the test, and also be a means of recording progress.

Teachers are invited to down load and use this Award scheme with their own pupils. The certificates can be printed on to coloured card, and the report forms on to matching coloured paper. Teachers may choose to use different colours for the five different stages of level 1. Teachers can use the assessment by conducting the tests themselves in their own studios or create an feeling of occasion by holding them elsewhere and inviting a colleague to conduct the assessments.

There are five different levels to Melody Music Certificate Level 1, after which some pupils may like to consider doing an Associated Board Performance Assessment before embarking on Melody Music Award level 2.

Teachers can hold these tests in their own studios, and invite a sympathetic colleague to do the assessments. This gives the event a feeling of being special, in the same way that others view their examinations.

Within the prescribed parameters of Technical, Tune and Improvisation, teachers are given the freedom to set their own agenda to suit the needs and requirements of each individual pupil.

There are three areas of assessment:

  • Technical - Scale or five finger work
  • Piece of music - Tune learned by rote or from notation
  • Improvisation - Creative imagination and self expression

Technical

This can be scales, exercises or any five finger tune which is used on a daily basis as a technical exercise. Examples of these are given.

Piece of Music

This will be whatever the pupil is working on at the time of the test. It can be learned by rote, notation or any other way by which the pupil finds it easy to access the tune.

Improvisation

This shows the pupil's ability to explore the keyboard creatively as a means of self expression. There are many examples of improvisatory ideas on the Melody website.

Melody would be pleased to receive feedback from teachers who have used this certification system. Please contact Rosie Cross using the email address given on the website.