A source of World music CD’s is not always readily available locally so I hope this list of some website worth visiting will be useful - please feel free to add others. Here’s the link
I have long enjoyed the inexpensive and very broad selection of music available from the Naxos label. The Naxos site has many useful features - try the music and movies listing.
I’ve recently been listening to music by Philip Glass, a composer who has often been described as ‘minimalist’ although he prefers to be thought of as a composer who works with patterns of sound. A recent (2006) recording by Naxos of the Symphony ‘Heroes’ is worthy of exploration in the classroom.
It uses as its inspiration the David Bowie album ‘Heroes’ - it does not try to give a simple orchestral rendering of the work but genuinely explores the themes in an orchestral texture. All the movements are based on tracks from the album, which was a collaboration between Brian Eno and Bowie.
Naxos is a superb label offering a massive range of material in a wide range of genre and at a low price.
For more information try the following links:
I’ve recently been working with Heather Pringle, Music Co-ordinator at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School in South Shropshire in supporting teaching staff in recognising progress over the key stages. We have provided on Shropshire Digital Brain some statments which will support the Attainment Levels in the National Curriculum which have always been difficult to use since they lack clarity for most of us and certainly for non-music specialists.
We hope these are helpful. They can be found from the file listing on this page within my area (keith.shropshire) of Digital Brain: link
Another very uesful piece of work on assessment in music has been undertaken by Katherine Smith and a team of Primary staff and their work can be found here
Course Title: Developing Higher Level Thinking Skills in Music at Key Stages 1 & 2
Course Date: 16/10/2006
Times: 09:15 - 12:00
Venue: Shrewsbury Training & Development Centre
Course Leader: Keith Havercroft
9.15 – Introduction
9.30 – Session 1: A series of practical activities in listening, performing and composing, which provide opportunities for the development of higher level thinking skills at KS1 and KS2
10.45 – break
11.00 – Session 2: Developing strategies to maximise the focus on thinking skills and transferring ideas across the curriculum
11.50 – Summary and evaluation
12.00 course ends
Course members are asked to bring along an instrument which can will enable you to play a rhythm and an instrument which will enable you to play a melody (e.g. a tambourine and a xylophone etc.. )
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