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Jennifer Lin, student
Q: What did you enjoy most about Music?
A: It was fun to be around other people who shared the same interests and passion as me and see everyone else in the class share their knowledge of the subject.
Q: How did your teacher prepare you for this assessment?
A: My teacher would give us a topic/theme and make us compose short motifs every week in small groups. Rather than just sharing it with the class, our teacher would make us present to the class our motifs and our reasoning as to why we composed what we did. Furthermore, she would swap our motifs with other groups and we’d have to build onto their motifs. I thought this was quite fun and helped me see how other people interpreted the same topic.
Q: What made you choose the topic or method of presentation?
A: I was pretty limited as to how I wanted to present my composition (had to be a Sibelius file). In terms of how I wanted to present my shipping container theme in a musical sense, I chose to utilise a percussion ensemble instrumentation, not only because it was my strong area, but also because I thought it would be quite fun to do so. I mean, not many people are exposed to the wonders of percussion ensembles, let alone a piece for percussion ensemble seeking to represent shipping containers, of all things.
Q: What is most important to you when you are preparing a response to an assessment task?
A: The most important thing when preparing a response to my assessment task is my
assessment journal. No matter how tedious it may be to write it all up, I find reflecting back on what I wrote helps me structure my performance/composition statements. It’s like going back to what my mind was thinking about at a particular point in time. I also listen to my piece a hundred times before and while I’m writing these statements.
Q: What are your thoughts about this assessment and the approach you took when responding to the task?
A: I didn’t have a definite reason as to why I chose shipping containers as the theme of my composition. When it comes to creating a piece of my own, I like to just do whatever I feel like doing at that particular moment and then refine it for submission. Music has no restrictions, so why should I be so strict on what I do? That was my mindset when composing my piece.
Although I did whatever I felt like doing, that doesn’t mean I didn’t meet any complications. I remember I struggled immensely trying to communicate shipping containers on pitched, mallet instruments. Auxiliary instruments were easy — I just chose instruments with the right timbre that could depict the material of shipping containers. But composing a motif for pitched, mallet instruments that had to represent shipping containers? Not easy. How did I overcome? By experimenting and, eventually, I did it. I wasn’t proud of particular aspects of the assessment task ... I was proud of my entire composition. It’s a pity I was limited to 1–2 minutes, but it was a fun project to complete and I’m very happy with the result.
Q&A
with Yu-Chieh (Jennifer) Lin, student and Kathrine Jacobsen, teacher Mansfield State High School
Music, Internal assessment 2: Composition
Assessment Highlights Q&A
Music, Internal assessment 2: Composition Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority December 2021 Page 2 of 2
Kathrine Jacobsen, teacher
Q: What was the purpose of this assessment and what key decisions were made in the design of the task?
A: Music IA2 (Composition) assesses both the creation of a musical work and a statement of compositional intent. Unit 3 (Innovations) provides scope for students to compose for
instruments they are most familiar with and, at the same time, provides opportunity to create new sounds in new ways. Students were encouraged to experiment with sound sources and to find compositional inspiration in unusual places.
Q: How did your teaching and the student learning experiences prepare the students to complete this assessment?
A: Students were challenged to look back at their own musical journey and to look for
compositional inspiration. Through the exploration of innovative pieces of music including the genres of impressionism, minimalism and avant-garde, students were encouraged to take ideas from these styles to develop their own unique composition. Compositional statements were workshopped in class with both teacher and peer feedback given.
Q: How does this assessment reflect the unique characteristics of your school and your students?
A: Mansfield State High School students experience a wide range of music performance
opportunities that assist them in creating and developing their own musical style and practice.
These performance experiences then transfer into the Music classroom where students further develop their unique compositional voice. Students are encouraged to ‘step out’ of their usual experiences and try something new.
Q: Can you explain the exemplary aspects of Jennifer’s response?
A: In the statement of compositional intent, it was clear that Jennifer had drawn on past musical experiences. The concept of musical uniformity as it relates to the rigidity of a shipping
container displayed higher order thinking; this was displayed in the rhythmic drive and melodic motivic development throughout the piece. Unity and symmetry were further reinforced by the returning marimba chordal ostinato towards the end of the composition.
Innovation is clearly displayed throughout the composition, from the initial concept through to the use and combination of instruments. The use of changing metres, use of a bow on the vibraphone, and unique instrumental timbral variations all combined to create an outstanding student composition.
