Why do I make my students write program notes?
It’s currently week 6 of term 4, which means I am well and truly in the thick of end-of-year concert prep. There are three elements of my studio concerts which are a bit different to many of the other teachers I know. So I thought I’d outline the rationale behind each of these three elements in three blog posts for any curious parents, students, or other teachers who might be considering implementing these next year. The three things I do differently are: program notes, performer bios, and compliment cards.
So, what are program notes?
Program notes are an opportunity for performers to give their audience additional context and information about the pieces they are performing, in the form of a short written paragraph printed in the program. Program notes might include biographical details of the composer or songwriter, historical or social context, or interesting musical features of the piece. In my studio, writing program notes is a task that I guide students through in lessons leading up to the concert, so all students regardless of level practice writing about music from the earliest years.
What are the benefits of program notes?
Writing program notes is an opportunity for students to consider why the music they are playing is the way it is. While in an ideal world, music history, composer context, and musical analysis would form a part of every lesson, the reality is that many students forget the information about composers, music history etc. that we cover because they are too busy focusing on how to play or sing their pieces. Having students write program notes provides another opportunity in the year to make sure students are reinforcing and adding to their understanding of music in context, and building their analytical skills.
Program notes make engaged audiences by helping them understand what they are hearing. Student concerts are not just about teaching students to perform, they’re also about teaching students how to listen and be good audience members. Having program notes for the audience to read helps both students and parents stay engaged in their listening by giving them context for what they are hearing, as well as features of the music to listen out for. When we are writing program notes in lessons, I often ask students to consider what their audience needs to know to enjoy listening to this music. Are there any musical features you want them to hear? Is there an interesting history to this piece or song that will help your audience get more out of it? Thinking about these questions also forces students to reinforce their understanding by moving from a “performer orientation” to a “responder orientation” (Broomhead, 2018).
Program notes allow students to express themselves and their own musical preferences and identities. Since all my students get to pick their own performance pieces, one of the things I will often ask students to include in their program notes is why they chose that piece. Younger students might express preferences for certain musical features, such as fast or slow tempi, loud or quiet dynamics, or different styles or genres of music. Allowing students to not only choose their performance pieces, but to have the reasons for those choices validated, helps students build a sense of musical agency which can lead to more sustained engagement with music education and prevent drop out. (Krause et. al., 2020; Wiggins, 2015).
Writing program notes reinforces school music outcomes & prepares students for tertiary music study. The process of writing program notes aligns with many outcomes in the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus. For example, in early stage 1 (Kindergarten), students “Use listening skills to identify ways that beat, rhythm, pitch, performing media, timbre and dynamics are used in music, using Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary”, and “Use listening skills and express ideas or feelings in response to music”. In stage 3, they “Use Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary to create a written review of music, using the elements of music to reinforce an opinion” and “Acknowledge artists, titles, origins of music and sources of information to add authority to written texts”.
In years 7-10, students “uses listening skills to describe music in relation to stylistic, cultural, historical or social contexts and the elements of music”. The process of writing program notes prepares students for Viva Voce musicology assessments in years 11 and 12. And students who undertake tertiary musical studies may be required to write program notes as part of performance assessments. Writing program notes reinforces and enhances what students are learning in music at school.