Evaluations

Other Formats

Teaching with this Title

MusiCan 1 supports the Music curriculum primarily. The animated, interactive songs and activities focus on the strands of performing and listening and responding. The lesson plans also suggest composing activities. Other MusiCan products (MusiCan 2,3,4) are developed to give children an in-depth knowledge of the main musical elements including rhythm, pitch, dynamics, texture, pulse, tempo, structure and timbre — as well as an understanding of concepts such as binary and ternary form, rhythmical notation and melody. MusiCan 1 is an introduction the these following series.

The programme also acts as a stimulus for language lessons and it is available in English and Irish so can easily be used in these subject areas. The animations introduce new words and phrases therefore developing vocabulary and the review section enhances children’s memory, attention and social skills through interactive games.
The lesson plans also allow for differentiation and ideas for special needs teachers and also for teaching English as an Additional Language.
The programme can be used to different degrees:

• If a teacher lacks confidence in teaching music, then they will find this programme very useful. They may use the CD to teach the five songs by guiding the pupils through the colourful animations, which cover the introduction to the song, then practice it by repeating and finally reviewing it by playing an interactive game. Each module could be covered in half an hour and then repeated weekly to ensure learning. The teacher could firstly access the resources page and print the accompanying activity sheets. It is best to introduce the software to the whole class group (20 minutes) , then allow the children to complete the module in pairs (approx 6 minutes/pair) while the whole class group completes the activity sheets.
  
• The more confident the teacher feels at teaching music and using IT, the greater the extent to which MusiCan will be used. Instead of just guiding pupils through the animations, the teacher may access the excellent lesson plans with each module and follow the step by step instructions. In this way each song/module can be taught in 6 lessons that include further teacher and pupil participation. If used in this way, MusiCan 1 provides 30 music lessons which incorporate all strands of the music curriculum. I would highly recommend this method of use, so the teacher can appreciate the full extent of the programme and it’s resources such as animations, activity sheets, lyrics, songs, backing tracks and suggested activities. If used in this way other areas of the curriculum are covered such as visual arts, SPHE, drama, P.E. and maths.
  

The programme can be used by teachers who may only have one classroom computer or ideally in a computer room with a data projector but the programme excels when displayed on an interactive whiteboard. On another note, the computer should be connected to a printer to produce activity sheets, lyrics, etc. At the end of each module completed by the pupil, a certificate of completion appears and can be printed. This may increase printing costs in the classroom but is an excellent incentive for each child.
Overall, teaching music with MusiCan is straight-forward, motivational and enjoyable for both teachers and pupils.