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Chan Li Xin (Bukit View Primary School): Songwriting using "Call and Response"

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Chan Li Xin (Bukit View Primary School): Songwriting using "Call and Response"

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Playful Approaches (PA 3): Chan Li Xin (Bukit View Primary School)

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Thank you for signing up and attending CI NLC 2025 Mini Symposium!

This year's theme is Sustaining a Passion as Music Educators.

14 to 16 Oct CI NLC Mini-Symposium (Online asynchronous)

16 Oct 4.15pm - 5.00pm CI NLC Mini-Symposium (Online synchronous)

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1) As you watch the presentations, please post your comments/questions under the specific presenters' columns. Please watch and post responses to at least 5 presentations.

2) Click on (+) to add a new comment/question, or (Add comment) to respond to an existing comment/question.

3) Please state your NAME and SCHOOL when posting. (See below for example)

4) Due to time constraints during the symposium, the presenters will respond to all questions by Thu, 16 Oct 4pm.

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Join us on MS Teams on 16 Oct, 4:15pm to 5pm for the CI NLC Closing (Online Synchronous).

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 420 013 588 566
Passcode: 79tR6z9U

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Venue: Online Date(s): 14 to 16 Oct 2025 The Critical Inquiry Mini Symposium features presentations by CI NLC participants who have completed their projects. The theme for 2025 is “Sustaining a Passion as Music Educators”. The mini-symposium features presentations by members of the CI NLC on their projects, which are based on their current teaching contexts and classroom practices. The presentation topics cover:
Joy of Teaching
Differentiation, Inclusion and Diverse Learners
Collaboration, Ownership and Social and Emotional Learning
Playful Approaches
AI & Technology
Gamification and Playful Learning
Improvisation and Creative Approaches * Required

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Clarissa Ng Pey Wen (Jurongville Secondary School): Differentiated Learning in Music: Differentiating Process - Songwriting Module

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Clarissa Ng Pey Wen (Jurongville Secondary School): Differentiated Learning in Music: Differentiating Process - Songwriting Module

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(DI & DL 1) Clarissa Ng Pey Wen (Jurongville Secondary School)

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Differentiated Learning in Music: Differentiating Process - Songwriting Module

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Sunshine Ong Siqi (Naval Base Primary School): Adapting Music Lessons

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Sunshine Ong Siqi (Naval Base Primary School): Adapting Music Lessons

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(DI & DL 2): Sunshine Ong Siqi (Naval Base Primary School)

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Jennifer Koh Lai Har (Sengkang Green Primary School): Exploring Differentiated Instruction on Music Learning - Ukulele

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Jennifer Koh Lai Har (Sengkang Green Primary School): Exploring Differentiated Instruction on Music Learning - Ukulele

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(DI & DL 3) Jennifer Koh Lai Har (Sengkang Green Primary School)

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Exploring Differentiated Instruction on Music Learning - Ukulele

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Chua Soo Bin April, Teoh Jia Yan Diana and Pagsibigan Jemaima Agustin (Fuhua Primary School): 
Students' Growth in Kompang Learning through Self-assessment and Reflection

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Chua Soo Bin April, Teoh Jia Yan Diana and Pagsibigan Jemaima Agustin (Fuhua Primary School): 
Students' Growth in Kompang Learning through Self-assessment and Reflection

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(C, O & SEL 1) Chua Soo Bin April, Teoh Jia Yan Diana and Pagsibigan Jemaima Agustin (Fuhua Primary School)

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Students' Growth in Kompang Learning through Self-assessment and Reflection

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Nur Atika Binti Mohamed Naim (Victoria School): 
More Than Music: Finding Harmony in Empathy and Teamwork

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Nur Atika Binti Mohamed Naim (Victoria School): 
More Than Music: Finding Harmony in Empathy and Teamwork

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(C, O, SEL 2) Nur Atika Binti Mohamed Naim (Victoria School)

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Mor Than Music: Finding Harmony in Empathy and Teamwork

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Brenda Teo Yan Ling (Bartley Secondary School) and Stephanie Zhong Hongkun (Serangoon Gardens Secondary School): Promoting Inclusivity in Groupwork

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Brenda Teo Yan Ling (Bartley Secondary School) and Stephanie Zhong Hongkun (Serangoon Gardens Secondary School): Promoting Inclusivity in Groupwork

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(C, O & SEL 3) Brenda Teo Yan Ling (Bartley Secondary School) and Stephanie Zhong Hongkun (Serangoon Gardens Secondary School)

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Teo Lee Loo (Edgefield Secondary School): How can the use of classroom instruments enhance students' engagement in singing and support their development in music composition?

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Teo Lee Loo (Edgefield Secondary School): How can the use of classroom instruments enhance students' engagement in singing and support their development in music composition?

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(PA 2) Teo Lee Loo (Edgefield Secondary School)

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How can the use of classroom instruments enhance students' engagement in singing and support their development in music composition?

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Loh Chai Na (Telok Kurau Primary School): Composing with Loops

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Loh Chai Na (Telok Kurau Primary School): Composing with Loops

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(PA 4) Loh Chai Na (Telok Kurau Primary School)

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Stephen Toh Hong Wei and Yap Earn Chi (Corporation Primary School): Music AI in the Classroom

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Stephen Toh Hong Wei and Yap Earn Chi (Corporation Primary School): Music AI in the Classroom

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(A & T 1) Stephen Toh Hong Wei and Yap Earn Chi (Corporation Primary School)

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Tan Guodong (Evergreen Primary School): Exploring AI in Music Composition: Enhancing Student Motivation and Sustaining Educators' Passion in Teaching and Learning Music

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Tan Guodong (Evergreen Primary School): Exploring AI in Music Composition: Enhancing Student Motivation and Sustaining Educators' Passion in Teaching and Learning Music

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AI and Technology (AI & T 1) Tan Guodong (Evergreen Primary School)

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Exploring Ai in Music Composition: Enhancing Student Motivation and Sustaining Educators' Passion in Teaching and Learning Music

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Chan Yin Li Samantha (CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh)): Harnessing Music Technology to Increase Student Engagement

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Chan Yin Li Samantha (CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh)): Harnessing Music Technology to Increase Student Engagement

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(AI & T 3) Chan Yin Li Samantha (CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) )

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Harnessing Music Technology to Increase Student Engagement

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(AI & T 4) Yeo Wee Kiong (Geylang Methodist School (Primary))

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Yeo Wee Kiong (Geylang Methodist School (Primary)): How can virtual angklung technology be used for teaching and learning of angklung performance for P3 students?

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Yeo Wee Kiong (Geylang Methodist School (Primary)): How can virtual angklung technology be used for teaching and learning of angklung performance for P3 students?

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(AI & T 4) Yeo Wee Kiong (Geylang Methodist Girls School)

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How can virtual angklung technology be used for teaching and learning of angklung performance for P3 students?

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Melvin Chan Wei Yi (Qifa Primary School): AI-Assisted Influences on Creative Processes in Songwriting

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Melvin Chan Wei Yi (Qifa Primary School): AI-Assisted Influences on Creative Processes in Songwriting

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(AI & T 5) Melvin Chan Wei Yi (Qifa Primary School)

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AI-Assisted Influences on Creative Processes in Songwriting

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Low Duo Jia, Dorcas (Bukit Panjang Primary School): Gamification of a Music Lesson Module

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Low Duo Jia, Dorcas (Bukit Panjang Primary School): Gamification of a Music Lesson Module

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(G & PL 1) Low Duo Jia, Dorcas (Bukit Panjang Primary School)

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Toh Jessie and Lam Yen Fong Jasmine (Marsiling Primary School): Playful Approaches for Joyful Learning

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Toh Jessie and Lam Yen Fong Jasmine (Marsiling Primary School): Playful Approaches for Joyful Learning

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(G & PL 2) Toh Jessie and Lam Yen Fong Jasmine (Marsiling Primary School)

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Chua Yu Yong Timothy (Valour Primary School) and Tan Shi Ying (Red Swastika School): Engage, Play, Learn with Gimkit

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Chua Yu Yong Timothy (Valour Primary School) and Tan Shi Ying (Red Swastika School): Engage, Play, Learn with Gimkit

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(G & PL 3) Chua Yu Yong Timothy (Valour Primary School) and Tan Shi Ying (Red Swastika School)

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How does gamification using 'GimKit' increase the motivation and engagement of primary students in learning and understanding music concepts?

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Lim Soon Keong Joseph (Naval Base Primary School): Space, Aliens, and the Improvising Teacher

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Lim Soon Keong Joseph (Naval Base Primary School): Space, Aliens, and the Improvising Teacher

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(I & CA 1) Lim Soon Keong Joseph (Naval Base Primary School)

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Space, Aliens, and the Improvising Teacher

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Michael William Cartwright (Yio Chu Kang Secondary School): Collective Free Music Improvisation

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Michael William Cartwright (Yio Chu Kang Secondary School): Collective Free Music Improvisation

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(I & CA 2) Michael William Cartwright (Yio Chu Kang Secondary School)

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Pang Biao Bin Gavin (Fern Green Primary School): 
Fostering Adaptive Thinking: An Exploration of Collective Free Music Improvisation in the Primary Classroom

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Pang Biao Bin Gavin (Fern Green Primary School): 
Fostering Adaptive Thinking: An Exploration of Collective Free Music Improvisation in the Primary Classroom

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(I & CA3) Pang Biao Bin Gavin (Fern Green Primary School)

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Fostering Adaptive Thinking: An Exploration of Collective Free Music Improvisation in the Primary Classroom

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Hi Clarissa! Really enjoyed your thoughtful approach to differentiation - using song maps as an entry point and BandLab for deeper creation. I'd love to try the song map idea in my own songwriting lessons too. I can imagine how lower-readiness students might find rapping challenging. Perhaps maybe can guide them to mark the stress words so that they find it easier to land their lyrics on the beat?

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Kwa Yan Teng and Muhammad Izdihar Othman (Park View Primary School) and Lim Nien Chern Juliana (Fernvale Primary School): Exploring Performance Anxiety in the Music Classroom

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Kwa Yan Teng and Muhammad Izdihar Othman (Park View Primary School) and Lim Nien Chern Juliana (Fernvale Primary School): Exploring Performance Anxiety in the Music Classroom

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(PA 1): Kwa Yan Teng and Muhammad Izdihar Othman (Park View Primary School) and Lim Nien Chern Juliana (Fernvale Primary School)

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Exploring Performance Anxiety in the Music Classroom

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Long Peizhen (Haig Girls' School) and Cher Wei Shan (Fengshan Primary School): Collaborative Play

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Long Peizhen (Haig Girls' School) and Cher Wei Shan (Fengshan Primary School): Collaborative Play

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(JoT 2) Long Peizhen (Haig Girls' School) and Cher Wei Shan (Fengshan Primary School)

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Collaborative Play - Peizhen and Wei Shan

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Allen Losey and Cher Wei Shan (Fengshan Primary School), Long Peizhen (Haig Girls' School), Cindy Lim (Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary)), Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nasirjaya and Ng Xin Ru (Cedar Primary School), Tan Hui Chin (Bedok Green Primary School): Collaborative Play

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Allen Losey and Cher Wei Shan (Fengshan Primary School), Long Peizhen (Haig Girls' School), Cindy Lim (Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary)), Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nasirjaya and Ng Xin Ru (Cedar Primary School), Tan Hui Chin (Bedok Green Primary School): Collaborative Play

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(JoT 3) Cindy Lim (Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary))

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Cindy Lim (Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary)): Collaborative Play

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Cindy Lim (Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School (Primary)): Collaborative Play

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(JoT 3) Cindy Lim (Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' School)3. Cindy

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Tan Hui Chin (Bedok Green Primary School): Collaborative Play

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Tan Hui Chin (Bedok Green Primary School): Collaborative Play

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(JoT 4): Tan Hui Chin (Bedok Green Primary School)

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Ng Xin Ru (Cedar Primary School): Collaborative Play

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Ng Xin Ru (Cedar Primary School): Collaborative Play

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(JoT 5): Ng Xin Ru (Cedar Primary School)

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Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nasirjaya (Cedar Primary School): Collaborative Play

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Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nasirjaya (Cedar Primary School): Collaborative Play

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(JoT 6): Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nasirjaya (Cedar Primary School)

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Collaborative Play - Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nasirjaya

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Allen Losey (Fengshan Primary School): Collaborative Play

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Allen Losey (Fengshan Primary School): Collaborative Play

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(JoT 7) Allen Losey (Fengshan Primary School)

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Collaborative Play - Allen Losey and Conclusion

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It is a refreshing take on how one could assess creativity through originality, flexibility, non literal and relevance to the song composed by the students themselves. It does give students a clearer view and understanding of how to be 'creative' within a structure.

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Bravo teachers! Loved this NLC collaborative play you've created together! Like-minded friends in the fraternity really helps sustain the passion for teaching. The singing, gesturing, using cups, role playing, puppets, and sound machines, all so joyful and inspiring. (Now I think I need a sound machine too! 🙃)

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Hi Brenda and Stephanie, thank you for this insightful sharing on inclusivity, a topic that resonates closely with me. It is such a timely reminder that the classroom environment we shape truly affects students’ confidence to express themselves. The teacher resource package looks great! Were the worksheets completed in print or digitally?

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Hi Li Xin! What a great sharing. Love how you used call and response to help students start songwriting - it's such a musical and accessible entry point. I've tried something similar too, even with AI-generated lyrics, to help students think about phrasing.

I was quite surprised to hear that the primary students were hesitant to sing! Perhaps you could explore letting them record on BandLab? At least in their own space, they could pick up the confidence to open their mouths without anyone judging.

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Hi Lee Loo. Thank you for your sharing. Loved how your students sang their own jingle as a group. Totally relate to the noise levels too! I know this is a bit off from your research question on classroom instruments, but have you considered letting them compose on a DAW with earpieces? While they're at their earpieces, at least we get a bit of peace at the same time! 😆

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Dear Joseph,

Thank you for sharing your very wonderful project. I feel that the beauty of this project goes beyond the improvisation of your students' alien sounds creation but really into the SEL development of your students. Those 7 weeks with them, allowed them to feel that they are heard, that they are empowered to have a voice, to learn to work together across different age groups and also to build confidence in themselves while they create and perform.

I'm so proud that you could take an idea that you've learnt and expand on it and make it your own. Now, I'm going to try your lesson ideas too.😉 Keep up the wonderful work. -Allen

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I really like your idea of teaching students to create rhythm through movement. It not only enhances young children’s sense of participation but also helps strengthen their memory of musical notes. I was thinking that if they could bring their arms together and clench their fists for "ta", it might make the movement even more vivid😋. Thank you so much for your sharing. I truly enjoyed watching the children sing and dance at the same time. They all had such a wonderful time in your lesson! Thank you! 👏

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Thank you Peizhen and Wei Shan for the sharing and insightful reflections! The lessons were well scaffolded and enabled students to learn through play. At the same time, students were given space to nurture their curiosity and deepen their learning through narrative teaching.

Question: What were the routines/cues that were established with the students (e.g. transiting from sitting to circle)?

Yi Han, Rivervale Pri

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Hi Cindy, thank you for sharing your hand clapping game for the song Zao Qi Shang Xue Xiao. I am definitely going to try this out with my P1 classes! You have shown that joyful teaching and learning does not necessarily entail complicated software or AI tools. it can be as simple as a hand clapping game with clear structures and routines in place. Thanks!

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Hi Cindy,

Thank you for your sharing! It's great to see how excited and engaged the students were in the lesson. :)

Could I check if there were any prior bonding lessons/ challenges faced in getting students to move and clap with each other? (Eg. students didn't want to pair with a certain someone/ any students were not comfortable with touching/clapping their friends?)

I'm just wondering if this engagement would pan out differently in a co-ed school/ secondary school/ upper-primary class...

Thank you! :)

Brenda, Bartley Sec.

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Dear Cindy

Its heartening to see that the students enjoying the lesson with engaging hand clapping games combining games with teaching of concept will really make the students remember the song.=)

From

Lean Woon

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I like how you help students internalize rhythm through hands-on activities like clapping or using cups. It makes rhythm feel fun. These activities also support different learning styles, so everyone can join in at their own level. Is there any instrument that you would let students tried or progress from rhythms that they have created?

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I really enjoyed your sharing! Using gestures, movements, with daily objects to help students internalize rhythm is an engaging approach. The process makes learning more interactive and tangible. I’m definitely inspired to incorporate these ideas into my own lessons.

Belinda, CCPS

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Dear Hui Chin

I think its a really great idea to make use of daily objects to help students internalize rhythm. This saves costs as students have all these items at hand and also it makes the lesson more engaging.

Rhythm is definitely one of the important component in learning a song.

I will try incorporate these ideas into my lessons.

From Lean Woon

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Dear Xin Ru

It’s fascinating to use cups to keep the rhythm while playing Jinkli Nona. I love how the students naturally internalize the beat. I also agree that scaffolding is essential in supporting this kind of intentional play. What’s particularly impressive is how their movements develop organically in response to the music. I also appreciate that students have the opportunity to feel and experience the concept of binary form before encountering it in theory. I’m curious, how might you extend this lesson to further deepen students’ understanding of form and rhythm?

Li Xin (Bukit View Primary School)

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I can truly see the kids enjoying themselves from the smile on their face. I like how the lessons used simple items such as cup (or even chopsticks!) to make keeping the beat more interesting. Getting students to lead the conducting also involves them in the teaching and learning process which makes the lesson a more memorable one.

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Like how soundscapes can be introduced through the use of silent advertisement of a car. A refreshing idea as opposed to how music teachers typically used a silent cartoon. Like how a big picture has such rich details such that the whole class can be doing soundscape to a single picture but with them contributing from different parts of the picture.

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Thank you for sharing! Using different difficulty levels keeps students engaged, motivated and excited for the next lesson. I am definitely going to try this approach in my lessons.

Belinda - CCPS

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Hi Allen! Thank you for this cute and lovely finger puppet idea. What you were doing was metacognition at its finest. Students had to assess themselves in reference to rubrics and imagine what the finger puppet might say. This then prompted them to make adjustments.

Instead of just using countless mind-numbing checklists, the whole thing became a playful and fun process! I am already thinking of creating such a character for my classes. Instead of a finger puppet, perhaps an adorable plushie???

[Joseph, NBPS].

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Like the shift from teacher-centric to hand-puppet centric! It is lovely to see how students are able to self evaluate by making themselves go through 'how do you think the hand puppet feels or thinks about your performance. It really brings up the music language learning in our students in a authentic setting.

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Hi Allen, thanks for your sharing. I like your idea of using a hand puppet to engage students and encourage self reflection on their own performance. Truly student-centric.

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Hi Clarissa,

Thank you so much for your sharing on Songwriting. Listening to your students' progress and musical works was inspiring and encouraging. :)

A few questions,

- The vocals recorded seemed rather clear! Were there any setups/ arrangements/ tips to enable clear recording by all groups at the same time in a single classroom?

- Were there instances where no one wanted to do level 3 song map as they didn't want to challenge themselves? How do you encourage them to choose a suitable song map?

- Would students be given a better score if they did a level 3 song map, vs level 1 song map? Or you focused on the final outcome of the musical work?

Thank you so much Clarissa for your sharing once again! :)

- Brenda, Bartley Sec.

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Ong Kai Wei (West View Primary):

I really like how systematically you documented and reflected on your students’ engagement, participation, and responses across the 8 weeks. The reflective journal approach really highlights intentional, sustained inquiry. I also love how you foregrounded inclusivity through practical strategies like games, peer support, and visual aids.

Some questions I have:

- How did you balance maintaining lesson flow for the whole class while providing individualised support for students with additional learning needs?

- In your view, how does practicing inclusive teaching sustain your own passion as an educator? Has it changed how you define “success” in the music classroom?

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I like your systematic hands-on learning with cue cards. i guess Buddy system is crucial as it reduces teacher intervention and built student confidence. How did you overcome the challenges of student's frustrations such as taking turns? Are there times when you need to call in the (SEN) team?

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Chai Na, telok Kurau Primary School:

Thank you Sunshine, for sharing this meaningful presentation on inclusivity. I really like how you used visual aids to support student’s learning. Especially the colour coded notation which was a brilliant way to help visual learners connect with the song. It was heartwarming to see the student’s engagement improving and being able to help his buddy spot a mistake respectfully.

do you plan to use colour coded notation for every song they learn, or just for selected pieces? Would it take up too much preparation time? How do you decide when a child is ready to transition from colour coded notation to reading the same notation as their peers?

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Hi Sunshine! The notes that you took across the 8 weeks on how the 3 pupils were engaged during the lessons across the 8 weeks, together with the challenges they face and the peer relationships they have with their classmates are very insightful and I am encouraged to do so for my pupils who have learning needs. From the notes, I can see how Boy 1 grew from requiring verbal prompts to being able to manage hands-on tools and working together with his peers. Even though Boy 2 was more easily distracted, his learning still took place based on how he was still able to play the instrument/tapped out the rhythm. A food for thought related to the buddy system; How do you ensure that the buddy’s learning is not compromised while helping their friends. Thank you! - Wei Shan (Fengshan Primary)

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Thank you Sunshine for sharing your lesson! I personally struggle with including students of different needs in my classroom, but your efforts reminds me that concrete actions can be taken to include students with SEN so that they too can participate and grow musically. I also like how you noticed that giving the students something in hand helps them to be involved and practise the music and slowly build them towards success.

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Love how you conscientiously keep a reflective journal for your weekly lessons to keep track of the learning. I would like to ask that the SEN officers whom worked with you intially no longer come in for in-class support? Were there times where this is a meltdown and how do you deal with it?

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Hi Sunshine, I was especially impressed by your adaptations, like using color-coded notation for chime bars, modifying rhythms, and providing visual timers for activities... I think these "unlock" the content for diverse learners without significantly altering the lesson for the whole class. Thank you for sharing!

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I like how you used a tiered structure (from basic handling to strumming and singing) as a form of differentiation. It really shows clear intentionality in addressing learners of varying readiness levels. I also like how you explored blended learning and peer collaboration as part of your differentiation approach to promote student agency.

Some questions that I have are:

- You mentioned peer pairing and leadership as part of differentiation. How did you prepare or guide peers and leaders to support their classmates effectively?

- What were some of the challenges in balancing differentiated instruction with time management and overall class pacing, especially in performance preparation?

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Hi Jennifer, thank you for your sharing. It’s encouraging to see your students motivated to learn the ukulele. Just wondering how you manage the classroom noise level with 3 groups playing differrnt pieces. Thanks.

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Hi Jennifer, seeing how you applied DI in terms of the groupings that they are in, the choice of songs that they would like to use to learn and familiarise themselves with the C and F chords and the strumming patterns helped the pupils gain confidence and take greater ownership of their learning. Additionally, blended learning with SLS at home also tackles the limitation of seeing the pupils for lessons once a week, especially when it comes to learning a new instrument where they require more exposure to be familiar with it. I also really liked how your pupils supported each other. What kind of instructions did you share at the start for the pupils to help them guide their peers meaningfully without doing the work for them? Thank you! :) - Weishan (Fengshan Primary)

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Thank you so much for your sharing. I think it is a great idea to use video recording for students to track their learning progress. It helps create awareness during their self reflection and if they are progressing at each check point it calls for a celebration. I will try it out with my class. Earn Chi, CPS

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Dear Atika,

I really enjoyed how you began with the “We First Mentally” and thoughtfully wove it into the EDIPT framework. The strategy of noticing stood out to me as especially powerful—it encourages students to pause, reflect, and think more deeply about taking action, and then to take the action.

Thank you for sharing this meaningful approach, Atika. I’m inspired to try it out with my P6 students next year!

A quick question for you: How long is this popband module?

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Dear Atika,

Thank you for sharing how the EDIPT framework works in band playing. The idea of using a song map as a blueprint for the song is really interesting. How do students create their own blueprint of the songs? Is there ay prior knowledge before they begin?

The Praise, Polish, Ponder approach is an excellent way to guide students in giving constructive feedback to one another. Encouraging students to reflect on their own growth is also a wonderful strategy to help them stay focused and mindful of their progress.

I’m curious, do you share all the reflection questions with students at once, or introduce them gradually? At what point did you notice students shifting from being distracted to direction?

Li Xin (Bukit View Primary School)

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Hi Atika, thank you for your sharing on how you engaged your students throughout the whole pop band module! It's wonderful that the students were provided with guidance yet are also free to explore and plan their own performance.

My school also does a pop band module with our P6s. I would love to explore the approaches such as using padlet and the EDIPT framework for reflection, factoring time for peers to peers feedback, in my lessons! 😊

Question: Do your students have other platforms in school to perform what they have managed to accomplish as a band?

Yi Han, Rivervale Pri

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Hi Atika,

Thank you for sharing so many frameworks and strategies you used to empower your students' through their band rehearsals and performance. Indeed, a band becomes greater when they think about the group sound first, after their own. The song map you shared is really helpful in allowing students to visualise and plan their performance flow too! Really liked how to got students to continually reflect on their music through their band rehearsals. Reflecting is never easy, especially when the kids are tired of thinking for the day.. ><

Just 2 questions on logistics:

- How do students practise so that they can hear each other? (Are all singers equipped with mics/ are all groups allocated a room for practice?)

- Score sheets wise, how do students know what to play? (Eg. Does the Tuba find his own chords/notes online to play? I'm guessing, if he's not too musically inclined, he may only be familiar with sheet music?)

Thank you so much! :)

-Brenda, Bartley Sec.

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Hi Atika,

Thank you for sharing! I liked how you taught students to visualise the music through Song Maps. My question is, what specific scaffolding or structures did you implement during the earlier stages of the EDIPT framework to help groups manage their practice time effectively and ensure all band members (especially those on non-melody instruments) have their parts clear before the pressure of the Test stage arrives?

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Dear Brenda and Stephanie, Thank you for this heart-warming sharing! This is a good reminder to me that splitting student in groups is not a simple routine. For the student, it is a highly ‘political’ act where the forces of inclusion and exclusion are on full display. Yet, it was so helpful to observe the critical role of the teacher. She/he creates the environment and intentionally steps back which allow students to identify, assess, and solve these ‘social’ challenges independently and collaboratively.

Just a question: Regarding the issue of helping students vocalize their challenges, what would you have done differently in that reflective activity?

[Joseph, NBPS]

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Dear team, thank you for this insightful sharing about Music Performance Anxiety (MPA). This is such a real issue that confronts our young students and even ourselves as more experienced musicians. I love this quote by Eric Whitacre: 'The terror of performing never goes away. Instead, you get very, very comfortable being terrified.'

Yet, managing this ‘terror’ becomes a powerful teachable moment to teach the value of resilience!

I especially liked your edited survey questions which would be helpful to many music teachers in assessing their students’ current readiness in performing!

[Joseph, NBPS]

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Thank you team for researching on this interesting topic! I learnt from you guys that while play can help to lower performance anxiety, play can also build students' confidence in their musical journey whether it is in an assessment or just during a showcase in class. Thank you!

(Xin Ru, Cedar Primary School)

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Thank you for sharing! I learnt that introducing play at the start of learning a song helps reduce students’ performance anxiety. The process makes the experience more enjoyable and less intimidating.

Belinda, CCPS

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Thank you teachers for sharing about tips to reduce Music Performance Anxiety (MPA). Even I do feel anxiety when I perform despite numerous performance =-)

Indeed using play at the start of learning song and teamwork I feel really helps to make the performing experience more enjoyable and less fearful.

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Hi Lee Loo,

Thank you for your sharing on how small compositional activities can encourage students to sing! Indeed, singing becomes challenging as students (and even adults!) become more self-conscious. Evidently, singing as a group allowed students to "hide" together, and hopefully this exposure would encourage them to sing more in other future music projects you have installed for them! :)

Some questions,

- Are they expected to sing in the same pitch as the melody line? (I face this struggle too, girls/boys being unsure what is the correct pitch/range to sing, and require guidance from us)

- Just a wondering thought, could a jingle of a slightly longer length allow them to settle into the song and reduce their awkwardness?

- Are these jingles used in any real-life school contexts? (Eg. played before the recess bell rings/ played before morning assembly begins/ etc). Just a wondering thought if good student works could encourage and promote a singing culture in the school too! :)

Thank you Lee Loo for sharing once again!

-Brenda, Bartley Sec.

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Hi Li Xin! Thank you for your heartfelt research sharing. I really appreciated how you so courageously shared the challenges you faced when dealing with student performance anxiety and reluctance to sing. Truly when students get older and become more aware of their self-image, the vulnerability they feel of having to sing is magnified. As they sing, they hear their own voice, with its inherent imperfections, without the comfort of ‘hiding’ behind an instrument.

The struggle is real!

I wonder, before starting this song writing module proper, do they do whole class singing of various ‘Call and Response’ songs? [Am sure there would be some silly rhymes and songs out there!].

Finally, I also felt using P5 camp as a source of rap creation a really great idea!

[Joseph, NBPS]

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Chai Na, Telok Kurau Primary School:

Thank you for sharing an engaging and creative songwriting lesson, Ms Chan! The rap warm up linked to the P5 camp experiment was a great introduction to songwriting to make learning relevant. I really like how you used the call and response approach to scaffold the songwriting process. The fixed parameters for rhythm and melody gave students structure while still allowing room for creativity (I really love their responses on SLS). Will there be an extension where students create their own melody as well?

I also often find my P5 students too shy to perform. many ask, “Do we have to perform in front of the class?” how did you support them to overcome that?

With AI tools becoming more common, would you consider allowing students to use AI to help find rhyming words or generate lyrical ideas?

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Thank you Li Xin for your sharing! Using the call and response technique is such a great start for the students to learn song writing as I found it challenging for students to just start from scratch and students are often struggling to picture their final product of the song. I excited to try this out in my own lessons!

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Thank you Li Xin for your sharing. This call and response technique provides a great structure for students to start song writing not only for the lyrics but the melody as well (not putting random notes together).

Do they need to notate or record down their melody? Do they need to perform their final creation for the whole song?

Earn Chi, CPS

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Hi Li Xin, thank you for sharing. The challenge of performance anxiety and reluctance to sing that you faced is common with secondary school kids as well. Your strategy of focusing on structured creation first (Call and Response, fixed parameters) is great because it lets students nail the compositional skills and build confidence before you even ask them to sing out, which is a great way to sneak past that anxiety.

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Hi Chai Na, I like the way you incorporate audio voice with the layers of instruments into music elements with different emotions. How do you guide students to shape their musical progression?

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Hi Chai Na, observing how you gave your pupils free exploration of the various loops within Garageband and linking certain music elements to emotions (i.e., excited music linked to fast tempo, calm music linked to sustained tones and timbres) before getting them to do a narration and create a backing tracking related to the emotions within the narration. It got me thinking if I can use cartoons with emotions (i.e., Inside Out) to introduce/reinforce certain musical elements in the lower primary levels before they try this out in P5/6. Thank you Chai Na! 😊 - Weishan (Fengshan Primary)

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Dear Chai Na,

Thank you for sharing! I love how you described it as a playground for students! It really gives them the time and space to explore the interface of the app and learn through experience before shaping their music to express emotions. I also liked how the students showed layering in GarageBand. I am wondering, do you usually give feedback while they work? And how do you help them choose which loops to use?

Li Xin (Bukit View Primary)

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Thank you Chai Na for your sharing! I liked how you helped your students draw the connection from just putting sounds together on Garageband to musical elements, so that students can reflect on how they have made certain musical decisions.

(Xin Ru, Cedar Primary School)

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Thank you Chia Na for your sharing. I have been struggling for a while how to guide students to create with a purpose and not putting random sounds together. I will try out this narratives with different mood and emotion with my class.

Can I ask how did you provide guidance along the way to assist students maybe in their transition or lack of depth?

Earn Chi, CPS

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Hi Chia Na, thank you for your insightful sharing. I like the that you stretched the students beyond "Happy and Sad" to music for other emotions.

May I ask how would your research outcome influence the way you teach the same lesson going forward. I would like to pick up some best practices from you too. Thank you.

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I like how you examined AI’s impact on engagement and musical understanding. I especially enjoyed learning about how you used Suno.AI to generate music of various genres and had students analyse their musical forms.

Some questions that I have are:

- How did you guide students to analyse and reflect on the AI-generated songs as examples of musical form and flow?

- Since Suno.AI outputs were used as study material for musical form, how did you scaffold students’ listening and reflection so they could meaningfully connect what they heard to their own compositional thinking?

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Sunshine Ong, Naval Base:

Thank you both for sharing about Suno AI! I’ve personally used it many times for my own enjoyment and also as a teaching resource, like creating backing tracks, but I haven’t tried having students use it yet.

I’m curious, which level would you suggest is suitable for students to try this?

I also wonder what scaffolding you provided before asking students to identify the form, and what guiding questions you used to help them analyse using the correct musical language.

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Dear team,

What an absolutely interesting insight into the use of AI and how students feel about it. While I can see that the students are favourable of using such tools for music compositions, I would like to seek your team's opinion on whether you think that the creative/music elements are taken away by the use of such tools after carrying out this project. Thank you :)

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Hi, this sharing on Suno.AI has been insightful. I'm struggling with the question: how much is too much AI help? Specifically, regarding the term 'original'—which mentioned early in the presentation—do you think it's important for students to unpack the mechanics of generative AI? If they understand that the AI is essentially a very sophisticated remix engine (recombining learned data), it might help them maintain a clearer focus on the unique creative input they bring to the process, rather than assuming the AI's output is purely their own.

I'm also concerned about the creation of Chatbots impersonating local musicians - is there a question to be answered about ethics?

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Hi Stephen and Earn Chi, thank you for sharing the Suno AI tool. I like how you used AI generated music to teach musical form.

One worry I have today is- How relevent are musicians and music education in this AI generation. How do we transform to keep our music trade relevant. Musicians could losing paid commission work due to AI in the future.

First, there were canned music content which content creators could use freely and cheaply by-passing hiring a musician to write music; Now AI can write a whole song much faster than a human musician.

It also makes me reflect our role as musicians and music educators in this AI age. Of course, AI created music now lacks the human touch we real musicians give, but certainly AI is a cheap and fast way to churn out music for content creators.

What are your thoughts?

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I really enjoyed your presentation. You have done an excellent job of positioning AI as both a pedagogical and motivational tool not just for students, but for teachers as well. The “scaffold first, then AI” approach shows strong instructional intentionality. Your data-driven reflections on student confidence and engagement are compelling, especially the recognition that some preferred refining their own ideas. It highlights a need for real, balanced learning rather than blind enthusiasm for technology.

Some questions I have are:

- Your approach of scaffolding before introducing AI is very thoughtful. How did you determine the right moment to bring AI into the process so it enhanced rather than replaced creativity?

- What strategies did you use to help students critically evaluate and refine AI-generated lyrics or jingles, ensuring they still exercised musical judgment and personal voice?

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Thank you for introducing new AI tools for me to consider to better improve the song writing program for my school

From

Lean Woon

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Hi Samantha,

Thank you for sharing your lesson on film music! It was great to see how student A and B became more engaged through the groupwork sessions and produced such good quality work (faster than other peers even!).

A few questions,

- Were there any challenges faced when stitching the music and video clip together? (I'm assuming students had to toggle between watching the video on 1 pld/screen tab, and arranging/selecting the bandlab music loops on another tab). Please correct me if I'm wrong!

- I noticed there were some sound effects (eg. rat scampering, computer sound, breath sounds). Were students given a completely muted video clip, and these all added in by the students? Or you just required them to create the underscoring music track for the video?

Thank you so much for sharing once again!

- Brenda, Bartley Sec.

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Chai Na, Telok Kurau Primary School:

Thank you Wee Kiong for the wonderful and insightful video! I really liked how you used the Sarinande+ to teach both chords and scales, it’s a creative and accessible way for students to experience harmony.

I also liked how you emphasised that if students play the leading note, they need to end with the tonic note. It’s a great way to reinforce tonal awareness. I love how there was ample time for exploration and discovery which made your students quickly spotted the chord pattern on their own! I was so impressed that the student discovered the 4th note, forming a 7th chord.

It was also great that students were introduced to cipher notation. This connection will definitely help them when they encounter cipher notation again while learning Chinese music.

I also liked how you constantly checked for understanding as students pressed the chords with the given starting note he/she was really confident.

I’m curious: for the iPad players, do they each play one assigned note, or do they perform the entire melody individually? Would you have considered playing at a slightly slower tempo to help those on iPads prepare their notes, especially with the app’s latency? this way student also experience different tempos.

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Hi Wee Kiong, I like the idea on how you introduce virtual angklung to the students. How do you coordinate a smooth class performance with it?