Engaging the Year Eight Student in Music Making

Abstract

'Music sucks!' These words are often spoken by year eight students when referring to their classroom music lessons. This perception of music changes dramatically when they leave the school grounds and 'plug in' their walkmans. How do we engage these young adolescents in the music making process? This paper details the results of a ten week action research project that was conducted in collaboration with another music teacher in a year eight classroom for my doctoral thesis. Also included in the paper is a small case study of one of the students - Steve. It details his progress over the ten week period. The project explored issues that confront year eights generally, in the contemporary music teaching and learning context. It contributes to the body of knowledge that provides ideas for music teachers in planning experiences for their students.