Over the past few weeks in MYP3 Music, students have shown significant growth in their understanding and application of musical elements such as melody, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, harmony, timbre, and texture. Uriel Wulff-Tagoe developed strong piano and performance skills while overcoming challenges in fingering and sight-reading. Mmalabna Velma Salifu-Mahami improved her ability to analyse instruments, timbre, and musical structure through listening and group activities. Raymond Tettey-Amlalo strengthened his piano performance, ear training, and expressive playing through a better understanding of harmony and articulation. Kadmiel Annan grew in music analysis, theory application, teamwork, and performance confidence through class discussions and practical activities.
Reflections
Over the past few weeks in MYP Music, I have continued to develop both my musical understanding and my confidence as a performer. One of the most important areas I improved was music analysis, where I learnt to identify and explain how musical elements such as rhythm, dynamics, melody, and harmony create emotion and meaning in a piece. Through activities and performances, I became more confident using musical vocabulary and applying music theory to real songs. I also improved my research and communication skills by analysing the intentions of artists and explaining my ideas clearly. At first, I sometimes struggled with performance confidence, timing, and certain theory concepts, but regular practice and feedback helped me become more comfortable performing in front of others. I also learnt the importance of teamwork during group performances and class discussions, where listening, cooperation, and communication were necessary to create stronger performances. Overall, these past few weeks have helped me become a more confident, expressive, and collaborative musician while teaching me patience, discipline, and consistency. ~ Kadmiel Annan
Starting my music journey was a new and interesting experience. I had never done music before, and this was a completely new subject that I was unfamiliar with. During my journey, I have grown my knowledge of musical elements and music theory. I have learnt how to identify melody, dynamics, rhythm and tempo. I have also learned the parts and pieces that come together to create and compose a song. I have also learned to appreciate different types of music by analysing how music varies in different cultures. Additionally, I developed my confidence and overall musical ability. I was able to do this through various activities such as performances, group work, song analysis, and much more. These activities, especially performance and practical sessions, also helped me develop my practical skills on the piano. Before attending TIS, I didn’t know how to play the piano, but now, I have grown significantly, and I am able to play much more difficult pieces. This is one of my biggest achievements, as I’ve always wanted to be able to play an instrument, and now I can. Even though I can do this, I have definitely faced some challenges. I used to struggle with fingering, sight-reading, and memorisation. But thanks to careful guidance and consistent practice, I was able to overcome my challenges. Overall, I have been able to accomplish this thanks to joining Music MYP. ~Uriel Wulff-Tagoe.
I have learnt a lot more than I expected ever since I started my music journey. At the beginning, I thought music was just about playing instruments and singing songs, but I realised it also includes understanding rhythm, structure, melody, and how music communicates different emotions and messages. Over the past two years, I have improved my musical knowledge and can now identify musical elements and instruments when listening to different songs, as well as understand how they are used in different genres. In our unit “Exploring Musical Elements”, I studied key elements such as tempo, melody, and pitch and learned how they create meaning and emotion in music. Each lesson helped me build my understanding step by step through listening activities, class discussions, and practical performances. This helped me overcome misunderstandings and secured my confidence in my knowledge of musical elements. These activities improved my ability to listen more carefully and analyse music instead of just hearing it for enjoyment. For example, for one task, we had to identify various instruments in an orchestration and depict the unique timbre of each one. I also became more confident in group work and performance, although I sometimes struggled with remembering all the musical terms at first, but I improved through practice and feedback. Overall, this unit has helped me grow in confidence, knowledge, and creativity. I have learned how to listen to music more deeply, work better with others, and express ideas through musical elements, and I feel more capable as both a learner and performer than when I first started. ~ Mmalabna Velma Salifu-Mahami
Over the past few weeks in MYP Music, I have improved both technically and musically as a pianist. I became more confident reading sheet music quickly and smoothly, especially in faster and more complex sections, and my finger coordination and tempo control have improved through regular practice. My playing now sounds more connected and consistent because I can transition between chords and melodies more naturally without pausing as much. I have also developed stronger listening skills, as I am now able to hear notes, rhythms, melodies, and chord patterns on the piano and replay them by ear, which shows growth in my musical understanding. During this time, I also strengthened my understanding of musical elements such as melody, harmony, dynamics, articulation, texture, timbre, and form, allowing me to play with more expression and emotion rather than only focusing on the correct notes. Although I still faced challenges such as staying fully focused and practicing consistently, these experiences helped me become more disciplined, patient, and committed as a musician. ~ Raymond T
