Aural skills for Level II Musicians

Project Outline Within the vocational subject of music a range of aural skills topics were selected For each area a series of discrete, interactive listening and test activities were designed to reinforce and test student knowledge in aural recognition skills The materials involved extensive use of sound, interaction, activity and feedback, and were written in plain English.

Benefits of the project for staff Skills development in music graphic software (Sibelius) Working with different audio formats (wav. Mp3) The development of Flash animation skills Authoring skills within a template.

Benefits of the project for students Reinforcement and testing of existing knowledge Development and enhancement of existing aural awareness skills Differentiation through pace of learning Dovetailing with other aural resources and teaching strategies within a MLE Flexibility of use by both tutor and learner.

Future Developments The extension of this work into other Learning Objects focussing on a range of aural skills Integration of audio resources into Learning Objects within music, languages, EFL, and pre-vocational studies The skills developed in sound engineering for web-based delivery can be disseminated to music students on a variety of courses.

Screen design and orientation Each separate 'learning object' has its own homepage. A variety of options are available in the central, white page area.

Example Content Screen Content is clearly broken down and often comprises a mix of text and media In many cases the media is interactive and following the instructions will result in further reinforcement of points made within the text.

How the materials can be used The learner can work on their own in an IT classroom environment with a tutor providing assistance More able learners can work independently, either in a drop-in IT facility, or from home The material can also be used in a whole class situation using a data projector.