c. Selecting ICT Resources

The teacher in the case study is completely at home with the skills behind most of the options we have looked at above, including having first-hand knowledge of composition software. He has used the software with MIDI output, but has never considered it as a form of modeling or a form of 'hypothesising' about the qualities of a composed piece.

You may not be in the same position as he is, so we shall look at the options in the context of your school and your experience. Think about the following points as they apply to you:

Attempt to meet the objectives with live instruments only.
This suggestion to me shows very graphically the value of the kind of hardware and software we are discussing. If we tried it, we would not only be met by the difficulties of performance, but also the limitations on the instruments available. Not to mention the limitations of sound when you use only musical instruments.

Use a variety of pre-recorded pieces and seek to meet the objectives by discussing them.
Here we could find a number of recordings of the same piece, ideally performed using different instruments, or we could go with simply discussing the use of instruments in the pieces to which they are attached. The limitations again seem to me obvious. There aren't that many examples of the first to play with, and the second gives us little to do beyond the general discussion of arrangement and performance.

Use pre-recorded pieces available in digital form and have pupils alter instruments and sounds using composition software.
The good thing about this is that it enables pupils to model from the known - they will see hypothetical results quickly, and have to do little to see the point. We have tried this with taking a guitar/base/drums/harmonica piece and replacing the guitar and harmonica with a harpsichord and a flute. Pupils quickly see the impact of this in terms of the learning objectives discussed for this case study.

Have pupils compose their own pieces and then submit them to modeling by the software.
There is a little more work here, but the good thing about it is that pupils will have had in mind the way they wanted the piece to work, and will be experimenting with their own models. To the extent that this removes the 'baggage' of a known piece this is fine, but we need to be aware of the baggage of composition as well.

Have pupils use their own pieces, and compose straight to the software using the modeling functions of the software to influence composition.
This is perhaps the most extensive and fundamental use of the software in composition and arrangement, in the sense that the computer-based devices become features of the modeling of the piece at the basic stages. The problem with it - and this is true of all modeling devices, from counter-factual History programmes to spreadsheets to simulate experiments - is that the technology can sometimes get in the way of the primary process. If this can be controlled, and if the devices can be seen as instruments that do things, then the modeling of the piece alongside its composition can be interesting.

Now that you've looked at my ideas about the options available, you need to make your own choices. The teacher in the case study has decided to use all options across the group, depending on the level and preference of pupils, and to combine two or more in particular sessions over a two-four-week period. You need to plan to do something of this sort.

On the next page, make a copy and fill out the summary to help you get a focus on what you will do. I've put in some suggestions - you can use these as you like. Think of some uses of your own, and make a short note on what you will have to do to make it work, what you expect the benefit to be to your pupils, and what difficulties you expect to encounter when you do it in the classroom.

Resources Selected for Work on Composition/Modeling