Music lesson using Vygotsky’s "Zone of Proximal Development"

Abstract

The following essay will demonstrate how to use Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development during the Baroque Period in music to encourage and motivate students to conclude their work assigned and be on task whilst considering their options in terms of Music History and familiarising themselves with the music history period of 1600 - 1750. A very important part of the curriculum is to allow students to compose music, and create their own original compositions using the stylistic features of prominent composers from the Baroque period. Students concluding the IB DP programme will have to conclude the music analysis and have to comment on their research being critical thinkers focussing on one of the areas. The exploration of diverse musical material is focused through the lenses of four areas of inquiry, which include music for sociocultural and political expression, music for listening and performance, music for dramatic impact, movement and entertainment, and music technology in the digital age.

Keywords: DP Programme, International Baccalaureate, Music History

Introduction

The following Baroque lesson will promote the use of Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development to encourage and motivate students to conclude their work assigned and be on task whilst considering their options in terms of Music History and familiarising themselves with the music history period of 1600 - 1750. They will also learn about the various composers associated with the Baroque period and differentiate between the music between Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi.

Part 1 - Task assigned - Area of Study: Music Analysis and Composition

Part of music history is to be familiar with the various composers associated. The task assigned is for the students to work collaboratively together within a group and research a particular area of the composer's assigned life and extend their knowledge of the Baroque period by focusing on the key musical characteristics. The students will compose music using ornamentations or decorations within their melody lines. They are allowed to use the piano or keyboards and work together. They first have to start researching the composer they have chosen from this period. Their options will be Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Purcell, and Monteverdi amongst many more. The students are supposed to be inquirers as outlined by IBO (2018) with a strong focus on critical thinking as expected through the IB curriculum. They are supposed to use their various Approaches to Teaching and Learning (ATL) skills to iterate the skills they have been taught including "social, research, thinking, communication and self-management skills" (IBO, 2018, p. 1).

Part 2 - Using Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development within the lesson

Students have to be challenged academically and educationally for them to achieve their goals and targets set. Shabani et al. (2010) state that: " Vygotsky defined the ZPD as the distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peer" (p. 238). The teacher will suggest that work conclude the research together through using cooperative learning and through means of scaffolding the answers by addressing the questions and content. They will work on sections from Music History and research the composer Handel about his life, compositions and contributions to Baroque music. They will also reflect together on the use of ornamentation or decorations in music. They will present a google slide presentation of 10 slides to the whole classroom and divide the sections into two parts, accepting responsibility and ownership. Vinney (2019) confirms that: "The zone of proximal development is the gap between what a learner has mastered and what they can potentially master with support and assistance” (p. 1).

Conclusion

Through using the Zone of proximal development both students will be able to cover the gap in terms of the research concluded. They will cohesively learn from each other being “risk takers” as outlined by IBO (n.d.). Both of them through collaboration and cooperative learning will be able to understand the concept well and present an outstanding google slide presentation and then conclude a good composition having researched the topic well and understanding the characteristics of the Baroque period in particular.

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