Music
plays an important part of every elementary student’s education at
CIS. Our programme focuses on providing opportunities for students of
all abilities (not just those with exceptional talents) as well as
developing important life skills like concentration, perseverance and
teamwork. With this in mind, our TK grades 4-6 choir under the
direction of music teacher Athalya Salim, were recently given the
task of composing music for dialogues and soliloquies in
Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.
The
process involved first analysing the emotions conveyed by the script
and then brainstorming about musical effects, orchestration and
instrumentation. “Creativity flowed as we set the ambience, which
prompted many students to make several great suggestions,” said
Athalya. “For example, one of them suggested adding a canonic
effect and harmony to our composition while someone else recommended
getting inspiration from Scottish bagpipe music for the narration
about Scotland.”
Another
significant contribution was for the soliloquy in the scene where
Macbeth is racked with guilt after killing Duncan: “Whence
is that knocking? How is't with me, when every noise appals me?”.
“The students chose an intense melody to accompany these powerful
words and added suspense-filled drum beats in the background to
enhance the mood,” explained Athalya.
Teamwork
played a vital role throughout the process. “It was wonderful to
see everyone working hard as a team; it was not just me and them but
us,” described Athalya. She also added that the process of
composing, arranging and singing the songs had been very fulfilling
for everyone. “There were invaluable contributions from all choir
students. In fact, the student input and enthusiasm encouraged me to
break out of my musical comfort zone and do what I had initially
thought was impossible!”
The
composition was first showcased at a performance of Macbeth by over
60 TK students at the Singapore Repertory Theatre on June 6.
Observing the students’ excitement was very rewarding. It was great
to see them develop their skills and enjoy the rewards for all their
hard work.
To find out more information about
CIS’ music and other arts programmes visit www.cis.edu.sg/
learning/arts or contact their admissions team on +65 6734 8088
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