At Yokohama Senior High School of International Studies, they have been early adopters of Flat for Education since 2021. We spoke with Ms. Akiko Fujii, who teaches elective music in the International Course, about how they came to implement it and its effects.
First, please tell us about the characteristics of your school.
One of our school's features is that we have many returnee students who have returned from living abroad. When they enter high school, some have undergone the Japanese education curriculum, and others have not, so there's a significant difference in their knowledge and experience. For example, some students have never touched a recorder, which is common in Japanese classes, but instead have experience with brass or string instruments. Cultures and educational backgrounds vary widely from country to country.
Expectations for Integration with Google Classroom and Enabling Students to Engage in Trial and Error
Could you tell us how you came to introduce Flat for Education as a tool for students with such diverse levels of knowledge?
When Chromebooks were introduced to our school, we first needed to master Google Workspace tools like Google Classroom. By utilizing these tools, we realized the advantage of being able to collect and instantly share students' feedback all at once. We wanted to do the same thing with musical scores.
Did you try other software or apps before introducing Flat for Education?
Personally, I tried several softwares other than Flat for Education (hereafter referred to as "Flat"). I felt that Flat, which allows you to place notes on the staff and is the easiest to handle, was the best fit, so I started using it.
Specifically, what was the deciding factor in choosing Flat for Education?
The deciding factors were its integration with Google Classroom and the comprehensive support it offers.
While there are other more visual tools that are good for enjoying and playing around intuitively, in high school music classes, I aim to have students create from a place where there are more options to express their inner selves. In that regard, Flat allows students to choose various instruments, lets them listen to the timbre while they experiment, and teachers can see their work history, which I found wonderful.
A History Feature That Allows Teachers to Rewind and Fast-Forward Through Students' Work
High Hurdles in Composition Classes
Ms. Fujii, is composition your original specialty?
I actually come from a vocal music background and was not good at composition. But because of that, I think I understand how students feel when they stumble at the beginning of creative activities.
That's surprising! What prompted you to actively engage in composition classes using Flat for Education, even though composition is not your specialty?
A big reason was that singing became difficult due to COVID-19.
But when I started composition classes, I thought, "Hey, composition is fun too!" (laughs).
In high school arts elective subjects, we have music, art, and calligraphy, and I often talk with teachers of those subjects. Art and calligraphy are basically individual activities, and it's great that the outputs are visible to everyone. I wanted to achieve the same kind of learning in music by allowing students to compare their individually created works with others. In music class activities, practical skills disappear once performed, so it's hard to achieve that, but I realized that through composition, it is possible.
Before introducing Flat for Education, were there any issues you felt?
Composition has very high hurdles for music teachers.
First of all, most high school students can't write or read notes on the staff (do-re-mi). And even if they write it on paper, it's hard to reproduce. For example, if it's a monophonic melody, they might be able to sing or play it on the piano or recorder, but the range of what they can do is quite limited. Limiting to monophonic melodies doesn't produce something so impressive. They can only try very basic things. I felt that we couldn't take advantage of the wide range of options that actual composition offers.
Students Gaining Knowledge Through Flat for Education and Enjoying Trial and Error
After introducing Flat for Education, have there been any changes?
Our big goal is to have students compose background music (BGM) for picture books at the end of the first year. To acquire the necessary knowledge and solfège skills for that composition, students need to overcome several points where they might think, "This is boring." I believe Flat has all the elements that allow them to challenge and overcome those points.
Among these, what I've been particularly fond of lately is Flat's worksheet feature. Classes that only focus on solfège can be tough, right? But by using the worksheet feature, I set the difficulty level of the assignments step by step to keep students from getting bored and allow them to work continuously in short periods. Then, they also try creative assignments with short pieces. When they take on the role of composing themselves, they realize they need to know certain things, and by knowing them, the music they produce changes—this understanding comes from experience. So I began to think that composition is an important activity where students can "learn, practice, and experiment" in music classes, and it became an opportunity for me to transform my teaching approach.
I used to think that composition was difficult and something only a few capable people did, but now I realize that's not the case. If we don't do this, students won't understand the goodness of music, and I can't teach it properly.
Students who didn't even know do-re-mi at first have become increasingly capable by using Flat. Flat has a feature that automatically displays the note names (do-re-mi) above the notes, making it visually easy to understand for students starting from the point where they don't know which notes are which on the staff. And when they input notes and press the play button, it automatically plays back. That seemed to be a revelation to the students.
They became able to compose, experimenting with "How about this?" and "What about that?", and the time from understanding to enjoying became remarkably short after we started using Flat.
Features like Boomwhackers Automatically Display Note Names on Notes, and Color Notes That Color-Code Notes by Scale Degree
How are the students' reactions during classes?
Students work silently to the point where the class becomes completely quiet. When they play back their own music along with the picture book, they feel a strong sense of accomplishment, saying, "I did it!" I was also very moved, and the students would say to each other things like, "That part's sound was amazing!"
Is using Flat for Education difficult for students?
For example, since they can choose various instruments for playback, the possibilities for note placement are endless.
But because of that, some students don't know where to start, so for the first composition assignment, I give a short task of 8 measures using only do and so. Depending on the situation, I might limit the note values as well.
Even with the same assignment, students who are good at it can use various instruments and make it as elaborate as they like. They think about how much they can do within 8 measures, and I find it impressive to watch. There aren't many assignments that can accommodate the range of students' abilities and willingness to challenge themselves within a single task. That's truly wonderful.
Clearer Instruction
You also publish students' works on Google Sites, limited to music elective students, right?
Yes, we do. By doing so, when students feel, "This person's work is amazing!", they can objectively explore what makes it so great by looking at the musical score.
I wanted to emphasize the area between subjective feelings like "amazing" or "moved" and the objective facts of the musical score in my teaching, and since arriving at composition with Flat, I've been able to instruct much more clearly.
In what ways do you think your instruction has become clearer?
People naturally have different feelings when they listen to music—some are moved, some are not, some think it could be better, and so on.
While those are subjective feelings, I believe that investigating and exploring "Why did I feel that way?" is the essence of learning. Rather than just sharing subjective impressions, we can now look at the musical score to see why we felt that way, and I place great importance on that.
Achieving Classes with High Student Satisfaction Within Working Hours
Have there been any changes besides the content of your classes and students' reactions?
By using Google and Flat, we can accomplish many things within working hours.
When I was younger, I spent a lot of overtime on lesson preparation and evaluation, but at some point, a veteran teacher told me, "You need to think about what you can do within working hours." Now, I can do what I want within working hours, and I think student satisfaction in classes has also increased.
After all, paper-based work involves a lot of effort for teachers. Compared to when we did everything on paper, I think I can prepare in about one-third of the time now. With paper, collecting assignments, confirming that we've received all of them, arranging them in attendance number order—these tasks take quite a bit of time. Returning them also requires class time, which consumed a vast amount of time.
Now, we can return assignments with just a few clicks. Even when students are working on assignments during class, we can check on students we're concerned about from our screen and give targeted support. It's great that we can provide pinpoint assistance to students who find individual activities challenging or are too shy to ask for help. We've been able to cut down on time and various efforts.
Knowing that we can check their progress from our end, students can't slack off either. Many students are concentrating hard, and that might be part of the reason (laughs).
Gradually Raising the Difficulty of Assignments
Could you tell us your favorite feature after using Flat for several years?
It's the toolset feature that allows us to limit the functions students can use.
There are many features, so while it's great for capable students, those who struggle might not know what to use. I really like that we can restrict it significantly at first and gradually raise the difficulty.
The worksheet assignments are also a great help. We start by explaining, and then we work through the first few questions together. If they don't understand, we allow them to consult with each other to encourage communication.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, some students have become uncomfortable with communicating with peers, so we're intentionally creating time for that.
Helping Students Value Themselves Through Their Works
Finally, could you tell us how you're currently using Flat in your classes?
First, we start with composing 8 measures using two notes (do and so).
While we're conducting singing practical exams, students work on this, and in the next class, they present their works within their groups.
After that, we move on to composing with three notes (do, so, and mi).
Just by adding the third note, they can experience how musical expression expands significantly. They spend about three hours composing what they want to express. There are many interesting themes like "My feelings before a test" or "My hectic self in the morning." Some students are outstanding in their use of not just sounds but also rests, and I find that impressive.
Then you move on to composing BGM for picture books. What points do you focus on in your classes?
I want to let students create works they can be confident in.
I think it's hard for high school students to confidently talk about themselves. I feel that many students think, "What if someone thinks this about me?" or "I'm not that great."
Among the things I want them to feel through music classes is "valuing oneself."
When they've spent time creating a work and have gone through trial and error, they develop an attachment to it, and when they introduce it to others, it becomes an opportunity to express their thoughts, which I think leads to valuing themselves. Also, when they can do that, they can listen to others' works while imagining those feelings. I hope they hold on to this when they enter society.
Ms. Fujii, thank you for sharing your experiences!
We also introduce Ms. Fujii's past assignments as lesson examples. If you haven't tried Flat for Education yet, please experience its convenient features with a free trial.
Flat for Education – Music Learning Platform
Flat for Education is a cloud-based music learning platform. It can be used immediately without installation on any device, including iPads, Chromebooks, and smartphones.