Listening to Karanga

Overview

This is lesson 2 of 6 in the Music in Context unit. Ākonga listen closely to Tawaz’s “Karanga, karanga”, recording musical observations and questions about how sound may connect with Māori culture, identity, place and purpose. The lesson builds on prior learning about listening vocabulary and respectful engagement with music in cultural contexts.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify significant musical features in a recorded performance
• use accurate music vocabulary to describe what they hear
• ask informed questions about the relationship between music and context
• listen respectfully to music connected with a Māori cultural context

Success criteria

• I can identify instrumentation, vocal style, rhythm, texture, language and expressive features.
• I can describe specific sounds using musical evidence.
• I can ask thoughtful questions about culture, identity, place and purpose.
• I can distinguish between what I hear, what I infer and what I still need to find out.

Curriculum links

• Demonstrate understanding of music in relation to contexts: describe significant music concepts and relevant contexts.
• Examine music in relation to contexts: begin explaining relationships between musical features and context using examples.
• Music concepts: identify elements, features, expressive devices, te reo Māori and culturally grounded vocal practices where evident.
• New Zealand Curriculum Refresh: develop disciplinary knowledge through listening, interpreting and communicating; practise manaakitanga, respect and ako when engaging with Māori knowledge and cultural expression.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Reconnect and prepare. Teacher opens the listening introduction slides and reminds students of the previous lesson’s focus on music vocabulary, explaining that a karanga is a culturally significant call and is not a sound to imitate casually. Students silently predict what they might listen for and agree to use respectful, evidence-based language.

2. 4–7 min · Listening lens. Teacher introduces the six listening categories on the listening categories slide: instrumentation, vocal style, rhythm, texture, language and expressive features. Briefly clarify unfamiliar terms, including texture as the way musical layers combine. Students select two categories they will prioritise during the first listen.

3. 7–12 min · First listen: overall response. Teacher plays “Karanga, karanga” without interruption and asks students to complete the first section of the listening observations worksheet. Students record three observable details and one immediate feeling or impression, without attempting to explain the cultural context yet.

4. 12–19 min · Focused listening. Teacher replays selected sections, pausing between excerpts and using the focused listening prompts to direct attention to voice, instruments, rhythmic patterns, layering, language and expressive choices. Students add precise evidence to their worksheet, using words such as solo, call and response, repetition, timbre, dynamic contrast, unison or layered texture only where appropriate.

5. 19–24 min · From sound to context. Teacher models the distinction between observation, inference and question: “I hear…”; “This might suggest…”; “I wonder…”. Students work in pairs, then share with the group, completing the context section of the worksheet with questions about Māori culture, identity, place, occasion and purpose. Teacher acknowledges that respectful interpretation requires further research and that students should avoid making assumptions.

6. 24–28 min · Evidence discussion. Teacher displays the evidence discussion slide and facilitates a six-student discussion. Each student contributes one musical observation and one question, responding to at least one peer by agreeing, adding evidence or respectfully challenging an interpretation. Teacher records strong examples of sound-to-context thinking on the board.

7. 28–30 min · Exit reflection. Teacher returns to the plenary slide and asks students to complete the final worksheet prompt: “One significant musical feature is… It may connect to context because… I still need to find out…”. Students hand in the worksheet or photograph it for their learning record.

Resources

• Tawaz, “Karanga, karanga” audio recording
• Speakers or classroom sound system
• the listening introduction slides
• the listening observations worksheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Headphones or a quieter listening space, if required
• Māori music and cultural context guidance approved by the school or kaiako

Assessment

• During listening, check whether students record specific musical evidence rather than general comments such as “it sounds good”.
• During discussion, assess whether students use music vocabulary and separate observation from inference or assumption.
• Collect the worksheet as a formative record. Look for identification of at least four musical features, one evidence-based context connection and one genuine question for future research.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank, category icons and sentence starters: “I hear…”, “The texture changes when…”, “This may be significant because…” and “I wonder whether…”.
• Allow students to listen through headphones or replay shorter excerpts; provide additional processing time for written responses.
• Pair students strategically so that a confident listener can model precise vocabulary without completing the task for a peer.
• Extend capable students by asking them to compare two excerpts and evaluate which musical feature most strongly communicates purpose or identity, while recognising that cultural meaning should be confirmed through appropriate sources and voices.