Zones, or Musi-Zone for the primary age students, are seven sections that Find is where you find out what the symbols mean. Create is where a student can use their musical voice, Grow is where concepts are introduced that help develop the musician. The Develop Zone takes the basic concepts and develops each concept to provide character and colour. Achieve is focusing on the student being able to say, “I Can!” The Explore Zone takes journeys into concepts and influences on music that change the effects and finally the Build Zone is where a student learns all the fundamental scale and chord-based skills. 

 

Educators Note: It is important to use Zones in the order you need. 

The order given is a fun way to learn the order of sharps.

 

The zones are sections which focus on one nuance of the TQ programme, like facets of a jewel, all must bring the sparkle, but each item is focused on as an independent unit. These units have been called Find, Create, Grow, Develop, Achieve, Explore and Build. The first letter of each word produces the procession of sharps that are found after the clef in a piece of music, or the order of increments on the Circle of Fifths. This subliminal learning allows the teacher or tutor to reinforce this concept. Triquetrae is a teaching Academy and TQ Teachers are completing the TQ Teaching Diplomas. TQ Tutors are time-served and qualified within the TQ structure either as specialist tutor or a TQ tutors.

 

The included instrument-specific breakdowns are generic starting points and should be used unless there are specific reasons to do otherwise. The published music for the zones is written in these keys and note ranges. If you need an item in a different key or note range, please email the R&D department seven days before you need it.

Each Zone is worth twelve credits. These credits are combined with the level to count towards a formal, regulated, TQ Qualification. These are like the traditional grades in so much as they are music based and regulated. 

 

The Find, Develop and Build Zones promote the understanding of playing an instrument. While each instrument has areas that are the same (duration of notes and rests) there are aspects of sound production and relating to pitch range that are instrument specific. The similarity is there to encourage multi-instrumentalists to develop skills that transcend all instruments. The Grow and Explore Zones motivate awareness of other styles and cultures; for instance, Level One research may be into “The Origins of Pease Porridge,” while Level Two one topic focuses on the origins of “Folk Songs in the Appalachian Mountains.” A Level Three research topic on “The Twelve Bar Blues” can be completed while Level Four includes a possibility to investigate “Latin American Rhythms.” These zones inspire students to listen with an open mind and be aware of sonic variations. The Find Zone reassures students that their musical voice is valid as Mozart, Bach, The Beatles, or Elvis. This zone emboldens the student to try and keep trying. 

 

It is important to understand that these zones do not have to be completed in any order. There is a logical order for certain sections, however each zone can be started at any time, and completed in any order as required by the student. Each zone complements the other, this means that before you play Pease Pudding Hot in the Achieve Zone you ensure you know all the note names and values from Find, the dynamics from the Develop Zone, you can look at the history in the Grow Zone and document your progress, you can be a Musical Detective in the Explore Zone and locate the Rhythm Patterns and Sound Patterns (from the Find Zone) and in the Build Zone you can play the scale and chords this piece uses. Finally, when you have learnt the piece in the Achieve Zone you can write your own piece about your favourite (or least favourite food) in the Find Zone and add it to your Grow Zone portfolio to contribute to your final mark. 

 

The interconnectedness of the zones is also clear in this structure. The Build Zone uses a foundational element to construct more complex concepts. The Find Zone focuses on understanding that element in isolation. The Grow Zone expands upon the element exploring its potential. The Develop Zone teaches students how to manipulate the element to achieve different musical outcomes. The Explore Zone encourages students to discover the full range of possibilities inherent in the element. The Achieve Zone integrates all the learned skills, culminating in the student's ability to reinterpret existing musical works. Finally, the Find Zone empowers students to use the element as a tool for their own musical expression, creating something entirely new.

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Quiz

1. What is the overall purpose of the Triquetrae Zones within the TQ programme?

2. What mnemonic, created by the first letter of each Triquetrae Zone, represents the order of sharps or the order of increments on the Circle of Fifths?

3. In which Triquetrae Zone do students primarily develop skills such as learning individual note names, understanding duration, and recognizing two-, three-, and four-note musical motifs?

4. Which Triquetrae Zone is characterized by students exploring and performing their own musical creations, developing unique musical ideas and confidence, and is symbolized by the conductor's baton?

5. In which Triquetrae Zone do students cultivate research skills and personal development through journaling and planning activities, with progress documented in a personal portfolio?

6. Which of the following skills is an example developed within the Develop Zone, focusing on refining musical abilities and exploring diverse ways of using musical elements?

7. What is the primary objective of the Achieve Zone within the TQ programme?

8. What is the main aim of the Explore Zone within the TQ programme?

9. Which Triquetrae Zone specifically focuses on foundational musical elements like keys and tonalities, and where is the Circle of Fifths explicitly explored and mastered?

10. How are the different Triquetrae Zones within the TQ programme described in terms of their relationship to one another?

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Teacher Training Essay Questions

1. Discuss the pedagogical rationale behind structuring the TQ programme into the seven distinct Zones (Find, Create, Grow, Develop, Achieve, Explore, Build). How does this structure aim to foster comprehensive musical development in students?

2. The source material emphasises that the TQ Zones do not necessarily need to be completed in a specific order. Analyse the benefits and potential challenges of this flexible approach to musical learning, drawing on examples of how different Zones might complement one another.

3. Compare and contrast the focus and learning objectives of the "understanding playing an instrument" Zones (Find, Develop, Build) with the Zones that promote broader musical awareness and creativity (Create, Grow, Explore). How do these different categories of Zones contribute to a well-rounded musical education?

4. Evaluate the role of assessment and self-reflection within the TQ programme, focusing on the descriptions of the Grow and Achieve Zones. How do these Zones encourage students to take ownership of their musical journey and celebrate their progress?

5. The source material uses analogies to explain the concepts within certain Zones (e.g., Find Zone as learning the alphabet). Choose three different Zones and explain how the analogies used help to clarify the learning objectives and intended student experience within each.

 

Glossary of Key Terms

Triquetrae (TQ): The name of the teaching Academy under which the described music education programme operates.

TQ Zones: Seven distinct sections (Find, Create, Grow, Develop, Achieve, Explore, Build) that form the framework of the TQ music education programme, each focusing on a specific aspect of musical development.

Musi-Zone: A term used for the Triquetrae Zones when working with primary age students.

Find Zone: The Zone focused on developing foundational musical literacy skills, such as reading notes, understanding rhythm, and recognising basic musical patterns.

Create Zone: The Zone where students explore and express their own musical ideas through composition and performance.

Grow Zone: The Zone that encourages research skills, personal development through journaling, and an awareness of broader musical concepts.

Develop Zone: The Zone focused on refining musical skills, including harmony, phrasing, dynamics, and listening abilities.

Achieve Zone: The Zone where students perform a final piece to demonstrate their accumulated skills and experience a sense of accomplishment.

Explore Zone: The Zone that invites students to discover diverse musical rhythms, themes, genres, and cultures.

Build Zone: The Zone focused on learning the fundamental keys and tonalities of music, including scales, chords, and the Circle of Fifths.

Circle of Fifths: A visual representation of the relationships between the 12 tones of the chromatic scale, their corresponding key signatures, and the associated major and minor keys.

Tonic Sol-fa: A system of musical education using syllables (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti) to represent musical pitches, aiding in sight-singing and ear training.

Musical Motif: A short musical idea, a recurring figure, melodic fragment or rhythmic pattern that appears throughout a musical composition.

Key Signature: A set of sharp or flat symbols placed at the beginning of a musical stave indicating the key of the piece.

Note Range: The span of pitches that a musical instrument or voice can produce.

Dynamics: The variation in loudness between different parts of a musical performance.

Phrasing: The way a musician shapes a sequence of notes in a melody to express an idea, similar to punctuation in language.

Pulse: The underlying beat in a piece of music.

Beat: The basic unit of time in music, often felt as a regular pulse.

Tempo: The speed or pace of a piece of music.

Harmony: The combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions.

Bass Patterns: Recurring sequences of notes played in the bass register that provide harmonic support to a melody.

Beat Subdivisions: The division of the main beats in a bar into smaller rhythmic units (e.g., eighth notes, sixteenth notes).

Musical Form: The overall structure or plan of a piece of music, often based on repetition, contrast, and variation of musical ideas.

Themes (Musical): Recognisable and recurring melodic or harmonic ideas that form the basis of a musical composition.

Tonalities: The character of a piece of music as determined by the key in which it is played or sung; the relationship of the notes to the tonic or keynote.

Credits (TQ): Units of academic value associated with each Zone and level, contributing towards a formal TQ Qualification.

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