A good reflection explains four things about your own musical idea: what you intended, what you chose, what you noticed when you played it, and what you would change. Each one needs a musical term and a reason.
This lesson is part of SPM subjects and learning resources. The vocabulary comes from describing what you hear using precise terms, so read that first if the terms feel rusty.
What makes a reflection different from a description?
A description lists events. A reflection links a choice to a reason and a result.
“I played the tune on the keyboard” is a description. “I chose the keyboard because its soft tone matched the calm mood, but the notes faded too quickly in the last bar” is a reflection.
The four-part frame
Use four short paragraphs, one for each question.
- Intention. What mood or idea did you want?
- Choices. Which elements did you use to get there: tempo, dynamics, instruments, rhythm, texture?
- Result. What did you hear when you played it back? Point to a specific bar.
- Next step. What single change would improve it, and why?
Worked example
Imagine an original four-bar idea for a recorder, meant to sound like early morning.
Intention. “I wanted a quiet, peaceful feeling like a village waking up.”
Choices. “I wrote a slow tempo with long notes and a soft dynamic. I used the recorder because its thin, clear timbre sounds light. The tune moves mostly by small steps so it feels gentle.”
Result. “When I played it back, bars one and two matched my idea. In bar four the long final note felt unfinished because the melody stopped on a note that did not sound like an ending.”
Next step. “I would end the last bar on the first note of the scale, because it would sound settled and complete. I would then play it again and check whether the ending feels calmer.”
Notice that each paragraph has a musical term, a bar reference or a reason. No sentence says only “it was good”.
The mistake to avoid
A common weak version is: “My piece was good. I used many instruments. I think the audience will like it.”
It has no reason, no bar reference and a vague quantity. The fix is to replace each general statement with one choice, one reason and one place in the music.
Check yourself
Here is a sentence from an original reflection: “I made the ending louder and it sounded better.”
Rewrite it so it names the term, the reason and the result.
Answer
A model rewrite: “I added a crescendo in the last two bars because I wanted the ending to feel like a build-up to a finish. When I played it back, the rising volume did create more energy, but the tempo stayed steady, so I would try a slight accelerando next time.”
Your wording may differ. Check for a term (crescendo), a reason (build-up) and an observed result (more energy), plus a next step.
What to study next
Practise the thinking with the original Music practice set, and use the structured-answer self-review tool to check that each paragraph has a choice and a reason. Planning your practice time also helps reflection, so see building a focused rehearsal log.
Practical and assessed work follows your school’s arrangements. For one-to-one help with explaining your choices in words, see online one-to-one Music tuition.