» Composing Music at KS3

LESSONS

• 4 USING THE CD
• 5 GENERAL GUIDELINES

THEME 1: JUNGLE COMPOSITION Programme music (sound story) on the theme of the jungle using percussion and/or keyboards which could include sound effects.

• 7 ALONE IN THE JUNGLE Students experiment with sounds to represent a variety of events.
• 9 THE JUNGLE STORY Students begin composing by developing their sounds into a sound story.
• 11 JUNGLE WRITING Students are introduced to notation as they devise graphic notation scores for their sound stories.

THEME 2: SHOCK-HORROR! COMPOSITION An atmospheric piece of music building suspense using a number of repeated phrases in different tempos and sound effects.

• 13 SHOCK-HORROR! Students focus on how music can create suspense, and plan the shape of their own piece to include suspense-building, tension and shocks.
• 15 A HORRIBLE BEGINNING Students learn to play a repeated phrase before composing their own.
• 17 HORROR UPON HORROR Students experiment with pitch, voice and duration to compose two more phrases for their Shock-Horror compositions.
• 19 THE HORROR GETS CLOSER Students learn how to create a variation on one of their phrases to create a new effect, and are introduced to chords.
• 21 THE FINAL SHOCK Students build their final composition, experimenting with a wide range of technical elements.

THEME 3: SPY THEME COMPOSITION A piece of theme music suitable for a spy film in the Rondo form, using an ostinato and the Dorian mode.

• 23 SPY THEME - MISSION ONE Students are introduced to ostinati and compose an ostinato suitable for a spy film theme.
• 25 SPY THEME - MISSION TWO Students learn how to compose a melody using the first half of the Dorian mode and a four-phrase melodic pattern.
• 27 SPY THEME - MISSION THREE Students compose a second melody, repeating the shape of the first melody but using the second half of the Dorian mode.
• 29 SPY THEME - MISSION FOUR Students learn about the Dorian mode and compose a third melody using all its notes.
• 31 SPY THEME - FINAL MISSION Students learn about Rondo form, and put together their ostinato and three melodies to produce a completed composition in Rondo form.

THEME 4: UNKNOWN TERRITORY A composition in Ternary form using the Aeolian mode with a harmonic backing.

• 33 UNKNOWN TERRITORY - DAY ONE Students learn how to create atmosphere using a four-chord sequence and a written description.
• 35 UNKNOWN TERRITORY - DAY TWO Students experiment with improvisation over backing music.
• 37 UNKNOWN TERRITORY - DAY THREE Students write the melody for Section A of their unknown territory composition and play it with the harmonic backing.
• 39 UNKNOWN TERRITORY - DAY FOUR Students learn a new harmonic ostinato and write a contrasting melody for Section B of their composition.
• 41 UNKNOWN TERRITORY - DAY FIVE Students use information about the Ternary form and the use of repeats to finish their composition.

THEME 5: CALYPSO COMPOSITION A Calypso composition in extended Ternary form.

• 43 CALYPSO RHYTHMS Students explore Calypso music and experiment with the rhythms involved.
• 45 CALYPSO MELODY Students compose a 16-bar Calypso in Ternary form.
• 47 CALYPSO CALL Students extend the composition and enrich the texture by adding a second instrument.

THEME 6: RAMPS COMPOSITION A composition with lyrics inspired by chart music, focusing on the use of rhythms.

• 49 CHART RAMPS Students analyse examples of chart music using a 'burger' analogy to identify sounds and instruments commonly used.
• 51 RHYTHMIC RAMPS Students learn how to build up layers of different rhythms over a harmonic backing to create a chart music backing track.
• 53 ROMANTIC RAMPS Students complete their chart song by writing a melody and lyrics to go over their backing track.

THEME 7: GROUND COMPOSITION A composition built up from a classical Ground Bass, an air and a melody, in the style of a chart music song.

• 55 GROUND LEVEL Students find out about the use of Bass Grounds and learn to play one.
• 57 AIR ON THE GROUND Students compose a simple air to go over Bach's Ground Bass, experimenting with rhythm, style and tone.
• 59 FLYING OVER THE GROUND Students compose a melody, lyrics and other finishing touches, and are encouraged to listen out for what works and what doesn't.
• 61 EVALUATION Students are led through a series of questions enabling them to evaluate their own work, and the composition they have produced. This could be followed by individual written evaluations.

• 62 CHECKLIST
• 63 GLOSSARY