Lesson 1
Learning Intention: To listen to and appreciate music/song
• Success Criteria: - my enjoyment of the song - my feelings towards the song
In this lesson you are going to listen to and watch the music video My Island Home.
https://safeYouTube.net/w/pWgr
The song My Island Home was written and composed by Neil Murray (1986) for Warumpi Band singer George Burarrwanga. The song references the singer’s home on Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land. My Island Home was then covered by Christine Anu in 1995 and performed at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
R supervisor. Record your responses on an audio recording and return it to your teacher.
• Do you like or dislike the song? • What do you like or dislike about the song? • How does the song make you feel?
My Island Home Student and Supervisor 21 Booklet Miss Koeferl
Reflect on My Island Home - Christine Anu
It’s your turn to be a music critic! Think about: • the lyrics • the instruments • the tempo (pace) • any other musical features you noticed.
What I liked What I disliked How it made me feel
What did you think of the music video? Where would you film My Island Home? Draw your own visuals below:
2 Lesson 2
Learning Intention: To identify the structural parts of a song
• I can recognise the verse Success Criteria: • I can recognise the chorus
In this lesson, you will be exploring the structure of a song, mainly the verse and a chorus. A song is a musical composition that is made up of music and lyrics (the words) that are sung by a singer. What is a structure? Structure refers to the way in which a song is organised. It is the arrangement of the different sections in a song, with some sections repeated. Just like writing a story, a song with a good structure allows listeners to experience and enjoy the story of the song without feeling lost. Songs come with different structures, but the two main elements are: • Chorus • Verse
Activity 1
What is a chorus?
A chorus is the main idea, or the most important thought in a song. It is the section where it encourages listeners to sing along. It is also the section that listeners will remember and want to hear again and again. The chorus has the same melody and the same lyrics / words each time we hear it. A melody is a group of musical notes played one after the other.
Listen to the song, My Island Home again while reading the lyrics chorus is repeated twice and both choruses have the same words My Island Home and melody. Student and Supervisor 3 Booklet N’ my island home My island home My island home Is waiting for me
N’ my island home My island home My island home Is waiting for me
? Circle them in green colour.
How many times was the chorus section repeated?
Activity 2
What is a verse?
A verse is the section of the song that tells the story. There is usually more than one verse in a song and different verses tell a different part of the story. All verses have the same sound pattern and melody. Listen to the song, My Island Home while reading the lyrics provided introducing the audience to the story of the singer.
I come from the salt water people We always live by the sea They say home is where Will this place ever satisfy me?
? Circle them in blue colour. My Island Home Student and ? ______Supervisor 4 Booklet Lyrics: My Island Home – Christine Anu (Original lyrics by Neil Murray and Warumpi Band)
I come from the salt water people We always live by the sea My island home is Waiting for me Will this place ever satisfy me? My home is Australia N’ my island home We are a land bound by sea My island home Though I may travel far across My island home the ocean Is waiting for me It will never forget me
N’ my island home N’ my island home My island home My island home My island home My island home Is waiting for me Is waiting for me
Six years I lived in the desert N’ my island home And every night My island home I dreamt of the sea My island home Now I’m down here living in the city Is waiting for me With all Of my family N’ my island home My island home N’ my island home My island home My island home Is surrounded by sea My island home Is waiting for me
N’ my island home My island home My island home Is waiting for me
In the evening the dry wind blows From the hills and across the plains I close my eyes and I’m standing Lyrics source: In a boat on the sea again https://songmeanings.com/ And I’m holding that long songs/view/3530822107858637842/ Turtle spear And I feel I’m close now My Island To where it must be Home Student and Supervisor 5 Booklet Miss Koeferl
What makes a pop song?
1. After reading pages 3 & 4, how would you describe a verse and
chorus to someone who had never heard a pop song before?
A verse is:
Verse ______
______
______
A chorus is:
______
Chorus ______Structure ______
2. Listen to My Island Home while following the diagram below.
Does the diagram match the intensity/emotion in the song? Which section was most intense? Describe why: ______
______
6 AssessmentLesson 3 Task 1
Write a new line for the chorus in My Island Home
Listen the the song My Island Home again while reading the lyrics on page 5. You will notice that all the chorus sections have the same line and same words, except for the last chorus.
N' my island home My island home My island home Is waiting for me
N' my island home My island home My island home Is waiting for me
N' my island home My island home My island home Is surrounded by sea
In this activity, you are going to make the chorus more interesting by adding your own last line in the chorus section of the song. The write your own creative last line.
Remember that a chorus is the section of the song where it encourages listeners to sing along. Try to use words that are related to ‘home’ as it is the theme of the song. You may also want to watch the music video again for ideas.
A. Research/Brainstorm: What will you write about home?
• What does a home mean? Why is it special? • What does a home look like? Where? • What are some of the feeling words you will use to describe a home? My Island • What are some of the words you use at home – special and Home Student and slang? Supervisor 107 Booklet B. Use rhymes in the chorus
Experiment with different rhymes to make sure your chorus lines make sense and sound good to your ears. Besides, rhyming words are fun!
Look at the chorus in the box. You will notice the last lines in the choruses end with either “me” or “sea”. The songwriter used rhyming words to make the chorus interesting. What other rhyming words can you think of that also rhyme with “me” and “sea”?
List some of your ideas in the space below.
Write your lines of chorus below and return this page to your R teacher.
N’ my island home My island home My island home
______
N’ my island home My island home My island home
______My Island Home Student and 10 Supervisor 118 Booklet Performance FirstAssessment practice clapping a steady Task beat along 2 with the recording. Then choose a style (e.g. Pop, Rap) to perform My Island Home.
Showtime!
You are now going to perform your music creation. You also have to include a beat or a rhythm to go with your chorus. You can use the beat and rhythm of the song, or you might want to create your own. The following are some suggestions as to how you may want to present your music: • Use own musical instrument or homemade musical instruments • Clap out song and sing • Read or rap your chorus • Make a music video using iMovie • Create the music using Garage Band or a similar application
R Please record an audio or video of your performance and return it to your teacher.
You are now going to take some time to think about your own musical creation you made in AssessmentLesson 3. Tasks 1 and 2.
R to your teacher.
1. What did you like best about your chorus?
2. What, if anything, did you dislike about the chorus?
3. What could you do to improve your chorus?
My Island Home Student and Supervisor 129 Booklet