Year 8 Minimalism Name: Class: Teacher: Tutor Group: Keep this booklet safe and in its plastic book cover. Bring it to all of your music lessons. 1 What will I learn this term? By the end of this topic, I can: Nearly Got it! there Theory 1. Understand Minimalist composition techniques 2. Write a Minimalist piece of music 3. Understand key features and cultural context of Minimalist music Practical 4. Use Minimalist composition techniques to write short pieces 5. Compose my own ostinatos 6. Compose my own Minimalist piece of music 7. Learn to use GarageBand to compose a piece of music Teamwork 8. Work sensibly in a group/pair 9. Think of ways in which my own and other’s work can be improved. Booklet contents: Page 3—Lesson Overview Pages 4-5: Glossary and musical elements Pages 6—8: Playlist and listening activities Pages 9-21: Do Nows and Exit Tickets Pages 22-28: Classwork Pages 29-32: Glows and improves sheets Pages 33-37: Home learning Page 38: Notation cheat sheet Pages 39-47: AP2 revision Pages 48-54: Notes pages and blank pages 2 Lesson Overview Here is a rough overview of your lessons this term. You may have more or fewer lessons depending on your class. You can use this overview to help you see what is coming up and to help you catch up if you miss any lessons. Lesson Lesson contents number 1 Learn key elements of Minimalist music Write our own piece of Chance music 2 Consolidate key elements of Minimalist music Learn about Phase Shifting and ‘Clapping Music’ Incorporate Phase Shifting into our ostinatos 3 Review the key elements of Minimalist music Learn to play ‘In C’ and how to vary melodies 4 MID TERM PERFORMANCE Compose our own ostinatos Use features of Minimalist music to create partner compositions 5 Reflect on our mid-term performance Use ideas from our mid-term performance in a composition on GarageBand 6 Add Phase Shifting and texture to our pieces 7 TEST PERFORMANCE Complete the structure for our Minimalist pieces 8 END OF TERM PERFORMANCE Act on feedback from test performances Final performances in on GarageBand (assessed for AP2) EXTRA Minimalist music in groups 3 Glossary Minimalism: Ostinato: 20th Century: Chance music: Note addition and subtraction: Phase shifting: Metamorphosis: Polyphonic texture: Monophonic texture: Pedal note: Augmentation and diminution: 4 The Elements of Music We can remember these using DR SMITH Meaning STRETCH: examples Dynamics Rhythm (includes du- ration) Structure Metre Melody Instrumentation (includes sonority and timbre) Texture Tempo Harmony and tonality 5 Minimalism Playlist Here is some suggested listening for this topic. You may be asked to listen to certain songs by your teacher Piece Composer Year Listened? 1 Metamorphosis 1 Phillip Glass 1988 2 Clapping Music Steve Reich 1972 3 Become Ocean John Luther Adams 2013 4 Music for 18 Musicians Steve Reich 1974 5 Short Ride in a Fast Machine John Adams 1986 6 String Quartet No 3 Philip Glass 1985 7 The Chairman Dances John Adams 1985 8 Shaker Loops John Adams 1978 9 Spiegel im Spiegel Arvo Part 1978 10 Sleep Max Richter 2015 11 Complete Piano Music Michael Nyman 2017 12 The Hours Philip Glass 2002 13 Different Trains Steve Reich 1988 14 Fratres Arvo Part 1977 15 In a Landscape John Cage 1948 16 4’33” John Cage 1952 17 Etudes 1-10 Philip Glass 1994 18 A Rainbow in Curved Air Terry Riley 1969 19 On the Nature of Daylight (Entropy) Max Richter 2018 20 Harmonium John Adams 1981 6 Listening Diary Instruments Tempo Dynamics Texture Tonality What instruments What is the speed? Loud/soft? Forte/ Layers? Homophon- Is it major or do you hear? Does it change piano? Do they ic? Polyphonic? minor? Does it When? change? Monophonic? change? Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Piece 4 Piece 5 Piece 6 7 Listening Diary 2 Instruments Tempo Dynamics Texture Tonality What instruments What is the speed? Loud/soft? Forte/ Layers? Homophon- Is it major or do you hear? Does it change piano? Do they ic? Polyphonic? minor? Does it When? change? Monophonic? change? Piece 7 Piece 8 Piece 9 Piece 10 Piece 11 Piece 12 8 Do Now 1 What do the pictures below make you think of? STRETCH: If there was music to go along with the pictures, how would it sound? Minimalism is… Minimalism is from… 9 Exit Ticket 1 1. What three keywords could you use to describe minimalism? 2. What are the typical features of minimalist music? STRETCH: What is chance music? SUPER STRETCH: Practice your note reading skills by labelling the ledger lines below. 10 Do Now 2 Listen to the music played now (Metamorphosis by Philip Glass) and answer the following questions: 1. What is the tempo (speed) of the music? 2. What instruments can you hear? 3. This is a minimalist piece of music. Name 2 features of minimalism. STRETCH: This piece is called Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis means changing. Why do you think this piece is called that? Exit Ticket 2 1. What is phase shifting? 2. When did minimalism originate? 3. What is an ostinato? STRETCH: Why would a minimalist composer want to use phase shifting? 11 Do Now 3 Match up the keywords below to their definitions. Use a pencil and a ruler! Minimalism A short repeated pattern 20th century Moving a pattern of notes to create an echo Ostinato The layers of the music Pedal note Music created using only a few notes and patterns Phase shifting When minimalism originated Texture A long held note STRETCH: Use one of the keywords above in a sentence to describe some music. Exit Ticket 3 1. What is an ostinato? 2. What is note addition and subtraction? STRETCH: How could you use these 2 minimalist techniques in your own piece of music? 12 Do Now 4 Listen to the music (Philip Glass String Quartet No. 5) and fill in the chart below: Family of Instruments heard? What instruments are they? Texture? How can you tell this is minimalist music? STRETCH: What minimalist techniques do you hear? SUPER STRETCH: What are three ways that we can vary a melody? 1. 2. 3. 13 Exit ticket 4—Mid-Term Assessment Evaluation To do well in this evaluation you will need to: * Talk about specific parts of your composition. * Explain your answers in detail using musical vocabulary. * Make sure that all of your answers refer to the musical outcome. GLOW: Write down one thing about your minimalist piece which was successful, and ex- plain how you made it successful. IMPROVE: Write down one thing which you would improve with more time, and how you will work on it. CHARACTER: Choose one characteristic and describe how you and your pair /group used it effectively to work together. Choose another characteristic that you think you could im- prove when you work in pairs/groups again. 14 Do Now 5 Match up the keywords below to their definitions. Use a pencil and a ruler! Diminution A long held note Augmentation Moving a pattern of notes to create an echo Ostinato The layers of the music Pedal note Making notes of an ostinato shorter Phase shifting Making notes of an ostinato longer Texture A short repeated pattern STRETCH: Use one of the keywords above in a sentence to describe some music. Exit Ticket 5 1. What went well in your composition work today? 2. What do you need to improve on for next week? STRETCH: What minimalist techniques did you use in your group work today? 15 Do Now 6 Listen to the piece of music and answer the following questions. 1. What is texture? 2. What texture do you hear in the piece of music? Does it change? STRETCH: What are some musical words we can use to define texture? Exit Ticket 6 1. How did you vary the texture in your piece during your practice time? Definitions—Write out the definitions of the following minimalist techniques. Augmentation: Note addition/subtraction: STRETCH: What do you need to do next week to have a successful test performance? 16 Do Now 7 Practice your treble and bass clef note reading by labelling the notes below. 17 Exit Ticket 7 Composition Check-up Give your composition so far a Glow. What is going well? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… What can be improved ? Look at the success criteria to help you. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… How will you make this improvement? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Match the following keywords with the definitions. Quantize Transforming performed musical notes to make them completely in time. Polyphonic Texture where there are lots of layers happening at the same time Metronome The way the music is laid out/the plan. Structure The instruments used in a piece of music Instrumentation A device that marks the tempo by making a regular clicking sound. STRETCH: Choose one (or more) of the above terms and explain why it is important when creating a composition. For example: ‘structure is important because…… ‘ 18 Do Now 8 1. Today is your final AP3 performance. How will you use your composition period effec- tively to have a great final piece? 2. What do you need to complete to have a successful final composition? STRETCH: What is your advice to someone who is struggling to complete their computer work? SUPER STRETCH: Label the notes on the ledger lines below: 19 Exit ticket 8—Final assessment evaluation To do well in this evaluation you will need to: * Talk about specific parts of your composition. * Explain your answers in detail using musical vocabulary. * Make sure that all of your answers refer to the musical outcome.