Music Unit Planning Template

Year 10 Film MUSIC UNIT Cashmere High School Teacher: Grant Bartley

Year Level: 10 Curriculum Level: 5 Number of Lessons: 16-18 hours

Aims:  Examine a variety of films and analyse the aspects of the music/the function of film music  Use a film idea as a source of motivation to compose music, focusing on the difference between sound effect composing and music that expresses feelings or creates atmospheres  Share performances of other’s music and evaluate the effectiveness of the music in relation to the task

Pre-requisite knowledge and skills expected:  Knowledge of a broad range of styles and genres and instruments.  Familiarity with the tools and techniques of composition.  Familiarity with the characteristics of programme music.

Resources required:  Exploring Film Music (EFM) by Dorricott and Allan, Student Bk, teacher’s Bk and accompanying CD (McGraw-Hill Australia, 1998.)  Into Music 3 (IM3)and CD (Learning Media, Wellington. 2004.)  Exploring the Elements of Music and Style (EEMS) by Patsy Short (Heinemann, Victoria, 1996)  Composing Matters (CM) by Patrick Allen (Heinemann, Oxford. 2002.)  Making Music (MM) DVD and text pg 47.  Videos/DVDs of films used in the unit

Strands/AOs covered in this unit UC, PK, CI, DI - Level 5

Embedded Key Competencies : Thinking; Making meaning; relating to others; managing self; participating and contributing. Teaching and Learning Sequences

Homework Focus: Students will keep a listening diary of films or tv programs viewed and write personal responses and comments about how the music enhances the visual image. Lesson 1 Start: Using theme from ‘Jaws’ (Listen to the Music), get students to listen and to comment on the sound qualities: number of notes in the theme, time signature, use of silence, dynamics, pitch, EFM pg.s 50-52. texture and instruments. Middle: Play the whole track/ show video snippet and get students to Focus: share ideas about how the music complements the images. Conveying Play theme from “Raiders of the lost Arc” and in groups students will character or match elements with appropriate descriptions. Ideas through End: In groups of 3-4 (Melody, harmony, bass & percussion) students listening, analysis will play the “Raiders March” Theme. and playing.

Lesson 2 Start: Students will share ideas about how the theme of the “Raiders March” matches the character of Indiana Jones. Students will aurally identify errors made by the teacher in the EFM pg.s 134- playing of the “Raiders March” theme. 137 Middle: Watch a snippet from Schindler’s List that features the main theme. Share ideas about how the theme compliments the scene. Focus: Listen again without images and analyse the theme in terms of Expressing rhythmic and melodic patterns, instruments and form. This will be emotions through done in pairs. listening, analysis End: Give students main theme in bits and get students to listen to and playing. the theme and work out correct sequence and play back. (Transpose to am) Lesson 3 Start: Students will transpose Schindler’s List melody back to G minor and play. pg 102 EFM Choose one student to play melody with 4 mistakes and class will identify where and what these mistakes are. Focus: Middle: Watch a snippet of “Mission Impossible”. Analyse theme in Creating a mood terms of rhythm, meter, pitch, effects, instruments and timbre. or atmosphere Jigsaw the listening exercise on pg 102 EFM. through End: On keyboard/guitars etc try and playback by ear the riff and listening, analysis notate if you’re game. and playback. Lesson 4 Start: Students will write a melody or riff in a complex meter. (i.e. 5/4, 7/4). Focus: Middle/End: Show video of ‘Rove Live’ Radio show as an example of Group enhancing dialogue with music/sound. Improvisation In groups of 3, 4 or 5 share own melodies/riff and choose 2 or 3 of using sound the most effective ones. Devise radio show that can incorporate these effects & themes/riffs. Also, incorporate sound effects to further enhance the Structural story. devices.

Lesson 5 Start: Discuss and devise assessment criteria.

Focus: Middle/End: Rehearse radio show for performance. As above.

Lesson 6 Start: Share ideas about what is going really well in your group and what still needs work. Focus: As above. Middle/End: Rehearse, perform and assess using student devised criteria.

Lesson 7 Start: Watch snippet of “Lord of the Rings” featuring main theme. Share ideas about suitability of music for this film snippet. Focus: (Rhythm, pitch, timbre, tempo, key etc) Playing and Middle/End: Rehearse, play and record as a group music from “Lord of evaluating. the Rings”. Then play recording back over the film snippet and evaluate.

Lesson 8 Start: Give students complete full score of “Lord of the Rings” listen to recording and follow score part by part. Focus: Middle: Examine the incomplete full score of “Lord of the Rings” Listening and played last lesson. Students will add instrument names, appropriate anlaysis. performance directions and any missing bars.

Lesson 9 Start: Students will devise an analysis template to help them match music to visuals. Watch film snippets. Then in pairs discuss what Focus: music might be appropriate and why for each snippet.

Listening, Task 1: In pairs students will choose a snippet from range of snippets viewing, analysing provided (Without Music). Then discuss suitable music (Provide and applying. template) for there chosen snippet. Students will then choose music appropriate to film snippet. Students can choose music extracts from a collection provided on the school network or from their own personal music. Teacher will provide peer assessment template. H.W. bring for next class any suitable music from home, for choosen film snippet. Lesson 10 Start: Show class opening of ‘The Shining” with alternative music backing. Students can then select which is the most suitable and Focus: why. As above. Middle/End: Complete Task 1.

Lesson 11 Students will share their film snippet and music to the class and will peer assess. Focus: As above.

Lesson 12-15 Share film composition tasks and strategies for approaching it.

Task1: Select a character or object (real or imagined) and compose music thats depicts this. Task 2: Compose music that either highlights a particular time in history (or Future) or place. Focus: Task 3: Compose a piece of music that created a particular mood. Composing film Task 4: Compose a piece of music that expresses a very strong score. emotion.

Students will devise assessment criteria for composition tasks. (Focus on: Appropriateness to task, quality and development of ideas, structure and representation.)

Students will draw from a hat a task that they will complete. Students will go into their groups and are provided with a character/time/place/mood/feeling and the group will experiment with sounds, ideas and instruments with the aim of devising a group improvisation. Students will then work indivually on their own composition. At the start of each period the task group will meet and consider the following: 1. Share Progress to date. 2. Share what is working well and why. 3. Share problems and seek solutions from other members.

Lesson 16-17 Share composition with class and peer assess. Lesson 18 Watch DVD snippet of New Zealand soundtrack composer Steve Gallagher and talk about the process of composing music for productions.

Students should choose one quote from the DVD that they found particularly intresting or relevant and why.

Finish with watching a classic cartoon.

Extension Ideas:

Many of the extension ideas are imbedded in the unit. For example playback and notation will extend particular students. Improvising and representing musical ideas appropriately will also extend particular students.

Specific Learning Outcomes Lesson/s in Assessment Methods The student is able to: which SLOs are covered  Listen to a variety of film 1, 2, 3, 7 Teacher questioning to elicit soundtracks and discuss and share responses ideas about the purpose and function of music in films (UC, CI) EFM p 1  Identify and describe patterns, 1, 2, 3, 7 Teacher monitoring effects, and sound qualities of music from a variety of film soundtracks (PK, UC, CI)  Analyse the expressive use of the 2, 3, 7, 9 Ongoing monitoring. elements and structural characteristics of music from a variety of film soundtracks and share personal responses (PK, UC, CI)  Playback and/or transcribe 1, 2, 3, 7 rhythmic, pitch and harmonic elements from a range of film music (PK) 3 Teacher monitoring  Play film music heard by ear (PK) 1, 2, 7, 8 Self assessment  Play a variety of film music scores responding to expressive features (CI) 4, 5, 6 Peer assessment  Play and improvise in groups, with consideration given to structure, mood/atmosphere and structural devices (DI, PK, CI) 4, 5, 6, 9, 12-15 Self monitoring  Give consideration to sounds, musical ideas and structures to highlight moods/atmospheres, characters, and/or plot. (DI, PK) 4, 5, 6, 12-15  Create simple film score (DI) 12-15  Represent simple film score using conventional and/or graphic notation(s) (PK, CI) 6, 9, 10, 16-17 Peer/teacher evaluation  Present discuss and evaluate film scores using appropriate terminology (PK, CI)

Where to Next:

Students could import a movie snippet into Sibelius 4 and compose a film score to accompany the film.

Explore programme music.

Writing for music theatre.

Evaluation of the Unit: