GCSE Music ORNAMENTS and MELODIC DECORATION

This topic focuses on Ornamentation, specifically: Glissando/ Portamento/ Slide; Appoggiatura; Acciaccatura; Trill; Turn; Mordent; Pitch Bend. Students are taken through the information with both an information sheet, and a step-by-step PowerPoint. 15 x notation tasks develop students’ ability to recognise the symbols by name, then to be able to use the symbols themselves, and then to interpret realisations of the symbols. 10 x listening questions follow which develop students’ ability to focus on detail and musical memory - skills which are vital for the listening exam. By the end of the lesson students will know what ornaments look like, how they sound, and how they differ from one musical era to another.

All of this comes with a 28-slide animated and beautifully-presented PowerPoint, annotated with detailed teaching guidance notes, to make delivery of the topic smooth and efficient – plus a 3-page student information sheet, 4-page activity sheet, and 3-page detailed answer sheet. With regards to the listening questions, MP3s are provided (and they are always my own compositions), and you may well want to insert the audios into the slide rather than use media player.

I take great pride in my resources, and the time and effort I put into them is immediately clear. I am confident that you will find this topic to be fully and comprehensively resourced in order to meet both your needs and the needs of your students… and it will save you (literally) hours of planning, too. I welcome any questions and feedback, and I can be contacted at rainynightmusic@hotmail.com. Thank you for considering my resources for your classroom.