Sound and Silence Music Composition Lesson Plan

Overview
Middle and High School
4-6 lessons
Students will compose a multi-media composition. They will name the project, and practice and perform the composition synchronizing live self-composed and recorded music with a slide-show presentation.
The composition is designed as a 2-minute (20 seconds per slide) performance with the accompanying 10-image slideshow.
Optional: Make your own 10-image slideshow presentation.
Objectives
Within 4-6 lessons, students will prepare a project inspired by a 10-image slideshow. In the process the student will:
• Acquire knowledge of the different ways in which images inspire sound;
• Analyze the graphic and artistic qualities of an image to determine the exact parameters of how the image may inspire sound;
• Use a graphic organizer to delineate the sound structure;
• Plan the structure of a composition;
• Learn and memorize through practice to write motifs reflecting the image;
• Focus on the interplay between sound and silence;
• Learn, review and practice basic compositional techniques such as repetition, sequence and/or fragmentation
• Practice short melodic fragments on a melodic instrument;
• Explore basic techniques of extending a composition;
• Acquire, review or practice basic staff notation and graphic notation;
• Explore various recording options of self-composed materials;
• Plan a multi-media presentation of live and recorded music synchronized with images.
Concepts
• Program Music
• Melody and rhythm
• Motif
• Repetition
• Sequence
• Fragmentation
• Sound and silence