Lesson on Film Music Appreciation with corresponding worksheet. Students are shown 6 film clips and have to answer questions on texture, instruments, dynamics, features, atmosphere, etc. YouTube links and answers are provided. My Year 9 classes loved this, and were shocked that questions such as describe the dynamics were on the GCSE papers! Lesson objectives included for schools that require this.
Presentation on Caribbean Music for the new specification of GCSE Music AQA - AoS 3. Pictures of unfamiliar instruments and YouTube clips for different styles of music are included. Presentation covers Context, Instruments, Steel Pans, Calypso Context, Features of Calypso, Mento, Son, Merengue and Zouk. Learning outcomes and key words are included for schools that require this.
Blues Music presentation and task for AQA GCSE Music New Specification. PowerPoint has starter of link between two artists and harmonic link (good for aural training), then covers context, instruments, rhythm, swung rhythms, shuffle beats, blues scale, melodic features, chord sequence, walking bass line, structure, 16 bar patterns and features of jazz. Performance task of playing 12 bar blues chords with drummers playing swung rhythms and vocalists making a mash-up of Mercy, Candyman and When The Love Runs Out (lyrics sheet provided). Took about two hours in our lesson. Learning outcomes and keywords provided for schools that need this.
PowerPoint and skim and scan task for new specification AQA GCSE Music, African Drumming. Skim and scan starter (literacy skills) to highlight top ten key words or phrases and give basic information. Six part layered performance opportunity with key words linked and explained, followed by instruments and descriptions, ways of playing the djembe, explanation of griots, features of African music, rhythmic and vocal features and Arabic influences. This lesson took us two hours including the performance layering task, as we looked at the drums and how they are created as well. Learning outcomes and keywords are displayed for schools that need this.
Key word revision game to fit GCSE Music Edexcel Old Specification. Key word comes up on screen, students have to write down their answer either on mini-whiteboard or book or teacher can pick on an individual for an answer. Answer is then on next slide for students to check their answer on write down for revision. Words suitable for all set works. 23 key words.
All of the resources I used to teach AQA GCSE Music New Specification, Area of Study 4 - Western Classical Tradition Since 1910. Includes British Music with Arnold, Britten, Maxwell Davies and Tavener, Kodaly and Bartok with Hungarian Folk Music, Minimalism with Riley, Reich and Adams and Serialism. Mixture of tasks and presentations. Learning objectives on each presentation.
The resources I used for teaching Area of Study 2 - Popular Music for AQA GCSE Music (New Specification). Includes With A Little Help From My Friends Analysis, Broadway Musicals, Computer Game Music, Features of Pop Music, Film Music, Rock Music and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. Presentations and tasks. Lesson objectives on each presentation.
Presentation for AQA GCSE Music New Specification for Area of Study Four (Western Classical Tradition Since 1910) - Kodaly and Bartok. Pupils were set a task the lesson before to research Kodaly and Bartok (context, type of music, features of this style of music, famous pieces, Kodaly method of singing, influences, etc). This presentation is to fill in any gaps they may have missed out and look at some pieces. Covers context, elements of Hungarian folk music, impressionist music, Hary Janos suite, Dances of Galanta, Concerto for Orchestra, Romanian folk dances for Orchestra and Divertimento. YouTube links are provided, as are lesson objectives.
Relating to the new specification GCSE Music for AQA. Area of Study 4 - Western Classical Tradition since 1910. Covers Malcolm Arnold and his "Tam O'Shanter Overture", Benjamin Britten and his works, "War Requiem" and "Peter Grimes", Peter Maxwell Davies and "The Yellow Cake Revue" and John Tavener with "The Whale" and "The Lamb". Two tasks - one halfway through to try to make sounds musically and second one at the end to develop one of these ideas into a piece. Learning outcomes at the beginning for schools that require this.
PowerPoint presentation and fill in the blank activity on Serialism and Expressionism for AQA GCSE Music, new specification. 14 slide presentation with expected progress, better than expected progress and key words detailed. Presentation covers context and features of expressionism, how serialism came about, how to make a twelve tone row, information on Schoenberg, techniques used and features of Serialism, information on Peripetie as an example and a compositional task, where students make their own twelve tone rows, apply techniques and then layer them (we will be doing this on GarageBand but can be done as a class in performance or on any music technology software).
For anyone whose students struggle with Rag Desh (Edexcel GCSE Music Old Spec). A few sheets to remind students about structure, key words, common questions and then a card sort to be cut up and used to match key words/instruments with their definition and role.
Edexcel GCSE Music Old Specification - Comparison of Set Works. As Edexcel have exhausted all essay options, the specification does mention it could give a comparison question between set works in Section B instead. Looking at multiple elements of music across two set works or one elements across various areas of study. Small presentation explaining situation and one approach to it, with two activity sheets to help students plan their ideas. Mix and match extension task for students to make their own comparison questions and write these as practice.
Fits with new AQA GCSE Music specification. Area of Study 2 - Popular Music - Rock Music. Presentation covering basic roots of Rock 'n' Roll, features of Rock, different types of the genre, what power chords are, popular stock progressions and a variety of guitar and drum techniques, including palm muting, hammer ons and rim shots. Suggested YouTube links in the notes at the bottom of some slides. Written description of each technique with a video suggestion that either demonstrates or gives an example of it. I will be using this to demonstrate initially the technique, and then giving each student a guitar and trying it for themselves.
PowerPoint and homework/class time essay task for 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. Fits with AQA GCSE Music New Specification. Learning outcomes on second slide for school's that need these. Analysis includes context, structure, melody, instruments, tonality and harmony, rhythm and metre, chorus, accompaniment and technology used. YouTube links and pictures removed for copyright reasons, but can be added easily. Took about two hours in class with written task as well.
Broadway Musicals 1950s-Present Day presentation. Links to AQA GCSE Music New Specification. Covers brief context of musicals, styles of musicals, types of voice and song, cross genres with books and films, themes and influences and lyrics. Task at the end for pupils to cover a song from a musical themselves. Including pupils making the musical number (we did a medley from "We Will Rock You"), took two hours. Suggested YouTube links are at the bottom of "Types of Song" page. Lesson objectives are at the bottom of each slide for schools that follow this policy.
Film Music presentation that looks at leit motifs and some examples, Mickey Mousing, why music is used in films, job roles, orchestration, tonality, tempo, features and techniques. Learning objectives are on the bottom of each slide to fit with school's that follow this policy. No images or YouTube links for copyright reasons but can be found easily. Blue background to suit some dyslexic pupils. Fits AQA GCSE Music New Specification. Few tasks in such as name films with leit motifs that can be used to break up the lesson or as short research tasks. Took just under two hours without using as a research task. Ten mark essay question about pupils' favourite film music with space underneath for essay - can be set as homework (as I did) or in lesson.
Presentation and short test/revision/homework activity for AQA Music GCSE New Specification, Area of Study 2 - The Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends". This, with the class performance and pupils making notes, lasted about 3 hours with the test in class at the end. Learning objectives are on the bottom of each slide so they do not need to be displayed on a board for schools that follow this policy. Chords and lyrics are not included for performance, or YouTube links to earlier works for copyright reasons, but are easily available online.