Teaching Resource
COMPOSITION 7 Activities for Teaching Composition
Contents IN THIS RESOURCE ACTIVITY 1 - DISCUSSING THE MOTIF
1 2-3
ACTIVITY 2 - DEVELOPING
4
ACTIVITY 3 - HARMONISING
5
ACTIVITY 4 - THE DEVELOPMENT
6-7
ACTIVITY 5 - THE PERFORMANCE
8
ACTIVITY 6 - AT THE CONCERT
8
GENERAL CAPABILITIES AND CURRICULUM LINKS
9
In this Resource This is one of THREE resources released by the ACO for secondary schools. Each resource focusses on a core musical concept; Performance, Composition and Musicology (Aural Skills). This resource focusses on COMPOSITION. This resource contains a series of activities that can be used to explore how your students can construct their own composition. We have used Two Nordic Melodies by Grieg as a starting point, and students can watch a video by composer James Ledger explaining his artistic process. This resource is best utilised when students complete activities 1 to 5 prior to attending an ACO concert. They can then use activity 6 to reflect on the ACO performance after seeing them live. The resource is suitable for students in years 7 to 12 and is relevant to the Australian Curriculum areas of The Arts (Music) with cross-curricula links to English, Humanities and Social Sciences and Technologies. Teachers should consult their state curriculum body for details on their currently endorsed curriculum/syllabus subject material.
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Activity 1
Discussing the Motif Composition is sometimes a tricky business; students need to know about reading a score, harmonizing, melody writing, orchestration and more. Two important stages in composition are: - -
Composing creative, original ideas The development of these ideas
Start a discussion with your students around how starting a composition can sometimes be the most difficult thing. Step one is generally coming up with some kind of motif or thematic material to use in your work.
In Conversation with James Ledger: The Starting Point https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkBsX83_bXM
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In Conversation with James Ledger: A Day in The Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-C5IdL7FXI
Class Discussion – after watching the videos Ask your students to watch the two videos with composer James Ledger and answer the following questions. 1. How does the composer come up with their ideas? 2. Is there a particular method of coming up with thematic material that you might try? 3. How does the composer develop their ideas? 4. What can you take from this composer’s process?
We’ll now take you through the stages for creating your own composition.
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Activity 2
Developing
We are going to use thematic material from Grieg’s Two Nordic Melodies, Opus 63. Below is the melody he uses in the first movement.
Ask your students to play this melody and get to know it. This is going to form a motif in their own arrangement. This melody uses the notes of the D melodic minor scale.
Students will create an arrangement of this melody for an ensemble of your choosing. It can be as simple or as complex as you like. You may like to write for symphony orchestra; wind ensemble; string orchestra. OR you may prefer to ask your students to do this exercise for a solo instrument. Things that may help in teaching this activity are: - Pen and lined stave - Computer notation software such as Sibelius, Finale, or Musescore (Sibelius and Finale are paid software, while Musescore is free)
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Activity 3
Harmonising - Advanced Theory We are going to use thematic material from Grieg’s Two Nordic Melodies, Opus 63. Below is the melody he uses in the first movement.
The above is a harmonisation which Grieg uses. Above the melody are the chords, while below is the harmonic analysis. Ask your students to use these chords, or an adaption of, in their own melody – just be sure to credit the original to Grieg.
Harmonising - Extra Advanced Theory Grieg has been particularly clever, here, with his use of F Major - chord III in D minor. Not only is it the relative major of D minor, but it is also the dominant of Bb major, its surrounding chords. Harmony is particularly powerful when the movement is in 4ths or 5ths – so the VI – III – VI – i – V progression keeps the harmony moving in 4ths and 5ths toward the end of the phrase. By the end of this activity, you should have a short arrangement of Grieg’s Nordic Melody.
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Activity 4
The Development
The development is where we take our motif – our original melody – and we change it to sustain musical interest and forward direction. Development of motifs and thematic material is everywhere. In some forms (like sonata form, or concerto form) the development has its very own section. Regardless, development of musical ideas is everywhere in music.
Interesting Fact: Beethoven, Bach, Haydn and Wagner are considered really good at development. It’s no mistake they’re all German.
Here are a few common ways composers develop their ideas. - - - - - - - - -
Change instruments (if you are writing for an ensemble) Change registers Change the texture (add/remove instruments) Write a counter melody Use dynamics Use some kind of expressive technique (pizzicato, sordino, etc) Use different rhythmic devices (syncopation, diminution, augmentation of rhythm, etc) Change the harmony (minor into major or otherwise) Use ornamentation
In fact, Grieg used ALL of these methods to develop this very melody!
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Are your students ready to DEVELOP? Ask your students to take what they have – be it the original melody by itself, or arranged for an ensemble – and change something. It can be something already discussed or something new. Students can use their instrument, or sit and think. Ask them to try and use something they learnt in the video to help do something creative. DEVELOP! Students can develop their composition as many times as you feel their composition needs. Each development should be creative and change the melody into something NEW but RECOGNISABLE to sustain forward momentum. This is where you can let their creativity shine! It might also be a good idea for each student to keep a log book of their composition process (composition diary) if you plan to use this activity for any assignment – but that is up to you. Students will finish their composition by returning to the familiar and restating the theme, as originally orchestrated and arranged by you. You may like to add a coda to finish the piece off. Remember to CONGRATULATE your students! They have now created something out of nothing, and that’s pretty awesome.
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Activity 5
The Performance
You may like to ask your students to present their piece to the class for feedback. When giving feedback – Keep it POSITIVE Keep it CONSTRUCTIVE Suggest one thing you might do to improve it, or something the composer may not have considered.
Activity 6
At the Concert
If the ACO concert you attend features a world premier piece, listen for motifs. How are they developed?
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General capabilities and curriculum links Teacher’s Notes for reference to the Australian Curriculum: The Arts. This table identifies general capabilities and cross-curriculum links for pre and post concert lessons sequences.
General Capabilities
Cross Curriculum Links
Critical and Creative thinking (CCT)
English
Personal and Social Capability (PSC)
Humanities and social sciences
Intercultural Understanding (ICU)
Technologies
Literacy (LIT)
Resource created by Matthew Law. page 9
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