MUSIC UNIT PLAN

Unit Title
Learning Focus
Achievement Objectives (Level )

Year/Class

Time Frame

Specific Learning Outcomes

Assessment
Formative
Summative

Resources

Key Competencies
Managing Self
Relating to others
Participating and
Contributing
Using language,
Symbols and text
Thinking

How students will be encouraged to

develop the highlighted key competency
/competencies and value / values

Values
Excellence; innovation,
Inquiry and curiosity;
Diversity; Equity;
Community and
Participation; Respect;
Ecological sustainability;
Integrity.

Learning Activities / Experiences

(What the students will do to achieve the learning outcomes)

Teacher to pose question to class: What is film music? Teacher to create mind map of any idea's the student may have, and find out anything
they already know about topic.

Introduction of film music: Power Point presentation containing various sound and visual examples- Students listening to sound examples and brief
history of film music.

Class divided up into six groups. Each group is presented a question on film music to discover . Each group uses the computers to find out the
answers to their question and is to find sound examples on YouTube to back up their findings. After 20 minutes of researching, each group is to present
to the rest of the class their findings.

Introduction to fantasia and listening of 'Sorcerer's apprentice' sound track.

Focus questions: : Listen to the music first, what type of mood do you think it creates? For example how does the music make you
feel, how would you describe the music? What does it make you think of? Students to share their ideas with a peer, and then peers can
share with class. Students then to watch video clip that accompanies music to see if their ideas about the music match with the scene.
Students listening to brief background on fantasia- pictures created for music ( usually other way around)

Students listening to teacher on introduction to elements such as Tempo, dynamics, pitch, timbre ( tonality advance). Teacher to
explain that many of these elements help to create the mood in a piece of music. The students come to a common agreement on the
definition of each element and write definitions into their books.

Game( I have who has) played with elements

('Sorcerer's apprentice' sound track to be played again) Students to discuss question in pairs: What is it about the speed of this piece
that makes it an urgent sounding piece or mischievous? Then the teacher can collect ideas from each group

In peers, students asked to write down and describe how the change in tempo affects the mood- Teacher can demonstrate how the
theme would sound if the tempo was change by playing various examples.

Looking at dynamics(Volume of piece) students listen to "A night on bold mountain". Students thinking about how it changes either
gradually or suddenly( advanced- the Italian words for these, could ask just to assess where everyone is) The teacher can start and stop the
music and ask the students whether they thought the music was getting louder or softer. Students can also think about how both dynamics
and tempo work together, for example; often in this piece when the tempo gets faster, it also becomes louder.

Students leaning basic symbols for dynamics like pp p f ff and sfz.

Game: dynamics on board, class split into two groups. Each group member has a turn at coming up to circle correct dynamic, fastest group wins

Students have a go at playing theme on piano or guitar by ear, and experimenting with tempo and dynamics. Advanced students can
notate if they wish.

After a discussion of what makes a good horror piece of music, students are to find a piece of horror theme music for homework
from a movie and write down one way to describe the tempo, one way to describe the dynamics, and how the two work together to help
create the mood of the scene. Students are to reference song if from YouTube so that teacher can find it.

Introduction to element-Pitch ( high and low pitch) teacher demonstrate on the piano

Play A Night on bold Mountain- Focus questions: Is this piece high or low? Or both? Does it change? How do you think the pitch
helps create the mood of this piece? Students to discuss focus questions in pairs and then share with the class.

Students listen to Sugar plum fairy. What is the Timbre? Does anyone know what instrument is playing the main tune? group
activity/ competition, Match the sound description to the sound heard.

Students to listen to music from Lord of the rings scene and are to guess what could be happening in the scene, as well as describing
what mood the scene creates. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHJDhPVpI1s
This example is used to demonstrate to the students how music can be used to describe characters.
Students to then watch the scene accompanied with the music and teacher shows how the singing represents orcs/mordor theme.
Recap of elements looked at: Tempo, dynamics, pitch, timbre
Students to get into groups, jigsaw task- four groups each focusing on an element within lord of the rings example. Group to
discuss/write down how their element helps to compliment the scene.
Students listen to 'Gollums song' played from Lord of the rings- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hmt82NFhYk
Teacher to ask students to describe mood of song and how this conveys character Gollum."What could we do to make this a happy song"?
Play students an example of theme on Sibelius that has had elements changed to make it happy. Ask student to pick out the elements that
have been changed

Introduction to Sibelius- how to write, how to find things. Teacher to give students main theme of Sugar plum fairy to write out on
Sibelius to practice using the program( students can work in groups)

 Student are to then experiment with changing the elements/ effects around this theme to see if they can create a different mood.students work from instruction sheet. Can try different instruments, Dynamics, tempo etc, dynamics and tempo given on sheet to refer
to. (Advanced students can try working with tonality and changing key or major to minor etc)

Finishing off theme on Sibelius

Students to share their piece with another group and talk about how they changed the theme and what new mood they created. One or two
pairs can share their work with the class- pieces to be saved on to computers for marking.

Introduction to Silent films and the importance of the music, PowerPoint.

Role play task. - Instructions given on task and students work in groups to brainstorm ideas.
Students are to work in groups to brainstorm ideas and to be checked over by teacher. Students beginning to look at creating their own
silent role play to a small theme composed.
They Can first choose the mood of the theme and work with the elements to create a piece of music on any instrument of their choice. or
they can create the role play first and the music to go along with it after.
Students to work in groups of 4 or 5.
Students can choose groups provided there is a mix of abilities in each group and the teacher may make adjustments depending on
numbers etc. They can choose to either record their composed piece and practise it, learning it by ear and remembering if from the
recoding, or for more advanced students, they may wish to write it up on Sibelius.
One to two people in the group will play the music while the others take part in the role play.
Groups need to find their own space away from others because at the end of the unit the groups will perform and the class will have to
guess what the role play is about and what mood the music creates.

Evaluation:
What worked well and why?
What could be improved and how?

Where to Next?: