Lesson video

Hi there, everyone.

Welcome to today's lesson on Ocean Soundscapes.

This is from our Compose and Create unit, Soundscapes of the Sea.

My name's Mr. Croughan and today, we are taking our inspiration from the ocean blue.

Are we ready?

Let's get started.

In this lesson, we'll be creating an ocean soundscape, and we'll capture that soundscape using a graphic score.

Let's begin by looking at today's keywords.

We start with dynamics.

That's how loud or how quiet the music is played or sung.

Instrumentation.

Instrumentation is the combination of musical instruments used in a piece of music.

Soundscape, using sounds to create a feeling, a place, a story, and making us feel like we're really there.

For example, in the ocean.

Ensemble.

Ensemble is a group of people who perform together, which is going to be all of us today.

And a graphic score.

A graphic score is a way of notating music using symbols, shapes, and images.

Before we begin our playing and composing together, we're going to warm up our playing skills, and this time, we're going to develop our control of our instruments.

So in a moment, we'll each choose a classroom percussion instrument, and we're going to work out how quietly we can play our instrument, and then can we play it gradually getting louder and gradually getting quieter.

And once we've done that, we'll be ready to play Hotter, Colder.

Here's what's going to happen.

We're going to choose the people to be the shark, and they get to leave the room.

We're gonna hide a toy fish somewhere, or something that could represent a fish, anywhere in the classroom.

When we're ready, we let the shark re-enter the classroom.

That shark is gonna be searching around for the fish, and as they get closer to that fish, we're allowed to play our instruments gradually louder, and if they're getting a bit further away from where we've hidden that fish, we play gradually quieter.

Now, that's gonna help the shark find the fish and that's gonna help us to control our instruments.

Lucas asks, "Are you able to control your instrument, gradually playing louder and gradually playing quieter?

" So pause here, make sure you have an instrument, and work out how you can play it gradually louder and gradually quieter.

And once your shark's outta the classroom, hide that fish, and away you go playing Hotter, Colder.

See you in a moment.

Well done, everybody, and well done those sharks for finding those fish.

I'm sure you will guide to them carefully, changing your dynamics, playing louder and quieter.

We're now going to look at our learning for today.

The first part of the lesson, we're going to listen to some music by Thomas Newman, and it's called "Swim Down.

" Then we're going to be inspired by that to create our own ocean soundscapes.

Let's begin with Thomas Newman.

So we're going to pause now and listen to a piece of music by a film music composer, Thomas Newman.

So there's a clue, that music comes from a film, but I'm not gonna tell you anything else just yet.

I'd like you to think about what the film might be about and what you think could be happening at this point in the film.

So pause here, have a listen, and then a little chat to see what you all think might be going on.

Off you go.

So that piece of music you heard is called "Swim Down," and it was composed for the Disney Pixar film "Finding Nemo.

" I wonder if any of you said that, maybe you remembered that music from the film if you've seen it.

So it's a short piece of film music, and it describes an event that happens in the ocean.

I wonder if you thought about what could be happening, what story was being told with that music.

You can listen again, and this time, what would be wonderful is for you to find a space and move around the room.

Now, we have to be silent.

We can't open our mouths because we're underwater in the ocean.

And I'd like you to respond however your body wants to move to the music as that music changes Maybe your movements will change as you hear what's going on in the music.

Izzy suggests, "Imagine an ocean scene as you move.

" Perhaps you're moving amongst it.

Pause here, find a space, and I'll catch you when you're done.

Very well done.

So at this point in the film, when we hear this music, many fish, including Nemo and Dory, have been captured in a fishing net and they're slowly being lifted onto a boat.

With the encouragement of Nemo's dad, Marlin, the fish all swim down together to the bottom of the net, pushing against that net deeper and deeper into the water again.

And eventually, from the pressure of those fish swimming down, the rope snaps and the net is released, and all the fish are free to escape back into the ocean.

So they're the three key points in the music.

Listen again, and this time, I'd like you to identify at which bit the fish are captured and struggling, when the fish begin to win that tug of war, and then when the rope snaps and the fish are freed.

So pause here, pop it on, and each time you notice the music change, maybe you could put your hand up, put your hands on your head so you know that the music has changed.

Have a careful listen, and I'll catch you when you're done.

Well done.

I hope you were able to notice when that music changed.

The first part, probably about the first 40 or 50 seconds, they're still struggling, they're captured, they're all quite worried.

And then the second part, they decide they're gonna win this, they start battling, getting down to the bottom of the net, struggling, there's quite a lot of that.

And then right at the end, just the last 15 seconds of music, the rope snaps and the fish are freed.

Very well done.

We can hear those three clear sections in the piece.

Amara says, "In the first section, I think the fish are feeling scared, confused, and trapped.

" So there's an electric piano playing, and it keeps repeating a melody that goes from high to low, and that's making the music sound quite worrying.

And we hear lots of percussive sounds and shaky strings.

So when strings are played that are shaky, it's called a tremolo, like a tremor, and that creates quite a tense feeling.

So there's lots in the music to show that the fish are feeling scared and confused and that it's a worrying moment in the film.

As a class, what I'd like you to do is think about your classroom percussion instruments and think what instrumentation, that combination of instruments together, would you like to use to create that first section of the piece.

You might play each instrument to create that feeling of being scared, confused, and trapped, and you can decide what order to play your instruments in.

So pause here and have a think.

Wonderful.

Now, Sofia says to us in the second section, the fish are working hard together and they're swimming down and they want to release that net, and there's quite a positive feeling now, it's a feeling of hope, of determination.

They're going to get there, but it is a bit nail biting, and we just hear string instruments to begin with.

They play these long, held notes and melodies that rise, they're getting higher, and that's helping it feel more hopeful and more positive.

And then the brass instruments, they join, it makes a fuller sound, a more promising sound like, "I think they are going to make it.

" So next, you are going to choose instrumentation you would like to use to create that second section.

What instruments might you use to give that feeling of struggle but determination?

They're bold, they're going for it, and they're really trying hard.

How might you play your instruments that suit that to create that feeling, that feeling of determination, like they're going to do it.

Have a pause and a chat, maybe explore with a couple of instruments, and I'll catch you when you're done.

Wonderful.

Now, in that final section that we heard, the fish are victorious, they've made it, they're free, they've managed to break free and escape, and we hear this explosion of sound, this climax of the piece, the strings and the brass are getting louder and louder until ****, the net breaks free.

Then suddenly, we hear these gentle twinkling sounds and all the fish, whew, are feeling very relieved.

So finally, you are going to choose the instrumentation that you like to use to recreate that third section.

Maybe suggest some contrasting instruments, some different instruments that create a very different feeling of sound to that second section you've just worked on.

We want to show that joy, that sense of relief, and that freedom.

How do you create a feeling of joy or success using your instruments?

Have an explore, and I'll catch you when you're done.

Wonderful.

Now, the instrumentation helps to tell the story.

And here's a top tip: dynamics really help too.

So thinking of our dynamics, when we're getting louder or quieter, as the shoal, that shoal of fish, that group of fish are getting closer to breaking free, we hear a crescendo in the music, it gets louder.

Crescendo means gradually getting louder, and after they've been freed, ah, the music's suddenly calm and quiet.

So the music's not at the same volume, it's getting louder as they're close to breaking free, and then, ah, quieter when they are and that sense of relief happens.

Question then, what does dynamics mean?

Is it a single sound in music, is it how loud or quiet the music's played, or does dynamics mean a combination of notes to make a memorable tune?

Check now, is it A, B, or C?

Point to the one you think it is.

And you can say that letter out loud.

Yes, I agree too, it is B, dynamics is how loud or how quiet the music is played.

So your first task now, as an ensemble, as a class ensemble together, you're going to create a short performance in three sections, and this is going to match the story in Thomas Newman's "Swim Down.

" So that first part, when you use your classroom percussion instruments, thinking carefully about that instrumentation, you are thinking about it's tense, all the fish are a bit nervous and afraid what's going to happen.

In that middle section, they decided to work together, to be determined to work hard to swim down 'cause they want to get free.

And then the third section, whew, that sense of relief, the nets burst and they are free to swim away.

You can use dynamics to create the different feelings in each section.

How do you create that feeling of scared and trapped and confused in the first section, that feeling of determination and pulling together in the second, and that sense of relief, ah, in the third?

Pause here and create those three sections that you can put together as a class ensemble, and I'll see you when you're done.

Good luck.

Off you go.

Fantastic.

Really well done.

I wonder if yours sounded anything like this.

Here's an example, and I want to see if you can hear when each new section begins.

And I'm hoping that when you created yours, it was really clear when each new section started.

Have a listen to this one.

(gentle percussive music) (tense percussive music) (gentle percussive music) Really well done, beautifully performed, great changing of dynamics.

We're now gonna take what we've learned and move on to our second part of the lesson, ocean soundscapes.

Now, we can take inspiration from that film music "Swim Down" to help us create our ocean soundscapes.

As Jacob usefully says, "When we create soundscapes, we're thinking about combining sounds to create a feeling, a place, or a story," and we want to make it feel like we're really there.

For example, out in the open ocean.

Now, there's many ocean habitats we could include in our soundscape.

What ideas do you have?

Here are some to get you started.

We might find those kelp forests, the seaweed-like plants growing, or right at the bottom, the deep sea, where we know less about, where there's more unusual plants and creatures, perhaps that open ocean, the vast amount of space that you might sometimes see shoals of fish swimming through, or bigger animals too, and then the colorful coral reefs, home to a beautiful range of different species.

Thinking about the musical elements, I'd like you to think about how you could create these habitats in a soundscape.

To do this, you're going to choose a percussion instrument, and then as a class, explore the many different ways it can make a sound.

For example here, I can pat my tambourine.

I can just mess with the cymbals, I can scrape it, I can tap it very lightly.

(gentle percussive music) Is there anything else I can do?

All sorts of things.

How many different ways can you play an instrument and try and create a sound that might represent each of these habitats?

Pause now, and I'll see you when you're done.

Well done.

So now, you've explored all the ways you can create sound using your instrument, playing it in different ways, changing your dynamic so it's soft or loud.

It's time for you to choose an ocean habitat, animal, or plant that you can use to create your soundscape around.

So think about that habitat you might like to use or an animal that lives in the ocean or the plants there too, and you're just going to draw that scene.

I don't want you to go into lots of detail and spend lots of time.

It's certainly doesn't need to be as detailed or colorful as the one you see on the screen.

What we do want is for you to use just half the piece of paper to sketch out your habitat, see what sort of shapes are in there, maybe an animal, maybe it's so we can get an idea of how it moves, or animals or plants, okay?

Only use half the paper, and all will become clear as to why.

So pop a little sketch down now, and I'll catch you when you're done.

We know that we can actually record our music by writing it down, so we're gonna record our ocean soundscape using a graphic score.

And as Sofia reminds us, "A graphic score is a way of writing down music using symbols, shapes, or images.

" Just to check and also to give you some ideas, see if you can match the following sounds to these graphic score symbols.

Here comes the first sound.

(gentle percussive music) And here is B.

(tense percussive music) And finally, C.

Which shape on your graphic score matches C?

(gentle percussive music) Great.

Let's see if you were right.

So A, yes, that bottom one there, B at the top, and C in the middle.

If you've got those right, that'll give you an idea of how you can represent your sounds and how you would like your instrument played on your graphic score.

So create on the other half of the page now a graphic score to capture your ideas.

You might use a label of which instrument you are using.

An example on the top one shows, this is how I'd like my wave drum to be played.

And it's three times, this is how I'd like my tambourine to be played, it's shaken, maybe there's a tap, and it's shaken again and the dynamics are changing, getting gradually quieter.

So pause here to jot down your graphic score of how you would like to tell the story of your ocean soundscape.

Wonderful.

And you can see, it doesn't need to be long at all, and you can now share your graphic score with a classmate.

I'd like you in your pairs to describe the ocean scene you're creating with your soundscape, and explain to them what each symbol on your graphic score represents.

So you might say something like, "The ocean habitat that I chose is the deep sea," and, "This symbol shows mysterious twinkling lights," or whatever it might be.

Pause here and check in with a partner and swap your ideas.

Off you go.

Lovely.

We're now gonna form groups of three, not just yet, but in a moment, to create our mini ensembles, and you're going to combine your graphic score soundscape.

So each of you's got one, and you're going to think of the structure of your piece, which soundscape is going to go first, which will you play second and third?

You can try them in different orders until you are happy.

And then when you've decided on that structure as your three which ones are played when, you can develop it.

And I'd like you to think about texture, does any of it happen at the same time?

And dynamics, when it's getting louder and softer.

So ask yourself particularly those questions, once you've decided it's going in this order, how loud will each section be?

And is there any overlap?

Is there any bit where, 'cause you're now a three, more than one instrument plays at the same time?

Entirely up to you.

When you're ready, you can perform your ocean soundscape for an audience, it might be the rest of the class or another class, and ask them, ask everyone when they were listening what they imagined.

Pause here, have fun working in your ensembles of three to create your structured soundscape.

See you in a moment.

Isn't it exciting that we can use music to tell stories and paint pictures in people's imagination?

Now, I asked you to ask your audience, the people listening to your small ensembles, what they were imagining as they listened to that soundscape.

Now in the Oak class, someone suggested, "A shark swimming silently in the open ocean.

' I wonder if you had anything similar.

Or, "A tiny fish diving between beautiful colored corals," or even, "A still, frozen ocean.

And suddenly a polar bear appears, hunting.

" Now what's wonderful is, sometimes, someone will say exactly what you'd intended, what you'd drawn, and they've described it beautifully.

Other times, it could be completely different 'cause their imagination has worked in a beautifully different way.

Well done, well done on working in your threes to create your structured ocean ensemble.

Time for a recap on our learning today.

So music can be used in films to help tell the story.

Instrumentation and the musical elements, such as dynamic changes, when we're getting louder and quieter, all help to tell the story too.

And we think about instrumentation and those musical elements, like the timbre, the sound, what's happening at once, when we're creating our soundscapes, and that a soundscape can be captured using our graphic score.

Really well done for today, and I'll look forward to seeing you next time.

Bye for now.