Atmospheric music
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Why this why now
This unit develops pupils’ understanding of how musical ideas are created, shaped and developed through the use of motifs and ostinati, alongside devices such as pedal notes, trills and chromatic movement. Pupils explore the elements of music and instrumental techniques, including instrumental clichés, to understand how instruments are used effectively and in style. They learn how key, a sense of home note, timbre and chromatic movement influence mood and atmosphere, and what makes an idea sound convincingly musical in their own compositions.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils can find the C position on the keyboard
- Pupils understand the term ostinato and the musical elements - pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre and texture
- Pupils understand the terms for the musical elements - pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre and texture
- Pupils have composed music using appropriate musical elements to represent 'something'
- Pupils know the families of the orchestra
Why this why now
This unit develops pupils’ understanding of how musical ideas are created, shaped and developed through the use of motifs and ostinati, alongside devices such as pedal notes, trills and chromatic movement. Pupils explore the elements of music and instrumental techniques, including instrumental clichés, to understand how instruments are used effectively and in style. They learn how key, a sense of home note, timbre and chromatic movement influence mood and atmosphere, and what makes an idea sound convincingly musical in their own compositions.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Pupils can find the C position on the keyboard
- Pupils understand the term ostinato and the musical elements - pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre and texture
- Pupils understand the terms for the musical elements - pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre and texture
- Pupils have composed music using appropriate musical elements to represent 'something'
- Pupils know the families of the orchestra
Atmospheric music
Pupils learn about programmatic and descriptive music and how music can be used to set the scene. They compose a piece of music to accompany a story that includes a recurring motif and demonstrates an understanding of how key/chromatics and other musical elements can have an impact on the mood.
6 lessons in unit
slide decks, worksheet PDFs, quizzes and lesson overviews. You can select individual lessons from the Atmospheric music unit and download the resources you need, or download the entire unit now. See every unit listed in our secondary music curriculum and discover more of our teaching resources for secondary music programmes.