Composing music that doesn't sound scary
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compose a musical idea in C major which appropriately complements the beginning of a story.
Key learning points
- Composing music using notes of the major scale can create music with a postive and cheerful feel.
- Appropriate use of other elements such as pitch, tempo and timbre can also help to create the desired mood.
- When composing using a major scale, the home note is important in defining the feel of that scale.
- Composin an ostinato in C major.
Keywords
Ostinato - a repeated pattern
Major scale - a set of notes that sound bright and cheerful; the C major scale uses all the white notes on the keyboard
Home note - the main note in any key, often the note that the music will finish on; in C major, C is the home note
Common misconception
Using all the white notes is C major will sound cheerful
It's important that the home note (in this case C) is used appropriately to reinforce the notes sounding like they are in C major.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to consider the quality of their ideas and why some note choices are more musical than others. Major is more complex than just the white notes but referring to the home note allows pupils to compose contrasting music without necessarily needing to know the theory of major/minor.
Equipment
Keyboard instrument or other suitable instrument/DAW that can be used as a composition tool
File needed for this lesson
Scary Story - Narration Only 1.45 MB (MP3)
Download this file to use in the lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match each musical term to its meaning.
Q2.Which of these best describes a legato articulation?
Q3.Which of these is NOT a purpose of chromatic notes in music?
Q4.Which of these would make a successful ostinato or musical idea?
Q5.A scale is a series of used in music, such as major, minor, or pentatonic.
Q6.Which of these is an example of a well-known scale type?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A major scale is made up of a series of played in order.
Q2.What is the overall feel of a major scale?
Q3.The main note of a scale is called the note.
Q4.Why is the home note important when composing in a major scale?
Q5.Which two of the following are suitable for creating positive and cheerful music?
Q6.When adding harmony to a motif, which interval works best?
To help you plan your 8 music lesson on: Composing music that doesn't sound scary, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 music lesson on: Composing music that doesn't sound scary, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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