Scoring a silent movie
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can combine different elements to create a live musical accompaniment for a silent film.
Key learning points
- Music in silent movies has to transition seamlessly between different scenes and moods.
- Many performers played popular songs and used musical clichés in their musical performances.
- One famous example is the ‘misterioso’ musical cliché.
- To transition between scenes, performers often played a vamp, a repeated pattern based on chords.
- Composing music using a D minor vamp.
Keywords
Musical cliché - a musical idea that is well-known and used often
Vamp - a repeated musical pattern, often based on chords
D minor - a set of notes starting on D which includes Bb as the flattened sixth
Common misconception
When a piano player plays music with a silent movie it is always completely improvised.
While they improvise many aspects, they often use specific musical ideas to create specific effects. This includes vamps, certain chords (e.g. diminished 7th for tension) and musical clichés like the misterioso that create certain effects.
Teacher tip
To extend learning, challenge pupils to play along with famous scenes. Charlie Chaplin's 'Lion's Cage' scene is ideal - pupils can use the tools they have developed - mickey-mousing, different moods and chords - to improvise along with the scene in the manner of traditional silent movie musicians.
Equipment
Keyboards/pianos/MIDI keyboards
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which technique involves synchronising notes with the movement of characters on-screen?
Q2.Which of these is not an example of mickey-mousing?
Q3.What type of chord is particularly effective for creating dramatic moments?
Q4.Which two statements are true about the notes in a diminished seventh chord?
Q5.Adding __________ notes into a scale can be very effective to create suspense.
Q6.Why were silent movies silent?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a musical cliché?
Q2.What do we call a repeating musical pattern, often used to transition between scenes?
Q3.Which of these can easily be changed when playing a vamp? (Choose all that apply)
Q4.A __________ seventh chord is a four-note chord typically used at dramatic moments.
Q5.You would expect music in a chase scene to have a _________ tempo.
Q6.When was the end of the silent movie era?
To help you plan your 9 music lesson on: Scoring a silent movie, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 music lesson on: Scoring a silent movie, 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.
Explore more key stage 3 music lessons from the Film Music unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.