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Lesson 5 of 5
  • Year 10
  • AQA

Thinking about structure

I can plan for and create developed and contrasting sections in a free composition.

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View unit
Lesson 5 of 5
New
New
  • Year 10
  • AQA

Thinking about structure

I can plan for and create developed and contrasting sections in a free composition.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When musical material returns, composers often make subtle changes to it.
  2. Keeping the melody and harmony recognisable is important when developing repeated sections.
  3. In new sections, like a B section in ternary form, new melodic and harmonic ideas can be derived from earlier sections.
  4. This maintains the coherence of the music and shows understanding of how musical elements can be explored creatively.

Keywords

  • Ternary form - Ternary form is a musical structure in three sections, with the first section repeated at the end. It is also referred to as ABA.

  • Melodic material - Melodic material refers to musical ideas that contribute to the melody (e.g. the melody and key musical ideas such as motifs, riffs or counter melodies).

  • Harmonic material - Harmonic material refers to musical ideas that contribute to harmony of the music (e.g. the chords and chord sequence, the bass line and devices, including pedals).

Common misconception

Contrasting sections should be totally different to other sections in a composition.

Contrasting sections of music can be derived from some of the same ideas but should have their own recognisable melodic and harmonic ideas.


To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: Thinking about structure, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage pupils to find the balance of repetition and contrast and show examples of the difference between two contrasting sections derived from similar ideas and recurring sections which show development of ideas.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A keyboard (or other suitable instrument) or DAW/notation software

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a counter-melody?

a secondary melody that is the same as the main melody
Correct answer: a secondary melody played at the same time as the main melody
a secondary melody that plays after the main melody
a secondary melody that is an octave lower than the main melody

Q2.
The way different sections of music are set out is called the __________.

map
format
Correct answer: structure
layout

Q3.
Which two terms describes when the notes of a chord are played separately rather than all at the same time?

triad chord
block chord
Correct answer: broken chord
Correct answer: alberti bass
extended chord

Q4.
Which two of the following will change the texture of a composition?

changing the instrument
Correct answer: adding new parts to the music
changing the tempo
Correct answer: developing the accompaniment part
adding dynamics

Q5.
Which statements would apply to melody?

getting louder with a crescendo
Correct answer: descending stepwise movement
andante to allegro
verse section then chorus section
Correct answer: ascending leaps

Q6.
A short melodic idea that is repeated in steps either rising or falling is called a .

Correct Answer: sequence

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is a musical structure in ternary form?

ABB
ABC
Correct answer: ABA
AAB

Q2.
What is an important consideration with ternary form structure?

Repeated sections should be identical.
Correct answer: Repeated sections should contain some developed material.
No section should be repeated.
Repeated sections should be heard at least three times.

Q3.
Which of the following refers to melodic material?

Correct answer: motifs
bass line
Correct answer: riffs
pedal notes

Q4.
Which of these would be referred to as harmonic material (ideas that contribute to harmony of the music)?

counter melodies
Correct answer: broken chords
Correct answer: bass line
augmentation
Correct answer: pedal notes

Q5.
Which of these would not be a successful way of developing a section of music?

Add new melodic and harmonic ideas on the same instrument as earlier sections.
Correct answer: Add new chords but keep the melody from a previous section.
Correct answer: Play a melody and chords from a previous section but with alberti bass.
Change all musical elements to create a big contrast.

Q6.
Give three appropriate ways we could create appropriate contrast in musical ideas.

Soft chords could then be played low pitch.
Correct answer: An ascending melody could then be played descending.
Correct answer: A melody could be repeated on a different instrument.
Correct answer: Block chords could be played as arpeggios.
Change style from one genre to another.