Creating contrasting leitmotifs
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can create contrasting leitmotifs to represent different ideas by considering specific melodic features.
Key learning points
- Leitmotifs must reflect the character or mood of what they represent.
- Carefully planning how to use the musical elements such as tonality and rhythm is a key part of this.
- However, we must also consider how melodic shape affects the character of a leitmotif.
- Using conjunct or disjunct intervals in a melody can also shape the mood or feeling that it creates.
Keywords
Leitmotif - a musical idea that represents a specific character, place or idea
Melodic shape - the shape of a melody, including how it ascends and descends and where it is conjunct or disjunct
Interval - the distance in pitch between two notes (e.g. octave)
Conjunct - when a melody has small intervals between notes (moving by ‘step’)
Disjunct - when a melody has large intervals between notes (moving by ‘leap’)
Common misconception
One feature on its own will make a leitmotif have a particular mood.
The mood of a leitmotif comes from a combination of different musical elements, including melodic features. Changing one feature might slightly change the mood, but to create a strong mood you need to consider all different aspects of the leitmotif.
Teacher tip
An interesting extension to creating the leitmotif is to challenge pupils to change the characters personality (e.g. replace 'strange' with 'boring) then adjust the leitmotif to suit the new personality. You could also task students to create different versions of the leitmotif for different moods.
Equipment
DAW, keyboard or other suitable instrument as a composition tool.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A __________ is a musical idea that represents a character, place, or idea.
Q2.Which genre of staged music developed leitmotifs in the 1800s?
Q3.Which type of tonality would best suit a bad or sinister character?
Q4.Which type of harmony is often used to create a dark or sinister mood?
Q5.Which type of rhythms would best represent an energetic character?
Q6.Mickey-__________ is a technique where the music matches character movements.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which melodic shape would best suit an optimistic, hopeful character?
Q2.Which mood can be created by a descending melodic shape?
Q3.If a melody keeps returning to the __________ note, it can create predictability.
Q4.Match each keyword to its definition.
distance in pitch between two notes
melody moving in small steps
melody moving in leaps
how notes are played (smooth, short, etc.)
Q5.Which word describes a melody that moves by small intervals or steps?
Q6.Which of these intervals would best suit a strange or unusual character?
To help you plan your 10 music lesson on: Creating contrasting leitmotifs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 music lesson on: Creating contrasting leitmotifs, 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 4 music lessons from the Introduction to film music unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.