Using leitmotif in film music
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can create a leitmotif to represent a film character.
Key learning points
- Leitmotif is a technique that developed from opera and programme music in the 19th century.
- Leitmotifs are used to represent characters, places or ideas.
- They often change to match changes in the story.
- We must carefully consider the musical elements to make sure that the leitmotif suits the character or idea.
- This includes harmony, tonality (major and minor), rhythm, timbre, articulation and dynamics.
Keywords
Leitmotif - a musical idea that represents a specific character, place or idea
Major - a key based on the notes of the major scale, sounding generally positive and bright
Minor - a key based on the notes of the minor scale; it creates a darker mood than a major key
Common misconception
A leimotif is just a musical theme.
Not quite. A leitmotif is a musical idea that must represent something else. This is usually a character, place or idea. A musical theme can exist without representing anything at all.
Teacher tip
Pupils could explore some famous leitmotifs from films and analyse what makes them suit their character. Focus on the elements in the table in Task B. Where helpful suggest a specific character (villain, monster and sneaky characters tend to be easier) to give pupils a starting point.
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 musical __________ is a commonly used idea or association.
Q2.Arco strings are often associated with which mood?
Q3.Which genre would typically suit a futuristic sci-fi movie?
Q4.What is the name of the brass music often played to announce an important arrival?
Q5.Which of these instruments is often used to portray gentleness or peace?
Q6.Which of these is a role of music in film?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these are commonly represented by leitmotifs?
Q2.Match each origin to leitmotif development.
used in the 19th century by Wagner
instrumental music that tells a story
later art form where leitmotif was adopted
recurring theme tied to story elements
Q3.Programme music is .
Q4.Which type of tonality would best suit a good, heroic character?
Q5.Chromatic harmony in a leitmotif could suggest what about a character?
Q6.Which type of character would most suit a legato leitmotif?
To help you plan your 10 music lesson on: Using leitmotif in film music, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 music lesson on: Using leitmotif in film music, 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.