Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 11
- OCR
Understanding texture
I can identify different textures and analyse interaction between instruments effectively.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
- Year 11
- OCR
Understanding texture
I can identify different textures and analyse interaction between instruments effectively.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Texture refers to both the number of different musical lines and the way that they relate to each other.
- Common textures include monophonic, homophonic, unison, melody and accompaniment and polyphonic.
- Other specific relationships between parts include contrary motion, imitation and harmonisation.
Keywords
Unison - when parts play the same rhythm and pitch (including in octaves)
Melody and accompaniment - a texture including a separate melody and accompaniment
Polyphonic - where there are two equally important but independent melodic parts
Contrary motion - where two parts move in opposite directions (e.g. ascending and descending)
Harmonisation - when one part plays at the same time as a melody, adding notes that create harmony with the melodic line
Common misconception
Homophonic and melody and accompaniment textures are the same thing.
Melody and accompaniment is a specific type of homophonic texture, often called melody-dominated homophony. This is different to a chordal homophonic texture. To avoid confusion, it is easiest to treat melody and accompaniment as a separate texture.
To help you plan your year 11 music lesson on: Understanding texture, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 music lesson on: Understanding texture, 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.
Explore more key stage 4 music lessons from the Timbre and texture in music around the world unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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