Secondary Music at Home 12

Enjoy these structured musical activities that we have prepared especially for you to continue your learning at home.

• Jump to your stage of learning:
  Years 7-9 | Years 10-11 | Years 12-13
• Can’t see the videos?
  If you're accessing this page from a school network, find out more here.

Years 7-9:
About "Foley"

This activity builds on the knowledge gained about film music in previous issues.

Foley is the art of making sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production. This week, you're going to investigate this art. Follow the tasks below.  

• Watch and learn
  Take a look at this short video that explains how sound effects were made for a film.

• Watch and listen
  Watch this clip from Toy Story and make a note of all the different sound effects that you hear (e.g. a box opening, door bell ringing, eyeball cleaning etc...). There's a surprising amount, but we think you should be able to get at least 20!

• Thinking about sound
  What ways of creating sound effects can you think of that use what you have at home? E.g. rustling a plastic bag at different speeds, dragging your feet across the carpet etc...

Years 7-9:
Composing film music

This activity builds on the knowledge gained about film music in previous issues.

Music in a film has a big impact on the mood. It can change what you feel when you watch. But how do you get started making film music?

Composer Hans Zimmer has made lots of soundtracks for films like The Lion King,  Batman and the latest James Bond film waiting to be released. 

• Research
  Can you find out how many films Hans Zimmer has composed music for? How many of those feature in your favourite films?

Hans Zimmer made a new piece of music called Earth especially for BBC Ten Pieces and has a challenge for you to make your own composition. 

• Compose your own film music
  Follow the activities on the BBC Bitesize website (linked below) and put together your own music for film. 

Years 10-13
Beethoven beginnings

What does Beethoven have in common with books by Anthony Horowitz and Phillip Pulman? This activity looks at how music is used to capture a mood or suggest a picture in your mind...

• Read
  Open the document below and read the opening paragraphs from four stories – Hive (Mark Walden), Raven's Gate (Anthony Horowitz), The Amber Spyglass (Philip Pulman) and To Kill a Mocking Bird (Harper Lee)
  Beethoven Beginning - openings

  (63KB)

• Think about...
  1. What have the extracts got in common?
  2. What makes you think they are all opening paragraphs?
  3. Do they all start in the same way?
  4. If there are different sorts of story beginnings, can you categorise them? (e.g. Dramatic plunge in / scene-setting / intriguing puzzle / character description / dilemma etc...)
• Listen
  Listen to extracts from four pieces of music by Beethoven. We have given you links to YouTube videos to do this and it should take you to where you need to start listening.
   
  1. Coriolanus Overture – Listen on YouTube... – 0.00–1.30
  2. Symphony no.9, 4th movement – Listen on YouTube... – 0.20–3.20
  3. Leonora Overture no.3 – Listen on YouTube... – 0.00–2.00
  4. Spring Sonata for violin and piano, 1st movement – Listen on YouTube... – 0.00–0.52
• Consider...
  1. Which are beginnings?
  2. How do you know?
  3. What categories of story-beginnings (from above) do they match?

Years 10-13:
Alla Turka... something lighthearted!

Watch the video of Alla Turka by Mozart...

• Layout
  The video features four rhythmic parts set out in four columns  like a cross between an early play station (with Cross, Circle, Square and Triangle) and a dance machine at an arcade!

• Perform
  Choose two of the parts and see if you can tap along each time the symbols for your parts scroll past. Get a friend or family member to do the other two!

• Level up
  If you're feeling brave, try doing all four, maybe with arms and legs, or four fingers if you don't want to be so active. 

• Let's get serious for a second
  Now you've had a bit of fun with this, think about the textures in the performance and write a brief summary using technical vocabulary.