Secondary Music at Home 18
Y7-9 Notation Reading Game and Compose Your Own Superhero Theme | Y10-13 Inspiration for composition work
Enjoy these structured musical activities that we have prepared especially for you to continue your learning at home.
Years 7-9:
Notation reading game
This activity develops listening skills, musical literacy and is also a bit of fun. Watch the YouTube video by Music EDUcoolOGY below.
What to do
- Layout | Four jigsaw pieces are laid out as A, B, C and D that contain part of a melodic motif from a well-known film.
- Arrange in order | Arrange the pieces into the correct order as you listen to the theme being played. You'll need a piece of paper to write this down. The examples starts off easy and then get progressively more difficult.
- Need some help? | Phrases often end on a longer note. When you hear the note get higher in pitch then it will move up the stave. Perhaps listen out for any repeated notes which will be on the same line or space.
- Answers | The answer is given after each motif after a short period of time.
Teachers notes
- Recap | You may find it helpful to recap some key features of melodic phrases
- This activity could be used with older pupils too
Years 7-9:
Compose your own superhero theme
Ever wanted to compose your own superhero theme? This might be a melody, a rhythm or sound effect or a combination of these.
What to do
- Follow the link | Head over to the website of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG). Their Superhero page has everything you need to do this!
Go to the BCMG website
- Think | Think about how their superhero might move and what sort of rhythms or shapes this suggests.
- Get creating | When you're ready to start creating, you can do this with any virtual instrument (there are lots of free versions online) or by using found sounds at home
Years 10-13:
Inspiration for composition work
Sometimes just getting started with a composition can be the hardest thing!
What to do
- Follow the link | Head over to the I Can Compose website.
Go to the I Can Compose website
- Getting started | Look at one or two of the examples and see if they inspire you to develop your composing skills.
- Keep exploring | This website is a great resource with lots of short extracts of film music that come with an analysis of its key features. Keep exploring and see what you can learn.