Secondary Music at Home 4

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:
Performing, Listening and Composing  

1. Performing

• Watch the beat boxing video on the BBC Teach website and think about the question can you really describe beat boxing as a means of performing music?
• What musical skills and knowledge do you need to be a successful beat boxer? Think of 5 or more answers to this question then plan a persuasive conversation with someone at home to help them understand the musicality of beat boxing.
• Try experimenting with your own beat boxing... to help you we've found this really helpful video to get started!

2. Listening

• Watch this video of The Piano Guys – five people playing One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful on one piano...

• How many different ways of producing sounds on the piano did these performers create. There are at least 10! Let us know if you find more.
• Choose a different instrument and think of as many different ways as possible of creating different sounds on it.

3. Composing

Composing your own song lyrics on the topic of being at home which we are all having to do at the moment.

• Sit in silence for a minute and write down any words that come to mind around that topic. Next to each word think of another that rhymes with it e.g. bed/head or sleeping/weeping.
• Ask someone else at home to do the same thing. Pick out your favourite pair of rhymes and try to make a couple of short sentences that each ends with one of the words e.g. ‘It’s too easy just to lie in bed, strange dreams filling my head’
• Now tap a steady beat with your foot and say the words out loud. Do they flow naturally?
• Start with the chorus, they often consist of 4 lines of words. Don’t worry about the pitch of the tune for now just focus on the rhythm of the words.

Years 10-11:
Careers in Music and Sampling

Careers in Music

Some students, who love music, think you have to be an amazing performer to take up a career as a musician. Have a go at the activities in this booklet to see what just a few other options are.

Sampling and remixing

Explore some of these ideas on adding samples to your performing or composing work.

• Here's a great guide to sampling from the BBC Bitesize website
• And a great video and advice about sharing and remixing from the BBC Teach website

Years 12-13:
Composing...

Getting started with composing a piece of music can be difficult. Have a look at this booklet and try some of the exercises out, see if it spurs you to get writing!