Further
activity
ideas
http://allpoetry.com/
Composing Music
Further activity ideas have been provided to help practitioners to develop
composition skills. A range of interesting stimuli and teaching methods are
suggested for classroom use. Many of the further activity ideas can be used across
the 3-18 curriculum and adapted to suit the needs of the learners in your school.
Each composition activity should focus on giving learners time and space for
experimentation. The activities are open ended and designed to spark your own
ideas for composition lessons.
Texts (Shiki)
Texts can often provide a rich stimulus for music composition including song writing.
It is useful to make links between literacy lessons, such as poetry and class novels.
Poetry
Use a line or word
from a poem as a
title for a song or
composition.
Words can
suggest strong
images that
inspire musical
composition.
Set the text of a
short poem to
music.
Analyse the theme in
a poem and use it as
a stimulus.
The rhythm of
words in lines of
poetry can provide
the basis for
melody rhythm.
The theme in a
poem can be
explored. It can
provide the basis
for musical
activities including
musical stories
and songwriting.
Look at structure of
poems and analyse
rhyming patterns and
word rhythms.
The way some poems
are set out can
provide a framework
for structuring lyrics
for song writing. For
example, line length,
rhyming pattern and
length of verses.
Many schools study Robert Burns and other Scottish poets. Consider using Scots
poems to stimulate composition pieces. Alternatively, composition work could be
linked to learners’ own poetry work in literacy lessons.
Haiku
Haiku poems can conjure up a whole host of images which could be used to inspire
composition. Each of the examples below can provide a stimulus to explore
contrasts in music, for example; harmonic, dynamic and rhythmic contrasts.
Using Haiku or other stimuli to explore musical contrast can help learners build up an
understanding of how these tensions in music can make a connection with listeners.
Creating soundscapes (a free-form musical composition that might include recorded
source sounds or music composed for instruments) can be a great way to explore
musical elements.
Practitioners should also consider using texts from other curricular areas to inspire
composition, for example, a script from drama or a non-fiction text from social
studies. In addition to focusing on their composition, learners will have the
opportunity to reinforce learning from across the curriculum.
Images
Using images is a great way to spark imagination. They can be used in a number of
different ways as contexts for learning. Below are two examples of how images can
be used to inspire a creative response.
The Quiraing, Skye
These two images of Scottish landscape could be used, for example, to provoke
thinking about urban and rural areas. This discussion could lead to identifying a
variety of sounds to use as a basis for developing soundscapes or musical stories.
Another way to use an image such as might be to use the shape of the skyline to
give an outline shape to a musical element such as melody or dynamics.
Edinburgh
The next step is to superimpose the outline onto a musical stave. It can be moved
around to provide a 'best fit'. The outline provides a number of 'hit points' on notes.
These notes can then be explored further and shaped by experimenting with them in
different ways until an idea is settled upon.
This outline can be
Used in a number of
For example, roughly trace the outline of the skyline, which will help to give a
‘melodic shape’.
This picture could p
This outline could:
 provide overall structure to a piece.
 form a melodic shape over a bar or phrase of music.
 suggest how the dynamics of the piece might change over time.
The next step is to superimpose the outline on to a musical stave.
The outline will provide suggested notes for a melody. These notes can then be
explored further and shaped by experimenting with them in different ways. For
example, different scales (possibly of their own invention), rhythmic patterns. More
advanced learners could explore mixed meters and a broad range of rhythmic
divisions.
Below is an example of how to use an outline to represent music dynamics. It could
equally be used to explore a musical building block such as rhythm, with the length
of the lines representing different note values, or exploring musical intervals (the
distance between notes). The shape may also be used as a template for music
dynamics.
Dynamics
Very loud – fortissimo – ff
Loud – forte – f
Medium loud – mezzo forte – mf
Quiet – piano - p
Very quiet – pianissimo - pp
Time
Here are some other suggestions for how images can inspire composition work.
Nature
Travel
Landscape
organic
journey
rugged
cycle of life
arrival
isolated
seasons
motion
dense
floral patterns
departure
barren
bird song
destination
mountainous
Chords
The following musical activities are intended to provide a stimulus based on a
musical concept to begin the composition process. Some suggestions are more
advanced than others.
12 bar blues music is often in 4/4 time and is mostly patterned on a 12-bar structure
(although 8 and 16 bars are also found) and on a scale where some notes are
flattened.
I
I
I
I
IV
IV
I
I
V
IV
I
I
More examples of how to develop blues music can be found on the internet.
Scales
Below, some scales are exemplified for use in composition lessons. Learners should
be encouraged to create their own scales. For example, ask learners to develop
scales which consist of 6, 7, 8 or 9 notes.
It is possible to have other pentatonic scales, which could be any collection of five
notes. Encourage learners to explore the interval pattern as this is what defines the
scale
C Major: C D E F G A B C
Tone
Tone
Semitone
Tone
Tone
Tone
Semitone
Invented scale: C C# E G G# A# B
Semitone
Minor third
Minor third
Semitone
Tone
Semitone
This is a useful way to develop interval awareness in learners by challenging them to
create other interval patterns that use combinations of tones, semitones, and
possible larger intervals like minor thirds, and then arrange them into ascending
order.
The pentatonic scale is a scale containing five notes. A large number of Scottish folk
songs and tunes are based on the pentatonic scale.
The whole tone scale is a scale containing no semitones but built entirely on whole
tones. Debussy used the whole-tone scale in some of his pieces which were
influenced by Impressionism. A whole-tone scale on C is shown below.
The octatonic scale is a scale that has eight notes and is constructed from
alternating semitones and tones. Here is an example of an octatonic scales starting
on D.
Mode
There a number of different modes. Some of these were later refined into modern
major and minor scale structures (Ionian mode is the modern day major scale). Like
a scale, modes can be built on any note.
One of the most common modes is the Dorian mode. It is formed using the following
patterns:
Here are other diatonic modes to explore. These can be transposed to any tonic
(starting pitch).
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian
Rhythm
A matrix, such as the one below, can be used to begin building rhythms. It can be
used in the same way as a step sequencer in music technology. If there is a note in
the box, play it, if the box is blank, take a rest.
This rhythm matrix represents one bar of music. Each note in this matrix is equal to
half a beat (a quaver). This is just a guide; a rhythmic matrix can cover as many bars
as you require.
The idea behind the matrix can be adjusted to suit your needs. When working with
young children, the matrix could be set out in a 4 beat pattern. A more complex
matrix could see each beat being subdivided into 4, giving a possible 16 note
pattern.
The next step is to begin populating the matrix with notes. These notes initially could
be played using non-tuned percussion instruments, or body percussion, and then
extended to tuned instruments.
The matrix could be used to plot the rhythms of names or words which could then be
plotted out to form individual rhythms for the pupils to play.
Working in groups, the pupils could make up their own rhythms, add them to the
matrix, decide on the instrument or body percussion, and then put it all together.
Other links
Primary composition
TES – Primary music – composing lessons
Teach Primary – KS2 Music: composing songs
Primary Resources – Music resources
Teaching Ideas – Composition
Music Manifesto – Teaching composing at KS2
Learn Together – Primary music composing guidelines
Music for Youth - composition
Secondary composition
Envatotuts+ - 11 ways to find immediate inspiration for your next composition
Teaching Ideas – Composition
TES Australia – Composing
Share My Lesson – Composing and performing
Interviews
You may find inspiration from the links below to a range of composers and
songwriters:
Song writers:
Beth Nielesen Chapman
Lionel Ritchie
Bruce Springsteen
Sting
Documentary
Gary Barlow
Composers:
Composer circle
Aaron Copeland
Schoenberg