Serial Composition Lesson by Alexander Koops
Difficulty Level: middle school or high school
Previous knowledge required: ability to play at least 4 different notes
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
-Define melody and serial composition
-Create a musical composition using the serial composition tool of assigning pitches
to a row and manipulating the row in different ways to develop the composition.
Vocabulary: melody; Serial composition; Retrograde; Inversion; Diminution;
Augmentation; Sequence
Listening Suggestions: Beethoven Symphony 5 Mvt. 1; Ron Nelson, Passacaglia;
Ticheli, Postcard
Procedure:
Introduction:
Listen to a piece of music that uses a short motive and develops it in some way, such
as Beethoven’s Symphony 5, where there are many sequences, as well as other
manipulations of the original motive. In Postcard, Ticheli explains his second theme
is based on “ETHEL” (See score for details). If possible, connect this lesson in some
way to repertoire you are working on with in your ensemble already, or program a
piece of repertoire that will show students a professional composers treatment of
this compositional idea.
Part 1:
Develop a group composition by picking 4 notes and creating a row and
manipulating it. Have the group vote on different choices for manipulating it. Have
them play the different choices before voting. Add dynamics, articulation and tempo
markings to help add feelings and expression.
1. Pick four notes
2. Write on the board as whole notes and transpose appropriately for Bb, Eb, F;
(or use Solfege so you don’t have to transpose).
3. Ask students to write these notes down on their own individual papers in
their appropriate transpositions
4. Depending on the ability of your ensemble, choose one or more of the
following suggestions to create an initial composition:
a. Write a sequence at a different pitch level
b. Write the theme in Retrograde
c. Write the theme in Inversion
d. Write the theme in double time (diminution)
e. Write the theme in double time again
f. Add half time below the double time again (augmentation)
g. Change Octaves of the whole theme, or individual notes within the
theme
h. Write the theme as a chord; transpose the chord; do the chord in
different inversions
Part 2:
To help engage the ensemble in creating feelings and emotions in the music, have
the students think about one of the following ideas and then try to express one of
the ideas using the techniques below.
Pick one idea:
1. A girl throws a paper airplane. It flies in a series of loops and twists and
then hits the ground. The girl is happy.
2. A boy and a girl fall in love.
3. A beautiful volcanic island is peaceful. The ground starts to tremble, and
soon the volcano erupts. After an extended series of eruptions, molten
lava flows, and fires, the island settles back down to its peaceful state, but
the landscape has changed dramatically.
4. A silly joke makes you and your friends laugh hysterically
Now use musical techniques to represent the above ideas in your
composition:
1. Vary the rhythms of the composition
2. Add rests in various creative places
3. Assign dynamics, articulations, and tempo markings
4. Reconsider meter and rhythms and change if you like
5. Add repeated material if it feels right
6. Consider adding free time improvising on the specific notes from the
original motive, (solos or sections or full band improv)
7. Consider assigning various instruments (timbre) to specific parts of the
composition
Inspired by:
Music composition as music appreciation by George Todd. P. 12: from The Eastman
colloquium on teaching music as a liberal art CMS Report 10.
Assessment Suggestions:
If you require individuals to complete the above assignment, you can use a rubric such as
the one below to assess it. If you complete the composition as a large group project, you
can video the project and note if everyone is participating, or collect the papers and see if
everyone notated the composition as decided upon by the group.
Optional Evaluation Form for Student Compositions
1 Point
Needs work;
too simple
with no signs
of effort
2 Points
One interesting
idea, but not
effective musically
3 Points
Interesting musical
idea, but only
moderately effective
No variety or
exploration of
rhythm and
melody
Musical ideas is
ok, but no variety,
or exploration of
rhythm and
melody
Gives no
sense of a
completed
musical idea;
does not feel
in any kind of
organized
time
Presents one
complete idea;
has time signature
feel; however
composition lacks
overall
completeness.
Fails to use
melody and
rhythm to
organize musical
ideas or form
Involves some
original aspects or
manipulations of
musical ideas;
explores and varies
either melody or
rhythm to try and
represent feelings
and emotions
Uses at least one
musical element to
organize the musical
ideas and overall
form (sequence,
retrograde,
inversion, etc)
Craftsmanship
Creativity
Aesthetic
Name:_____________________________________ Date:__________
Total points:____
Total points = letter grade as below:
10-12=
7-9= B 4-6= C
1-3 =D
A
Sample Composition by Alexander Koops:
4 Points
Terrific! Strong aesthetic
appeal and general
impression. Would be
enjoyed by many
listeners.
Includes very original,
unusual, or imaginative
musical ideas. Explores
and varies both rhythm
and melody to try and
represent feelings and
emotions
Uses both rhythm and
melody to good effect
and organized well. Uses
a variety of suggested
tools to create a
musically satisfying
composition (sequence,
retrograde, inversion,
etc)
Title: Soundscape Composition Lesson by Alexander Koops
Difficulty: K-12; any age can complete this lesson
Previous knowledge required: none
Outcomes: After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
Define music, composing, composition and soundscape
Create and perform a soundscape composition involving at least 4 different sounds
Vocabulary words:
Music: Music is organized sounds, or even better, music is sound and silence
organized through time that says something to the listener or has meaning to the
listener
Composing: Composing is creating sounds in an organized manner that is planned
and prepared in advance, not improvised
Composition: Sounds that are organized by a person or a group of people in a
purposefully planned-out way that can be repeated consistently.
Soundscape: like a painter painting a landscape, the composer can create a
soundscape: a collection of sounds organized and put together
Suggested Listening: Groffe grand canyon suite Mvt. 1 sunrise
Procedures: Play through a piece of repertoire that has some silence in it. Bring out
the silence before, after, and during the music. Then ask them: What is music? What
is composing? Is music something enjoyable or some thing you like? (Option, play
John Cage, Xenakis, Stockhausen, Mr. Bungle… likely students will note that they
don’t like it, but it is music.) Play Groffe’s Sunrise from Grand Canyon Suite, and
discuss how the composer used music to represent the sunrise. So, what is music?
Music is organized sounds, or even better, music is sound and silence
organized through time that says something to the listener or has meaning to
the listener.
And what is composing? Composing is organizing the sounds! “Composing is
creating sounds in an organized manner that is planned and prepared in advance,
not improvised.” A good analogy is that composing is organizing and combining the
sounds like a cook does with a recipe; we gather the ingredients, organize them,
then combine them and cook them up for the final product
Teach the following composition: Soundscape 1
Soundscape Composition 1
1.Say “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
2. Laugh repeatedly until cued to
stop
3. Stomp feet
4. tap pencil on stand
--Practice each part individually, and then perform the whole piece a couple times
following the boxes in order one at a time, numbers 1 through 4. Then perform more
than one box at the same time, as the conductor points. Try different
orders/sequences and repeating to “compose” different pieces, as well as combining
different boxes and different orders: for example point to boxes 1 and 3 at the same
time, then 2, etc.
--Have some students come up and point to boxes and be the conductor (They LOVE
this!)
Optional: record and play back (Students LOVE this!).
If time permits: Students compose group composition: (Optional, have students
write down a composition with 4 boxes. If they aren’t coming up with sounds, try
suggesting how they could imitate barnyard sounds…)
Ask students to meet in groups of 3 with the people directly on either side of them
and come up with one sound they like and they can make, not using their
instruments in the traditional way, and not limited to their instruments. Give them 1
minute to experiment. Then pick 4 ideas from the class and write them on the board.
Pick a student conductor to come up and lead the class in the “new” composition
with sounds picked by the class.
Advanced option: compose a soundscape that starts happy, then turns sad, then
ends happy again. (If you have a hard time coming up with sad sounds, consider
adding moaning).
Optional: come up with a theme for the composition to help organize it, like “funny
and scary movie scene music”.
If time permits: Perform Student Compositions.
Advanced Option: make a 2 group composition, instead of just one part… or even
make 3 part. Add dynamics if time…
Advanced Soundscape Composition Suggestion
Group 1
(LEFT)
Group 2
(RIGHT)
Part 1 (A)
Say “Shhhhhhhhhhhh”
FORTE
Laugh until cued to
stop.
Start pianissimo; then
CRESCENDO
Part 2 (B)
Make unvoiced mouth
sounds (tongue-clicks,
etc)
(Together, as
conducted)
ch…ch…ch…ch…
Part 3 (A’)
Laugh until cued for Part 4.
Start Fortissimo and
DESCRESCENDO
Snap fingers quietly but as fast
as you can;
At the same time say
“Shhhhhhh”
DESCRESCENDO