Experiences and Outcomes:
I can sing and play music from a range of styles and cultures, showing skill and using performance directions, and/or musical notation. EXA 2-16a

I can use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to experiment with sounds, pitch, melody, rhythm, timbre and dynamics. EXA 2-17a

Inspired by a range of stimuli, and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical activities. EXA 2-18a

I have listened to a range of music and can respond by discussing my thoughts and feelings. EXA 2-19a

Lesson Outcomes
After this lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Listen and reflect on a piece of orchestral music
• Invent their own musical motifs and structure them into a piece
• Perform as an ensemble
• Learn musical language appropriate to the task

Curriculum Checklist
Learners will:

• Play and perform in ensemble contexts, using voices and playing musical instruments
• Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music
• Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

Activities

Warm up. Start the lesson with a quick clap around the circle and a reminder of the three ideas you worked with during the last lesson.

Explain that Wagner called these short music ideas leitmotifs and he used leitmotifs all over his music to describe characters, emotions, places, things etc. In Ride of the Valkyries he includes short sections of music using new leitmotifs. These are there to give his piece structure.

Demonstrate these three new ideas:

• New idea 1: ‘Falling’

A short passage that falls down in pitch from high to low

• New idea 2: ‘Heroes’

Loud, long notes

• New idea 3: ‘Explosions’

Big bangs coming out of long trills (wobbles)

Split back into the same three groups as last time and ask each group to make a short new section using these ideas. These ideas are deliberately much vaguer so there is more scope for you children to invent something unique.

Bring the class back together and hear their work. Make any tweaks needed so that everyone knows what they are doing and the pieces have a definite beginning, middle and end. Call these sections ‘episodes’ and keep them separate for now.

If you have time, put the ‘A section’ back together from last week and finish the lesson with a quick performance of it. Again, write down carefully what you have done.

Additional resources and a more detailed lesson plan can be found here on the BBC Ten Pieces website;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ten-pieces/classical-music-richard-wagner-ride-of-the-valkyries/zdyfmfr