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. Begin again in a circle and remind your class of the elements they have explored so far. You can turn this into a game by encouraging your pupils to clap back their rhythms, mime playing their tunes and create gestures to help remember elements like ‘swooping’, ‘wobbling’ etc.
Here’s a list of what you should have –
A section:
Trills/ wobbles
Upward swoops
Big tune
3 episodes:
Falling
Heroic notes
Explosions
Get the instruments out and put these sections back together, then explain that Wagner uses a classic shape for his piece called ‘Rondo form’ (A-B-A-C-A-D). Your full class piece is the A section. Can your children replicate Wagner’s piece by deciding on an order for their group ‘episodes’ and alternating them with the A section?
Try out several versions until you have all agreed on the ‘best’ one and write it up on the board. Explain that Wagner varies his ‘A sections’ – sometimes the A section creeps back in, sometimes it crashes back in. Sometimes it is very loud, sometimes soft. The length of his A section varies too.
Encourage your children to borrow at least one of these ideas from Wagner and adapt at least one of their A sections accordingly.
Practise performing your new rondo piece until it is nearly perfect.
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
