IMCC Year 11 ATAR MUSIC
Semester 1 Program 2017 – ROCK
Week / Written component – Key teaching points / Practical component /Aural / Theory and Composition / Cultural and historical analysis / Performance /
1–3 / Sight singing: to be continued consistently throughout the semester. Examples in both treble and bass clef based on scales and intervals stipulated
Scales: Major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, Major, Blues scale
Intervals: m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7, P8ve (melodic and ascending only)
Imitation and Call and response: up to
4 bars based on rhythms, scales and intervals covered
Chords: power chords/tonic and dominant, major chords: I, IV and V or chord names (e.g. C, F and G)
Rhythmic dictation: ,, or
· rhythms including ,
Melodic dictation: 4 bars, treble and bass clef, up to one sharp and one flat, based on scales covered. Rhythm and some pitch provided / Theory
· Identify and write intervals, scales and chords in treble and bass clef, major keys, up to two sharps and flats
Chords
· Chord recognition and analysis; major and minor triads, dominant 7th chords,
I, IV and V using Roman numerals and chord names
· Provide chords to a given melody/song
· 12 bar blues progression and structure
Rhythmic exercises
· Identify and write syncopated rhythms, focusing on the use of ties, anticipation and delay
· Rhythm regrouping exercises using syncopation and rests
· Provide a rhythmic scansion for given lyrics
Arranging
· Discuss score layout, examining sample scores and notation (conventional,
slash-rhythm guitar, TAB, drum set)
· Identify the use of music elements in a blues melodic style analysing given melodies / Introduction to style – what is Rock?
Listen to a range of examples to prompt discussion about elements of rock music.
The Blues – background and characteristics
· syncopation
· call and response
· improvisation
· blues scale and ‘blue notes’
· 12 bar structure
Discuss the socio-cultural context in 1950s America.
· Watch The invention of the teenager (DVD – ‘James Mays’ 20th century’)
· Rock’n’roll – the ‘whitening’ of African American rhythm and blues, influence of country and western music
· Elvis Presley – background and controversy surrounding TV appearances
· Australian Rock in the 1950s
Designated work – Hound Dog
· Comparison with other rock’n’roll songs of the ‘50s; (Elvis Presley, Lil’ Richard, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis etc.) / Distribute technical lists and recommended repertoire.
Outline assessment requirements for the semester in consultation with instrumental teachers.
Distribute Group Performance Task. Creating a medley of the set works.
[Distribute Task 9: Group Performance (4%) due in Week 8]
All performance work to continue throughout the semester.
4–7 / Task 2: Aural 1 (5%) Week 6
Scales: natural minor/aeolian mode, Blues scale
Intervals: add harmonic intervals: P4, P5, P8
Chords: root position (block), arpeggio (broken), major, minor, dominant 7th,
maj 7th
· add V7, vi in major keys
· Standard Blues progressions I, IV, V and V7
Modulation: relative major/minor
Rhythmic dictation: simple time ,, , , and
· compound time – basic rhythms and rests, including and
Melodic dictation: 4–8 bars, minor keys
Discrepancies: treble/bass clef, 4 bars,
4 discrepancies in either pitch or rhythm
Aural analysis: recognition of music elements in short extracts (form, metre, dynamics/expressive devices, tempo, instrumentation)
Skeleton score: 2–4 parts, 4–8 bars / Task 1: Music Skills (8%) Week 5
Theory
· Identify and write natural minor/Aeolian and Blues scales and related intervals in minor keys
· Identify modulations to the relative minor and major in melodic excerpts
· Rhythm exercises in compound time
Chords
· Introduce vi in major keys
· I, vi, IV, V progression– listen to and analyse examples using this progression. Harmonise given melodies using the progression and write a melody to fit the progression
Arranging – Bass lines
· Listen to and analyse Bass lines – various styles and typical pop bass lines such as walking bass or country style (root/5th common notes, passing notes and linking, passages/notes)
· Select and write appropriate bass lines for given melodies in different styles
· Add a stylistically appropriate bass line to a given melody, lyrics and chord progression
Drum Kit Notation
· Identify and demonstrate different parts of the drum set, reading and performing simple rock patterns
· Teach swing/shuffle feel – blues music
· Identify and analyse (aurally and visually) different drum techniques –side stick, rim shot, double kick, open and closed hi-hat
· Drum fill – how to notate and when it is appropriate
· Analyse and write drum parts using appropriate notation, add drum part to given melody / Task 3: Analysis (5%) Week 7
· Discuss the demise of rock’n’roll and the rise of the producer
· Overview of music in the late ‘50s – Phil Spector and the wall of sound, girl groups, teen pop, folk rock, and surf rock
· Listen to a range of examples to compare and contrast rock and pop
· The British Invasion – what was new? Discuss the background of British pop in the late ‘50s, the influence of skiffle music on the Beatles and American influences, in particular Buddy Holly and early rock’n’roll
§ The Beatles – examine and discuss their impact on American music (watch the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964)
§ discuss The Rolling Stones as an alternative ‘bad-boy’ image
§ compare the look, performance style of and the music of both bands
§ listen to other bands included in the British Invasion identifying either ‘Beatles–style’ or ‘Rolling Stones-style’
§ discuss the influence of the Chicago electric blues tradition on the Rolling Stones – British Blues revival
§ compare and contrast with other bands in the same style – The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Kinks,
The Who etc.
Designated work – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
8–10 / Scales: harmonic minor
Intervals: add harmonic intervals: m2, M2, m3, M3, m6, M6, m7, M7
Chords: ii in Major keys
· minor chord progressions
§ Roman numerals
o minor: i, iv, V and V7
§ chord names (as indicated)
o minor: Am, Dm, E and E7
§ minor Blues progression
o i, iv, V and V7
Modulation: to the dominant
Rhythmic dictation: 8 bars, anacrusis/ upbeat/pick-up, syncopation, ties
Simple time:
Compound: ,
, , ,
Melodic dictation: 8 bars, treble and bass clef, two sharps and two flats, based on scales covered
Imitation and Call and response: up to
4 bars
Discrepancies: treble/bass clef, 4 bars,
4 discrepancies in either pitch or rhythm
Aural analysis: identification of style, form, instruments, voice types, instrumental and vocal techniques / Theory
· Identify and write scales, including harmonic minor
Chords
· Chord recognition, analysis and harmonisation of given melodies in keys up to three sharps and three flats
§ Roman numerals
o Major: I, ii, IV, V, V7 and vi
o minor: i, iv, V and V7
§ Chord names (as indicated in C)
o Major: C, Dm, F, G, G7 and Am
o minor: Am, Dm, E and E7
· Identify and write standard Blues progressions I, IV, V and V7
· Recognise passing notes (diatonic and chromatic) / Task 4: Extended Response (5%) Week 8
· Examine the development of hard rock following the Rolling Stones – Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple etc.
· Psychedelia – new ways to experience the world. The youth culture and drugs – Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary and LSD
§ musical expression of Psychedelia – Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album release and impact. The Beach Boys and ‘Smiley Smile’, the San Francisco scene (Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead etc.), Woodstock and the rock festival phenomenon.
· Progressive Rock – extension of the hippie aesthetic, influence of Western Art Music and Jazz
§ listening examples: Pink Floyd, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson etc.
Designated work – Highway to Hell
· Discuss the big business of rock in the
mid ‘70s – investment in record companies, money made from album sales and concerts held in arenas and stadiums. Friction between creativity and economic concerns – perceived or reality?
· Introduce Rock from an Australian perspective, discussing the pub rock scene in Australia and ACDC
§ formed in 1973 – influences drawn from ‘70s hard rock and the British Blues Revival. Considered pioneers of heavy metal
§ aural and score analysis of Highway to Hell. Comparison with other Australian bands such as Cold Chisel, The Angels etc. / Task 9: Group Performance (4%) Week 8
Task 8: Technical Work and sight reading (6%) Week 10
Composition and arrangement
· Identify and analyse guitar techniques and notation; bend, slide, palm mute, harmonics, vibrato
· Transcribe and write TAB notation for guitar and bass
· Analyse the role of the lead guitar or keyboard as a melodic instrument in blues examples, identifying spaces in the 12 bar structure for improvisation or lead playing
· Analyse and write short guitar examples using appropriate notation
· Revise symbols and terminology for tempo, dynamics and expressive elements for accents, articulations and ornamentations
, ,
Melody writing
· Analyse a range of Contemporary/rock melodies, identifying melodic shape, use of repetition, syncopation, passing notes (chromatic and diatonic) and scale types
· Compose an 8 bar melody over given chords, incorporating features identified and discussed in analysis tasks. Add expressive elements such as accents, articulations, ornamentations where stylistically appropriate
Week / Written component – Key teaching points / Practical component /
Aural / Theory and Composition / Cultural and historical analysis / Performance /
11–13 / Task 5: Aural 2 Test (6%) Week 12
Scales: chromatic
Intervals: all intervals in isolation or part of a melodic excerpt.
Harmonic intervals: m6, M6, m7, M7
Harmony: ii in Major keys, VI in minor keys
Interrupted cadences in minor keys
V-VI, V7-VI (keyboard and vocal style)
Rhythmic dictation
Simple time signatures
Compound: ,
, ,
Melodic dictation: chromatic passing notes
Discrepancies: treble/bass clef, 4–8 bars,
4 discrepancies in both pitch and rhythm
Skeleton score: compositional devices, dictations, chords, cadences / Theory
· Identify and write chromatic scales in treble and bass clef
Chords/Harmony
· Identify and write major 7th and minor 7th chords in keys up to 3 sharps and
3 flats
· Identify and write Standard Blues progressions (I, IV, V and V7)
· Identify and write passing notes (diatonic and chromatic)
· Identify and write circle of fifths/fourths
Modulation
· Recognise and transpose given extracts to either the relative major or minor and dominant
· Compose a melody that contains a modulation to the relative major/minor
Composition
· Listen to and analyse examples of harmonisation, harmony lines, rhythmic figures and counter-melodies in different styles of rock music, particularly in progressive rock
· Add appropriate chords to a given melody
· Create a harmony part to given melodies (or melodies students have written in previous weeks) / · Discuss the roots of Punk music as an underground reaction to the big business of rock in the mid ‘70s. Discuss the origins of the punk scene in New York – The Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, The Ramones etc.
· Listen to and discuss the look, music and performing style of The Sex Pistols and the British Scene, noting that British punk also developed as a reaction to the economic conditions of the time
· Examine the rise of the New Wave – removal of the more negative and anti-social aspects of British punk. Listen to examples from Elvis Costello, Devo, The Clash, Blondie, Talking Heads etc.
· Discuss the development of rock music in the ‘80s. Examine the influence of MTV in contributing to the growth in importance of the music video to sell music and achieve success and popular appeal in the music industry
· REM and the development of the college rock underground – lack of affiliation with major labels, small independent labels, college radio stations played recordings released by the bands themselves;
non-commercial
· Examine the development of Heavy Metal and Rap in the early ‘80s – image representing a disenfranchised societal group / Task 7: Prepared Repertoire (10%) Week 13
· Look at the rise of the metal mega-stars and ‘hair bands’ – Bon Jovi, Guns and Roses, Metallica etc.
· Alternative Rock – a reaction to the visually-oriented MTV stars and the flashy heavy metal bands as well as a style that embraced the return-to-simplicity aesthetic of ‘70s British punk. Characterised by casual fashion, rejection of long virtuosic guitar solos and usually not affiliated with major record labels
· Background to Nirvana and the Seattle grunge scene
§ analysis of Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Resource: Covach, pp. 502–503
· Listen to other grunge bands such as Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden etc.
Designated work – Smells Like Teen Spirit
14–15 / Revise all scales, intervals and chords
Harmony
Modulation: relative major/relative minor, using a range of examples
Rhythmic dictation
Simple metres: 8 bars, including syncopation and anacrusis
Compound metres: 8 bars
, ,
Melodic dictation: 8 bars, chromatic passing notes
Discrepancies: treble/bass clef, 4–8 bars,
4 discrepancies in both pitch and rhythm / Scales
· Revision of all scales, modes and intervals up to three sharps and three flats
Chords
· Revision of major and minor triads, major 7th, minor 7th and dominant 7th chords in keys up to three sharps and three flats
· Chord recognition and analysis of major and minor chord progressions
§ Roman numerals
o Major: I, ii, IV, V, V7 and vi
o Minor: i, iv, V and V7 / Complete analysis of final designated work.
Revision of Semester 1: using familiar and unfamiliar excerpts, focusing on the designated works.
Skeleton score: compositional devices, dictations, chords
Revision of Semester 1 work for exams / Composition/arranging
· Revise instrumental and vocal techniques
· Revise drum notation, slash notation
· Symbols and terminology for tempo, dynamics, accents and articulation
· Melody-writing and harmonisation practice
Revision of Semester 1 work for exams
Exam Week / Task 6: Semester 1 written examination (20%)
Task 10: Semester 1 practical examination 30%
Study skills incorporated throughout semester: