Session 3 (BA Years 1 and 2 only)

Key learning points:

  • We are still all here enjoying doing and learning about Music!
  • Musical structures can help us join together our rhythmic and pitch ideas into meaningful forms of expression.

1. Warm Ups

Quick aerobic warm up (as before).

2. Circle Games

Human score (as before).

Mexican wave (with instruments). Single sounds passed along the wave. Two sounds reverses the wave. With eyes open and shut.

3. Songs and Structures

Sing 'Five Little Ducks' – simple, repetitive song form;

Sing 'A Pizza Hut' – simple round in two parts;

Sing 'There was a man who had a dog … BINGO'. Repetitive song form with parts gradually reducing. Add percussion to this to help fill the gaps.

4. Stressed Out

Adding or taking away musical materials is an important part of composition.

Work through some basic examples using 'Stressed Out' exercise. Start basic (e.g. LRLR), extend (LRRLRR) and more complex.

Do this as individuals and then in pairs. Which is easier? Why?

Work through simple exercise based on Steve Reich's Clapping Music (e.g. 123 12 1 12) as a gropu and then transfer to pairs.

Back to Stressed Out. Pick an example. Work with your partner to produce a short clapping piece of your own. Try and produce as much variety as you can, in terms of:

  • Using body percussion instead of clapping;
  • Omitting beats or gradually replacing beats (as in the above song);
  • Thinking about a broader structure for the rhythm to be placed within;
  • Having a good beginning, middle and end to your piece.

5. Gamelan Performance

Many of these principles are common to different musical genres across the world.

Gamelan music includes repeated rhythmic and melodic patterns, including augmentation and diminutions of basic patterns.

Basic introduction to Gamelan music as important part of Indonesian culture. Links to performances etc on Further Resources page.

Using prepared materials, learn a simple Gamelan piece with simple melodies, accompanying (simplified) melodic parts, rhythmic accompaniment patterns and cymbals for punctuation (gongs).

Following performance, show interactive Flash gamelan resource which can form the basis of further work.

Reflection

What have we done today?

What have we learnt over the last few weeks?

Questions?

Future contact via

Further resources page will be there for your future work if needed. Good luck!