Year 11GCSE MUSIC LC3 Medium Term Plan
Overarching challenge question / ‘Was Beethoven just another Classical composer?’Exam board links / This topic links to component 2 – composing to a brief - of the Edexcel GCSE specification, which is a controlled assessment.
Line of enquiry’s / Week 1:How are chords used successfully in modern Pop Ballads?
Week 2:How do composers use specific techniques to create successful melodies?
Week 3: How are vocal and instrumental hooks used in Pop songs.
Week 4: How is texture used in pop ballads to reinforce structure and emotion?
Week 5: To understand the requirements of a successful song in relation to the exam criteria?
Home learning / Students will continue to consolidate learning from previous topics and set works by revising specific key information given to them each week. They will then have quizzes and activities to complete at the beginning of each lesson.
Lesson 1 & 2 / Hypothesis:‘Harmony isn’t as important as Melody’
COMPOSING / Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria: / Resources:
1. Analyse and evaluate how tonality, chords and chord progressions are used in successful pop ballads.
2. To understand how to create a stylistic chord sequence for their composition. / Listen to two pop songs – students to compare and contrast which is fed back through class discussion.
Students listen to the music again – identify the metre, tonality, number of chords, how often they are played.
Students analysis how the chords are played in both songs and how that changes the feel of the music.
Students are introduced to the descending bassline technique that is used within each of the songs.
Students are introduced to chord maps as a tool that can be used to create strong chord sequences.
Students create their own chord sequence which includes a descending bassline.
Students are introduced to ways of varying the chords they have chosen .
Students use keyboards and or their instruments to begin to create a successful chord sequence for their verse. / To be able to evaluate the use of chords and tonality in the verse of successful songs.
- To be able to plan and create a strong chord sequence for a verse which is stylistic.
- To include a descending bass line.
Lesson 3 / Hypothesis: ‘Sonata is more than just a title to a piece of music’
SET WORK / 1. To learn what is a Sonata. / What is the Classical Period?
Compare modern to Baroque instruments.
Complete a card sort of musical styles, which has the key features of specific styles they have studied and those of Sonata form. Students are then able to compare and contrast the styles.
Listen to the Sonata.
Use page 48 to complete first impressions grid. (self-mark to develop further annotation). Get students to be able to identify the features of Sonata form with in the set work.
Develop A04 opinions by discussing what the students think the story may be – this could be done through pictures. /
- To be able to give an explanation of what a Sonata is.
- Explain the standard classical form.
- Be able to make connections between the set work.
Lesson 4 / Hypothesis:‘Melody is all in the lyrics’
Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
COMPOSING /
- To learn how successful composers use specific techniques to create effective melodies.
Discussion –why were they able to complete that quiz? What makes these melodies memorable?
Analysis – melody structure and common tips – look at how the lyrics of the verse can already indicate the pitch and rhythm through the way they are said.
Use the Flintstones them as a way of showing how melodic ideas can be developed into a melody.
Develop melodic ideas over the chord sequence already created. /
- Will have chosen lyrics for the first verse.
- Will have a selection of techniques that can be used to develop a memorable melody.
- Students will have begun to create a melody for the first verse which supports the lyrics and the emotion they are trying to create.
Lesson 5 / Hypothesis:‘Drama is stronger than obvious emotion’
Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
SET WORKS / 1.To understand how Beethoven structured his Piano Sonata. / Students use iPads to research what an exposition, development and recapitulation.
Read pages 50/51 to recap on previous learning and to develop understanding for today’s analysis.
Analysis of set work in groups – groups focusing on key elements and foci.
Use pages 53/54 to make brief notes on the important structural aspects.
H/W extended listening task – comparison question. /
- To be able to name the three structural areas of a Sonata.
- To be able to explain each of the three sections.
- Be able to explain how pitch, dynamics, tempo and tonality are used.
Lesson 6 & 7 / Hypothesis:‘Repetition of words and short music ideas make for a dull pop song’
Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
COMPOSING /
- To understand what a vocal and instrumental hook is.
- To be able to identify a vocal or instrumental hook in the music.
Analysis of a variety of songs that use an instrumental or vocal hook.
Watch Youtube clip- how to write a pop song by Brett Domino. Students are then to create their own definition of what a vocal or instrumental hook is and then compare with the correct definition.
Students are given some short lyrics to choose from and are asked to create an example of a vocal hook.
Students are to continue to develop their compositions on Sibelius. They might want to include either type of hook in their composition. /
- Students will be able to identify vocal and instrumental hooks in the music they listen to.
- Students will be able to give a definition of what a Vocal and Instrumental Hook is.
- Students will have created either a Vocal or Instrumental Hook for their piece.
Lesson 8 / Hypothesis:‘Any long piece of music for solo instrument could be called a sonata.’
Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
SET WORK /
- To learn how the Sonata by Beethoven is structured.
- To understand the importance of form and structure and how/why Beethoven uses these elements within his Sonata.
Complete Page 55/56 – read through the questions and look over the music so that you are prepared to complete the listening tasks in today’s lesson.
Treasure Hunt task which helps students understand the structure of the piece whilst checking and consolidating their knowledge and understanding of previous lessons. – This task also gets students to annotate the score as they go along.
Evaluation Question – Students to put into a paragraph their understanding of how Beethoven has used form and structure in this sonata. They must use bar numbers as evidence.
Independent learning – choose revision techniques, learn the key information given /
- Students will know and be able to list the GAP’s in their previous knowledge about the Beethoven set work learnt in earlier lessons.
- Students will have correctly identified and annotated key information and examples onto the music score.
- Students will be able to interpret their knowledge of form and structure into exam style written format.
Lesson 9 / Hypothesis:‘Going backwards stops you from going forward in music’
COMPOSING / Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
- Students are continuing to develop their composition in their own way. Therefore, students will set their own objective for the lesson (discussed with teacher) based on the progress they are currently making.
Students will analysis and evaluate their composition and will refine or develop further their musical ideas, so that they continue to create a composition that fulfils the requirements of the composition brief. /
- Students will produce compositional work based on their own personal objective.
- Students will record what they have achieved in the lesson supported by screen shot evidence and saving their work dated.
Lesson 10 / Hypothesis:‘It’s all in the music, but only if you can hear it’
Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
SET WORK /
- To learn how to compare the Set work with wider listening examples.
- To learn how to how to identify relevant information from the music they listen to.
- To understand how to apply this information in the correct format for an extended listen question on the exam paper with effective application of examples.
Aural skills and listening technique development – Students to complete p57/58 of their Beethoven booklet.
Page 59-62 allow for wider listening skills development using notes. Pages 63-66.
Consolidate learning by completing an extended writing style question. Students are to use the question scaffolding to help them with this task. This should be completed for home learning. /
- Students will have completed a listening question on the set work. This will highlight any gaps in their understanding.
- Students will analysis a piece of music creating a VENN diagram comparing it to the set work.
- Students will have created a list of musical examples to support their opinions from both pieces of music.
- Students will use the VENN diagram and examples to produce a GP 9 answer to the extended listening question.
Lesson 11 & 12 / Hypothesis:‘You’ve got to crack a few eggs to make a pop song’
Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
COMPOSING /
- Students are continuing to develop their composition in their own way. Therefore, students will set their own objective for the lesson (discussed with teacher) based on the progress they are currently making.
Students will analysis and evaluate their composition and will refine or develop further their musical ideas, so that they continue to create a composition that fulfils the requirements of the composition brief.
Home Learning – Beethoven, Queen, Purcell, Bach Knowledge organiser revision using a different revision technique revised. /
- Students will produce compositional work based on their own personal objective.
- Students will record what they have achieved in the lesson supported by screen shot evidence and saving their work dated.
Lesson 13 / Hypothesis:‘Without Beethoven, music would have lacked development and passion’
Learning objective: / Learning activity: / Success criteria:
SETWORK /
- To understand the main melodic themes and to develop wider listening skills.
- To prepare for the assessment next week. – Written exam and performance.
Using the score identify the 3 main themes and when they return. Be able to reference which bars they are in on the score. Able to comment on the themes characteristics.
Complete analysis of the set work. Use summary quiz on pages 68-70 of the booklet.
Home Learning: revise music analysis using the topic headings and notes. Pages 77-80 are the exam board revision notes for you to use as additional revision. Power points used throughout this Learning cycle are on google class room for students. Use a variety of revision techniques which we have discussed in lessons (also on google classroom). /
- Will have completed annotated score highlighted and relating to the musical elements.
- Students will be able to identify the main motifs in the score. (Bar numbers) and how they are constructed.
Lesson 14 & 15 / ASSESSMENTS - Mock Listening assessment – Performance assessment.
Lesson 16 / GAP TEACHING
Composition Assessment Overview:
Component 2: Composing (*Paper code: 1MU0/02)Composing to a Brief.
Non-examined assessment: internally marked and externally moderated
15% of the qualification
30 marks
Content overview
● Developing musical ideas
● Compositional techniques and strategies
● Ensuring technical control and coherence
● Methods of notating composition scores
Assessment overview
● Students compose one composition, of at least one minute duration
● The composition is to a brief set by Pearson.
● The composition will be out of 30 marks.
● Internally marked and externally moderated.