Minimalism: Complete Classroom Music Project for Ages 11-14 (Let's Get Musical) (Volume 1)

An engaging, practical scheme of work of 6 hour-long music lessons for ages 11-14, with plenty of activities involving performing, composing and listening. Included in the book are everything for both teachers and pupils: lesson plans and notes (including assessment sheet), worksheets and example composition. There are also audio/video links to YouTube. The project does not require knowledge of music notation, but there is an additional notation-based composition task for more advanced pupils. Objectives To experience, through listening and performing, how a whole piece music can be created from one simple idea To practise minimalist techniques through performing and composing To listen to and analyse music by the minimalist composers John Adams, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman and Terry Riley Lesson Overview Lesson 1 Motif and Ostinato Lesson 2 Note Addition and Note Subtraction Lesson 3 Canon and Layering Lesson 4 Augmentation and Diminution Lesson 5 Phasing and Phase-Shifting Lesson 6 Class Composition/Performance in C Subject-specific vocabulary MINIMALISM a style of music which started in the USA in the 1960s. It is characterised by simple, repetitive patterns which are transformed throughout the piece, using various techniques, including: o Motif a basic rhythmic or melodic pattern o Ostinato a repeating pattern o Note Addition gradually adding notes to a motif o Note Subtraction gradually taking away notes from a motif o Canon two or more parts performing the same motif but starting at different times o Layering the process of adding or taking away parts (or layers) o Augmentation the motif played in longer note values o Diminution the motif played in shorter note values o Phasing two or more parts gradually getting out of sync with each other o Phase-shifting two or more parts getting out of sync by one beat at a time Assessments Performing Steve Reich s Clapping Music Composing minimalist piece for two instruments, based on a simple one-bar motif Listening listening exercise on Steve Reich s Electric Counterpoint