Listening: musical recipes (Year 10)

Learning Intentions

  • We are learning to recognise simple musical structures.
  • We are learning to determine how certain musical elements have been used.
  • We are learning to explore and combine the elements of music to create compositions with a range of specified ‘ingredients’.

What to look for

  • Pupils recognising simple musical structures
  • Pupils discussing the elements of music appropriately
  • Pupils composing with specified parameters
  • Pupils performing their own compositions
  • Pupils evaluating group compositions in relation to original parameters given

Learning Activities

Revise the concept of the AAB structure of 12–bar blues with the class.

Working together, give the pupils opportunities to listen to examples of:

  • AB;
  • ABA;
  • ABB; and
  • ABAB structures in music.

Discuss together how sections within a piece of music can change in terms of:

  • tempo;
  • pitch;
  • timbre;
  • mood; and
  • dynamics.

Put the pupils in groups and give each group a ‘musical recipe’ card. Tell them not to show their card to other groups.

Challenge each group to compose a piece of music using their list of ‘ingredients’.

Ask the pupils to perform their compositions. As each group plays, the others try to identify the ‘ingredients’ they originally had on their recipe card. Then display the musical recipe cards for all to see and evaluate the group performances.