Minimalism: Complete Classroom Music Project for Ages 11-14

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