Music - Year 7

Music Overview

Term 1 or 2: Transition Unit - The Lion Sleeps Tonight

"Lion Sleeps Tonight" using voice, guitars, bass, drums and keyboards.

Rhythmic work using Groove Your Classroom 1. Students will learn chords on ukulele and keyboards, bass lines on bass guitar and rhythms on drums. They will sing in unison and in parts.

  1. Students will be assessed using the following tracker on performance:

    -I can play a simple piece and with support, keep my own part going when performing in a group.

    -I can play with some fluency and accuracy by myself and in a group

    -I can play using correct technique

    o I can play a part using expression including phrasing and dynamics

    Homework will form Listening and Appraising using:

    -I have experienced music inside and outside the classroom and think about how to improve my work

    -I can describe music I have experienced and can identify basic ideas for improvement.

    -I can identify simple features of music and recall some facts regarding the context of styles of music.

    -I can read some notation and identify and describe musical elements

Melody

a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.

Rhythm

a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound

Harmony

Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.

Structure

Song structure or the musical forms of songs, also known as Form.

key signature

a series of #'s or b's (sharps or flats) to indicate what notes are in the scale.

arrangement

creating a new version of an existing piece of music

dynamics

How loud or quiet the music is.

expression

The act of communicating emotion in music.

pitch

how low or high the sounds are

Metre

The rhythmic structure, the patterns of accents heard regularly recurring measures of stressed (accented) and unstressed (unaccented) beats at the frequency of the music’s pulse. Metre is notated at the beginning of a composition with a time signature.

Tonic

First note of a scale

Scale

A group of notes arranged in ascending or descending order

Ascending

Moving upwards in pitch

Descending

Moving downwards in pitch

Forte

loud

piano

soft

Accompaniment

A part (or parts) which supports the melody.

Acoustic instruments

Instruments which are not electronically amplified

Bass

The lowest-pitched line in a piece of music, on which the harmonies are based.

Beat

The beat in a piece of music is a regular pulse that we can clap along to.

Primary Chords

The most commonly used chords.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students develop confidence, voice and independent learning skills.

Create a supportive community:

Students working in whole groups.

Term 1 or 2: Musique Concrete

Students will be introduced to the elements of music through composition and by creating their own instruments using Makey Makey,Soundplant and Audacity.

  1. Students will be assessed on composition and listening and appraising using the following criteria.

    -Create and improvise using technology

    -Perform using technology in small groups

    -Able to express and improve musical ideas

    -Use musical elements when creating and responding to listening tasks

    -Have an understanding of the context of music.

    Musical

Melody

a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.

Rhythm

a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound

Harmony

Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.

Structure

Song structure or the musical forms of songs, also known as Form.

Musique Concrete

tape-recorded musical and natural sounds, often electronically distorted, arranged in planned combinations, sequences, and rhythmic patterns to create an artistic work.

Timbre

the characteristic quality of a sound, independent of pitch and loudness.

looping

a technique used in electronic music where a sound is repeated.

Texture

how many different instruments are playing together

expression

The act of communicating emotion in music.

pitch

how low or high the sounds are

Dissonance/ dissonant

Notes that 'clash'. The opposite of consonance.

Delay

An audio that can be electronically added to music to give the effect of an echo.

Echo

An electronic effect that adds delay to the sound creating an echo

Introduction

The first section of a piece of music before the main theme begins.

Multitracking

The use of music technology to record separate tracks or layers of music. and mix them together.

Ostinato

A repeating melodic, harmonic or rhythmic motif, heard continuously throughout part or the whole of a piece.

Sequencer

An electronic device or piece of computer software that allows the user to create and edit MIDI and audio files

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students will be encouraged to develop their creative ideas and problem solve using ICT and electronic circuit boards.

Create a supportive community:

Students will work in small teams and be required to problem solve when building their instruments.

Term 3 or 4: Orchestral Music

In this unit, students form a modern day classroom orchestra using a range of instruments and learn to play and compose using ideas from Beethoven’s 5th and Ride of the Valkyries.

  1. -Sing in parts

    -Performing as a whole class

    -Opportunities for a solo

    -Improvise and compose musical motifs

    -Able to express and improve musical ideas

    -Use notation and perform by ear

    -An understanding of the context of the pieces performed.

    Treble/Bass Clef

    Formal Assessment will be both performance and listening and appraising.

Melody

a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.

Rhythm

a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound

Harmony

Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.

Structure

Song structure or the musical forms of songs, also known as Form.

orchestra

A group of performers on various musical instruments, playing together. This usually includes the four families - brass, woodwind, percussion and strings.

arrangement

creating a new version of an existing piece of music

dynamics

How loud or quiet the music is.

expression

The act of communicating emotion in music.

pitch

how low or high the sounds are

Symphony

A large scale work for an orchestra

Pulse

A regularly recurring beat

Treble Clef

Used for instruments or notes that are high in pitch

Bass Clef

Used for instruments or notes that are low in pitch

Strings

Section of the orchestra with strings, including violin, viola, cell and double bass.

Woodwind

Section of the orchestra that use a reed or blowing technique to produce a sound including flute, oboe, clarinet and saxophone.

Percussion

Section of the orchestra where instruments are played using beaters or a 'hitting' action including timpani, glockenspiel and gongs.

Brass

The section of the orchestra where sound is produced by 'buzzing' you lips together. This includes trumpets, trombones and tubas.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students work together as a large ensemble, gain a sense of co-operation and understanding and learn the importance of self discipline when working in a large musical ensemble.

Create a supportive community:

Students are working collaboratively in both small and large groups to produce the musical outcome.

Term 3 or 4: Sequencing a piece of popular music (ICT)

In this unit, students will use Garageband to sequence an arrangement of a well-known pop tune. The focus will be on keyboard skills, rhythm and harmony using chords.

  1. Creative:

    I can create a simple piece of music using repetition.

    I can create music that relates to a brief with simple use of rhythm and melody.

    I begin to use some compositional devices in my music .

    I can layer sounds effectively (harmony) and fulfil the brief.

    I can create music with expression.

    Listening and understanding:

    I have experienced music inside and outside the classroom and think about how to improve my work.

    I can describe music I have experienced and can identify basic ideas for improvement.

    I can identify simple features of music and recall some facts regarding the context of styles of music.

    I can read some notation and identify and describe musical elements.

    I can identify features of music using accurate musical vocabulary and identify strengths and weaknesses of my own work.

Melody

a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.

Rhythm

a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound

Harmony

Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.

Structure

Song structure or the musical forms of songs, also known as Form.

chords

2 or more notes sounding at the same time

looping

a technique used in electronic music where a sound is repeated.

Meter

How beats or pulse in music are divided up

Sampling

In music this refers to sound that has been used from a previous recording and manipulated to form a new piece.

Sequencing

Using technology to record ideas and arrange them in a particular order

Texture

how many different instruments are playing together

key signature

a series of #'s or b's (sharps or flats) to indicate what notes are in the scale.

expression

The act of communicating emotion in music.

pitch

how low or high the sounds are

Cadence

A progression of (at least) two chords that concludes a phrase, section or piece of music. Cadences can be defined as Perfect, Plagal, Imperfect and Interrupted. Greek folk music has phrases which end with clear cadences.

DAW

Digital Audio Workstation - an example is Garageband.

Primary Chords

They are the most commonly used chords.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students will gain performance skills, ICT management and logical patterns as well as build on concepts learned in previous units.

Create a supportive community:

Sharing good practice.

Term 5 or 6: Toccata and Fugue Remix

Students will compose their own piece using samples, mixing organ/orchestra and other sounds using a digital audio workstation (DAW). They will become familiar with Bach's iconic piece, in the original organ version and the orchestration.

  1. Composing (Create)

    -I can create a simple piece of music using repetition

    -I can create music that relates to a brief with simple use of rhythm and melody.

    -I begin to use some compositional devices in my music.

    o I can layer sounds effectively (harmony) and fulfil the brief.

    -I can create music with expression

    Listening, Knowledge and Appraising

    -I have experienced music inside and outside the classroom and think about how to improve my work

    -I can describe music I have experienced and can identify basic ideas for improvement.

    -I can identify simple features of music and recall some facts regarding the context of styles of music.

    -I can read some notation and identify and describe musical elements

    -I can identify features of music using accurate musical vocabulary and identify strengths and weaknesses of my own work.

Melody

a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.

Rhythm

a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound

Harmony

Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.

Structure

Song structure or the musical forms of songs, also known as Form.

looping

a technique used in electronic music where a sound is repeated.

Texture

how many different instruments are playing together

DAW

Digital Audio Workstation - an example is Garageband.

Ostinato

A repeated musical phrase, used as an accompaniment

Panning

Moving sound to the left or right in a stereo field.

Effects

Modifying sounds by use of delay, reverb, compression and phasing.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Students will develop independent learning, resilience and resourcefulness when completing this unit.

Create a supportive community:

Assessment for Learning will include peer assessment and feedback and sharing creative ideas to help each other improve their work.

Term 5 or 6: Whole Class Performance

Students will be working together to complete a performance of a piece of music using Voice, Drums, Bass, Keyboards, Guitars, Ukuleles.

  1. Students will be assessed on performance and listening and appraising using the following criteria.

    -Sing in parts

    -Opportunities for solos

    -Performing as a whole class

    -Able to express and improve musical ideas

    -Use musical elements when responding to listening tasks

    -Use notation and perform by ear

    -An understanding of the context of the chosen piece.

    Times-signatures/Bar Lines

Melody

a sequence of single notes, also known as a Tune.

Harmony

Groups of notes played together, also known as chords.

Meter

How beats or pulse in music are divided up

key signature

a series of #'s or b's (sharps or flats) to indicate what notes are in the scale.

rhythm

Sound organised over time.

expression

The act of communicating emotion in music.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Focussed and independent learning when playing their parts then learning to work with others when performing as a whole class.

Create a supportive community:

Students are encouraged to support each other during the learning process.