Teaching and learning resources Time allocation: 41 hours (15 weeks) Overview The purpose of this unit is to develop students musicianship by exploring, understanding and demonstrating the way music elements and associated concepts have been used and manipulated in music used for entertainment purposes. Music can convey or evoke emotion specific to a given context or it can enhance storytelling. It is indispensable in dance and opera, and is usually incorporated into dramatic film or theatre productions. Entertainment can be either for the performers themselves (often without an audience) or for an audience. While entertainment often provides fun, enjoyment and laughter, in certain circumstances or contexts, there is an additional serious purpose. Possible approaches 1. Music as pure entertainment Music is a popular type of entertainment on its own and may constitute an entire performance, such as when concerts are given. A wide variety of music performances provide entertainment, whether the performances are from soloists, choral or orchestral groups, bands and/or other ensembles. Examples where music is used as pure entertainment include: art music popular music styles and genres jazz, folk and rock. Students could investigate the ways music elements and concepts are used to provide pure entertainment across a variety of contexts. 2. Music that supports entertainment Music can be a supporting component of many kinds of entertainment. Theatrical productions, typically dramatic or musical, are presented on a stage for an audience. In these entertainment forms, music can support the dramatic action and storytelling through conveying and eliciting emotion. Storytelling may be a component of any piece that relies on a narrative, such as film, drama, ballet, and opera. Examples where music is used to support entertainment include: opera music theatre 150201
film and TV dance/ballet incidental music. Students could investigate the ways music elements and concepts are used to support entertainment across a variety of contexts. Contexts, styles and genres to explore Depending on the focus or approach for the unit, repertoire could be selected from the following: Opera: Mozart: The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni; Puccini: La Bohème, Madama Butterfly; Verdi: Rigoletto, La Traviata; George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess; John Adams: Nixon in China; Richard Meale: Voss; Colin Brumby: The Seven Deadly Sins Music theatre: Stephen Schwartz: Wicked; Schönberg and Boubil: Les Miserables; Bernstein: West Side Story; Marc Shaman & Scott Wittman: Hairspray; Stephen Sondheim: Into the Woods and Sweeny Todd; John Kander & Fred Ebb: Cabaret and Chicago; Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey: Grease; Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice: Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar; Andrew Lloyd Webber & Charles Hart: The Phantom of the Opera; Pete Townshend: Tommy; the musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein Ballet: Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake; Schubert: Rosamunde; Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Richard Mills: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie Art music: Handel: Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks; Telemann: Tafelmusik; Mozart: Divertimenti, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; Stravinsky: A Soldier s Tale, overtures, symphonies, concertos; works by Australian composers, e.g. Stephen Leek, Peter Sculthorpe, Carl Vine, Ross Edwards, Colin Brumby, John Carmichael Film and TV: Bernard Hermann: Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Citizen Kane, Cape Fear; Franz Waxman: Rear Window; John Williams: Schindler s List, Star Wars, War of the Worlds, The Patriot, The Harry Potter movies, War Horse; Bruno Coulais: Les Choristes; Ryuichi Sakamoto et al: The Last Emperor; Yann Tiersen: Comptine D un Autre été L après-midi from the film Amelie; Danny Elfmann: film music from Batman, Corpse Bride and Alice in Wonderland; Hans Zimmer: Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and Madagascar; James Horner: Avatar; Howard Shore: Lord of the Rings; Philip Glass: Mishima/Closing from The Truman Show ; Michael Nyman: The Piano; Craig Armstrong & Marius de Vries: Moulin Rouge; Don Davis: The Matrix; Ennio Morricone: Cinema Paradiso and The Mission; Nicola Piovani: Life is Beautiful Australian film: George Dreyfus: Rush, Dimboola; Paul Grabowsky: The Eye of the Storm; Bruce Rowland: The Man from Snowy River, Phar Lap; Nigel Westlake; Babe, Antarctica, and Miss Potter; David Hirschfelder: Strictly Ballroom, Shine (original music) and Australia; Paul Kelly & Dan Luscombe: Jindabyne; Cezary Skubiszewski: Bran Nue Dae and The Sapphires; Picnic at Hanging Rock (non- original music by J S Bach, Mozart and Beethoven) Jazz: selections from Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Michel Legrand Australian jazz: Don Burrows, George Golla, James Morrison, Vince Jones, Kate Ceberano, Galapagos Duck, Paul Grabowsky, Ed Wilson, The Idea of North (a capella vocal ensemble) Popular music styles and genres: pop, rock, hard rock, hip hop, R&B, rap Australian rock and pop: Midnight Oil, INXS, Paul Kelly, Kev Carmody, Jessica Mauboy, Christine Anu, Yothu Yindi, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Saltwater Band, Cold Chisel, Powderfinger, Crowded House, Bernard Fanning, Boy & Bear, Emma Louise, Xavier Rudd, The Grates, Gypsy and the Cat, The John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, Angus and Julia Stone, Pete Murray, San Cisco, Sarah Blasko Page 2 of 5
Possible learning experiences Learning experiences are developed based on the purpose and context of the unit and the repertoire selected. analysing and evaluating the way mood and character in a composition is achieved through the use of music elements and concepts, and compositional devices viewing relevant sections of musicals, ballets and films and attending live theatrical performances, where possible journaling the process of creating music analysing scenes to determine the music elements highlighted in film or music theatre analysing scenes with and without music to demonstrate the power of well-written film scores listening to interviews with prominent film composers or reading their blogs/web posts and discussing their approaches to composition investigating music contexts, styles and genres with reference to other performing and visual arts and related social, historical, cultural and philosophical backgrounds perceiving and interpreting music elements and concepts in repertoire and music sources related to music for entertainment analysing and evaluating entertainment music to determine the relationships between music elements, concepts and stylistic characteristics synthesising findings, justifying music viewpoints and communicating music ideas about music for entertainment purposes developing and using aural skills and musical memory when listening to, composing and performing music for entertainment composing jazz, film music, popular and contemporary music selecting and applying music elements and concepts to create music for entertainment, e.g. music theatre, film, dance, jazz and popular genres composing new music to a pre-existing film scene investigating advanced chord structures (7th and 9th chords, suspensions, secondary dominants, added note chords) to develop aural skills synthesising and communicating music ideas and stylistic characteristics to create students own music for entertainment demonstrating composition and performance skills and techniques in creating and performing music for entertainment purposes performing popular music, dance music, or excerpts from music theatre performing repertoire from film music, after having arranged it for a class ensemble singing and playing excerpts, themes and accompaniments from repertoire encountered improvising jazz melodies, bass lines and countermelodies using advanced aural skills experimenting with combinations of music elements to replicate a given emotion layering sound effects over existing tracks or marking scores with hit points developing good rehearsal practices to improve accuracy, technique, ensemble skills, style and presence in performance interpreting and applying music elements and concepts in vocal and instrumental performances synthesising and communicating music ideas and stylistic characteristics to create performances Syllabus dimensions and objectives will be delivered through learning experiences over the unit of work, as per these examples. Page 3 of 5
Possible assessment Assessment technique Assessment conditions Composition Compose a popular song, song for a musical, an instrumental or vocal jazz work, or a soundtrack to a visual stimulus Compose music to match a pre-existing or original film scene Composition Assessment tasks are designed from the purpose and context of the unit and should be aligned to the identified dimensions and objectives. select and apply music elements and concepts in the creation of their own works demonstrate composition techniques in the creation of their own works synthesise and communicate music ideas and stylistic characteristics to create their own works. Year 11: a minimum of 16 bars or approximately 30 seconds in length. Year 12: a minimum of 32 bars or approximately 1 minute in length. Assessment technique Musicology extended response Analyse and evaluate a selected film score, songs from music theatre, or other appropriate repertoire to express a music viewpoint. Critique the effectiveness of a selected work to convey a particular mood or emotion. Identify the most appropriate music for a particular context and justify the response, through comparison and contrast of two works. Musicology perceive and interpret music elements and concepts in repertoire and music sources analyse and evaluate music to determine the relationships between music elements, concepts and stylistic characteristics synthesise findings, justify music viewpoints and communicate music ideas. Assessment conditions Year 11: Written: 600 1000 words Spoken: 3 4 minutes Multimodal: 3 5 minutes Year 12: Written: 800 1200 words Spoken: 4 5 minutes Multimodal: 5 7 minutes Page 4 of 5
Assessment technique Assessment conditions Performance Perform a work that is used for entertainment purposes, vocal and/or instrumental, for solo or ensemble. Perform music from a film score. This may be a performance of the student s own composition. Performance interpret and apply music elements and concepts in performance demonstrate performance skills and techniques related to contexts synthesise and communicate music ideas and stylistic characteristics to create performances. Length (Years 11 and 12): Approximately three minutes. Page 5 of 5