Music-based work

These are just ideas intended to stimulate thought and imagination about things connected with music and / or orchestras.   There are no specifically right or wrong answers but some general class consideration as to which ideas are the most effective, most practical or most appropriate might be interesting.

1.      Imagine that you can travel in time and are now living thousands and thousands of years ago.   You live in a cave.   Next week is your best friend’s birthday and there will be a big celebration with singing and dancing.   You want to try to have a sort of orchestra as well. 

What things could you make instruments from?
What sort of instruments could you make?

2.      You have travelled now to a place where there are orchestral instruments but the people who play them don’t know how to write down the sounds they make.   They have no machines to make recordings either.

Is there any way they can keep the pieces of music they create?   If so, how?

3.      You decide that you like their music so much that you want to find a way to bring it home with you.    You find it hard to remember how it sounds though, so you want to find a way to write it down.  

Can you think of some signs you could use to show if the next note should be longer or shorter than the last?
Or if it should be higher or lower? 
Or softer or louder?
Played by more instruments or fewer, or one instrument alone?

4.      Imagine that you are a composer and try to think what sort of music you would write to try to show two different sorts of events or feelings.   Some ideas of the sorts of music you might want to write are given but you can choose your own if you wish.

Event          Anger / Storm / Wedding / Raindrops / Spring morning / Birdsong /
Circus Parade / After the battle

Speed          Is the music to sound fast, medium or slow?  Getting faster or slower?

Volume          Is the music to sound loud, medium or soft?  Getting louder or softer?

Texture          Which sections play?   All, several or just one? Are there any solo instruments?  

Character          Does the music sound smooth and gentle or loud and rough?   Peaceful or exciting?

Example          Event          music for an angry bee
Speed          very fast and getting even faster
Volume          medium, getting louder
Texture          strings only
Character          very exciting

 

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