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Year 9 Minimalism SOW

This document provides an overview of a Year 9 music unit on minimalism. Students will learn about minimalist music techniques, perform and analyze famous minimalist pieces, and compose their own minimalist work using repetition of short musical patterns. Key aspects covered include understanding how motifs can be manipulated, performing Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" using gradual phase shifting, and identifying minimalist traits in contemporary popular music. Students will then create either a group performance or electronic composition that demonstrates minimalist techniques.

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Blake Harris
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684 views25 pages

Year 9 Minimalism SOW

This document provides an overview of a Year 9 music unit on minimalism. Students will learn about minimalist music techniques, perform and analyze famous minimalist pieces, and compose their own minimalist work using repetition of short musical patterns. Key aspects covered include understanding how motifs can be manipulated, performing Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" using gradual phase shifting, and identifying minimalist traits in contemporary popular music. Students will then create either a group performance or electronic composition that demonstrates minimalist techniques.

Uploaded by

Blake Harris
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Introduction to Minimalism in Music: Introduces the concept of minimalist music, focusing on its basic elements and influence on modern music.
  • Expectations & Learning Outcomes: Details the learning goals and expectations for students studying minimalist music, including critical listening and composing skills.
  • Art or Not Art?: Encourages students to reflect on the artistic merits of minimalist music and its broader definitions in art.
  • Music Explorations: Explores different minimalist compositions, encouraging students to discern music functions beyond traditional sounds.
  • Understanding Minimalism Techniques: Discusses key features of minimalist music such as repetition and motifs, showcasing pieces by Steve Reich and others.
  • Composition Tasks: Provides practical tasks for students to compose their own minimalist pieces, applying learned techniques creatively.

MINIMALISM

YEAR 9 MUSIC

‘Developing new music from small ideas’


In this unit, you will:

• Learn about how minimalist music works


• Understand how motifs and cells can be
manipulated
• Perform famous minimalist music in groups
• Practise your instrumental skills
• Think about how minimalist techniques can be
used in today’s music
• Compose a minimalist piece of your own using
instruments or software
LO: be able to give and justify musical opinions about minimalist music

Introduction to Minimalism

Art OR Not art ?


Music OR Not music ?
4’33” (John Cage)
Minimalist music draws on a number of features from various
musical types and styles including African music. This can be seen in
use of repetition, rhythmic cycles and polyrhythms (where several
rhythms are heard simultaneously).

The main feature of minimalist music is a limited number of


rhythmic, melodic and harmonic patterns called motifs which are
repeated again and again. These patterns often give the music a
hypnotic effect.
Clapping Music (Steve Reich)
It’s Gonna Rain (Steve Reich)
LO: Accurately perform a piece of rhythmic minimalist music

Performing ‘Clapping Music’


• Make a group of 6-8 people
• Identify the rhythmic pattern of ‘Clapping
Music’
• You all begin by clapping pattern 1
• One ‘control’ person maintains pattern 1
throughout
• The others work alone or in a pair. One by
one, you move down the rows
• Rehearse slowly at first
• Keep in tempo
• Using a metronome may help
• Good luck!

The technique you are using is called phase shifting.


LO: Listen to and perform minimalist music, noticing its tonality

TONALITY:
What’s the difference?

Tonal Atonal

Polytonal
LO: Accurately perform a piece of melodic, multi-layered minimalist music

The piece of music you are about to learn is called Tubular


Bells. It was composed by Mike Oldfield using very basic tape
equipment.The piece gained notoriety as the background music
to one of the scariest films ever made.

Try to identify the different layers of the


piece as you listen.

Earn a house point if you can tell me the time


signature of the piece (how many beats per bar)
Tubular bells performance

• You will need 3-4 people


• You are allowed to use keyboards and/or glockenspiels
• There are four parts to this performance – melody, harmony, chords, bass line
• The chords and bassline could fairly easily be played by one person on the keyboard.
• Introduce and layer the parts one at a time.

melody

harmony

chords

bassline
LO: Create a performance of ‘In C’ by Terry Riley Instructions:
• Each person picks
3 or 4 motifs and
learns to play them
on an instrument
• You may repeat
each motif as many
times as you like
before moving to
the next
• You can change the
timbre of the motif
• Create a layered
performance,
deciding who will
play which part and
when
Listening 3:

Desert Music (Steve Reich)


LO: Aurally identify minimalist traits in contemporary music, and prepare to compose a minimalist piece of your own

Examples of minimalist techniques in popular music


We often hear similar techniques employed in popular music styles,
especially electronic dance music.

What similarities are there between these tunes and the music we have
already heard?

Have a listen to the following and see what you can spot!
Composition Task
Option 1: Group practical task
• Choose an object or theme for your piece, and give it a title.
• Each member of the group creates their own motif, based on a few notes.
• Decide which instruments and timbres you will use.
• Make a plan of your piece: Who will begin? Who will come in next?
• Remember: a key feature of minimalism is each new motif being added
gradually, so that the listener feels subtle changes
• Allow some parts to go out of phase so that not all of the motifs are played
together
• Finally, compose an ending for your piece. You might like to compose a
dramatic ending where the dynamics become louder and louder, or you
might want your piece to fade away to nothing.
• Video your complete performance.
Composition task
Option 2: Working alone on a piece of electronic music

• Use Soundtrap or GarageBand to complete your project


• Create a layered piece of music which shows repeating rhythm patterns,
melodic motifs, changing timbres, parts which move out of phase etc
• Submit your work in mp3 or wav format

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