Developing Engaging, Enriching, Empowering, and
Creative Composition Projects for Your Classroom
ILMEA Summer Learning Series
Jesse Rathgeber
What's the Variation?
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Spark: A familiar melodic theme. Consider mining “masterworks” or taking melodies from a piece the group has been working on. Example themes to use: Demons, Dynamite, Fancy, Happy, Get Lucky, Hot Cross Buns, Party Rock, Ride of the Valkyries, Rude, We Will Rock You, and William Tell.
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Prompt: With one instrument, create two or more variations of the selected melody. Consider altering the rhythm, timbre, melodic contour, and meter when you create your variation. Create one variation that only alters one dimension. Create other variations by altering multiple dimensions.
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Extension: As a group, review the variations. Pick one variation from each composer. As a group, decide upon the order and perform the original theme and its variations as a new work.
Aural Projects
You can always base a composition on music. Composers are often inspired by the works of other composers and even sounds around them (think of Messian).
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Spark: A folk song or pop song.
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Prompt: Create a parody of your selected song. Write new lyrics and find a way to create a new arrangement of the song. Be sure to include important musical hooks, ostinati, and even the form (which you may shorten). Record your music track by track.
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Extension: Inspired by the work of Weird Al Yankovic, create a music video to accompany your parody. How can you visually parody the original music video, if there is one?
I'm Bigger than Weird Al
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Spark: Class-created rhythmic and melodic ostinati/loops. These could be recorded or notated.
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Prompt: Build an original piece of music using our Lego pieces. Make your piece interesting and unique by playing with texture, harmony, timbre, and expression. Organize the music using the form of another piece of music.
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Extension: If the loops were notated (in standard or non-standard notation), have students listen to recordings of the final works and pick out the loops used.
