Activity Introduction

artology-orchestra-2Quick summary: This lesson provides the opportunity for students to explore a wide variety of tone colours (timbres) across families of the orchestra. As an aside, different colour theories in music might also be explored. Students are inspired to start writing their own short 30 second attention grabbing piece of music to enter into the Fanfare Competition.

Fanfare logoThis lesson is part of the Fanfare Competition unit. The unit is designed for students to build their aural and technical skills while exploring music as an art form through listening, composing and performing. Students are encouraged to apply their learning by planning and organising a composition for the Fanfare Competition. The competition encourages young people aged 12‐21 years to write a new work to be played in the Sydney Opera House to replace the ‘cue bells’ for audiences to take their seats. It is a wonderful way to showcase young people and musicians, and encourage creativity in young people.

Learning goals:

  • Students consider the tone colour differences between families of instruments.
  • Students consider the connection between visual colour and musical tone colour.
  • Students build their capacity to be creative and express ideas musically.

General capabilities: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum content descriptions:

Year 7 & 8 Music

  • Experiment with texture and timbre in sound sources using aural skills (ACAMUM092).
  • Develop musical ideas, such as mood, by improvising, combining and manipulating the elements of music (ACAMUM093).
  • Structure compositions by combining and manipulating the elements of music using notation (ACAMUM095).

Syllabus Outcomes: MUS4.7, MUS4.8, MUS4.4, MUS4.4, MUS4.5, MUS4.6.

Time needed: 60 minutes.

Level of teacher scaffolding: High – teacher requires musical knowledge to guide student ideas.

Digital technology opportunities: Use computers, smart phones, tablets to record musical ideas and motifs.

Resources required: Percussion, classroom instruments, whiteboard. Fanfare Competition DIY Student Toolkit.

Key words: tone colour, timbre, composition, variety, colour wheel, contrast, motif, notation, graphic notation.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

artology-violins-1Teacher preparation

Overarching learning goal: This lesson provides the opportunity for students to explore a wide variety of tone colours (timbres) across families of the orchestra. As an aside, different colour theories in music might also be explored. Students are inspired to create their own short composition.

Teacher content information:

Artology Video (https://youtu.be/bGRy4oXULFo).

What is a fanfare?
A fanfare is normally a relatively short piece of music that is typically played by trumpets, cornets, french horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is usually intended for important social purposes, such as ceremonial events involving important people or animals; exclamations of significant activities during an event (such as the introduction and closing); or to precede announcements with the purpose of gaining the attention of the audience. Similarly, musical works themselves often begin, transition, or end with fanfares or fanfare-like themes

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