This is a guest article written by Sarah Joncas.
Background
My students love film music! From the latest Disney animated movie to older classics, I find that almost every student will engage when they get to talk about the music of the movies. In developing a unit on film music for some of my classes, I dove deeper into the history of the connections between film music and opera, and decided to have them try their hand at a very old concept – the leitmotif – in a new way. They used technology to compose their leitmotif, giving them endless instrument options and the ability to compose anything they could dream up and notate.
A leitmotif is a musical theme associated with a certain character or idea. Often, leitmotifs are characterized by short melodies and a specific instrumental timbre. This tends to make them really approachable for students, since the short length allows them to really focus on elements of melody and musical expression.
Prepare for the Project
The students I did this project with had already used notation software to notate a scale, a familiar children’s song, and a rhythm they created, so they were pretty familiar with using it already. If your students are new to notation software, I’d highly recommend teaching them the basics and giving them some time to explore using the software before you start a formal project! That way, they’re able to focus on being creative, and not just clicking buttons. Some basics that students should understand before this project are:
- How to read notes on the staff of at least one clef
- How to begin a new project
- How to input notes
- How to change notes that have already been entered
- How to copy and paste measures of music
- How to delete notes
- How to save and share their work
Project Requirements
This lesson requires a device capable of running Flat.io or Noteflight for each student, as well as headphones for the students so they can hear their work. If there aren’t enough available devices , this lesson could also be adapted for partners, or used as a center while the rest of the class is working without screens. If you prefer, students could even compose their leitmotif on staff paper, and then use Flat.io or Noteflight at the end to input their work and see if they liked the sound.
Introducing Students to Leitmotifs
A leitmotif is a theme for a certain character, setting, or concept. They are very common in opera, musical theatre, and films. Here are a few of my favorite examples to share with students:
Wolf Theme from Peter and the Wolf
Leia’s Theme from Star Wars
Shark Theme from Jaws
Once students have a basic understanding of what leitmotifs are, discuss some of the things the examples have in common. Leitmotifs are generally short, but may be repeated many times within a longer piece of music, and they often have a distinctive instrument timbre associated with them.
Discuss:
As a class, analyze why the composer might have chosen the instrument that they did. In addition, discuss elements of music like tempo, dynamics, and range that influence the mood of the leitmotif themes they have heard. By discussing how other composers made choices for their leitmotifs, students will be able to understand how to make choices of their own to compose an original leitmotif.
Create Together:
With the foundation set, students will create their own leitmotif for a character of their choice. I tell my students they can select a movie character, book character, or even write a leitmotif for themselves. I usually have them come up with three possible ideas, and then pick the one that they think will work the best. That way, if they struggle, they already have some backups in mind. We talk about identifying a character’s traits, deciding on elements of music that would match that trait, and then composing.
It is always helpful to model an assignment before having students do it themselves, so here is how I model this assignment with my students:
- Pick a character as a class to compose a leitmotif for.
- Demonstrate how to use the notation software to get started.
First, start a new score.
Then, type a title and click “next”
- With the class, select an instrument, pick a key (usually C major, unless the class has a lot of experience using flats and sharps) and get to work!
- Often, my demonstration leitmotif is only about 4-8 measures long; I want students to focus on the quality, not the quantity, of what they’re composing. I always go back and change my mind about something in the example, so that students are able to see how to delete and edit their work as needed.
Select an instrument family, then click the plus sign next to the instrument you’d like to use. Click create score.
Change the key, if desired, by clicking on the key signature and selecting a new one.
You’re ready to compose!
- Before setting up the students to work on their own leitmotifs, review how to select an instrument and get started within the notation program.
- It can also be helpful to have a template set up for those who need some help getting started.
- Then, give the students some time to try things out and start composing on their devices!
- Often, I have a few students with specific questions about how to use a more advanced feature, such as accidentals or even adding a second instrument. I answer those as they come up, since I don’t want the software to limit my students’ creativity. Sometimes, they ask questions that stump me, but I am usually able to find the answer in Noteflight or Flat.io’s extensive help sections of their websites or with a quick Google search.
Create With A Partner:
Once students have had some work time to compose their leitmotifs, partner them up to share with one another. Have them share their character (and a few things about them if it’s a character their partner doesn’t know) and then their leitmotif. Their partner can give constructive feedback. I typically give students sentence frames to use when they share what they thought of their partner’s work:
- I notice that you __________________
- I think it could be even better if ________________
- I wonder if you thought about trying ___________________
- I really liked _________________
- My favorite part was _____________________
Students need some time to edit and revise their work to make sure that they are happy with their theme, and rethink their idea if it didn’t quite work out the way they planned. Usually, about 15 minutes seems to be enough for students to edit and revise their leitmotif. I always encourage students to save everything they write, even if it’s not their final leitmotif they may want to use it later. When I introduce notation software to my students, we all make a piece called “My scraps” and then they can just cut and paste any rejected musical fragments there and find them later.
Presentations
This project is a great one for students to present their work to the class. Students can share their character and then play the leitmotif from the notation software, or even play the theme first and then have the class guess their character. I also have students share a “glow” (something they think went really well) and a “grow” (something they think could be improved) for each students’ composition.
It’s always helpful to have a framework for students to include musical vocabulary when they’re sharing. I usually have students talk about:
- Tempo
- Melody
- Timbre that they selected
- Why their leitmotif was a good fit for that character.
Reflections
After the project, have students reflect on their musical choices, and whether their leitmotif was or was not a good fit for their character. Here is a sample reflection for an imaginary character. To use this sample in your classroom, just click “File” → “Make a Copy.”
Notation software, like Flat.io and Noteflight, open up the possibility of any instrument for students. They are able to create music for a variety of contexts, and share their music with their class, or even the world. Composing leitmotifs is fun, creative, and can easily cover multiple music class standards.
Final Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed this lesson! Have you had a chance to try this lesson? How did it go? What fun ways are you incorporating Flat or Noteflight in your classroom? Leave a comment below!
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About the Author
Sarah Joncas is a music teacher from Massachusetts, USA. She teaches kindergarten through fifth grade general music, fifth grade chorus, fifth grade band, and percussion ensemble. Before becoming a teacher, she worked with technology and educational software.
In 2014, she was named a TI:ME Technology in Music Education Leadership Fellow, which allowed her to attend a music education conference in Texas and explore cutting edge music teaching technology. She has earned degrees in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Boston University. You can connect with Sarah on Twitter or her blog Teaching Music Musings.
Looking for More Resources for Music Teachers?
Hello! I’m Katie Argyle – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers through my business Midnight Music.
I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers through my online professional development space – the Midnight Music Community – where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.
I like to focus on easy ways to incorporate technology into what you are already doing in your music curriculum through a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at countless conferences and other music education events.
If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in music education, I would LOVE to help you inside the Midnight Music Community.
