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Film music
Learning area:The artsLevel: Years 7 and 8
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Formative action

Using assessment to improve student learning

The information gained about student skills, knowledge and understanding can be used by teachers to shape future learning and teaching. Teachers could use the diagnostic grid (doc,17kb) could be used by teachers to record students' performance on each of the expected qualities, to obtain a snapshot of those areas in which students will need further instruction. The teaching and learning activities that follow the grid are also related to each of the expected qualities and suggest some ways in which teachers could consolidate or extend student performance. View the Sample diagnostic grid (doc,18kb) for an example of how it might be completed.

Teaching and learning activities

Ability to select a musical excerpt to illustrate the roles of music in film and to correctly identify and discuss those roles

  1. If students performed at a low level on this aspect of the task, clarify the various roles of music in film and use excerpts selected by other students as models for the process of appropriate selection.
  2. If students performed at a high level on this aspect of the task, encourage them to explore a wide range of film genres and film music composers, identifying similarities and differences.

Understanding of musical concepts and their use in the film music excerpts

  1. If students performed at a low level on this aspect of the task, provide them with more opportunities to listen to and analyse music in terms of its concepts. Encourage students to use music they listen to regularly as material for analysis, eg by identifying dominant elements/concepts and focusing on a single concept for each listening example. Encourage the use of the Concepts of music overview (doc,24kb) to scaffold responses.
  2. If students performed at a high level on this aspect of the task, provide them with opportunities to explore and analyse the use of music in film outside their usual experiences (eg from other cultures, contemporary avant-garde, experimental forms, documentary, short film and other genres). Students could be encouraged to make their own films and provide original music soundtrack.

Ability to describe their use of musical concepts for particular purposes in relation to the film excerpt

  1. If students performed at a low level on this aspect of the task, give them opportunities to discuss their aims prior to composing (in terms of stylistic/idiomatic considerations, concepts, length etc) and provide them with models of composer's statements to analyse and discuss.
  2. If students performed at a high level on this aspect of the task, encourage further exploration of composers' intentions and compositional style, influences etc, and their own pre-compositional decisions.

Ability to manipulate musical concepts to compose music for film, recognising the relationship between visual and compositional elements as evidenced in the performed and/or recorded work

  1. If students performed at a low level on this aspect of the task, give them opportunities to compose pieces predominantly focusing on each concept or element. Scaffold their composition activities by limiting their choices, eg 'Find three kitchen or household objects that could provide sounds to accompany a cartoon or animation set in a kitchen.'
  2. If students performed at a high level on this aspect of the task, provide them with opportunities to extend their compositional efforts into broader genres, different musical forms etc. Encourage a more detailed analysis of various genres to inform their composing. Encourage students to create their own films (eg rock clip, short films, mini documentaries etc) and compose original soundtracks.