Year 8

Unit 1:
Elements of Sound Film
Music
Independent Learning Booklet
Name:

Class: Teacher:






STOP!
What if I lose my booklet?
All students will be given one booklet at the start of a topic and one booklet only! Should you lose it you can
download a replacement booklet from the Performing Arts VTLE website and print it at school from your
user account.
What if I like to do my homework on the computer?
Again if you prefer to type this is fine. Simply download the booklet from the Performing Arts VTLE and edit
in Microsoft word then print at school and submit. (Be aware though we will be checking it is your own work so
avoid the temptation to copy off the internet!)
What if I forget to hand it in?
As a subject we dont like detentions. We think that you learn best by being responsible for your own
learning. If you fail to submit your booklet by the deadline you will be placed the following week in a 1 hour
afterschool catch up session where you will be expected to complete your homework booklet then. If you
miss more than twice in the year then we will invite your parents/carers into school to discuss the problem.

Welcome to your first Independent learning Booklet!
Performing Arts is a very practical subject and in lesson you will spend most of your time doing
things. This means that there is little time for writing and research. This is where your
homework tasks come in!
You will have nearly 8 weeks to work through the booklet and must submit it to your Performing
Arts Teacher on the deadline date which will usually be the week before your final assessment
on the topic you are learning. As you have such a long time to do this work we suggest that you
try one of two ways to approach it:
1.) You can do one homework task every 1-2 weeks
2.) Or you can work through the booklet at your own pace in your own time.
Top Tip! Dont leave it all to the night before as you will rush it and we expect quality
work from our students!
The booklet is made up of several homework tasks, a key words section and a self-assessment
grid that you will need to complete. Before you hand it in you might want to use the following
checklist to make sure you have finished everything:
! Have I put on my name, Class, teacher and deadline?
! Have I written my last level & target to improve on the front cover?
! Have I completed all the homework tasks?
! Have I completed my Key Words?
! Have I completed the Self-Assessment Grid?
Once you have done all of these your booklet is ready to give to your teacher.
Key Words
In this section you should write a definition for each of the following keywords that you will use
over the course of the topic you are studying.
Key Word Definition
Correct?
Pitch







Dynamics







Tempo







Rhythm







Timbre







Semibreve







Minim







Crotchet







Quaver







Semi-quaver







Bars





Homework Task 1
You need to go on to the Performing Arts VLE (http://parts.hlhs.co.uk - password =
Hipperholme). Via the menu choose KS3 > Year 8. On that page choose Unit 1:
Elements of Sound & Film Music.
Your first task is to listen to the 5 pieces of music on that page. For each one
answer the multiple choice questions below. This is a good time to look back at
the keywords section to help you understand the terms used below.

Piece One

A) Which answer best describes the dynamics in this piece?

Quiet all the time Loud all the time

Quiet, getting louder and then quieter Loud, getting quieter then loud

B) Which answer best describes the tempo at the start?
Fast Slow Very Fast Very Slow
C) Which instrument plays the melody (tune) in the first half of the piece?
Trumpet Flute Violin Harmonica
Piece Two
B) A percussion instrument plays the melody at the start. Which one of these
do you think it is?
Cymbal Drum Glockenspiel Tambourine
B) Think about the rhythm in most of the parts throughout the piece. Which
answer best describes the rhythms?
Mostly short notes Mostly long notes
B) Which answer best describes the tempo of this piece?
Fast Slow Very Fast Very Slow
Piece Three
A) Which answer below best describes the dynamics in this piece?
Loud all the time Quiet all the time
Loud, quieter then loud Quiet, loud then quieter
B) At the very beginning of the music (first 10 seconds) which two families of
instruments are playing (choose two answers)?
Brass Strings Woodwind Percussion
C) The tempo of this piece is not really fast or slow but somewhere in between.
Which of the following could be done to this music?
Run quickly Walk slowly March Jog
Piece Four
A) Which answer below best describes the tempo of this piece?
Fast Very Slow Slow Very Fast
B) Think about the rhythm in most of the parts throughout the piece. Which answer
best describes the rhythms?
Mostly short notes Mostly long notes
C) In the middle Lisa has a short solo. Which instrument does she play this on?
Tuba Saxophone Flute Clarinet
Piece Five
A) In the first few seconds which family of instruments start the piece of music?
Percussion Woodwind Strings Brass
B) Which answer below best describes the tempo of this piece?
Slow Very Fast Very Slow Fast
C) Think about the rhythm in most of the parts throughout the piece. Which answer
best describes the rhythms?
Mostly long notes Mostly short notes

Extension Task
Listen to piece number 6 on the VLE. For this piece you need to describe the action
that might go with this piece of music. Think about what the actors might be doing on
the screen (running, standing still, driving quickly, hiding, etc.), where they might be
(in a building, on the street, in the countryside, etc) and what might be happening
around them (people sat at desks, people running away from something, people chasing
them, etc.

WWW EBI
Homework Task 2
You need to go on to the Performing Arts VLE (http://parts.hlhs.co.uk - password =
Hipperholme). Via the menu choose KS3 > Year 8. On that page choose Unit 1:
Elements of Sound & Film Music.

Your second task is to watch to the 4 pieces of music on that page. For each one
suggest the style of film (e.g. action, romance, horror, etc.) and how the elements
of sound may have been used.

This is a good time to look back at the keywords section to help you
understand the terms used below.

You may want to use this sentence structure to help you get started with your
answer.

This is a ________ film so the ________ might be _________.

You can then add your own sentences after this.

An example answer might look like this.

This is an action film so the tempo might be fast. As it is an action film the
dynamics will probably be loud as well. The rhythm of the notes will be short as
there is a lot of quick action happening on the screen.

Clip One










Clip Two









Clip Three








Clip Four









Extension Task
Watch clip 5 and try to describe in as much detail who the elements of music have
been used in this clip. If you can try to do this without using the sentence starter you
were given for the previous task.

WWW EBI
Homework Task 3
You need to go on to the Performing Arts VLE (http://parts.hlhs.co.uk - password =
Hipperholme). Via the menu choose KS3 > Year 8. On that page choose Unit 1:
Elements of Sound & Film Music.

For the final task in this booklet you need to choose one of the film clips in the
Homework Task 3 section of the VLE. Your task is to write a description of a
short scene from that film, based upon how the music sounds. There are three
different methods below (A, B and C). You only need to choose one of these
methods
Method A You are just given a title and you have to complete the rest
Method B You are given the title and some key points to think about in your
writing
Method C You are given the title and some sentence starters to help you begin
some of this work
Remember, you only need to choose ONE of these methods; you do NOT
complete all three.










Method A Imagine a film scene looks like after hearing the music
























Method B - Imagine a film scene looks like after hearing the music
Think about the tempo. Is it fast or slow? Fast music normally means
there is movement on the screen
Think about the dynamics. If the music is quiet then people might not be
moving around very quickly. They may well be very calm
Think about the rhythm. Short notes often mean there is a lot happening
on the screen




















Method C - Imagine a film scene looks like after hearing the music
Here are some sentence starters to help you begin.
The music is _____ so the people in the film are _______.
The tempo is _____ so the action on the screen is moving ______.
The dynamics are ______ so the people in the scene will be _______.
In the music the rhythms are _____ ______ so the movement on the
screen will be _________.
The music is quiet so the people in the film are trying to _______.
The music is loud so the people in the film are trying to _______.