GCSE Music Composing

Five composition workshops with supporting analytical listening resources that focus on functional harmonic frameworks, two and four chord tricks, the use of extended chords, parallel harmony, circle of 5ths progressions, and using harmony to create contrast and define structures.

Four composition workshops with supporting analytical listening resources that focus on root note bass lines, using chord inversions to create melodic bass lines, pedal notes, bass ostinati, ground bass patterns, triadic bass lines, chromatic and elaborated bass lines.

Three composition workshops with supporting analytical listening resources that focus on the harmonic foundations of countermelody writing, development and elaboration of initial ideas, relationships between melodies and countermelodies, how to complement and enhance without crowding out the melody, effective deployment of countermelodies.

Five composition workshops with supporting analytical listening resources that focus on characteristics of memorable melodies, phrase structures, functional harmonic connections, question and answer (balanced) phrasing, sequential melodies, 8 and 16 bar melodic structures.

Tried and tested strategies for supporting students during the composing process, analytical listening and discussions around melodic development and transformation, reharmonising melodies when they return, limiting melodic range and allowing rhythm to do all the heavy lifting, simplifying melodic material to create the illusion of thematic development, making good use of sequence and inversion, using motor and cross rhythm to inject energy and provide direction, voicing and breaking up chords, the power of playlists, architectural overviews and ten 'easy wins' to lift the quality and cohesion of a composition without having to generate any new ideas.

Six composition workshops with supporting analytical listening resources that focus on melodic (interlocking patterns and the pull of the tonic), harmonic (functional and parallel), and rhythmic ostinati (polyrhythmic layering).