Title of unit (see Task 6)

Understanding the conventions of music for adverts

This identifies that the unit is concerned with learning about a particular genre

Stage of understanding (see Tasks 7 & 8) Identify and relate

This identifies the overall stage of musical understanding for pupils’ learning

Context (see Task 9)

Learning how music for adverts is used to support the selling point of a product. The music is designed to convey messages to the listener either about the product itself or about the ‘target audience’ (‘you should be buying this’).

Making the contextual link (see Task 10)

How, when and why people are persuaded to do something

This helps pupils to understand the purpose and function of the music being studied and to understand why particular knowledge and skills need to be learned. This helps pupils relate the context of the genre to their everyday lives

Conventions, processes and devices (see Task 11)

Learning how adverts use sound effects, background mood music and the development of musical ideas, either by developing melodic motifs or by using complete extracts of music

This identifies the key musical characteristics that pupils will need to learn about in order to understand the genre

Features of musical elements (see Task 12)

Knowledge and understanding of scale patterns

This identifies for pupils the key knowledge they need to acquire in order to understand the genre and its conventions

Development of skills (see Task 12)

Developing the compositional technique of motivic development

This identifies for pupils the key skills they need to acquire in order to explore practically the genre and its conventions

Expectations and outcomes (see Task 13)

See the statements on pages 22 and 23 which define the expectations for learning about scales and improving skills

This identifies for pupils what they need to learn and what the next steps will be

Learning sequence (see Task 14)

Initial learning introduces pupils to the genre and raises awareness of the essential conventions to be learned. Later learning enables pupils to:

explore how snippets of musical ideas can be combined for a purpose

explore in depth the construction and impact of specific scale patterns

see the potential impact of their learning about scales within the genre

develop their composing skills – e.g. how to develop musical motifs

learn advanced features of the genre

apply the learning from the rest of the unit in a practical exploration of their own version of the genre

Practical activities

Sing songs from popular TV adverts and watch TV adverts – analyse basic musical techniques. Consider the power of persuasion.

Set a soundscape exercise: clusters/melodic fragment/sound effects – what do they suggest when combined?

Look at scales (listening and playing) in jazz, 12 tone, pentatonic: impact on mood/style

Repeat the soundscape exercise:

choose a different scale – consider the impact

Analyse TV adverts’ melodic construction: imitation/augmentation/diminution. Play S Reich: ‘Clapping Music’ and try some short melodic starting point exercises

Explore juxtaposition of aural and visual messages

Set an advert composition task