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Year 7 - Music

Using rhythmic ostinati in minimalism

Minimalist composition

Unit Summary

This unit develops understanding of minimalism, including the context of the style and the main musical features used in creating minimalist compositions. Pupils compose and improvise in a minimalist style, including rhythmic and melodic patterns.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to create rhythmic ostinati on percussion instruments.

Key Notes

  • Minimalism is a style of music that developed in the 1960s in the USA.
  • It uses minimal musical ideas and repeats them over and over again.
  • The repeating musical ideas are called ostinati (one is called an ostinato).
  • Percussion instruments produce sound by being hit and can be tuned or untuned.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Minimalism: Minimalism is a style of music that emerged in the 1960s in the USA, defined by its use and repetition of minimal musical ideas.
  • Ostinato: An ostinato (plural: ostinati) is a short musical idea that is repeated.
  • Percussion: A percussion instrument is one that produces a sound by being hit. These can be tuned (with pitched notes) or untuned (with no pitch).

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Complicated rhythms will sound more interesting.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Minimalism is a style of music that developed in the 1960s in the USA. It uses minimal musical ideas and repeats them over and over again.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Minimalism'

Minimalism is a style of music that emerged in the 1960s in the USA, defined by its use and repetition of minimal musical ideas.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Complicated rhythms will sound more interesting. Correction: Often creating simpler rhythms is more effective. In particular, rhythms that have rests (silence) in them can create a powerful contrast between sound and silence. Try using a mix of simple and complex rhythms.

More Lessons In This Unit

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