Creative project strategies to support creative work

Culture and expectations: Agree with pupils that every idea is valid, and that when they put an idea forward, they should expect/enjoy that
other people in the section may want to feedback on, adapt or build onto their ideas.
Encouraging pupils to contribute ideas:
Pupil driven
Pupils are self-sufficient in
generating and sharing ideas
AIR elicited

Pitch set/motif/melody

Rhythm

Chords/harmony

Pupils are guided to generate ideas

through focussed questioning etc.

Can you find 4 or 5 notes that help create

this mood?

What kind of tempo might help to create

this mood? (fast, slow, freely etc)

What kind of tonality might best create this

mood? Major, minor, atonal?

Shall we explore ideas for the lion,

the moon or the mountains first?

What kind of scale might help us to create

this moodmajor/minor/other (modal/
pentatonic/blues)?

Regular (2, 3, 4 etc) or irregular time

signature (5, 7 etc).

What harmony might work best?

Mostly consonant (pleasant), mostly
dissonant (clashy)? Use of a drone?

What kind of mood/character do you Then offer pupils (some?) pitches from
associate with this?
chosen scale to experiment with.

Can you create a rhythm that will help

create this mood? Might a word pattern
help?

Would this mood be best reflected by

smooth or detached playing? Movement
by step or by leap? Plain or ornamented?

Invite pupils (in groups of 3?) to create a

chord that reflects the desired mood.
Experiment with playing these chords in
different orders/adapting as they go.

AIR suggested

Pitch set/motif/melody

Rhythm

Chords/harmony

Pupils adapt ideas offered by AIRs

Choose 4 or 5 pitches and play these to

pupils. Do they create the desired mood?

Play a rhythm to pupils. Does it create the

desired mood?

Play pupils a 2-3 different chords. Which

chord best creates the desired mood?

Teach these notes pupils and ask them to

change them to create their own pitch set.

Teach pupils the rhythm and ask them to

change it/develop it. Word patterns might
be helpful.

Take this chord and build another 1 or 2

chords onto it does this work? What
would you change?

Does this work? What would you

change etc.

Help arrange final chord progression

across the section.

Shall we start with the mountain

first, or does someone have a
different idea?
I think the mountains look sinister
do you agree?

Play pupils 3 different scales. Which best

matches the desired mood?
Does this work? What would you
change etc.