Ark Secondary Music Programme

Unit 11:
Band Musicianship
Songs for a better world
About this unit:
For centuries, music has been used successfully to draw attention to political issues
and to champion social change in pursuit of a better world. In this unit you will use
your emerging artistry and political awareness to write an original song that high-
lights a contemporary issue of your choice.

However, before you do this you will develop some essential vocal/instrumental skills as
you perform (and analyse) ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon - arguably one of the greatest
protest songs ever written.

What’s in it for me?

We are all affected by the attitudes and behaviours of other people, and our own
thoughts and deeds impact on the lives of others too. Each of us can play a part in
shaping the world we want to live in, and our hope is that the legacy of this unit will be
for you to feel empowered to use your artistry (as a musician and beyond) to champion
issues you feel passionate about, and leave the world in a better shape than you found it.

Name: Teaching group:

1
Key concepts

In this unit you will experience different elements that together make up
every kind of music. When we analyse music, we can zone in on each of
these elements to help us better understand what is going on.

Element Banked knowledge Songwriting

Structure
Bar, phrase, intro, verse, Pre-chorus, middle 8,
The order of musical
chorus instrumental, outro
ideas

Pitch and melody

Step, leap, ascending, Syllabic, melismatic, arch
The horizontal
descending shape, hook
arrangement of sound

Harmony and
Primary and secondary
tonality Chord relationships,
triads, root note,
The vertical harmonic rhythm
inversions, 7th chords
arrangement of sound

Melody and Block chord, broken chord,

Texture
accompaniment, thick arpeggio, countermelody,
The layers of sound
and thin backing vocals

Tempo, metre and

Sustained, syncopated,
duration
on the beat, dotted (12/8)
The organization of
rhythm, 4/4, 3/4
rhythm

Dynamics and
sonority Balance, crescendo,
The volume of music diminuendo
and quality of sound

Performing forces
Strumming, picking,
and playing Drum fills (stabs)
bowed
techniques

‘When the power of love overcomes the love of power the

world will know peace’
Jimi Hendrix

2
 Do Now 1: Structure

1. Listen to ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. Complete the diagram below to show the structure of this
piece. Each new section will be either a verse, a chorus or a pre-chorus.

2. List some of the themes addressed in the lyrics of this song:

Do Now 2: Chords in the key of G major

1. Fill in the information missing from the four boxes below:

5th D E F# A B C
TRIAD

3rd C D E F# G A
Root
(scale) G A B C D F#
Chord name G major A minor B minor D major E minor F#dim

Chord position I (1) ii (2) iii (3) IV (4) V (5) vi (6) vii (7)
Function Supertonic Mediant Subdominant Dominant Submediant Leading note

2. Complete the chord chart opposite I

to show the chord progression for the
verse of ‘Imagine’.
IV I

3
 Do Now 3: Cover versions

You will hear two ‘cover’ versions of the song ‘Imagine’. List some of the ways these artists have
achieved a different feel to the original by John Lennon.

EXTRACT 1 EXTRACT 2

Do Now 4: Quiz
Listen to the extract of ‘Imagine’ and answer the questions below:
1. How many bars long is the introduction? [1]

2. Write the two chords used in the verse using roman numerals [2]

3. What effect does the use of an inversion have on the bassline in the [1]
pre-chorus?

4. Describe the difference between the harmonic rhythm in the verse and [2]
the chorus

5. What is unusual about the use of chord three (B) in this piece? [1]

6. Write down one word/lyric that is sung melismatically [1]

7. What term best describes the layer of music played by the strings? [1]

Total: /9 4
 Do Now 5: Protest songs

You will hear four extracts from four different protest songs. List the issue(s) each artist has
chosen to address:

Edwin Starr Billie Holiday

Macklemore + Ryan Lewis Pussy Riot

Suggest some other contemporary causes you might write a song to address:

Do Now 6: Chord progressions/root note basslines

Complete a root note bassline for the chord progressions shown below. Indicate whether each
progression moves away from or returns to the home chord (the tonic).

1. Chord 2. Chord
progression I V progression ii I
Root note Root note
bassline G bassline G

Moves away from home Moves away from home

Returns home Returns home

3. Chord 4. Chord
progression IV IV I I progression I IV V I
Root note Root note
bassline G bassline

Moves away from home Moves away from home

Returns home Returns home

5
 Do Now 7: A catchy chorus?
Listen to the choruses from these two protest songs. What makes them memorable?

Extract One Extract Two

Do Now 8: Cadences and passing notes

1. You will hear the chord progressions below in the key of G major. Find and label the perfect
and imperfect cadences.

a) G C D G b) I ii I V

Am Am C C
c) d) IV V I III IV V I
G G G G

2. Circle the passing notes in the two basslines below. Add the missing note names.

G B D

G B D 6
 Do Now 9: Countermelodies

Complete these simple countermelodies to fit the chord progressions below (key of G major):

Countermelody B C

Chords G G C D

Countermelody G A

Chords iii vi ii V

Do Now 10: Structure (recap)

1. Write a statement to describe the purpose of a verse and chorus in the empty boxes below.
2. Attach an ‘outro’ label and ‘Bridge/Middle’ label to the matching statements.

A way of starting a song.

Often instrumental, e.g. a
few chords on the guitar,
one of the main melodies
or backing riffs etc.

A departure from music

already heard, designed to
add a new dimension to
the song. Often inserted
between choruses 2 and 3.

A musical idea designed to Music from the verse or

propel the listener from the chorus with an instrument
verse into the chorus. playing the tune (replacing
the vocals).

A way of bringing the song to a close -

often a repeated riff/set of chords.
7
TASK 1: Perform a cover of ‘Imagine’ by
John Lennon

Scenario:
A teacher in your school would like to present an assembly on the theme of
‘peace’, and has asked you to form a band and perform ‘Imagine’ by John
Lennon.

Success criteria:
• Accurate and fluent singing/playing
• Ability to maintain an appropriate balance across the ensemble at all times
• Connection between performers that supports ensemble cohesion
• Confident and expressive performances with a sense of style

Process
Each lesson you will explore a different section of the song following the steps
below:

Guided
1 listening and
analysis
You will listen to a section of ‘Imagine’ and analyse
the use of different musical elements.

You will learn to play a section of ‘Imagine’ on your

2 Individual
practice
‘specialist’ instrument, developing technical skills as
appropriate.
You will join with other members of your ensemble
3 Ensemble
rehearsal
and practice playing each section together, ensuring
playing is connected and parts are balanced.

You will explore different ways in which you might

4 Develop
feel/style
develop the feel/style of your cover version, singing
and playing with expression.

Chords in the key of G major

5th D E F# G A B C
TRIAD

3rd B C D E F# G A
Root
(scale) G A B C D E F#
Chord name G major A minor B minor C major D major E minor F#dim

Chord position I (1) ii (2) iii (3) IV (4) V (5) vi (6) vii (7)
Function Tonic Supertonic Mediant Subdominant Dominant Submediant Leading note

8
 Analysis: The verse (8 bars)

I IV I IV

I IV I IV

G C G C

G C G C

Element Points of interest

Melody
The horizontal
arrangement of sound

Harmony + • Alternates between just two chords: the tonic (chord I) and
the subdominant (chord IV)
tonality • Harmonic rhythm of one chord per bar
The vertical
arrangement of sound • Root note bassline (with a few chromatic runs)

Texture
The layers of sound

Tempo, metre
• Use of syncopation in the melody
+ duration • Quaver movement in the accompaniment
The organization of
rhythm

Dynamics +
• Moderately quiet
articulation • Legato (smooth) playing
The volume of music and
quality of sound

Performing
forces + playing • Just piano (in the original recording by John Lennon)
techniques 9
 Analysis: The pre-chorus (4 bars)

Use of letters
No letter = root position
b = 1st inversion IV IVc ii7 V IVb Vb
c = 2nd inversion

Slash chords

C Em/B Am7 D C/E D/F# Em/B

Chord Bass

Element Points of interest

• Two 2-bar phrases (1st phrase has an arch shape)
Melody • Wider range and moves higher in pitch than the verse
The horizontal • Mostly syllabic (a couple of small melismas at the end of
arrangement of sound
each phrase)

Harmony +
tonality
The vertical
arrangement of sound

Texture • Melody and accompaniment

The layers of sound • Block chords on the piano

Tempo, metre • Use of syncopation in 2nd phrase of the melody

• Crotchet movement in the accompaniment
+ duration • Final chord sustained for 4 beats
The organization of
rhythm • Dotted rhythm in the bass

Dynamics +
• Moderately loud
articulation • Legato (smooth) playing
The volume of music and
quality of sound

Performing • Addition of drum-kit (drum fill used to mark transition from

forces + playing verse to pre-chorus)
techniques • Addition of bass guitar

10
 Analysis: The chorus (8 bars)

IV V I III IV V I III

IV V I III IV V I

C D G B C D G B

C D G B C D G

Element Points of interest

Melody
The horizontal
arrangement of sound

Harmony +
tonality
The vertical
arrangement of sound

Texture
The layers of sound

Tempo, metre • Use of syncopation in the melody

• Crotchet movement in accompaniment
+ duration • Dotted rhythm in the bass
The organization of
rhythm • Final chord sustained (4 beats)

Dynamics +
• Loud
articulation • Legato (smooth) playing
The volume of music and
quality of sound

Performing
forces + playing • Strings play a countermelody (bowed).
techniques 11
 Task 1 progress tracker
Use the table below to track your progress in Task 1.

Not Every
Lesson Individual targets yet
Almost
time
Notes/targets for next lesson

Verse
I can sing/play my part with
accuracy and fluency

I can fit my part with those

1 played by others in my group,
and maintain an appropriate
ensemble balance

I can sing/play stylistically with

confidence and expression

Pre-chorus
I can sing/play my part with
accuracy and fluency
I can fit my part with those
2 played by others in my group,
and maintain an appropriate
ensemble balance

I can sing/play stylistically with

confidence and expression

Chorus
I can sing/play my part with
accuracy and fluency
I can fit my part with those
3 played by others in my group,
and maintain an appropriate
ensemble balance
I can sing/play stylistically with
confidence and expression

Not Partly Fully Which aspect of your performing skills will you aim
Lesson Group targets met met met to develop in Task 2?

Performance evaluation
We played our parts fluently
and accurately throughout

We achieved a strong sense of

4 connection, locked our parts
together and maintained an
appropriate ensemble balance

We performed with confidence,

expression and a sense of style

12
 Songs for social change

TASK 2: Write and perform an original song

Scenario:
A fundraiser is coming up for a cause that you care about. You have volunteered
your band to perform an original song at the event which will bring awareness to
your chosen issue, and act as a call to action.

Success criteria:
Composition:
• Song lyrics explore a contemporary issue, are set to an effective melody and
deliver a ‘call to action’.
• The accompaniment establishes and develops harmonic and rhythmic
components, and creates an appropriate mood and style.
• Musical ideas fit together well and are structured to achieve fluency,
balance and contrast.

Performance
• Accurate and fluent singing/playing
• Ability to maintain an appropriate balance across the ensemble at all times
• Connection between performers that supports ensemble cohesion
• Confident and expressive performances with a sense of style

Process
You will follow the process below progress through this task:

1 Preparation
Form bands, assign roles, identify an issue/cause,
consider mood/style.

2 Verse
Develop a melody/accompaniment in tandem—keep
an eye/ear on the progress of each!
Explore new techniques to create a melody/
3 Chorus accompaniment—keep an eye/ear on the progress of
each!
Explore different accompaniment styles and the use
4 Texture of additional layers such as backing vocals/
countermelodies.
Explore different ways in which you might develop
5 Rehearse the feel/style of your cover version, singing and
playing with expression.

13
 Defining roles

To help ensure a smooth songwriting process and successful performance, it will be helpful to
define the roles of different group members. Each group member is likely to be contributing to
either the melody or the accompaniment on their ‘specialist’ instrument.

Writing/performing the lyrics and Who will take on this role?

melody. Name Instrument
Melody

Suitable for pupils whose ‘specialist’

instrument is their voice (singing
and rapping).

It is possible that the melody might

also be played on an instrument.

Harmony Who will take on this role?

Name Instrument
Writing/performing chord
progressions and/or riffs.

Suitable for pupils whose ‘specialist’

instrument is the keyboard (RH),
guitar or ukulele.
Accompaniment

Bassline Who will take on this role?

Name Instrument
Writing/performing a bassline that
fits the chord progressions created.

Suitable for pupils whose ‘specialist’

instrument is the bass guitar or
keyboard (LH).

Rhythm (optional) Who will take on this role?

Name Instrument
Writing/performing a beat/rhythm
to suit the feel of the song.

Suitable for pupils whose ‘specialist’

instrument is the drum-kit or cajon.

Agreeing the basics

Before going any further, you should pin down the basics of your song:

What issue have you chosen to highlight? What mood/feel are you trying to achieve in
your song?

What tempo might you choose for your What time signature might you choose for your
song? song?

Slow Moderate Fast 4/4 3/4 Something else?

14
 Getting started (1)

You will begin by writing a verse. Depending on your role in your group, you will spend today
working on the following:

Lyric writing

Writing original lyrics can seem a daunting task, so here area few ideas to help you
develop some text.

1. Word association

On a plain piece of paper, write down as many words/phrases as you can think of
that link to your chosen issue. Cast the net wide - don’t be limited by what you
think ‘should’ be on the page. Explore how these might be combined to create
interesting lyrics (use additional words as helpful).

2. Develop some metaphors

In its most basic form, a metaphor is a collision between ideas that don’t belong. It
jams them together and leaves us to struggle with the consequences. Smokey
conversations, oceans of trees and armies of daffodils are all stimulating and
Melody

powerful.

3. Show, don’t tell

Think about the cause you have chosen to highlight and write a few sentences that
‘show’ how it affects the world. What are the consequences for humanity if these
issues are not resolved?

Look for ways in which each of the above might be developed/organised to create
lyrics for your verse.

Developing rhythm and melodic shape

Once you have created some phrases of text, speak them aloud, and
listen out for/exploit the rhythms and stresses they contain.
As a next step, start to think about melodic shape. Where might
phrases rise in pitch, fall or remain static?

15
 Getting started (1)

Most groups will work in the key of G major, so lets revisit the scale and linked chords.

5th D E F# G A B C
TRIAD

3rd B C D E F# G A
Root
(scale) G A B C D E F#
Chord name G major A minor B minor C major D major E minor F#dim

Chord position I (1) ii (2) iii (3) IV (4) V (5) vi (6) vii (7)
Function Tonic Supertonic Mediant Subdominant Dominant Submediant Leading note

Chord progressions
As you have seen in previous units and when you performed/analysed ‘Imagine’,
much music makes use of chord progressions (a series of chords placed in a chosen
order).

You will start to develop an accompaniment for your song by creating an 8-bar
chord progression for the ‘verse’.

Using ‘Imagine’ as your model, you should start by alternating between just two
chords - Chord I, and any other chord of your choice. You can start with either
chord and work with any harmonic rhythm you choose.

Remember, Chord I (the tonic) can be thought of as the home chord, so you might
think of your chords as either starting at home and moving away, or starting away
and returning home (see example below).
Accompaniment

I ? ? I
HOME—AWAY AWAY—HOME

Bassline
To begin with, you should create a root-note bassline to fit your chosen chords.
You will have the opportunity to develop this later.

Rhythm
If your role within your group is to provide a beat, you should start to explore some
patterns that will support the mood/feel of your song. The drum-kit pattern from
‘Imagine’ is notated below in case this is a helpful starting point.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Hi-hat X X X X X X X X

Snare X X

Kick X X X

16
 Developing ideas (2)

Developing a melody
Once you have some text for your verse (and your group has written a chord
progression), you can begin to give your melody a more defined structure and shape.

It will be important that you develop your melody with reference to the
accompaniment being crafted by other members of your group, so be sure to listen
and collaborate regularly.

There are three ways you are likely to go about creating your tune (listed below),
and as you do this you might like to consider:

1. The melodic shape of each phrase. Do your phrases ascend? Descend? Have
an arch shape? Pivot around one note? Wander? etc.

2. The melodic shape of each phrase. Which phrases are the same? Similar?
Different?

(Will you work with any of these patterns: aaba, abab, aaab, abac, a a1a2a3?

1. Work aurally (by ear)

Everyone has the ability to create melodies that fit with the
music they hear by ear. You may not be able to name the
pitches you are playing/singing, but through deep listening,
know that they fit harmoniously with the chords being
Melody

sounded.

2. Improvise using the notes of the scale

If you are working in the key of G, there’s a good chance
that by improvising with notes from the G major scale, you
will be able to create melodies that fit well with the chords
you have chosen.

3. Work from the chords

A minor triad If you know which chord is being sounded, then you can
begin to build a melody by using the notes from that
chord. For example, the chord of A minor uses the notes
A, C and E, so a melody using these notes at the time is it
sounded will sound grand. Once you’ve got started using
this method, don’t be afraid to bring in notes from
A C E
beyond the chord (e.g. passing notes)

F#

G A B C D E G

17
 Developing ideas (2)

Accompaniment styles

You can create a range of different moods by playing your accompanying

chords in different ways:

Sustained block chords (root position and inversions)

D E E D
B Root C 2nd C Root A 1st
position inversion position #
inversion
G G A F

Block chords in rhythm

Accompaniment

On the Driving/
Syncopated Other rhythm
beat repeated

Broken chords and arpeggios (and variations of these)

Guitar and ukulele players should explore strumming (and picking) patterns.

Bassline
You might also look to develop the feel of your bassline. A few common
rhythms can be found below:

1 2 3 4 1 2 + 3 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 2 3 4

Rhythm
Drum-kit players or percussionists may wish to develop a few ‘fills’ that can be
used when they enter/to mark each change of section.

18
 Developing ideas (3)

Hook-based choruses
Our ears (and brains) like repetition—which is why most songs contain a chorus of
some kind. Further to this, within the chorus there may also be a short, catchy
phrase (or motif) which itself is repeated —the hook! (e.g. ‘Tragedy’, ‘See you
again’, ‘Rock-a-bye baby’)
Melody

The chorus of a song typically summarises the key theme/message of the lyrics in a
punchy, impactful way.

Therefore, as you start to develop the lyrics and melody for your chorus, you may
wish to consider how you will capture the essence of your song, and whether you
will make use of a hook.

If so, then you will need identify a powerful phrase of text and decide where to
place/repeat it within your chorus. Could this be a call to action, perhaps?

Chord progression
You will next create an 8-bar chord progression for your chorus. It may be easier
to think of this as two 4-bar chord progressions (or four two-bar progres-
sions) that repeat.

• This is a great opportunity to draw upon a wider chord vocabulary—using both

primary chords (I, IV, V) and secondary chords (ii, iii, vi).

• You might also explore different harmonic rhythms (rather than just 1 chord
per bar)

You should continue to think about whether your chord progressions are moving
away from/returning towards the home chord (the tonic), particularly at the ends
of phrases— which we call ‘cadences’.
Accompaniment

There are two important cadences you should know about:

PERFECT CADENCE IMPERFECT CADENCE

V I I V
PHRASE SOUNDS FINISHED PHRASE SOUNDS ‘UNFINISHED’

A quick note about chord 7 (vii). C

In its natural form, chord 7 is diminished, which can feel clashy
and may not fit the desired sound. In commercial music the root A
note of chord 7 is often flattened to make is more ‘usable’, so if
you want to use chord 7, it may be best to use F major. F

Rhythm
Drum-kit players might begin to explore contrasting beats
they can play for the chorus. As a first step, try switching
your hi-hat pattern to the ride cymbal.

19
 Developing ideas (4)

Simple bassline
Basslines
You may wish to develop your bassline to
include passing notes. These can add musi-
cal interest and lead to smoother musical
lines.
Passing notes do not appear in the chord be- (1st inversion!)

ing sounded and: With added passing notes

• Often move by step
• Bridge gaps between ‘important’ notes
in your bassline
• Are usually found in the scale of the
G F E D C D E F#

Developing ideas (5 + 6)

Backing vocals(BVs)

Songwriters often use

backing singers to add
further interest to their
Melody

music, and you may wish to

experiment with this too.

In the box opposite, list

four different ways
backing singers might
contribute to a song.

Or you may prefer to add interest to your accompaniment by creating a

counter-melody (or harmony line) for an additional instrument. A good way to
start is by working through your chord progression and selecting one note from
each chord for your selected instrument to play.

My band is E I’m going

playing The notes of
C
Accompaniment

chord ii are... to play a..

chord ii C
A
Effective harmony parts often move by step, so try to select
notes from each chord that are close to one another. Once you
feel you have mastered this, you might like to explore using other
notes not in the chord. Let your ears be your guide!

passing
note

20
 Composing log

Keep track of your progress from week to week using the composing log below.

Key achievements Targets for next lesson

Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9

21