SUPERMAN THEME

Composed by John Williams (b. 1932)

The Superman Theme was originally
composed for the opening and closing
credits of the first Superman film
released in 1978. He composed this
music as his fame grew due to the
recent releases of Jaws and Star Wars.
The way he uses a leitmotif perfectly
represents the characters. The lesson
plan below explores how this music
establishes a character, specifically that
of a hero, and the mood of the film.

JOHN WILLIAMS

John Williams was born in Flushing, New York in 1932. He has received 50 nominations
for Academy Awards and 67 nominations for Grammy Awards. Williams began writing for
film and television early in his career, after studying at the Juilliard School for piano
performance. In addition to composing the score for the Superman films, Williams also
composed for the first three Harry Potter films, the first two Jurassic Park films, Jaws, and
Star Wars, among many others.


 Mood,Motifs,andMore!
SupermanThemeLessonPlan

MaterialsNeeded:
x WhiteBoard
x DryEraseMarkers
x Recordingof“SupermanTheme”byJohnWilliams - Click here to listen to the Superman Theme on YouTube
x Printoutsoflisteningactivity
x Pencils
x Crayons(ifusingthelisteningglyph)

MainObjectives–Studentswillbeableto:
x IdentifyJohnWilliamsasthecomposerofSupermanThemeandsomeofhisotherworks.
x IdentifythemusicalelementswithinSupermanThemeandhowtheyimpactthemoodofthe
piece.

MusicStateStandardBenchmarksaddressed:
x MU.4.C.1.2Describe,usingcorrectmusicvocabulary,whatisheardinaspecificmusicalwork.
x MU.4.C.1.4Classifyorchestralandbaninstrumentsasstrings,woodwinds,brass,percussion,or
keyboard.
x MU.4.O.3.1Identifyhowexpressiveelementsandlyricsaffectthemoodoremotionofasong.
x MU.5.C.1.2Hypothesizeanddiscuss,usingcorrectmusicvocabulary,thecomposer’sintentfora
specificmusicalwork.
x MU.5.C.1.3Identify,aurally,selectedinstrumentsofthebandandorchestra.
x MU.5.O.3.1Examineandexplainhowexpressiveelements,whenusedinaselectedmusical
work,affectpersonalresponse

EssentialQuestions:
x Whatmakessomeoneasuperhero?
x Howdoesacomposerusemusictorepresentacharacter?
x Whatisamotif?
x Whatdoyouenvisionwhenyoulistentothispiece?

FactualKnowledge–StudentswillbefamiliarwithJohnWilliamsandsomeofhisfamousworks.
ProceduralKnowledge–Studentswillbeabletoidentify,usingcorrectmusicalvocabulary,different
musicalelementsandinstrumentationwithinapieceofmusic.
ConceptualKnowledge–Studentswillunderstandthattheelementswithinapieceofmusicaffectthe
moodandcanbeusedtorepresentcharacters.


Introduction AttentionGetter:AskstudentstosingthethemesfromsomeofJohn
Williams’mostpopularworks,i.e.StarWars,HarryPotter,Jaws,etc.Use
theirknowledgeofthesefilmscorestointroduceJohnWilliams.Some
suggestedpiecesofinformation:

x BorninNewYork
x AttendedJulliard
x WorkedasajazzpianistbeforegettingintoTVandfilmcomposing
x Haswrittenthemusicforover100films

Forolderstudents,youcanusethisconversationtointroducetheconceptof
“motif.”JohnWilliams’musicisiconicbecauseofhisabilitytoembodythe
spiritofafilmwithinasimplemotif.Teachershouldutilizeanyoftheir
normalteachingpracticesthroughouteachsegmentofthislesson.

Instruction Facilitatea“wordsplash”activitywithyourstudents.Usingawhiteboard,
(“Ido”–teacher askstudentswhatcharacteristicsasuperheromighthave,writingthewords
models) randomlyontheboard.Somewordstheymaycomeupwith:

x Bold
x Brave
x Courageous
x Daring
x Fearless
x Strong
x Trustworthy
x Reliable

Next,chooseonewordfromthelisttodemonstratethenextportionofthe
activity.Forexample,Ichoosetheword“daring.”Askstudentstothinkabout
howacomposercanmakehismusicsounddaring.Promptthemusing
musicalvocabularysuchasdynamics,tempo,instrumentation,etc.Inorder
tomakehismusicsounddaring,JohnWilliamsmightusealouderdynamic
suchasforteorfortissimo.


 GuidedPractice Breakstudentsintosmallergroupsof2Ͳ3.Giveeachgroupawordfromthe
(“Wedo”–shared wordsplash.Givethemafewminutestodiscussintheirgroupwhata
practiceteacherand composermightneedtodoinordertoembodythatcharacteristicinhis
students) music.Someexamplesofthingsyourstudentsmightsay:
x Thecomposermightusebrassinstrumentstorepresentastrong
character.
x Thecomposercanincreasethetempotocreateexcitement.
x Thecomposercanwriteasmooth,flowingmelodytomakethemusic
calm.

Monitordiscussions,listenforstudentstousespecificmusicalvocabularyto
describetheirideas.Allowgroupstoshareouttheirideasandgivefeedback
onothersideas.
Independent Forthisportionoftheactivity,youcanexplainthatyouwillbelisteningto
Practice(“Youdo”) oneofJohnWilliams’compositions,theSupermanTheme.Startbyhanding
outyourchoiceoflisteningactivity,eithertheSQUILTorthelisteningglyph.If
usingtheSQUILT,dependingonyourstudents’knowledgeofmusical
elements,youmaywanttousetheactivitywithquestionpromptstoguide
yourstudents.

ListenthroughSupermanThemeonetime,havingstudentsjustlisten.Have
themlistenforanyrepeatedthemethattheyhear(themotif).Ontheir
secondlistenthrough,havestudentscompletethelisteningactivityofyour
choice.Bothactivitiesrequirestudentstoactivelylistenforspecificmusical
elements.Youmayneedtogivestudentssometimeafterlisteningto
completetheiractivities.Oncetheyarefinished,havethemcomparetheir
responseswithashoulderpartner.

Gooverthelisteningactivityasagroup.Allowstudentstoshareouttheir
answers.Whentalkingaboutthemood,promptstudentstotalkaboutwhich
specificelementsaffectedthemood.Forexample,iftheythinkthemusicwas
joyful,theymaysaythatitwasduetoaquicktempo.Itisessentialthat
studentsunderstandthatcomposersareveryintentionalwiththeirchoices.

Extension:
x YoucanusetheSQUILTactivity,foundonpage5and6,forsomeofJohnWilliams’otherworks.
Chooseanotherfilmscore,havestudentscompletetheSQUILT.Then,havestudentscreatea
venndiagramcomparingthemusicofSupermanThemetowhichevercompositionyouchose.
Whendiscussingthedifferencesbetweenthem,askstudentswhytheythinkthoseparticular
elementsaredifferent.Washerepresentingacertaincharacter?Washetryingtoevokea
differentmoodorfeeling?