Key Stage 3 Music - Gaming Music

In this topic you will learn how Gaming Music uses:

• Changes in dynamics and tempo to create tension
• Ostinati to create tension or as a character motif
• Long sustained notes and harmony to affect the mood on screen
• Change in harmonic and melodic ideas to reflect the mood, intentions and actions of specific characters.

By the end of this topic, you will be able to:

• Use a variety of musical features to synchronize with on screen events.
• Explain how gaming music creates tension and suspense.
• Identify key music features of gaming music through listening exercises.
• Compose your own gaming music using ICT (Cubase) and the keyboards.
• Compose your own stylistic gaming music for a variety of genres.

3

• You can improvise and develop musical ideas.
• You can choose and combine musical ideas to match the film.
• You can describe how the game genre can influence the piece of music.
• You can tell me how combined layers can work together.
• You can tell me what an ostinato is.

4

• You understand how layers fit together and can create an overall effect to match the game genre.
• You can compose simple rhythmic and melodic ostinatos.
• You can describe, compare and evaluate the music found in different games using the correct musical vocabulary.

5

• You are able to analyse and compare musical features when listening to a piece of game music.
• You are able to compose and improvise within a given structure on keyboards and Cubase.
• You can identify and explain to me how different musical devices can reflect a genre.
• You are able to refine and improve your work on your own.

6

• You can compose using dynamics, tempo, texture and timbre effectively and in keeping with the action on screen.
• You can improvise and compose stylistically for different genres of film music.
• You are able to evaluate how the music reflects the on screen action and the genre.
• You are able to suggest improvements to yours and others' work.