MT Pro 3

Music Tech

Project 3 - Composing a Melody in ABA Form

Music Tech Home

Resources

Goals:

Continued use of Finale Notepad for composing simple melodies
Review of basics of music theory (staff, notes, rhythms)
Compose a 24 measure melody in ABA form

Key of C Major
4/4 time signature

Procedures:

1. Listen to this melody What instrument do you hear? Does the melody tend to skip around a lot or are the notes fairly close together? Is there a variety of note lengths? Are there rests? Are there any repeated sections? How can you describe these sections?

2. Open Finale Notepad
3. Click Continue
4. Title your project "Mylastname Project 3"
5. Select one of the following instruments Flute Oboe Violin Electric Guitar
6. Select C Major for the key and 4/4 for the time signature
7. Plan out your melody If the melody needs to be 24 measures and ABA form, then how many measures are in each of the three sections? Think about how these sections can be different? Do the pitches start high and go low, or stay in the middle? Do you want the first section to be louder than the middle?
8. Make sure that your composition STARTS and ENDS on C.
9. Compose your melody, using the playback button to check to see if your melody sounds good to you. Hints: Begin and end your melody on C. Try to keep all the notes on the staff or very close to it. Move either stepwise or small skips If you do skip, resolve with a step in the opposite direction Rhythmically, only 4 beats will fit in each measure Use combinations of half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes only. Add dynamics to indicate volume Forte = loud piano = soft
10. Make sure that you are using very few rests. Hints: If you do not complete a measure, Finale Notepad will fill in the rest of the measure with rests. Try to avoid this by completing each measure with 4 full beats of sound. Use a small rest at the end of each section to distinguish between sections.
11. Once you've entered all the notes, you must delete all the measures at the end of the piece. You can do this by selecting the "Mass Mover" tool (looks like a little box), selecting all the measures you want to delete, and hitting delete.
12. Save your project to the public folder Music Tech Project 3
13. Begin evaluating and giving feedback for your assigned partner's project. You will also recieve a grade for the completion of your partner's project, so give them good feedback.

Example:

Rubric:

Proper use of notes and rhythms        10        8        6        4        2        0
    Add dynamics to indicate volume
    Melody effectively uses combinations of rhythmic values

Partner's Project                                   5        4        3        2        1        0
    Gives partner quality constructive criticism regarding project
    Offers suggestions to partner to make project better

Presentation                                        5        4        3        2        1        0
    Printed
    Has Proper Heading
    Deleted Extra Measures

Oak Prairie and Ludwig Schools are part of Will County School District 92.

Disclaimer: Some web pages my provide links to other internet pages created and maintained by other organizations. Links are only for the convenience of website users. District 92 and it's employees are not responsible for the availability or content of these external sites. District 92 does not endorse or guarantee the services or information offered at these sites. It is the parents/guardians responsibility to supervise their children while surfing the world wide web.