Topic title: Fusion Music
Year group: 9
When taught: January to mid-March
What are we learning?
• About how musical styles can be fused to create new genres and subgenres.
• Using musical vocabulary and listening skills to identify these key features.
• How to recognise which styles are used in a fusion piece using the key identifying features of each style.
• Features of traditional Indian music including typical instruments and key features of the rhythm (tals), melodies and scales (rags) and structures. We will also look at Bhangra which is the fusion style created from traditional Indian music and western EDM.
• Pupils will play pieces that are considered to be fusion pieces.
• Pupils will have a go at creating their own fusion piece.
Why is this important to know?
• Pupils need to be able to identify a style or genre of music from the features that make it individual such as the instrumentation, rhythm, tempo, scales used etc. This is useful either going forward into GCSE but also when describing music within real world settings.
• Playing pieces from styles that pupils are less commonly in contact with increases their performance capabilities. It also makes them have a broader understanding of music across the world, and other cultural styles that influence modern music within the UK.
• Understanding the features of these styles also allows pupils to understand how to build a successful piece when composing and the common features between music styles.
Where does this link into our past and future learning?
• During key stage 3 pupils have been learning to play and compose pieces from a variety of styles. This topic continues to build on these skills with progressively more challenging pieces and compositional requirements.
• Pupils have studied popular music in our previous topic and have looked at identifying features of Rock n roll, Rock, Britpop and Grunge, alongside Disco and EDM. We will look at these styles within fusions both between these styles and in conjunction with traditional Indian music.
• Fusion music is one of the areas we study at GCSE music and practicing identifying features of any styles of music is a skill we use throughout the listening paper within GCSE and A level music.
• Pupils will continue to build on their use of the core music vocabulary (MADTSHIRT) and how to describe each of these elements of music within these specific styles. We have been using this acronym to support pupils vocabulary from year 7 onwards and continue to use this right through into A level music.
How will we be assessed on this topic?
• The topic is assessed with a composition where pupils create a short piece showing key features of two styles of music, creating an effective fusion
• Pupils will complete a listening and appraising test identifying features of the studied styles when combined in fusion pieces. At least one of the listening pieces will include a fusion which has features of traditional Indian music. Pupils will need to identifying key features or the styles, typical instruments and some of the music theory needed for them to have accessed playing these pieces.
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
• Clear inclusion of instrumental parts and ideas that are identifiable as features of your two chosen styles.
• That you have considered the structure of the section/s you are writing.
• In the listening assessment, being able to aurally identify tempos, instruments, stylists features (e.g. distorted guitars in Stadium rock) and using new musical vocabulary alongside your previous knowledge to answer listening questions.
What key words are there in this topic?
What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?
• Try creating a piece with styles you are previously less aware of such as using the traditional Indian style with a western popular style. Try creating more complexity, either in the rhythm, pitch range, complexity of the chords or range of instruments.
• In the listening activities, describe each element of music in detail – how does it change throughout a piece? Can you describe how it develops from one section of the structure to another?
What wider reading can be done on this topic?
BBC Bitesize – research more about Bhangra and traditional Indian music on Bitesize here.
Listen to Bhangra: Spotify
Find out more about Fusion music on bitesize here: BBC Bitesize
Supporting document/links:
Fusion topic and assessment sheet.
