Composition & Songwriting

You will compose two substantial pieces of music by the end of Term 3. Your two pieces will be submitted in portfolio style which must include:

1. Your musical scores and any supporting material. If the style of your piece does not typcially have a traditional score, Detailed composer’s notes with a description of each piece should be included. These should have screen shots of your DAW or interface, or be a screen recording describing your work and process. If in doubt, think about what you would need for someone else to recreate or perform your piece. 

2. An MP3 recording of each composition. Your recording may be an MP3 Exported from software or a studio/live recorded version. 

Your pieces of music may include:

• Word setting/song writing of your own or others’ text/s. If you use someone else’s text/s you must acknowledge this.

• Response to artwork. A composition inspired by or representing a piece of artwork or photograph.

• Film music. Music to accompany a film sequence/clip. You may collaborate with a Media Studies student.

• Music for solo instrument, with or without accompaniment. Where an accompaniment is added as part of a composition, it will be assessed.

• Music for a specific purpose. This should be accompanied by a written description that outlines what your creative intentions are. This needs to be approved by your teacher before you begin working.

• Electronic works. These  should be fully realised by the composer – this means you cannot use existing loops or digital material as a basis for your work. You must create all digital material yourself.

• Music for instrumental or vocal ensemble. Some ideas for your ensemble could include:

• Two, three or four part male, female or mixed vocal group 

• Small jazz ensemble

• Rock band/group

• Percussion ensemble

• Instrumental trio, quartet or quintet

• Solo voice with selected percussion, woodwind, brass or string instruments

• Tape loop and acoustic instruments

• Computer generated/electronic sounds

• Found or natural sounds

You must consider the technical capabilities of the instruments for which you are writing and the range and registers of the instrument/s.

If you include improvisation in your composition, you must supply sufficient detail in the notation to give a clear indication of your intentions. You must perform any improvised passages yourself. 

For authentication purposes you must keep a portfolio of all your draft workings and sign an agreement stating that the work is your own. You must also retain a photocopy of the finished piece for at least 18 months.  Your original will be kept by the College.

You may be looking for inspiration or motivation. Consider the following as creative starting points:

• Live or recorded music 

• Programmatic music

• Media imagery (e.g. film, TV, computer generated, static image)

• A piece of writing

• A movement sequence

• A lived experience that had some impact on you

• An emotional, physical or spiritual state of being

• An ethnic or cultural experience

• Sounds around us: either found, natural, acoustic or electronic

• A catchy idea, riff or ostinato

As you experiment with your ideas for your music, consider ways of:

• Creating unity and contrast 

• Developing or extending your ideas

• Creating sounds through non-traditional means

• Manipulating your ideas using the elements of music

• Building and releasing tension 

• Establishing/maintaining/varying mood

Consider typcial examples of the style of music you are writing as a template and use these to make decisions about your piece. There is no set length for piece, but it should be a complete and finished piece of music. 

This assessment is worth 6 NCEA L2 Credits

For this standard you need to compose three original pieces of music by the end of Term 3. Your three pieces will be submitted in portfolio style which must include:

1. Your musical scores and any supporting material. If the style of your piece does not typcially have a traditional score, Detailed composer’s notes with a description of each piece should be included. These should have screen shots of your DAW or interface, or be a screen recording describing your work and process. If in doubt, think about what you would need for someone else to recreate or perform your piece. 

2. An MP3 recording of each composition. Your recording may be an MP3 Exported from software or a studio/live recorded version. 

3. A written statement of the Intention of each of your compositions. 

You should discuss with your teacher strategies for helping you to manage your time effectively and to meet the goals that you set yourself. Sufficient work must be presented to allow assessment of a range of technical and creative skills. Your teacher must be able authenticate work in progress as you develop your musical ideas. This means you must have regular drafts available in class and submit at all drafting deadlines.

Your composition/s could be for:

• Solo instrument, with or without accompaniment

• An ensemble of three or more parts

• A specific musical occasion

• Electro-acoustic media.

Technical skills relate to:

• The use of compositional techniques/devices

• Structure and development

• Writing idiomatically for the instruments/voices/electronic media employed.

Creative skills relate to:

• Composing original music which displays character and imagination in response to a specific task.

Notation refers to:

• Graphic, conventional (stave or tablature notation) or other written representation presented as scores that appropriately represent creative intentions.

• Electronic works and sequenced material should be fully realised by you and be accompanied by appropriate representation. The editing of computer generated notation must be by you.

If an element of improvisation is included in your composition, sufficient detail must be supplied to give a clear indication of your intentions to the improviser. Performances of improvised material must be by the composer.

Your pieces of music may include:

• Word setting/song writing of your own or others’ text/s. If you use someone else’s text/s you must acknowledge this.

• Response to artwork. A composition inspired by or representing a piece of artwork or photograph.

• Film music. Music to accompany a film sequence/clip. You may collaborate with a Media Studies student.

• Music for solo instrument, with or without accompaniment. Where an accompaniment is added as part of a composition, it will be assessed.

• Music for a specific purpose. This should be accompanied by a written description that outlines what your creative intentions are. This needs to be approved by your teacher before you begin working.

• Electronic works. These  should be fully realised by the composer – this means you cannot use existing loops or digital material as a basis for your work. You must create all digital material yourself.

• Music for instrumental or vocal ensemble. Some ideas for your ensemble could include:

• Two, three or four part male, female or mixed vocal group 

• Small jazz ensemble

• Rock band/group

• Percussion ensemble

• Instrumental trio, quartet or quintet

• Solo voice with selected percussion, woodwind, brass or string instruments

• Tape loop and acoustic instruments

• Computer generated/electronic sounds

• Found or natural sounds

You must consider the technical capabilities of the instruments for which you are writing and the range and registers of the instrument/s.

If you include improvisation in your composition, you must supply sufficient detail in the notation to give a clear indication of your intentions. You must perform any improvised passages yourself. 

For authentication purposes you must keep a portfolio of all your draft workings and sign an agreement stating that the work is your own. You must also retain a photocopy of the finished piece for at least 18 months.  Your original will be kept by the College.

You may be looking for inspiration or motivation. Consider the following as creative starting points:

• Live or recorded music 

• Programmatic music

• Media imagery (e.g. film, TV, computer generated, static image)

• A piece of writing

• A movement sequence

• A lived experience that had some impact on you

• An emotional, physical or spiritual state of being

• An ethnic or cultural experience

• Sounds around us: either found, natural, acoustic or electronic

• A catchy idea, riff or ostinato

As you experiment with your ideas for your music, consider ways of:

• Creating unity and contrast 

• Developing or extending your ideas

• Creating sounds through non-traditional means

• Manipulating your ideas using the elements of music

• Building and releasing tension 

• Establishing/maintaining/varying mood

Consider typcial examples of the style of music you are writing as a template and use these to make decisions about your piece. There is no set length for piece, but it should be a complete and finished piece of music. 

This assessment is worth 8 NCEA L3 Credits

For this standard you need to compose three original songs, including lyrics by the end of Term 3. Your three pieces will be submitted in portfolio style which must include:

1. An MP3 recording of each song. The quality of the recording is not assessed, but it must adequately demonstrate your song. It may be live recording, studio recording with overdubs, a video etc. 

2. Lyric sheet and supporting material. You must include a lyric sheet with chords included. You may also include tab or notation of important musical aspects that add to the meaning of your piece, and so should be included in any performed version. If in doubt, think about what you would need for someone else to recreate or perform your piece. 

Composing three original songs that express imaginative thinking involves developing, structuring, refining and representing original lyrical and musical ideas coherently and purposefully.

Composing three original songs that effectively express imaginative thinking involves developing, structuring, refining and representing original lyrical and musical ideas skilfully with style and character.  Representation expresses imaginative intent appropriate to the genre of song writing.

Composing three original songs that convincingly express imaginative thinking involves developing, structuring, refining and representing original lyrical and musical ideas with stylistic assurance and flair and communicated with impact.  Representation expresses imaginative intent, in detail, and appropriate to the genre of song writing.

Imaginative thinking involves developing, structuring, and refining lyrical and musical concepts which may draw on visual or sonic imagery, ideas and personal experiences, and cultural inspiration.  It also involves the quality of the blending of the lyrics with the melody and harmony lines, in relation to the songwriter’s intention.

You should discuss with your teacher strategies for helping you to manage your time effectively and to meet the goals that you set yourself. Sufficient work must be presented to allow assessment of a range of technical and creative skills. Your teacher must be able authenticate work in progress as you develop your musical ideas. This means you must have regular drafts available in class and submit at all drafting deadlines.

You may be looking for inspiration or motivation. Consider the following as creative starting points:

• Live or recorded music 

• Programmatic music

• Media imagery (e.g. film, TV, computer generated, static image)

• A piece of writing

• A movement sequence

• A lived experience that had some impact on you

• An emotional, physical or spiritual state of being

• An ethnic or cultural experience

• Sounds around us: either found, natural, acoustic or electronic

• A catchy idea, riff or ostinato

As you experiment with your ideas for your music, consider ways of:

• Creating unity and contrast 

• Developing or extending your ideas

• Creating sounds through non-traditional means

• Manipulating your ideas using the elements of music

• Building and releasing tension 

• Establishing/maintaining/varying mood

You must consider the technical capabilities of the instruments for which you are writing and the range and registers of the instruments and singers.

If you include improvisation in your composition, you must supply sufficient detail in the supporting material to give a clear indication of your intentions.

For authentication purposes you must keep a portfolio of all your draft workings and sign an agreement stating that the work is your own. You must also retain a photocopy of the finished piece for at least 18 months.  Your original will be kept by the College.

Consider typcial examples of the style of music you are writing as a template and use these to make decisions about your piece. There is no set length for piece, but it should be a complete and finished piece of music. 

This assessment is worth 8 NCEA L3 Credits