Radio Shack Talk Back
Radio Shack Talk Back
4.01 Know that the study of music is concerned with musical expression and communication
4.02 Know the uses of the elements of music
4.06 Be able to use music vocabulary and apply the elements of music to analyse and describe
musical forms
4.12 Be able to make judgments about pieces of music, showing understanding, appreciation, respect
and enjoyment as appropriate
How do composers make money?
How can an aspiring composer be truly entrepreneurial about his/her craft?
What is the marketplace for composers?
Where is there a demand for music to be composed?
The next two activities introduce ways in which composers create and sell music for a particular purpose – for television programmes and for radio, Internet, and TV advertising.
IMAGINE that you are a hungry musician…and a local radio station has asked you to select music to introduce a high profile news and current affairs programme. You will be rewarded handsomely if you get it right.
The radio station producers have a few ideas, including:
The first 26 seconds of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians.
The first 16 seconds of Richard Strauss’ Festmusik Der Stadt Wien.
The first 24 seconds of John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine.
After listening, vote as a class on which excerpt would work best to introduce the news programme, and discuss why.
How have the decisions you made in this vote reflect what you have learned about successful entrepreneurship?
Consider the following:
The composers of these musical pieces wrote them for a very different purpose to the one that they are now being considered for. However, they are now being selected, adapted and developed in order to engage a particular market.
The ultimate purpose of selecting the right kind of music is to increase the listening figures of the news programme. This in turn increases profits for the radio station.
The choice of music must be very carefully considered in order to have the intended effect – to engage a target market with the radio programme.
The producers are relying on people with knowledge and awareness of the components of music and the effects these create, who can advise them on how to use music to increase their viewing figures and profits. This means that those responsible for choosing the theme tune are using their musical skills in order to help make money, even though – at this stage –they are not creating the music themselves. Do you think choosing the right music could be a job for you?
Let’s look at some real examples of theme music for news and current affairs programmes from around the world. Examples include:
Dawn News Pakistan (first 10 seconds).
Tagesschau (Germany).
NHK News (Japan).
Al Jazeera English (first 8 seconds).
Think about the different news opening audio files you have heard and consider the answers you gave in your results table above. Talk with your ‘brain buddy’ (the nearest person to you) and see if you can come up with answers the following questions:
What musical elements do these clips have in common?
What rhythmic ideas do they share?
What dynamics are generally chosen?
What kind of melody can you hear?
What instruments used
What textures are used (how many instruments? What type of ensemble?)
Which instruments are used?
Is there anything musical that suggests an international, world news focus? How have the composers achieved this?
What mood does the music create? How has this been achieved?
Why are these musical ideas appropriate for the ‘news programme’ market? What characteristics to these musical choices have and what response to the evoke from the audience?
Share your answers a different classmate and compare notes. Then share with the class.
Musical Terms (Circle the musical terms which describe your chosen news excerpt)
Low High Ascending Descending
Steps Leaps Repeated notes Runs Scales Sequences
Major Minor Modal
Drone Counterpoint Chords
Allegro (fast) Moderato (moderate) Adagio (Slow) Accellerando (getting Faster) Decellerando (getting slower).
Beats per bar 2, 3, 4. Sustained Long notes. Short notes
Minim (2 counts) Crotchet (Ta) Quavers ( Tate or Titi) Semi Quavers (tiki tiki)
Swing, Straight, Back beat, Syncopation, Triplets
Monophonic (one sound)
Homophonic (Clear melody with accompaniment)
Polyphonic (lots of melodies mixed together).
Large Ensemble Medium ensemble Small ensemble
Orchestra, Jazz Band, Concert Band, Choir, Chamber Ensemble etc
Bass Drum, Timpani, Snare Drum, Drum Kit, Cymbols, hand percussion
Double Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin, Harp, Guitar, Ukulele
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Piccolo
Tuba (low) Trombones (medium low), Horn (medium high), Trumpets (High)
Forte (Loud) Mezzo Forte (Medium Loud), Mezzo Piano (Medium Soft), Piano (Soft)
Crescendo (Getting louder), Decrescendo (Getting softer)
Accent (emphasis) Legato (smooth) Staccato (short)
Trill Glissando Turn
In groups of three or four, choose one of the above musical excerpts to look at in more detail.
Write down the musical terms that you think suggest something we have come to associate with news programmes. Circle the appropriate words in the table below.
In your group, imagine you are composers pitching to a TV news channel. Pretend you have composed the musical excerpt, and try to sell it to the ‘TV executives’ (the rest of the class).
You get no more than 90 seconds in total to convince the ‘execs’, and should include a short recording.
Each member of the group must say something about the music (using music terminology) that will make it tempting for the TV executives to choose your music.