Minds On

Today’s vocabulary

Graphic scores are pieces of artwork that act as a roadmap for performers to follow. They can sometimes have traditional musical notes and notation included but they will also have symbols and pictures.

Important ideas in music. They are: duration (beat, rhythm, metre, tempo), pitch (melody), dynamics, timbre, texture/harmony, and form.

Let’s get started!

Examine the following excerpt from John Cage’s “Water Walk.”

Across the top of the excerpt there are the numbers 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30. ‘START’ is written under the 0 and there is a sketch of a fish. Following this is a sketch of a grand piano with the word ‘FRICTION’ written underneath it. Between 5 and 10 ‘SLAM LID’ is written with a symbol that looks like the letter ‘p’ underneath it. At 10, the words ‘START TAPE’ are written. At 15, there is another sketch of a piano with ‘PIZZ.’ written underneath, followed by a bottle with the word ‘EXPLODE’ underneath, which is followed by a sketch of a fish with the word ‘WIND’ on top. At 20, the word ‘STEAM’ appears and in a rectangle the words ‘FISH IN A TUB.’ After this, there is another sketch of a grand piano with the word ‘PIZZ.” At 25 are the words “ICE IN A GLASS.”

How might someone perform this excerpt? How can we use the ‘Elements of Music’ to think about this piece?

Hint: Press the following button to access the Elements of Music chart. You can use some of the questions in this chart to guide your thinking.

Elements of Music Chart

Duration

The element of music that relates to time, which includes beat, rhythm, metre, and tempo.

Consider the following questions:

  • How would you describe the rhythm?
  • Are short or long notes being primarily used?
  • How does the rhythm affect the overall energy of the piece?
  • How might you represent the length (duration) of the notes?
  • What tempo markings (e.g., allegro, vivace, largo) do you notice?
  • How would a different tempo change your experience of the music?
  • How does an increase in tempo affect the mood of the piece?
  • What time signature(s) do you notice in the music?

Pitch

The element of music that relates to the highness or lowness of a tone.

Consider the following questions:

  • How might someone move their body to show how individual pitches go up, go down, or stay the same, and how do they connect to form a melody?
  • What patterns do you notice in the melody (e.g., repetition, sequence)?
  • How could you show others how this melody moves without singing/playing it for them?
  • What words might someone use to describe the character of this song/piece of music (e.g., cheerful, bright, bold, intense)?
  • In musical terms, how would you describe the tonality of this piece of music (e.g., pentatonic, major, minor, chromatic?)
  • What accidentals or key signatures do you observe in the music?

Dynamics and other expressive controls

The element of music that relates to volume.

Consider the following questions:

  • What range of dynamics is being used?
  • What dynamic markings do you notice in the music?
  • How does a decrease in volume affect the feeling or mood in the music?
  • What dynamic level would support the mood of this piece?
  • How does the compose use expressive controls (e.g., staccato/legato or crescendo/decrescendo) to create contrasts and changes in mood?

Comparing two pieces of music/songs:

  • How do these two pieces of music/songs use dynamics differently to create uniquely expressive pieces?

Timbre

The element of music that relates to the quality of a sound (e.g., sound of a doorbell versus a laugh, a trumpet versus a clarinet, or two people speaking).

Consider the following questions:

  • What are the primary instruments used by the composer?
  • Which pitched or non-pitched percussion instrument(s) are used to accompany this piece of music/song?
  • Why do you think the composer chose specific instruments for this work?
  • What mood do the instruments in this piece create?
  • How would changing the instruments change the effect?
  • What words might someone use to describe the tone, colour, or timbre of this song/musical work (e.g., rich, bright, mellow, or piercing)?

Texture/ harmony

The element of music that relates to the layers of sounds within music.

Consider the following questions:

  • Which instruments or found sounds are used to accompany this piece of music/song?
  • What is the rhythmic relationship between the melody and the accompaniment?
  • How does the accompaniment in this piece of music/song reflect the story/poem/lyrics?
  • What similarities and differences do you notice between the melodies and rhythms?
  • How might someone graphically portray the layering of melodies in this piece of music?
  • Is the accompaniment rhythmic, melodic, or choral?

Form

The element of music that relates to the way musical pieces are organized.

Consider the following questions:

  • How is the music organized?
  • Using musical terms, how would you describe the overall form and effect of the music?
  • How does the music change from one section to the next?
  • What elements of music does the composer use to vary the original theme?
  • How did the composer use form to suggest certain images?

Your turn!

Now it’s your turn. Choose 2 or 3 of the Elements of Music and complete the following fillable and printable Water Walk Elements graphic organizer. You will write your chosen Elements of Music in the spaces and brainstorm how these elements could be represented in “Water Walk.” You can refer to the ‘Water Walk” excerpt and the Elements of Music chart to help you.

You can use the provided anchor chart or another method of your choice to complete this activity.

Water Walk Elements

Press the Activity button to access the Water Walk Elements.

Activity (Open PDF in a new tab)

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

If possible, share your ideas with a partner. How were your ideas similar? How were they different?

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Action

Get ready, get set…

Explore the following video for one interpretation of John Cage’s “Water Walk.”

How does your interpretation that you created in the Minds On section compare to this one?

Return to your Water Walk Elements graphic organizer to compare and contrast.

Student Success

Think-Pair-Share

What surprised you about this performance of “Water Walk?” What do you notice? What do you wonder?

If possible, share your ideas with a partner.

Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.

Graphic scores

Explore the following images. These are examples of graphic scores. What observations or questions do you have about these graphic scores?

Image 1: Across the top of the excerpt there are the numbers 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30. ‘START’ is written under the 0 and there is a sketch of a fish. Following this is a sketch of a grand piano with the word ‘FRICTION’ written underneath it. Between 5 and 10 ‘SLAM LID’ is written with a symbol that looks like the letter ‘p’ underneath it. At 10, the words ‘START TAPE’ are written. At 15, there is another sketch of a piano with ‘PIZZ.’ written underneath, followed by a bottle with the word ‘EXPLODE’ underneath, which is followed by a sketch of a fish with the word ‘WIND’ on top. At 20, the word ‘STEAM’ appears and in a rectangle the words ‘FISH IN A TUB.’ After this, there is another sketch of a grand piano with the word ‘PIZZ.” At 25 are the words “ICE IN A GLASS.”

Image 2: This image is titled “Picnic.” At the bottom of the image it says ‘for violins, oboe, bass guitar.’ This indicates that these are the instruments used for i, ii, iii, and iv which are written down the left side of the page. Starting at ‘i’ there is a reddish-brown coloured line that starts low and slowly rises. Surrounding this line are some various different colours. The first two strokes are in red and the second one is a bit above the first one. Under the second one, there is a light blue line which starts below the reddish-brown line and goes about the previous two red brush strokes by about twice the amount. Behind this light blue line, there is a light green line. It starts slightly after the light blue line, about the same distance below the reddish-brown line, and ends a bit above the light blue line. There is some space before the next brush stroke starts. It’s a line that starts below the reddish-brown line and it starts yellow, but then changes to green, then blue. Shortly after this line starts, there is a medium-coloured blue line that rises from left to right and is above the reddish-brown line. There is a larger gap this time before a pink and blue brushstroke starts at the top left about half as high at the other brush strokes above the reddish-brown line, and they fall until just below the reddish-brown line. The reddish-brown line continues to the right side of the page. Starting at ‘ii” there is a grey line. For this line, all of the brushstrokes happen above this line and it almost appears like it’s part of line ‘i’. After the two red brushstrokes from line ‘i’ happen, a dark brown brush stroke starts with a dot, high on the left side, slowly falls, appears to start again with intensity and then creates another dot, at this point the line changes direction and moves in an upward motion to where the dark brown line started. This ends up a larger dark brown dot. Underneath there is a yellow dot with a red dot slight below and a bit to the right. This entire dark brown brushstroke occupies a little over half of the line and ends where the brushstroke does from ‘i’ that changed from yellow, to green, to blue. There is a space before the next brush stroke happens. It is a brown dot with a yellow mark inside that looks like that bottom of the number 5. This dot happens at the end of the blue and pink brushstrokes from line ‘i’. There is another space and then a green blob appears at the end of the grey line. Starting at ‘iii’ there is another grey line that moves from the left side of the page to the right side. It rises slightly and then falls again. After about the first red brushstroke from line ‘i’, there is an up and down squiggly line that rises slightly from the grey line to just above it. The line starts as light blue, but the upwards parts of the squiggly line are light green. The line goes to almost halfway across the grey line. Next, there is a dark red triangle that is about halfway across the grey line. Where the blue and pink lines start from line ‘i’ there is a falling line that is dark brown and then a light purple thicker brushstroke starts underneath and there is a hint of red. This purple falls slightly from left to right and expends a bit beyond the grey line. Line ‘iv’ has a grey line which starts high, falls continually until just after the halfway point of the page, then rises again. It ends before the other three steady lines of ‘i’, ‘ii’, and ‘iii’. It starts with a dark blue brushstroke that starts on the line and moves in an upward direction. This is followed by 4 consecutive dark blue brushstroke movements that rise above the grey line, then fall. Over the last dark blue section, there is an orange line that rises from left to right and gets thinner. As it starts to get thinner, there is a thicker red line which also rises from left to right and gets thinner. It extends above line ‘iii’. There is a larger gap and at the end of the grey line there are three dark blue brushstrokes on top of each other (the bottom one is slightly longer in both directions) and they end at the end of the grey line.

Image 3: This image has the title “Towards An Unbearable Lightness, for any ensemble” on the top left corner of the page. At the bottom left of the page there is a set of instructions that says “Make a journey from heavy and dark sounds into light ones. Move through the spiral in your own way, loosely coordinated with the others. The general pause, however, must be coordinated precisely (use eye-contact). Keep interpreting the graphic sections-follow instructions. Allow some time for everyone to cultivate the final stage.” The graphic is a spiral which starts on the left side just over halfway above the middle of the page and completes two and a half spirals. It begins with ‘f’ and a triangle that has the following shapes inside it: rectangles, triangles, squares, and circles. All of this is in dark blue. The line of the spiral is a slightly lighter blues and goes the right side of the page, about the same distance vertically on the page. As this line travels in the spiral, the following is above the line: an arrow followed by a fermata. There is a darker and slightly longer arrow, followed by a fermata. Then there is the darkest arrow followed by a fermata that is at the very top of the spiral. As the spiral line starts to go downwards, there is a decrescendo marking. The blue line is followed by a green line. Connecting these two lines is a box which has the following written inside: “Gradually change timbre within every note/sound.” There is a short piece of the green spiral along with the words “prepare for G.P….” There is a break in the line and the words “G.P. 5-10””. This would indicate that there is a grand pause for 5 to 10 seconds. The green line begins again with the word “attacca” and an arrow pointing to where it starts. The green line continues to fall to the bottom of the page and the words “Gradually make sounds thinner…” appears. At the bottom of the page in the spiral is a rectangle that is green with the following inside: thick green liner, thin green lines, medium green lines (all of these are horizontal) and a couple of horizontal squiggly lines. The green line continues in an upward spiral motion from here and goes almost to the top of the page. Along this line are the following indications: “make more pauses…” a variety of rests, “etc…and arrow up, arrow down, increasingly.” At this point, the green line turns to red and there are arrows pointing left and right on top of one another. At the top of the spiral there is a square which is made up of a dashed line, and inside this square there is a sun, a triangle, some squiggly lines that travel both side to side and up and down on an angle. There is a squiggly line with an arrow, there are curly lines, another shape that looks like a heart, and another brushstroke. The red line spiral continues after this with the following “seek”, arrows up and down with the word “interaction”, more up and down arrows, followed by the word “with” followed by an arrow then the word “other” and another up and down arrow. At this point, the rest of the spiral appears to be a circle, The red line appears to have a bit of orange in it as well. Inside the circle that is created here there are a series of dots that are different sizes and colours. The dots are red, orange, light green, brown, red, purple, and pink. There is also a larger sized letter ‘P’ and the words “occasionally other dynamics.” These dots are also seen on the outside of the circle, they are small and different colours. As the circle of the spiral starts, the word ‘players’ appears followed by the arrows showing the direction of the movement with the small dots interspersed.

What is a graphic score?

Graphic scores are pieces of artwork that act as a roadmap for performers to follow. Graphic scores became popular in the 20th century and they allowed for composers to notate more complex musical ideas such as “aleatoric music.” Aleatoric music often has parts that are improvised or left up to chance, which was impossible to notate using traditional standard notation.

Graphic scores can sometimes have traditional musical notes and notation included. It all depends on what the composer is trying to convey in their music. Sometimes they will want certain notes to be played, other times it may be more about the effect of a sound.

Each performance of a graphic score will likely be slightly different, and that’s ok! It all has to do with how the performers interpret a piece. Often, composers will work closely with a conductor or groups that are performing their piece to help keep the group on track. This isn’t always the case though. It’s important to know that different groups of performers can interpret a graphic score differently, however, each group must interpret what’s in the score in the same way. For example, imagine a red triangle was noticed in a piece. One performer may decide that this triangle was going to be the timbre of a piano. They would play on a piano each time they saw a red triangle. A different group may interpret the red triangle as a bass drum!

Some composers will also include a legend with their score to take the guess work out of performing these pieces. It might use shape, colour, and size to indicate what each means within their score.

Another important piece of information to note is that graphic scores don’t always use traditional music. For example, in John Cage’s “Water Walk that you explored in the Minds On uses some original sounds like a wind-up fish flopping around on the piano keys and ice cubes dropping in water.

Graphic scores grew out of necessity for the out of the box compositions that started in the 20th century.

Interpreting a graphic score

Let’s return to the excerpt from “Water Walk” by John Cage.

First, here is a little background information about this piece to get us started. The numbers written at the top are the number of seconds. The instructions are for the props that are to be used and the piece is accompanied by a tape. The beginning of the score contains a very detailed list and set of instructions on how to perform this piece. It was written for a solo television performer.

“Water Walk” by John Cage

Across the top of the excerpt there are the numbers 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30. START’ is written under the 0 and there is a sketch of a fish. Following this is a sketch of a grand piano with the word ‘FRICTION’ written underneath it. etween 5 and 10 ‘SLAM LID’ is written with a symbol that looks like the letter ‘p’ underneath it. At 10, the words ‘START TAPE’ are written. At 15, there is another sketch of a piano with ‘PIZZ.’ written underneath, followed by a bottle with the word ‘EXPLODE’ underneath, which is followed by a sketch of a fish with the word ‘WIND’ on top. At 20, the word ‘STEAM’ appears and in a rectangle the words ‘FISH IN A TUB.’ After this, there is another sketch of a grand piano with the word ‘PIZZ.” At 25 are the words “ICE IN A GLASS.”

Here is the video of someone performing this portion of “Water Walk.” Try to follow the graphic score along with the sounds in the video!

Pause and Reflect

Elements of “Water Walk”

In the next activity, we will be exploring how the Elements of Music can be represented in a graphic score.

How are the Elements of Music represented in “Water Walk?” The following chart can give us some ideas about how four elements are represented:

Elements of music chart

Duration

Each composed page of this piece is equal to one minute in length. This means that the numbers written above each line represents the number of seconds. Therefore, there is one beat per second in “Water Walk.” For the purposes of our analysis, we only explored 20 seconds of the piece.

Pitch

This piece starts with a lower pitched chord and with a higher pitch on top. The “Friction” instruction is a bass sound. The slam lid sounds like a piano lid closing which is a lower pitch. Next, there is a sound that enters which is a medium pitch at the “START TAPE” instruction. The “PIZZ” instruction is also a higher pitch.

Timbre

This piece starts with a metallic sound with a chord, followed by a low string sound that sounds like it’s being scraped. A lid to a piano is slammed closed. At the “START TAPE” instruction there is a recording which sounds like a cassette tape playing. At the “PIZZ” instruction, it sounds like a higher piano string is being scraped.

Form

This piece is free form.

Go!

Examine the following excerpt from the graphic score “Towards an Unbearable Lightness” by Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen.

“Towards An Unbearable Lightness” by Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen

This image has the title “Towards An Unbearable Lightness, for any ensemble” on the top left corner of the page. At the bottom left of the page there is a set of instructions that says “Make a journey from heavy and dark sounds into light ones. Move through the spiral in your own way, loosely coordinated with the others. The general pause, however, must be coordinated precisely (use eye-contact). Keep interpreting the graphic sections-follow instructions. Allow some time for everyone to cultivate the final stage.” The graphic is a spiral which starts on the left side just over halfway above the middle of the page and completes two and a half spirals. It begins with ‘f’ and a triangle that has the following shapes inside it: rectangles, triangles, squares, and circles. All of this is in dark blue. The line of the spiral is a slightly lighter blues and goes the right side of the page, about the same distance vertically on the page. As this line travels in the spiral, the following is above the line: an arrow followed by a fermata. There is a darker and slightly longer arrow, followed by a fermata. Then there is the darkest arrow followed by a fermata that is at the very top of the spiral. As the spiral line starts to go downwards, there is a decrescendo marking. The blue line is followed by a green line. Connecting these two lines is a box which has the following written inside: “Gradually change timbre within every note/sound.” There is a short piece of the green spiral along with the words “prepare for G.P….” There is a break in the line and the words “G.P. 5-10””. This would indicate that there is a grand pause for 5 to 10 seconds. The green line begins again with the word “attacca” and an arrow pointing to where it starts. The green line continues to fall to the bottom of the page and the words “Gradually make sounds thinner…” appears. At the bottom of the page in the spiral is a rectangle that is green with the following inside: thick green liner, thin green lines, medium green lines (all of these are horizontal) and a couple of horizontal squiggly lines. The green line continues in an upward spiral motion from here and goes almost to the top of the page. Along this line are the following indications: “make more pauses…” a variety of rests, “etc…and arrow up, arrow down, increasingly.” At this point, the green line turns to red and there are arrows pointing left and right on top of one another. At the top of the spiral there is a square which is made up of a dashed line, and inside this square there is a sun, a triangle, some squiggly lines that travel both side to side and up and down on an angle. There is a squiggly line with an arrow, there are curly lines, another shape that looks like a heart, and another brushstroke. The red line spiral continues after this with the following “seek”, arrows up and down with the word “interaction”, more up and down arrows, followed by the word “with” followed by an arrow then the word “other” and another up and down arrow. At this point, the rest of the spiral appears to be a circle, The red line appears to have a bit of orange in it as well. Inside the circle that is created here there are a series of dots that are different sizes and colours. The dots are red, orange, light green, brown, red, purple, and pink. There is also a larger sized letter ‘P’ and the words “occasionally other dynamics.” These dots are also seen on the outside of the circle, they are small and different colours. As the circle of the spiral starts, the word ‘players’ appears followed by the arrows showing the direction of the movement with the small dots interspersed.

What Elements of Music are present in “Towards an Unbearable Lightness?” How are they indicated in the score?

Choose 2 to 3 of the Elements of Music to analyze in the excerpt “Towards an Unbearable Lightness.” Record your answers in the following fillable and printable Elements of Music chart. You can also record your ideas using another method of your choice.

Elements of music

Pitch

Timbre

Duration

Dynamics

Form

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Elements of Music

The element of music that relates to time, which includes beat, rhythm, metre, and tempo.

Consider the following questions:

  • How would you describe the rhythm?
  • Are short or long notes being primarily used?
  • How does the rhythm affect the overall energy of the piece?
  • How might you represent the length (duration) of the notes?
  • What tempo markings (e.g., allegro, vivace, largo) do you notice?
  • How would a different tempo change your experience of the music?

How does an increase in tempo affect the mood of the piece?

The element of music that relates to the highness or lowness of a tone.

Consider the following questions:

  • How might someone move their body to show how individual pitches go up, go down, or stay the same, and how do they connect to form a melody?
  • What patterns do you notice in the melody (e.g., repetition, sequence)?
  • How could you show others how this melody moves without singing/playing it for them?
  • What words might someone use to describe the character of this song/piece of music (e.g., cheerful, bright, bold, intense)?
  • In musical terms, how would you describe the tonality of this piece of music (e.g., pentatonic, major, minor, chromatic?)
  • What accidentals or key signatures do you observe in the music?

The element of music that relates to volume.

Consider the following questions:

  • What range of dynamics is being used?
  • What dynamic markings do you notice in the music?
  • How does a decrease in volume affect the feeling or mood in the music?
  • What dynamic level would support the mood of this piece?
  • How does the compose use expressive controls (e.g., staccato/legato or crescendo/decrescendo) to create contrasts and changes in mood?

Comparing two pieces of music/songs:

  • How do these two pieces of music/songs use dynamics differently to create uniquely expressive pieces?

The element of music that relates to the quality of a sound (e.g., sound of a doorbell versus a laugh, a trumpet versus a clarinet, or two people speaking).

Consider the following questions:

  • What are the primary instruments used by the composer?
  • Which pitched or non-pitched percussion instrument(s) are used to accompany this piece of music/song?
  • Why do you think the composer chose specific instruments for this work?
  • What mood do the instruments in this piece create?
  • How would changing the instruments change the effect?
  • What words might someone use to describe the tone, colour, or timbre of this song/musical work (e.g., rich, bright, mellow, or piercing)?

The element of music that relates to the layers of sounds within music.

Consider the following questions:

  • Which instruments or found sounds are used to accompany this piece of music/song?
  • What is the rhythmic relationship between the melody and the accompaniment?
  • How does the accompaniment in this piece of music/song reflect the story/poem/lyrics?
  • What similarities and differences do you notice between the melodies and rhythms?
  • How might someone graphically portray the layering of melodies in this piece of music?
  • Is the accompaniment rhythmic, melodic, or choral?

The element of music that relates to the way musical pieces are organized.

Consider the following questions:

  • How is the music organized?
  • Using musical terms, how would you describe the overall form and effect of the music?
  • How does the music change from one section to the next?
  • What elements of music does the composer use to vary the original theme?
  • How did the composer use form to suggest certain images?

When you’re ready, you can press the 'Answers' button to reveal some possible ways the Elements of Music could be represented in the piece “Towards an Unbearable Lightness.”

Elements of Music

Pitch

The pitches for the blue section would be created using lower pitches in order to create a very heavy sound. The green section would use pitches that are more in the middle range, or higher than the blue pitches. The red and orange section would finish off the piece with higher pitches.

Timbre

Note: The instructions to this piece are that it could be for any ensemble so there are multiple answers and responses for this section.

For this graphic score, I would use your standard band instruments including flute, clarinet, saxophones, trumpet, trombone, French horn, bass clarinet, and percussion. I would use different instrument groups for each colour. I would start with the low brass instruments for the blue section, then transition to saxophones and higher brass for the green section, and then for the red section I would use the woodwind section. During the orange section all instruments would join in together.

Duration

For this particular graphic score there is no duration indicated. I would take approximately 30 seconds for the blue section, one minute for the green, and one minute for the red and orange.

Dynamics

For the blue line: Dynamics will increase (get louder) from the beginning up until where the decrescendo is. At that point, the dynamics will get softer, perhaps down to a piano (p). The green section will start about “mp” (mezzo piano – moderately soft), or whatever volume the piece started with, since the lines are about the same thickness. The dynamics will sound like they are getting soft as we play towards the green rectangle since some instruments will start and stop.

The dynamics will increase and decrease towards the end of the green line. The dynamics will continue to increase and decrease until we reach the circle in the middle of the graphic score. At this point, the dynamics will mostly be piano, (p) but there will be some other dynamics that happen occasionally. The piece will fadeout at the end.

Form

This piece is a free form written piece. It is loosely divided into 4 sections as indicated by colour. Each section is slightly different and gets a little bit quieter.

Consolidation

Putting it all together

Use your analysis of “Towards an Unbearable Lightness” to describe how you might perform this piece.

Start by completing the following fillable and printable Performing My Graphic Score document. Indicate the Elements of Music that you will focus on in your piece, based on the graphic score. Next, complete the first column “How Is This Indicated in the Score” to explain how you understand each element of music to work in this score.

Performing My Graphic Score

Element of music

How is this indicated in the score?

How could it be performed?

Questions to consider:

  • What colour is used?
  • What shapes are used?
  • What else is added to the score to help with your interpretation?

Questions to consider:

  • What will you use to achieve this element of music?
  • How will you do it?
  • What else is important to know?

Duration

Pitch

Dynamics and Expressive Controls

Timbre

Texture/
harmony

Form

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Performing My Graphic Score. 

Try It

Try it

Now it’s time to compose your own piece!

There are many ways that you could approach the performance of your piece:

  • You could use found sounds to create your piece (e.g., opening and closing a door, tapping on a desk, body percussion, your voice, etc.).
  • You can explore Chrome Music Lab and use one of the applications from there to perform your piece. You could even combine this with found sounds too! You may want to explore websites like Pond5, or other similar websites, to find recordings of sounds that you like.
  • You could use an instrument to perform your piece

Once you’ve decided the medium that you will use to perform your piece, return to your Performing My Graphic Score chart and complete the “How Could It Be Performed?” column. Be as specific as you can when completing this.

You can also record how it will be performed using another method of your choice.

Portfolio

Review your learning

Respond to the following questions using a method of your choice.

  • What are some instructions that you would tell someone if they were to perform your piece?
  • What techniques did you or would you use to perform while following your score?

If you had to go back and make changes to your performance outline, what would you change and why? Were there certain sections that were difficult to perform?

Consider adding your thinking to you portfolio.

Reflection

As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel…

Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

Press ‘Discover More’ to extend your skills.

Perform your piece

Now that you’re officially a composer, it’s time to debut your graphic score performance!

Practice your piece (or record it) incorporating all the different elements of music that you have already explored. You can record and upload your performance, or do it live. If possible and needed, you may have some others join your performance.

After you have recorded and saved your performance, consider adding it to your portfolio.