Music in Drama
Music in Drama Teaching Unit

Music in Drama

Drama Teaching Unit for 8th Grade (6 Lesson Plans)

This teaching unit introduces students to the use of music in drama, in particular its power to change the meaning of a scene. The students use the music to help conjure up imagery from which they devise new scenes and enhance this with the introduction of new congruent elements such as symbolism and physical theatre. A number of pieces of music are included in this scheme of work to help create strong moods and atmosphere.

Each lesson plan has clearly stated objectives and learning outcomes. They are structured to include introductory warm up, development and plenary sessions. A homework task is also included.

Music in DramaTooltip

The module contains 6 drama lesson plans.

  • Lesson 1: Introducing Mood And Atmosphere
    Spontaneous mime to different pieces of music to interpret its tempo, rhythm and the images it creates.

  • Lesson 2: Changing The Mood And Atmosphere Using Music
    Using music to inspire ideas and dialogue using the western music ‘Smoking Gun’.

  • Lesson 3: Symbolism And Music
    Use of icons, objects and colours to represent concepts, along with the warm-up exercise ‘Balloon Race’.

  • Lesson 4: Using Physical Theatre With Symbolism
    Enhancing the visual impact of a scene by combining movement and sound.

  • Lesson 5: Assessment Preparation
    Students self-evaluate their understanding of how to use music effectively in a piece of drama.

  • Lesson 6: Assessment
    Interpretation of the mood and atmosphere of a piece of music through the use of symbolism, physical theatre and music.

Supporting materials include

  • 7 pieces of original music of different styles

Additional resources are included in the appendices

  • End Of Unit Self-Assessment Form

The document is supplied as a ZIP file. It contains the scheme of work (PDF, readable on most computers) along with 7 music files (MP3 format).