I used to do this with my own students. To intrigue them I’d give them a fun,
ungraded little test so that they could recognize how much they may already
know about the iconographic power of some music. I’d play short excerpts
from films, and they place a letter from a description in a blank space.
(Think Peter and the Wolf type music. VERY visual.)
Example:
1.______
2.______
3.______
4.______ etc.

A. The wonder of first flight
B. A Stagecoach ride
C. A Swarm of Bees
D. Roping Broncos
E. My special love
F. God in his glory

The first cue I’d play may be Katherine’s theme from Wuthering Heights, and
most (I hope) would write in E in the first blank. I might play King of Kings for
the second theme, and students would fill in F in the second blank. Wild Rovers
and Stagecoach were fairly similar and would confuse them a little. The Swarm
and The Blue Max were easy to identify. After having a lot of fun and
laughs, I’d lead them into more sophisticated uses of film music.

For this new group of students, I’d like more suggestions of scores, specific
tracks, and the descriptor to write. I don’t necessarily want your favorite score.
Think of various pieces of film music that really lend themselves to pictures
in the mind. I.E. The Swarm. Remember, this is new information for these
students.

If anyone can come up with great examples, it’s this Board's membership.
Help me out. I know ALL of you can.

Some I’m thinking using are Komodo for monster horror pictures,
Ride From Dubno for Russian Cossacks, U 571 for W.W. Battles,
The Lost World for the sound of noble or dangerous dinosaurs,
13th Warrior for the image of Vikings, Cutthroat Island for swashbuckling
pirates and ?? (Does Building a Crate sound like “chickens building a
crate?” “I’m feeling dizzy” for Vertigo? ) The Stripper for foxy Shaun?

Any serious or even silly suggestions are welcome.

NP Restoration

[Message edited by joan hue on 02-09-2001]

I think young students would respond really well to something like "Clash of the Titans" (Pegasus Flying?), or the theme from "Superman". (I think kids like "flying" music...something like "Rocketeer", even...)

Try "The Pink Panther", for fun..."The Pagemaster", for imagination...

The Loss of a Love: "Andante Cantabile" from THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR.

The Promise of War: "Main Title" from TORA TORA TORA.

Hide and Seek: "Basket Chase" from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, or, perhaps, "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" from INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE.

Final Farewell: "The Meld" from STAR TREK - TMP.

A Just Revenge: final (film) cue from THE FURY (the part where John Cassavetes meets his end, not either version of the end title).

Ode to a Past Time: the beautiful opening montage from RAISE THE TITANIC. Or, equivalently, the first cue from THE LAND BEFORE TIME.

The Empire Strikes Back, too, because it is very theme-oriented, motivically and in the choices for orchestration.

How about Rozsa's "The Rowing of the Galley Slaves" from Ben-Hur, or Poledouris' "Wheel of Pain" from Conan (with all those grinding metalic effects)?

Herrmann's Mysterious Island could be a wonderful source for you: "The Balloon" is THE archetypal storm music, then you've got such descriptive passages as "The Giant Crab", "The Giant Bee" and "The Giant Bird".

In fact, come to think of it, ALL of the Herrmann/Harryhausen epics are worth considering.

For a majestic scene, try the theme from The Edge.

Perhaps easily recognizble because of the Pearl Harbor trailers, but Journey To The Line would be a good choice, too.

Instead of The Lost World, though (which I think would be better described as Hunt Music) I think Dinosaur would be good to describe Dinosaurs. Across The Desert, or The Egg Travels. OR, Meeting The Herd from the End Credits Suite.

This really is a great idea.

The descriptors are very important. Students must read some type of
description before they can place the music with it.

I’m also thinking about renting a few videos to show some scenes with
unique music backgrounds. For instance I might give them a description
like, “ Running/jogging, then disorientation, then back to running.” The
scene I’d show them is the Ecstasy of Gold scene from The Good, Bad
and Ugly. That’s a good match. I’d like to show them the Barn Building
scene from Witness as an example of electronic music. Wish I could
show the Lullaby theme scene from The Untouchables. Nice sweet lullaby
with that ominous background music, but showing R rated violence would
just get the poor teacher in trouble. (Duh, these kids are seniors who probably
watch a lot worse.) Be nice to find a sweet, lovely theme in a movie, show
that scene and then show how a composer alters the theme into a minor key,
making it ominous. Will take any ideas for video scenes coupled with
interesting music as well as cues to play. (Planet of the Apes video is a MUST!)
Thanks for sending ideas to your old mom. (Does Shaun have a Chippendale
video or is that in the “hidden” video rooms? )

(John, your NP is????)

"Freedom" from Papillon

"Where?" from Mission to Mars (the finale where Sinise's character has a flood of flashbacks of his friends is a genius moment in this cheesy movie. But I still love it all.)

"End of a Dream" or "The Mutant" from Total Recall?

"Kissing in the Rain" from Great Expectations?

The end of Cinema Paradiso?

I would mention the finale from Alive, but that music is mindboggingly not included on the album.

As far as a lovely theme turning menacing, I'm sure you could find an example from Poltergeist.

I was recently thinking about what I would pick if I showed a piece of music along with the images of the film, so it is funny you brought this up.

Good luck!

Deliverance from bondage: "Exodus" from Bernstein's THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Ominous vegetation from Mars: Main title from Tiomkin's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD

By the way, you mentioned finding a video clip showing how a composer turned an innocent theme into something threatening; Tiomkin did that with the "Merry Widow Waltz" in Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT; I think it might have been the sequence where Teresa Wright was looking at the newspaper stories in the library (her uncle was suspected of being the "Merry Widow Killer").

Sea Music: "Moby Dick Theme" from Moby Dick (Christopher Gordon), or "End Title" from Jaws 2.

Football Game: "The Football Game" from Sleepers.

Something from Legend perhaps, for "Other World"?

Reminds me of my final exam back in school, when my topic for Music was Film Music. My teacher had asked me to think of a short sequence from a film which I could use to describe the function of film music, so I decided to show the first airplane flight from Raiders. Unfortunately, when I started the tape at the exam (after I had in detail described what the music will be doing in the upcoming scene), I noticed it was about 20 seconds too early. Fast-forwarding would have probably taken too long (or I'd have stopped too late), so I decided to let the 20 seconds of silence play as well. And during the FIRST NOTE OF MUSIC, the auditor (if that's the right word) sayed "Impressive, thank you". I still get angry when I think about it.

quote:

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Originally posted by joan hue:
(John, your NP is????)

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Why, Dante's Peak. Should have credited JNH there, too, since he wrote the theme.

NP: Lighthearted western music, sometimes touching and tender, sometimes bouncy and active, Basil Poledouris ****

~Jason

Film music is to a certain extent Program music, music which tells a story, communicates a concept as well as moves us emotionally.

I think students even of a young age have seen enough media to already know how to make these kinds of associations. Younger students may not be able to articulate it as well, but they absorb visual and aural literacy by watching TV at the same as they learn language and behavior in their earlier development as well.

So, I think rather than playing music and having students match the associated concept with the piece or playing music and asking students what they think the associated concept might be, both which strike me as no-brainers, I like your idea of playing video clips more.

I'm not sure just what the order might be best for this exercize, but play a film cue, then play a film clip silent, then run the clip with sound that contains the original cue and try to get people's responses during each step. You might try to match a silent film clip with a variety of different cues and ask the students which one works best and which one they feel was chosen and then play the correct answer. Actually, now that I think of it, I saw a film prof do this to the scene in The Great Dictator where Chaplin plays with the balloon globe. But there are many other examples you can use, some of which you have already mentioned yourself. There are so many great matches between film and music that I'd be pressed to pick some. The dream sequence from Spellbound. The plane graveyard in Best Years of Our Lives. Various North & Rosenman cues to Streetcar, Zapata, Eden, and Rebel. Search Vertigo, High Noon, Olympia, Now Voyager, Freud, Two English Girls, To Kill A Mockingbird, the Leone westerns were a great idea, Jaws, Juliet of the Spirits, and any recent film you felt was exceptionally scored.

quote:

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Originally posted by Lou Goldberg:
Actually, now that I think of it, I saw a film prof do this to the scene in The Great Dictator where Chaplin plays with the balloon globe.

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