Grade 7 (Assignment 1): Composer Research

For this quarter, we have switched our focus from music theory to music history. As such, students will be looking at the following composers from a variety of musical eras. The composers the students will be studying are as follows:

• Johann Sebastian Bach 
• Richard Wagner 
• Ludwig Van Beethoven 
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
• Hector Berlioz 
• John Williams 
• John Cage 
• Claude Debussy 
• Frédéric Chopin 
• Hans Zimmer 
• Clara Schumann 
• Joseph Haydn

Students are given the option to choose a composer and are required to prepare a brief 2-page (doubled spaced) typed summary of the composer and their life. In completing their assignment, they should keep the following questions in mind. They are not limited to these questions, but this is a good place to start.

• Who the composer is (give me more than just a name)? 
• When the composer was born? 
• Where they were born? 
• What style of music did they compose? 
• What are some of their most famous works? 
• Why did they take an interest in music? For example, were they born into a musical family? 
• Anything interesting you may have come across and want to share

As part of the two-page summary, students will provide a reflection on one of the composer’s musical works. They are required to choose one piece of music and are to write a reflection based on the seven elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm, tone colour, form, tempo, dynamics). 

Finally, students will complete a visual component (preferably a Bristol board) to accompany a short presentation to the class at a later date. This Bristol board will be put on display in the school and classroom for the other students to see. It should contain pictures, and brief bullet points (no large paragraphs please).

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. 

Submission Date : February 28, 2017