Contents

The Musical Cookbook is presented via the following sections:

  • Teaching – This section provides some guidance for the teacher on teaching composition, and on how to use The Musical Cookbook in the classroom.
  • Basics – It is strongly recommended that pupils practise basic composition techniques a number of times before proceeding to more adventurous concoctions. Activities to practise these techniques are provided in this section. Teachers are advised to present the topics in the order given, to ensure pupils have the tools they need to work on later sections.
  • Recipes: Level 1 – This section focuses on tune-writing using different scales. The accompaniments are usually quite straightforward, with simple triads and bass parts. Descants and fill-ins are introduced, but are often not an essential part of the composition. The recipes in this section are in a range of flavours, including Arabian, Mysterious, Science fiction, Scottish, Vague, thoughtful and Waltz music.
  • Recipes: Level 2 – This section introduces more complex accompaniments, and other parts in the composition other than the tune become more important. The musical styles in this section include: Chinese, Chromatic, Irish, 12-bar blues, Open plains, Western film and Mexican music.
  • Recipes: Level 3 – Level 3 is for advanced students. The accompaniments in this section become as important as the tune. It is expected that as much time is spent arranging the music as is spent composing the tunes. By the time pupils start this section, they should have mastered tune-writing techniques, and they should be able to produce many tunes from which they can select one. The styles in this section include Baroque, Funeral and Spy music.

In addition, the resources section provides links to all the digital files as well as a printable version of the onscreen content, and the index offers a reference point for all parts of the resource.