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Rey’s Theme by John Williams Listening and Responding Learning Objectives: Listen with concentration and use imagination Respond to and become familiar with the music that will be performed at the concert Recognise how a composer helps create a character through musical themes or motifs Begin to develop an awareness of music within a historical timeline Resources: Audio File for Rey’s Theme by John Williams Reference to the class musical timeline & related John Williams Cards Paper, pens, crayons etc. Remember to add John Williams to the musical timeline and/or complete your listening picture activity! In the Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams creates a musical theme to represent Rey, a focal character in the film. Often the theme is heard before the character is seen on screen. The music features strings and woodwind instruments. You will also hear the celeste; an instrument used by John Williams in the Harry Potter films. Activity 1: Who is Rey? Listen to Rey’s Theme – think about how the music is helping create a character. If the children are Star Wars fans they can create Rey if they wish or, alternatively think of their own imaginary character using the music as inspiration. Who is s/he? What sort of person is s/he? What does s/he look like? What characteristics does s/he have? What is going to happen to him/her? Where is s/he from? Does s/he have a family? What are his/her likes and dislikes? How does the music help with your ideas? Use the character of the music to guide your ideas. Draw and or write words to describe your new character e.g. kind, thoughtful, cunning etc.

Rey’s Theme by John Williams · PDF fileIn the Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams creates a musical theme to represent Rey, a focal character in the film

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Page 1: Rey’s Theme by John Williams · PDF fileIn the Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams creates a musical theme to represent Rey, a focal character in the film

Rey’s Theme by John Williams

Listening and Responding Learning Objectives:

Listen with concentration and use imagination Respond to and become familiar with the music that will be performed at the concert

Recognise how a composer helps create a character through musical themes or motifs

Begin to develop an awareness of music within a historical timeline

Resources:

Audio File for Rey’s Theme by John Williams

Reference to the class musical timeline & related John Williams Cards Paper, pens, crayons etc.

Remember to add John Williams to the musical timeline and/or complete your listening picture activity! In the Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams creates a musical theme to represent Rey, a focal character in the film. Often the theme is heard before the character is seen on screen. The music features strings and woodwind instruments. You will also hear the celeste; an instrument used by John Williams in the Harry Potter films. Activity 1: Who is Rey?

Listen to Rey’s Theme – think about how the music is helping create a character. If the children are Star Wars fans they can create Rey if they wish or, alternatively think of their own imaginary character using the music as inspiration.

Who is s/he? What sort of person is s/he? What does s/he look like? What characteristics does s/he have? What is going to happen to him/her? Where is s/he from? Does s/he have a family? What are his/her likes and dislikes? How does the music help with your ideas?

Use the character of the music to guide your ideas.

Draw and or write words to describe your new character e.g. kind, thoughtful, cunning etc.

Page 2: Rey’s Theme by John Williams · PDF fileIn the Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams creates a musical theme to represent Rey, a focal character in the film

Rey’s Theme by John Williams Creative Development

Learning Objectives:

Listen with increasing concentration Invent musical motifs

Select, combine and change sounds in order to create moods and effects in a story

Rehearse, appraise and refine ideas

Work with others

Resources:

Tuned and un-tuned percussion

Instruments the children are learning

Found sounds

Paper, pens

Key Vocabulary:

Motif/Theme

Dynamics

Tempo

Texture

Create your own music to describe a story

Work in pairs or small groups. John Williams has written a lot of music to represent many different film characters such as Rey. Task 1: Decide on three things you will try to describe in music:

1. A character (This could be the character created in activity 1 but doesn’t have to be) 2. A place (e.g. a beach) 3. An object (e.g. a coin)

Task 2: Create your motifs Once you have decided on your three things using any sounds you wish, create a very short musical motif to describe each one. Try experimenting with different instruments or by using body percussion such as claps, clicks, stamps and vocal sounds. Task 3: Simple Story Once you have created your musical motifs (a few seconds of sound for each one) you will need to come up with a short and simple story involving all three. (For example: One day a young boy was walking along the beach. He found an old piece of metal hidden under the sand. He picked it up and washed it in the sea. The old bit of metal turned out to be a golden coin.) Task 4: Add your Musical Motifs Now add your musical motifs to the story. One member of the group may want to read the story aloud while the rest of the group creates the music. Think about when and how each motif should appear, and how you might want to change it in order to represent the story. For example, you might want to use the coin music when the boy finds the old bit of metal but perhaps you could hide it under other layers of sound so that its true nature is only revealed once it has been played with the sea music. Task 5: Perform your Stories with Musical Motifs Perform your stories to the class. Can the children recognise the three different musical motifs? How have the motifs been changed?

Page 3: Rey’s Theme by John Williams · PDF fileIn the Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams creates a musical theme to represent Rey, a focal character in the film

Rey’s Theme by John Williams Additional Information John Williams:

Born 1932 in New York

He is a composer, conductor and pianist

He has composed music for some of the most popular and recognisable film scores in cinematic history including Indiana Jones, Superman, Jaws, the first three Harry Potter films, Jurassic Park, Star Wars and The BFG.

The score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned him his 50th Academy Award

He has won five Oscars, four Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs and 21 Grammys. With 48 Oscar nominations, he is second only to Walt Disney as most nominated person ever.

John Williams often uses the full orchestra in his soundtracks.

Rey’s Theme from Star Wars: The Force Awakens

In the film each character has a musical theme.

John Williams creates brand new themes for brand new characters.

Rey’s theme starts and ends with the same motif and is introduced by the flute and celeste (the celeste was also featured in the Harry Potter theme music).

Often the theme is heard before the character is seen on screen and also often used before the action.

Rey’s Theme is a musical motif to represent the character of Rey, a focal character in the film.

When John Williams saw the film and began composing the music, he felt empathy towards Rey, as she is first introduced alone and without her family. He wanted the theme to illustrate this.

In The Force Awakens, the theme is first introduced as Rey exits a crashed Star Destroyer and speeds across the deserts of Jakku.

John Williams born 1932