LEARNING OBJECTIVE

To develop an understanding of how music can be used to tell stories.

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Discussion

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A good starting point is that music has been part of storytelling around the world for thousands of years:

• Ask pupils to think about how music can bring stories to life. How does it paint characters, places and events?

• Perhaps pupils can offer examples that they are familiar with such as in films, video games, musicals, etc. You can get the discussion going by suggesting examples of well-known theme tunes from films like Harry Potter or James Bond, or songs like 'Let It Go' from Frozen.

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• We can tell stories through music using particular tunes or instruments for different characters or ideas in a story.

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• In The Phoenix of Persia, each character is represented by a different musical instrument.

  • The Simorgh is represented by the nei.

  • The Mountain of Gems is represented by the santur.

  • Prince Zal is represented by the qanun.

  • King Sam, Queen Aram and the royal court are represented by the tanbur.

  • The soldiers and the wild countryside are represented by the daff. The daff also plays in the celebrations at the end of the story

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• If you haven't already, play the narration set to music from the Phoenix of Persia.​ How does listening to the music change how pupils respond to the story?

 

• ​Another well-known story where each character is represented by a different instrument is Peter & The Wolf by Sergei Prokovief.

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Writing Activities

Ask pupils to write about:

• How the music makes them feel. Encourage pupils to think about the emotions that the music evokes.

• How does the music reflect on and add to the story? What would the story be like without the music?

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Storytelling Activities

Ask pupils to create their own stories set to the music. See pages 8 and 9 of the Teacher's Resource Pack.

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The storyteller in The Phoenix of Persia is Sally Pomme Clayton. You can meet Sally and hear her talk about the story here.

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