Small assignment: Canon in the style of Arvo Pärt

Pedagogical goal

Practising scales and rhythms.

- Listen to 'Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten' by Arvo Pärt and make observations.

- The exercise is based on a descending A minor scale, but any other scale agreed on beforehand may be used. The metre is 6/4.

- Write slow and fast rhythms in triple time on the board, filling in one whole measure. Start with whole note + half note and proceed to smaller note values. Three or four rhythms should be enough.

- With advanced students, you may choose to include triplets, as long as these stay within the bounds of the measure.

- Play the canon. The descending scale always begins on the root note, and each student decides how long to hold it. Students may play in any register.

- Students may begin the scale again from the root note at any time. They may also shift between rhythm patterns at any time, as long as the metre remains constant.

- This assignment works best when you conduct it and show the students when to stop.