Score and action: using musical and visual cues in the English language classroom
Scott Granville
Audience enjoyment of dramatic film and television content can often be measured in terms of engagement with the narrative, or the appreciation of quality acting performances in bringing a story to life. Yet alongside these storytelling elements sits an equally important set of technical aspects required to make a successful narrative ‘whole’ – among them are sound, picture, and the focus for this discussion, score.
The score, or music that accompanies specific scenes or moments in film and television, has a special ability to take a dramatic visual sequence and make it memorable – and in some cases, as with the film Jaws, create an iconic and lasting moment.
In an ELT context, there are a number of practical ways for using short bursts of narrative television score to engage learners and encourage meaningful, emotive responses. One of the benefits of using score as a tool for language learning is that the purpose of the music (as a general rule) is to amplify the visual action taking place. This means that the audience, in this case the learner, can first decode the intention of the scene based on sight and sound, then apply this knowledge as a platform to form words and phrases describing what they have seen and heard. It also means that the activity goal(s) and outcome(s) can be modified by the teacher to suit the proficiency level of their students.
I have chosen a short sequence from Episode 3 of the Skippers Pass drama series (links provided below) to identify several options for using score in a classroom. It is expected that the students have seen the earlier episodes in the series, providing important information on characters and story arc.
The short scene sees the main character, Emma, running through the forest. The score is fast-paced and intense so there should be little doubt in the viewer’s mind that a) Emma is being chased/running away, and b) that she is in danger.
Scene from Skipper Pass Episode 3: https://vimeo.com/867581197/acfafc0002
Step 1: Play the scene with sound only – no picture. Ask students to write down words that describe how the score makes them feel (nervous, tense, anxious). This will help to evoke responses based on feelings and emotions.
Step 2: Now play the scene with picture and sound. Ask students to write down the actions they see (i.e. Emma is running / running away).
Step 3: Move into small groups. Ask students to share their responses to the first two questions. Then, ask each group to come up with an answer to this question:
Why is Emma running?
Ask groups to share their predictions with the class. You are likely to have most (or all) responses indicating that Emma is running away. Ask the class if the score (music) supports, or influenced, their response.
Step 4: Play the opening scene https://vimeo.com/867581274/9bae3c9bb4 with picture and sound. Ask students to take notes on who they see (characters) and their actions. Students share notes in their groups (you may need to play the scene multiple times).
Students now know what happened prior to the featured scene, and they have clear sound signposts from the score, a slow drone indicating potential menace prior to full-blown danger to indicate that Emma is in some trouble. With this background information, students can feel confident in their understanding of the situation to complete the upcoming final step.
Step 5: In their groups, students now predict what they think will happen next. You may find it most useful to frame this as the next action to make the sequence – before, during, and after – chronologically straightforward. However, depending on the level of your learners, both from a proficiency and engagement standpoint, you may wish to extend the prediction stage into future actions and events.
As illustrated briefly, by introducing a short dramatic scene from an exciting film or television series accompanied by a strong score, learners can enjoy engaging in the story while using clear audio and visual cues to produce relevant language in a small group context.