GCSE Minimalism: Steve Reich – Clapping Music

After performing Steve Reich's 'Clapping Music' in our GCSE BrightSparks concert, we have created this lesson plan and slides resource to help you teach, compose in the style of, and develop your understanding of minimalism.

A work that’s relevant to the Minimalist music topic on the AQA GCSE Music syllabus, we explore Steve Reich’s Clapping Music with a new lesson plan which guides you through classroom composition tasks and genre-specific terminology. This, alongside a corresponding presentation of slides, is designed to make the elements of minimalist compositions clear and easy to harness when creating new music with your students.

For a simplified version, you could just try the warm-up task, where you and your class can learn to use the minimalist technique of phasing with a simple rhythmic ostinato just like Steve Reich!