Ostinato Plus One
Composition scaffold · Classroom · Grades 4-9 · 20 to 30 min
Write a short, repeating two-measure pattern first -- the ostinato, the piece's steady foundation -- and loop it four times. Then compose one simple melodic line on top of it, using only notes that agree with the pattern underneath. A layered, two-part piece from a one-line start.
The rights, in plain language
This is our own original composition scaffold — a structured writing prompt built on generic, public-domain musical forms and techniques, free to use, print, and teach at your school with no royalty and no fee.
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How to use this composition scaffold
Hand it to a student for independent work, or walk the whole class through it together. Read it here, or print it — or save it as a PDF — straight from your browser. It is free, with nothing to sign.
What this scaffold is
A two-layer composition built from the bottom up. First you write a short, repeating pattern -- the ostinato -- that loops steadily underneath everything else. Only once that foundation is solid do you add a simple melody on top of it, choosing pitches that agree with the pattern below.
What you need
Blank staff paper with two lines (or two staves in a notation app), a pencil, and a five-note scale of your choice.
The template, step by step
- Write the ostinato (2 measures): on the bottom line, write a short, simple two-measure pattern using two or three notes from your scale -- something steady and repeatable, like a simple bass line or a rhythmic figure on one note.
- Loop it: write the same two-measure ostinato two more times, for a total of four measures (or plan to physically repeat it when performed) -- the foundation of your piece.
- Write the melody (4 measures): on the top line, over your looped ostinato, write a simple melodic line using notes from the same scale. At any point where the melody and the ostinato land on the same beat, choose a melody note that sounds good against the ostinato note underneath it (a good rule of thumb: the same note, or a note a third or a fifth above it).
- Play both lines together (with a partner, two hands on a keyboard, or one at a time recorded and layered) and adjust any spot where the two lines clash more than you want.
Teaching tips
- Get the ostinato rock-solid on its own first. A wobbly foundation makes it impossible to judge whether the melody on top is working.
- Keep the ostinato genuinely simple. Two or three notes, repeated exactly, is plenty -- the melody is where the musical interest should live.
- A little clash is fine. Perfect harmony is not the goal at this level; a workable, mostly-pleasant combination is a real success.
Extensions
- Second ostinato: add a third layer -- a second, different ostinato pattern that also fits underneath the melody.
- Trade layers: have two students each write an ostinato, then swap and compose a melody over each other's pattern.
- Grow the ostinato: once the four-measure piece works, extend the ostinato loop to eight measures and write a longer melody over it.
What it builds
An understanding of texture -- how a simple, repeating foundation supports a more active line above it -- and real, first-hand experience composing more than one musical line at once.