Who Plays What?

This is the final episode in our mini-series about songwriting: we’ll explore how instruments are used to tell stories in sound — most specifically, in movie soundtracks! You’ll be sure to hear a few familiar tunes here, and you’ll never watch movies the same way again.

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Featured musical excerpts:

John Williams: Star Wars Main Theme, from “Star Wars” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Hans Zimmer: …To Die For, from “The Lion King” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

John Williams: Hedwig’s Theme, from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Opetaia Foa’i, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Marc Mancina: We Know the Way, from “Moana” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Rachel Portman: Tino, from “A Dog’s Purpose” Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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National standards applied:

Listening to, analyzing, and describing music*

*Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts

Understanding music in relation to history and culture

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Additional resources:

“Tino” from A Dog’s Purpose

10 film composers you should know -- besides John Williams

Female composers are trying to break film’s sound barrier

THE POWER OF MUSIC IN FILM - How music affects film

Moana: On-set visit with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i & Mark Mancina

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