Drones are  a staple in horror movies where they instantly evoke an atmosphere of brooding menace.  An example of this can be heard in the below trailers from the movie Frozen.  The first is the original, and the second was created employing a Drone, which creates a much creepier effect!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: For a complete lesson about Drones, including the above videos, click here.

 

 

 

 

Directions

 

1. Ask students to form groups of 5 people.

 

 

2. Hand out the following prompt:

 

A man returns home to find a light on at the back of the house and the front door wide open. That's strange, he thinks, nobody else is suppose to be home.  Slowly and cautiously he enters the house and begins to search each room for an intruder.  Walking quietly, his eyes dart back and forth trying to detect any suspicious movement. While he can find nothing out of the ordinary, he still feels something is not normal. With sweat running down his forehead and his heart beating a little too fast, he cautiously makes his way to the only room he hasn't checked - the one at the back of the house. He inches his way closer... and closer... and closer... until he reaches the doorway.  Just as he thinks maybe the coast is clear, his family and friends jump out from behind the furniture and yell "Surprise"!

 

 

3. Each group must create a soundtrack to the above prompt.  Specifically, 

 

* One group member will play a drone throughout,

* Three group members will play auxiliary percussion instruments or use other sound sources that help create the

   tension of the prompt, and

* One person will read the prompt as the rest of the group plays the soundtrack.

 

 

4. Play the compositions for each other.