Connecting Musical Expression to Connecting Musical Expression to Content AreasContent Areas

Reinforcing the Expressive Elements of MusicReinforcing the Expressive Elements of MusicMr. Don Linn, Assistant Director of Bands, Kansas State Mr. Don Linn, Assistant Director of Bands, Kansas State

UniversityUniversity

Crossing Content Areas to Teach Musical

Expression!❖ How do we normally

address other content areas in advanced band, orchestra, or choir?

❖ History?

❖ Programatic?

❖ The Problem....

Quality!!!!Quality!!!!Relevant? Inferior? Would other disciplines do Relevant? Inferior? Would other disciplines do

this??this??

CURRICULUMCURRICULUM

My Goal for Today:❖ Expression!!

❖ How can we teach this? Tricky? Abstract?

❖ Enlist the help of Percy Grainger

❖ Expression connected to English, Poetry, Public Speaking, Math, and Physics.

Lesson 1Lesson 1Irish Tune from County Derry (Danny Boy)Irish Tune from County Derry (Danny Boy)

English, Poetry, Public SpeakingEnglish, Poetry, Public Speaking

Elements of Poetry

1. Voice ( Who is speaking?)2. Stanzas (How lines are grouped)3. Sound (includes rhyme, but also other patterns

and sounds)4. Rhythm ( What kind of beat or meter does the

poem have)5. Figure of Speech ( metaphors, figurative or

descriptive language)6. Form ( form of the poem - standard types of

poetry)

Elements of Public Speaking

1. Audience awareness (Who are you addressing? Why?)2. Positive Preparation ( Do you have a plan laid out ahead

of time?)3. Confident Content ( Confidence in yourself - only as

good as confidence in your content - Do you believe it?)4. Test delivery (Envision and rehearse the delivery)5. Validate Value ( Tie the previous points together by

asking, Do you value the audience? Do you value your own preparation? Do you value your expressive interpretation? Do you value rehearsal of the message and use of appropriate materials to convey a message?)

Elements of Poetry and Elements of Public

Speaking = Elements of Music?

YES!!

Lesson 2Lesson 2Colonial SongColonial Song

Math and PhysicsMath and Physics

Note Grouping❖ Marcel Tabuteau

❖ Philadelphia Oboist, Master Teacher of Expression

❖ Numbering System - Note Grouping and Intensity Numbering

❖ Helps students analyze and discover expression in relation to study of the score or musical line

❖ Great Books for Further Study:

❖ Sound In Motion by David McGill

❖ Kincaidiana by John C. Krell

Math Connections

❖ Basic Level : Graphing and Charting - Intensity over time

❖ More Advanced - Area under certain counts

❖ Advanced - Graph equations - relate magnitude to integral calculus

Physics Connections

❖ Recording and Technology

❖ ASSESSMENT!!!

❖ Did we perform as marked? How does our performance equate to actual decibels, amplitude, parts of a sound wave?

❖ Simple as using Garage Band

THANKS!!❖ Don Linn

❖ Assistant Director of Bands

❖ Kansas State University

❖ 226 McCain Auditorium, Manhattan, KS 66506

❖ dplinn@ksu.edu

❖ 785-532-3816