teacher guide for the 2003-04 primary concert · teacher guide for the 2003-04 primary concert ......

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Teacher Guide for the 2003-04 Primary Concert

CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Primary Concert Michael Butterman, Conductor The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Eastman Theatre

I RPO

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Dear Teachers: We are happy to present this Teacher’s Guide to help you prepare your students for the Primary Concert on February 11, 2004. We hope that it will be easy to use for both music and classroom teachers. Because there will be students from 1st through 3rd grades attending this concert, you may have to adapt some of the activities to suit the age and abilities of your students. There are instructions in this packet of how to make various instruments. We encour-age you to pick one or two that you like, have your students make them and then bring them to the concert. During the concert, your students will learn about the four instru-mental families of the orchestra, how they all make sound and how they work together. Michael Butterman, Principal Conductor for Education & Outreach (The Louise & Henry Epstein Family Chair), will be joined by the RPO musicians and there will be places during the concert where you will be able to play your own “homemade” instru-ment! Your students will understand what makes the orchestra sound truly special.

Many thanks to Jeanne Gray for her assistance with developing these activities. Other activities were developed by Patricia Kline and Adrienne Valencia. The cover illustra-tion was created by Patricia Kline.

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Education Department Adrienne Valencia, Director of Education & Outreach

Kelley Dey, Education Intern Patricia Kline, Education Intern

Sound Focus

This will let you know what students should listen for in a specific piece. Each lesson is developed around the Sound Focus.

The Primary Concert is funded by the City of Rochester, William A. Johnson, Jr., Mayor; CitiBank and the Glover/Crask Charitable Trust. The RPO’s education and Outreach programs are made possible in part by NYS Senator Jim Alesi; the NYS Assembly, secured by Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle; the NYS Council on the Arts, a State agency; NYS Senator Michael F. Nozzolio; the Josephine Bay Paul and C. Michael Paul Foundation; Kaufmann's, a Division of the May Department Stores; Frontier, a Citizens Communication company; Preferred Care; Democrat and Chronicle; Thomson West; Wendy’s Restaurants of Rochester; and Xerox.

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Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Primary Concert

The Science of Sound Teacher’s Guide

Table of Contents Background Information Meet your conductor! 4 Learn to conduct! 4 Sound in Music 5 Learning about the composers and listening to their music Biography of Georges Bizet 6 “Farandole” from L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 by Georges Bizet 7 Biography of JS Bach 8 “Air” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major by JS Bach 9 Biography of Johannes Brahms 10 Serenade in A Major, Op. 16 (II. Scherzo: Vivace) by Johannes Brahms 11 Biography of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov 12 “Procession of the Nobles” from Mlada by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov 13 Biography of Sergei Prokofiev 14 “Montagues and Capulets” from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev 15 Biography of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky 17 Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 “The Pathetique” (III. Allegro Molto Vivace) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky 18 Focus on Percussion 20 Concert Manners 23 Program Evaluation 24

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Michael Butterman has held the position of Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach (the Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) since the 2000-2001 season. He conducts all of the orchestra’s con-certs for young people, leads many other programs in the sym-phony’s season, and represents the organization in the community. Mr. Butterman is also the Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Florida. Mr. Butterman began studying music at the age of seven. He took piano lessons beginning in the second grade, and added violin the next year. He enjoyed music so much that he became a vio-

linist in the Northern Virginia Youth Symphony, and practiced piano for hours each day. He eventually entered and won several piano competitions when he was in high school. Although he loved music, he decided to concentrate on studies in chemistry when he was in college. He remained involved in music by playing piano for his school’s choruses. One year, he was asked to conduct the choruses, and discovered how much he enjoyed working with other musicians to prepare concert programs. Mr. Butterman then decided to get some specialized training in conducting, and enrolled at Indiana University. He was offered a teaching position at Louisiana State University and lived in Baton Rouge for five years. Today, he lives in Florida with his wife, Jennifer, who plays violin in the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

Learn to conduct!

A conductor has many different responsibilities. He/She plans the music that the audience will hear, learns the different parts that each musician plays and decides how to interpret what the composer has written. The conductor uses each of his/her hands differently. With the right hand he/she keeps the beat with a specific pattern (see below), with the left hand, he/she communicates the expressive qualities of the music.

Practice these conducting patterns with music!

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By Sharon Fabian There are many, many ways in which sound affects our lives, but one of the very best is music.

One definition of music is sound arranged into interesting and pleasing patterns. Musi-cal instruments each have their own way of arranging sound into patterns.

Percussion instruments produce vibrations from a tight membrane that is stretched over the top of the drum. When the membrane is hit with drumsticks or hands, a vibra-tion begins which produces the sound. This is how snare drums, kettledrums, and bongo drums produce their sound. There are also percussion instruments made of metal that produce sounds when they are hit. Some of these are chimes, xylophones, cymbals, and triangles.

Instruments including the guitar, cello, violin, mandolin, lute, and harp are called string instruments because their sound begins with vibrating strings. The vibration of the strings causes part of the body of the instrument to vibrate as well, and finally the vi-bration is passed on to the air as a musical sound.

Wind instruments produce their sound by a vibrating column of air inside the instru-ment. The vibration in wind instruments can be begun in several ways. A clarinet or saxophone begins its sound with a vibrating reed in the mouthpiece. A flute begins when the player blows across a hole, which vibrates the column of air inside. A trum-pet begins its sound from the vibrations of the player's lips.

Sound Word Search Find the words listed below forward, backwards or diagonally.

X W T K G C M C S T R I N G D E B Q R E V N O I T A R B I V O Z N F N Y L L L P T L F S D S Z R A A T G U X K M O N V E S J Y K R O P M I J J R E Y W D F Y B B N N N R E E N Y P L S N V P M N F O C T I D E P X I O I X E Y Y F T L U R B O N R F U W M B Q A K X C K R Q Y D P S N D X P I Z U C G A K D U A O M D O S R S Q W J S R D K V I E S G O S L Y H C S L V H A A D I G I W L W R C M Z O W G Z Y T O R M H L T F T M P D Q C F N B W M Z G C X X I Q

BRASS PATTERNS STRING COLUMN OF AIR PERCUSSION VIBRATION MEMBRANE SOUND WOODWIND

This reading material was taken from www.edhelper.com/sound.htm

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Georges Bizet Life Dates: 1838 - 1875 Country of Origin: France Historical Era: Romantic

"The composer gives the best of himself to the making of a work. He believes, doubts, enthuses, despairs, rejoices, and suffers in turn. "

Did you know… • Bizet’s mother was a pianist and his father

was a singing teacher.

• He was admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris at age nine.

• When he was a child, Bizet’s parents hid his books from him so that he would work on his music instead of reading.

• He studied in Rome for three years after win-ning the Prix de Rome in 1858.

• He served in the national guard during the Franco-Prussian war.

• Bizet played both the piano and the organ.

Other pieces by Bizet you may enjoy listening to…

Carmen suites 1 & 2

Overture to Les Pecheurs des Perles

L’Arlesienne suites 1 & 2 Jeux d’enfants: Petite Suite

Some Inventions and Discoveries

Made During Bizet’s Lifetime

1845

Sewing Machine

1852 Elevator

1862

Plastic

1867 Typewriter

A poster for Bizet’s most well-known opera, Carmen. The opera scan-dalized Paris when it first opened because of its shocking plot about love betrayal, and jealousy.

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“Farandole” from L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2 by Georges Bizet Relating sound and color by using descriptive words

This activity can be done with any piece of music on the concert, but “Farandole” is a good piece to begin with. Standard addressed: Elementary 3, Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art. 3b—Students will describe the music in terms related to basic elements such as mel-ody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, timbre, form, style, etc. Materials needed: colored construction paper (see list of colors below) cut into 5” x 7” rectangles. Procedures: 1. Begin by telling students, “When an artist paints a picture, he may use colors by

themselves or he may mix colors together. In the same way, composers create or-chestral “colors” by using instruments by themselves, or in combination with other sounds. Orchestra colors make music interesting and enjoyable.”

2. Introduce the colors and their meanings from the list below. 3. Play “Farandole” once and ask students to describe what they hear using the words

below or other descriptive words. 4. Distribute one card made of colored construction paper to each student. 5. Play “Farandole” again. 6. Ask students to hold up their color when they hear the appropriate sound. They

can put their card down when they don’t hear their sound anymore. 7. Optional Activity: Students can paint a picture with watercolors or tempera paint

in the colors that they hear.

PINK Festive sounds (usually many instruments playing together)

ORANGE Spicy or Exotic sounds (usually very rhythmic sounds)

YELLOW Announcing sounds (usually played by the brass family)

GREEN Fresh sounds (usually woodwinds, especially flutes)

BLUE Somber sounds (usually clarinets and oboes)

BROWN Rich, low sounds (usually low strings)

Be sure to tell your class that there is no right or wrong answer!

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Johann Sebastian Bach Life Dates: 1685-1750

Country of Origin: Germany Musical Era: Baroque

“The aim and final reason of all music should be nothing else but the Glory of God and the refreshment of the spirit."

Did you know… • Most of Bach’s family, including his father, uncles,

grandfather, cousins and children, were musicians. Many of them were also named “Johann.”

• The name “Bach” comes from the word for “stream” in German.

• Bach believed that the numbers 14, 43, and 166 held special significance in his life and often used them to structure his compositions.

• As a young man, Bach traveled 200 miles to learn from composer and organist Dietrich Buxtehude. According to some sources he may even have walked the whole way!

• Bach had twenty children, ten of whom survived to adulthood.

Other works by Bach you may

enjoy listening to…

Brandenburg concertos Toccata & Fugue in D minor Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

Passacaglia Sheep May Safely Graze

Some Inventions and Discoveries Made

During Bach’s Life-time

1698

Steam Pump

1709 Piano

1722

Fire Extinguisher

1724 Mercury Thermometer

This statue of Bach stands outside of St. Thomas’s church in Leipzig, where he worked from 1723-1750. The statue, created by Carl Seffner, was erected in 1908.

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“Air” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major by JS Bach Standard Addressed: Elementary Standard 2 – Knowing and Using Arts materials and Resources Performance Indicator (2b): Construct instruments out of materials not commonly used for musical instruments Students:

1. Will construct instruments out of materials found in the home or school 2. Will discover how various sounds are made on these instruments. 3. Will discover scientific facts about sound. 4. Will be assessed using the rubric provided below.

Materials:

• Rubber bands or elastic of different sizes and width • Sturdy boxes • Two pencils for each child • Scissors

Procedure:

• Give each student a sturdy box*, with a lid, two pencils, rubber bands or elastic, and a pair of scissors.

• Ask students to cut a round section out of the cover of the box using scissors. (A plastic cover could be used as a model for the round section.) This is the sound hole.

• Place the cover on the box. • Stretch rubber bands over length of box/cover. • Place a pencil under the elastic to lift it off the box at each end of box. (This

stops the buzzing sound.) • Strum the instrument.

Teacher Questions:

1. Can you make a sound? 2. What happens to the sound when the thicker elastic is plucked? the thinner

one? 3. What can be deduced from this experiment about a thickness or tightness of

the bands and the sound that is produced? 4. What instruments use this technique to make sounds?

* Shoe box works well.

www.playmusic.org/string/index.html

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Johannes Brahms Life Dates: 1833-1897

Country of Origin: Germany Historical Era: Romantic

"It is not hard to compose, but it is wonderfully hard to let the

superfluous notes fall under the table."

Did you know…

• Brahms’ father was a double bass player and his mother was a seamstress.

• Brahms studied piano from the age of seven, and began studying theory and composition when he was thirteen.

• He published a collection of piano works under the name “G. W. Marks.”

• He was good friends with two other composers, Robert and Clara Schumann.

• Brahms’s first symphony is sometimes referred to as Beethoven’s tenth, because it is seen as a continuation of Beethoven’s style and greatness.

• He was the first great musician to have his voice re-corded. (Thomas Edison invented the phonograph twenty years before Brahms's death and fortunately his invention was used to record famous people of the time.)

Other works by Brahms you may enjoy listening to…

A German Requiem Hungarian Dances

Variations on a theme of Joseph Haydn

Liebeslieder Waltzes

Some Inventions and Discoveries Made During

Brahms’ Lifetime

1837 Postage Stamp

1877

Aspirin

1877 Phonograph

1885

Automobile

1891 Escalator

Brahms’ J. B. Streicher piano, which was kept in one of his apartments in Vienna

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Serenade in A Major, Op. 16 (II. Scherzo: Vivace) by Johannes Brahms Standard Addressed: Elementary Standard 2 – Knowing and Using Arts materials and Resources Performance Indicator (2b): Construct instruments out of materials not commonly used for musical instruments. Students:


Objective:

• To discover simple properties of sound Materials:

• Straws – paper straws are preferred. • Scissors

Procedure: • Give each student a straw and a pair of scissors. • Ask students to cut a “V” shaped from each end of straw using scissors. • Students can experiment getting a sound from the straw*

Teacher Questions:

1. Can you make a sound? (The sound they are aiming to make is a “buzzy” sound that you might get from a double reed instrument.)

2. After most have achieved sound, the teachers suggests each student make an-other “V” shaped cut from one end of the straw.

2. What happens to the sound when you make the straw shorter by cutting off a section of the straw?

3. What can be deduced from this experiment about a column of air? 4. What instruments use this technique to make sounds?

* blow into the straw with the tip of the V facing up and away from the mouth.

www.playmusic.org/woodwinds/index.html

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Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov Life Dates: 1844-1908

Country of Origin: Russia Historical Era: Romantic

“The tasks of depicting the joys of revenge, power, and love...are purely lyrical tasks, calling for no fixed form; they merely denote modes and their changes, and thus allow complete freedom of musical structure.”

Did you know… • Rimsky-Korsakov entered the naval academy at age

twelve and grew up to be a naval officer and inspector of the military orchestras.

• While in the Russian Navy, he visited such places as New York, Baltimore, Washington, Brazil, and a num-ber of European countries. He completed his first Symphony while aboard ship on a 2-3 year trip.

• He was a member of “The Mighty Five,” a group of na-tionalistic Russian composers.

• After the death of composer Modest Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov organized and reorganized many of Mussorgsky’s works so that they could be performed.

• Rimsky-Korsakov wrote an autobiography called My Musical Life.

Other works by Rimsky-Korsakov you may enjoy

listening to…

Flight of the Bumblebee Cappricio Espagnol

Scheherazade “Song of India” from Sadko

Coq d’Or suite

Some Inventions and Discoveries Made During

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Lifetime

1893

Ferris Wheel

1901 Vacuum Cleaner

1903

Crayons

1906 Cornflakes

Rimsky-Korsakov was a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (below) from 1871

until his death in 1908. Among his students were Glazunov, Stravinsky and Prokofiev.

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“Procession of the Nobles” from Mlada by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov Standard Addressed: Elementary Standard 2 – Knowing and Using Arts materials and Resources Performance Indicator (2b): Construct instruments out of materials not commonly used for musical instruments. Students:


Materials: • Tubing or hose • Brass mouth-piece • Cutting implement

Procedure:

• Give each student a piece of tubing, a mouthpiece, and a funnel. • Have the students place the mouthpiece in one end of tubing and the funnel in

the other. • Ask students to practice buzzing their lips. • Then ask students to buzz their lips into the mouthpiece and make a sound. • Cut a piece of the tubing from the funnel end. • Ask students to buzz again.

Teacher Questions:

1. Can you make a sound? 2. What happens to the sound when the tube is shortened? 3. What can be deduced from this experiment about the length of the tubing? 4. What instruments use this technique to make sounds?

* This might be tried by just a couple of students since the equipment is more difficult to find easily.

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Sergei Prokofiev Life Dates: 1891-1953

Country of Origin: Ukraine (Russia) Historical Era: 20th Century

"The cardinal virtue (or, if you like, vice) of my life has always been the search for originality. I hate imitation. I hate hackneyed methods. I do not want to wear anyone else's mask. I want always to be myself."

Did you know… • Prokofiev’s mother was a freed

Russian serf and an amateur pianist and his father was an agricultural engineer.

• He wrote his first opera at age nine and was accepted into the St. Petersburg conservatory at thirteen as the youngest student ever to be accepted.

• Prokofiev wrote scores for several films, including Alexander Nevsky, Lieutenant Kijé, and Ivan the Terri-ble.

• He lived outside of Russia for eighteen years, be-cause he did not agree with the government, but he returned in 1936.

• In 1948, his works were officially banned by the Soviet government for being too “formalist.”

Other works by Prokofiev you may

enjoy listening to…

Peter and the Wolf Love for Three Oranges

March & Scherzo Lieutenant Kijé Suite Classical Symphony

Cinderella suites

Some Inventions and Discoveries Made During Prokofiev’s Lifetime

1919 Pop-up Toaster

1921 First Robot

1928 Penicillin

1946 Microwave Oven

A still from the film Aleksandr Nevski, directed by Sergei Eisenstein, a great Russian film-

maker. Prokofiev wrote the score.

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“Montagues and Capulets” from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev

These three activities will teach your students about dynamics.

Standard Addressed: Elementary Standard 3 - Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art. Performance Indicators: (3b) Describe the music in terms related to basic elements such as dynamics. (3c) Discuss the basic means by which the voice and instruments can alter dynamics.

Activity 1: Observing Loud and Soft Sounds

Discussion Points: How would you make a loud sound? How would you make a soft sound?

Procedure: Students will be given the following objects and try to make loud and soft noises. • Rubber bands and plastic cups. • Pie plates • Wood blocks • Pencils Ask students which materials made soft sounds easily and which made loud sounds easily. Was it difficult to make a soft or loud sound on any one of these materials?

Activity 2: “Make Your Own Thunderstorm” Objective: To make sounds at various dynamic levels. The teacher will ask the students questions about thunderstorms, such as, "Do you like them?,” “Are you scared of them?” Discuss.

Procedures: Teacher explains to class that we will create a thunderstorm using our bodies in a round - like fashion. Split class into three groups and explain the order for creating the thunderstorm. Create thunderstorm making sounds in this order beginning with one group at a time.

rub hands together snap fingers

pat hands on legs stomp feet on ground/play drums

pat hands on legs snap fingers

rub hands together STOP

Discuss how our thunderstorm was soft and loud. Introduce terms for dynamics such as piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, and forte. You could also include pianissimo and fortissimo. Make another thunderstorm, this time calling out the sound levels as they change.

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Activity 3: Using Creative Movement to Demonstrate Dynamics Review music terms for dynamics. Ask students to come up with a movement to demonstrate each dynamic level. For ex-ample, for “piano” the students could crouch down. For “mezzo piano” students could stand and just bend their knees. For “mezzo forte,” students could stand straight up. And for “forte” students could raise hands up in the air. Or you could ask students to come up with animals that might represent each dynamic level. A mouse could be “piano” and an elephant or lion could be “forte.” Play the first 30 seconds of “Montagues and Capulets” from Romeo and Juliet by Ser-gei Prokofiev. After stopping the music, ask students what the dynamic level is. Did it stay the same? Did it change? Play another 30 seconds of the piece. Ask them to demonstrate the dynamic levels that they are hearing with their chosen movements. If they are using the animal anal-ogy, ask them to act like the animal that they hear. You’ll need plenty of space in your classroom to make room for scurrying mice and roaring lions! Keep playing the music and having students demonstrate what they hear with their movements.

p mp mf f

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Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky Life Dates: 1840-1893

Country of Origina: Russia Historical Era: Romantic

"Truly there would be a reason to go mad were it not for music."

Did you know… • Tchaikovsky’s father was a

mining inspector.

• Once, as child, Tchaikovsky became so entranced with the rhythms that he was tapping on a window, that he continued to do so until he broke the glass.

• One of his brothers, Modest, was a playwright who also wrote librettos for two of Peter’s operas. Modest also wrote his brother’s biography after his death.

• Tchaikovsky studied law before deciding to become a composer in 1861.

• Upset with how it was received by the public, he burned the score of his first opera.

Other pieces by Tchaikovsky you may en-

joy listening to…

The Nutcracker Sleeping Beauty

Swan Lake Symphony No. 4 Romeo and Juliet Capriccio Italien

Some Inventions and Discoveries Made During Tchaikovsky’s

Lifetime

1876 Telephone

1879

Light Bulb

1885 Motorcycle

1893

Zipper

One of Tchaikovsky’s country homes, in Klin, Russia.

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Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 “The Pathetique” (III. Allegro Molto Vivace) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Thinking about the sound of the orchestra as a whole.

This activity can be done with any piece of music on the concert, but “Pathetique” is a good piece to begin with. Standard addressed: Elementary 3, Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art. 3b—Students will describe the music in terms related to basic elements such as mel-ody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, timbre, form, style, etc. Materials needed: “Orchestral Yahtzee” score cards (see next page) Recording of piece Procedures: 1. Remind students that the orchestra is made up of four different families of instru-

ments (strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion) and review those families with them.

2. Play the piece through once asking students to make a tally mark on their score cards each time they hear the given combination or number of instrument families.

3. Total the tally marks to come up with a score for the upper section. 4. Explain to students that an orchestra is more than just combinations of instruments.

It can play loudly or quietly, quickly or slowly, and portray different thoughts and emotions.

5. Play the piece again, asking the students to keep track of dynamics and tempo on their score cards. They can also check off the box next to an emotion if the piece sounds happy, sad, excited, or angry to them.

6. After the piece is finished, ask each student to come up with their own word to de-scribe the piece for the “Bonus” section. Be sure to tell the class there is no right or wrong answer! Students could also share their words with the class. Are they dif-ferent or the same? Even though they heard the same piece of music, why might they come up with different words?

7. To get a score for the lower section, add up five points for each emotion, ten points for the bonus word, and one point for each time the music was loud or soft. Add this total to the upper section to get the grand total.

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Brass & Strings

Strings & Woodwinds

W-winds & Percussion

Percussion & Brass

Brass & Woodwinds

Strings & Percussion

Make a tally mark each

time you hear the given

combination of instrument

families.

Three Families

All Four Families

Loud

Quiet

Happy

Sad

Excited

Angry

Fast

Slow

BONUS

LOWER SECTION: Interpretation

Mark ea. Time the given # of families

are playing.

GAME #2 GAME #3

One point each time the orchestra play loudly or quietly.

Five points for each emotion you

think that you hear the

orchestra portraying.

One point each time the orchestra plays

quickly or slowly.

Write your own word to describe the music! (10 pts)

Orchestral

GAME #1

TOTAL Of Upper Section

TOTAL TOTAL GRAND TOTAL

Of Lower Section

Of Upper Section

UPPER SECTION HOW TO SCORE

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The Instruments of the Percussion Family Classification: Idiophone and Membranophone

Can you tell which of these percussion instruments are idiophones or membranophones?

Percussion instruments can be classified two different ways. Instruments that produce sounds from the material of the instrument itself without the assistance of reeds, strings, or other ex-ternally applied resonators are called Idiophones. Examples of idiophones are xylophone, tam-borine, bells and cymbals. Sound is made by shaking, rubbing, scraping or hitting the instru-ment.

Instruments that produce sounds by means of vibrating a tightly stretched membrane are called Membranophones. They are either struck with a stick, mallet or the musician’s hand. Examples of membranophones are tympani, snare drum, and bongo.

1. Drums: membranophones, 2. Bass Drum: membranophone, 3. Guiro: idiophone, 4. Triangle: idiophone, 5. Tambourine: idiophone, 6 Jembe: membranophone, 7. Gong: idiophone, 8. Maracas: idiophone, 9. Cow Bell: idiophone.

1

8

7

6

4 5

3 2

9

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Standard Addressed: Elementary Standard 2 – Knowing and Using Arts materials and Resources Performance Indicator (2b): Construct instruments out of materials not commonly used for musical instruments. Students:


Option 1: Make your own Membranophone!

Materials: • Pots & pans and spoon • Coffee cans/round oatmeal boxes • Spoon • Balloons • Scissors • Elastic bands or tape

Procedure: • Give each student a round box (oatmeal boxes) or can (coffee cans), balloon,

scissors or pots or pans of varying sizes. • Cut of the end of the balloon where it you would normally inflate it. • Stretch the balloon over the open end of the can or box. • Hold balloon in place with rubber bands or tape. • Using a spoon, strike the balloon away from the edge of the container. • Stretch the balloon even tighter and strike.

OR

• Give each student a pot or pan of varying sizes and a spoon. • Have students experiment with sound by striking the pot/pan in various ways

(side, bottom, rim) Teacher Questions:

1. Can you make a sound? 2. What happens to the sound when the drum is smaller around? 3. What can be deduced from this experiment about sound and the size of the

container? the tightness of the balloon? 4. What instruments use this technique to make sounds?

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Option 2: Make your own Idiophone! Materials

• 3 Water glasses of same size • Water container • Empty container for water • Spoon • Crayon

Procedure: • Give each student three (five to eight is possible also) glasses of the same size,

a container with water, one spoon, a crayon. • Fill glasses to different levels • Ask students to strike side of glass and adjust pitches by adding more or taking

away water until it sounds like Do - Re - Mi. • Mark the glasses with a crayon with the water level. • Ask students to try to play a three note song such as Mary Had a Little Lamb or

Hot Cross Buns.

Teacher Questions: 1. Can you make the glasses sound like Do-Re-Mi? 2. What happens to the sound when the glass has the most water: the least

amount of water? 3. What can be deduced from this experiment about sound and the amount of water in each container? 4. What instruments use this technique to make sounds?

OR try making these Idiophones (shakers)

Materials • Large and small plastic soda containers with caps • Seeds • Buttons • Beans • Rice

Procedure: • Give each student a soda bottle and cap along with two of the other materials

listed. • Fill bottle with one of the materials (buttons, seeds, etc.) and shake. • Note what kind of sound it makes. • Empty container and refill will the other material. • How is the same and how does it differ?

Teacher Questions: 1. Can you hear a difference in the sound made by the two ingredients? 2. What happens to the sound when the bottle has the smaller item? Larger one?

What about the size of the bottle – does it change the sound? 3. What can be deduced from this experiment about sound and the kind of material

included in the bottle? 4. What instruments use this technique to make sounds?

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Concert Manners

Going to a concert may be a new experience for your students. The following guide-lines will help them and those around them enjoy the concert more fully.

Concert manners begin the moment your bus drives up to the Eastman Theatre. A volunteer will lead you from your bus to the Theatre. As you walk to the seating area, please stay together. The Eastman Theatre is a big place!

After you are shown to your seats, all teachers and students are asked to remain seated. When people are standing and talking in the aisles, it takes us much longer to get everyone seated.

At this time, you’ll notice the musicians warming up onstage. Just as an athlete warms up before a big game, the musicians have to, also. Watch them to see if they do anything you don’t expect.

Then the lights will go down and you’ll know the concert is about to start. When the concertmaster walks onstage, clap enthusiastically! He will tune the orchestra.

After the concertmaster sits down, your conductor, Michael Butterman, will walk on-stage. Again, clap loudly for Maestro Butterman and the musicians. Then get ready to listen!

While the music is playing, listen and watch carefully. Think about things you learned from the lessons in this packet. Keep your hands to yourself and do your best to sit still.

Sometimes Maestro Butterman might ask the audience a question. This is your turn to add to the concert experience! Please answer him so he knows you are listening. When he turns to face the musicians, you should be silent and get ready to listen ac-tively again.

If a neighbor is talking, try to ignore them, or quietly get the attention of your teacher.

After the orchestra plays the last piece, someone will walk onstage and give a few brief closing comments and begin dismissing you. When you leave to find your bus, please stay together in a single-file line.

On your way back to school, talk to your friends about what you saw and heard. Tell them your favorite piece and ask them what their favorite piece was. Maybe your teacher can quiz you on instrumental families! You can write a letter to the RPO when you arrive back in your classroom. Be sure and tell your parents about the con-cert when you get home.

24

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Primary Concert Assessment Form

Teacher’s Name: School: Subject:

Rubric

(Circle the appropriate numbers for the concert you attended)

Distinguished: Excellent: Good: Poor: exceeds meets meets expectations does not meet expectations. expectations. most of the time expectations The Program: - had music appropriate 4 3 2 1 for my students - was the appropriate length 4 3 2 1 - had appropriate narration 4 3 2 1 - had an appropriate theme/story 4 3 2 1 - helped my students meet 4 3 2 1 NYS Standards Overall Program Rating: 4 3 2 1 The Facilities (auditorium, seating, lighting, etc.): - were appropriate 4 3 2 1 Services: My request for attending on a 4 3 2 1 specific date was honored I received timely notice of the 4 3 2 1 repertoire for this concert Ushers/guides were helpful 4 3 2 1 Suggestions to improve programming:

Strengths of the program:

Other suggestions:

Please fax this form back to: Adrienne Valencia, (585) 325-4905 Or mail to RPO Education Department, 108 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14604

teacher guide for the 2003-04 primary concert · teacher guide for the 2003-04 primary concert ......

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