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February 22, 2018, 10:30 - 11:30 am @ e Vets 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 02903 Arts Learning American Rhapsody e Gershwin Songbook Teacher Resource Guide Northeast Arts Learning Supporters

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  • February 22, 2018, 10:30 - 11:30 am @ e Vets1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 02903

    Arts Learning

    American Rhapsodye Gershwin Songbook

    Teacher Resource Guide

    Northeast

    Arts Learning Supporters

  • About FirstWorks Arts Learning

    The FirstWorks Arts Learning Program is a community engagement program providing live arts experi-ences for public, private, and home schools throughout Rhode Island. This exceptional program enriches school curricula while providing students with the cultural experience that comes from early exposure to professional live performance. Teacher Resource Guides, such as this one, relating to each artist are provided to teachers, giving them the opportunity to use the student lecture/demonstration matinee experience as educational tools in their classrooms. Question and answer sessions are frequently offered after these student matinees, providing an opportunity for students to interact directly with the performers. Since 2009, FirstWorks Arts Learning programs have reached more than 30,000 students and teachers through live student-focused lecture/demonstration matinees, in-school workshops and Master Classes, access to main stage performances of world premieres and Rhode Island premieres, and, student-focused community engagement opportunities. Extended performance residencies allow students to participate in a layered learning experience over several months to motivate students to continue learning well beyond their workshop or performance experience. For many students, this is their first introduction to live performance and performers who are recognized as foremost artists in their field. Most performers are recipients of prestigious accolades of the highest artistic distinction such as the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, MacAr-thur Fellowships, Guggenheim Fellowships, and Grammy Awards.FirstWorks Arts Learning Programs commence along with the start of the school year and conclude with the PVDFest in June. These opportunities are generously made possible through the continuous support from businesses through our Adopt-A-School Program, local and national foundations, and community donors. FirstWorks Arts Learning is dedicated to honoring and raising community awareness about the strong commitment our sponsors make to the children across Rhode Island and surrounding areas who experi-ence artistic “firsts” through our programs. For more information about our Arts Learning Program please contact Kathleen McAreavey, Education and Community Outreach Manager at 401-868-1149, or by e-mail: [email protected]. To learn about our Adopt-A-School Program, or discuss support for our Arts Learning Program please contact Isabelle Tadmoury, Director of Development at 401-868-1071, or by e-mail: [email protected]. Thank you for connecting your students to these unforgettable powerful, live performance experiences. Enjoy the show!

    © FirstWorks 2018

  • WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG

    Table of Contents Theatre Etiquette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Meet George and Ira Gershwin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2K-12 Lesson: The Emotional Response to Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8K-12 Lesson: Exploring the Senses to Write Lyrics/Poetry . . . . . . . 9Coloring Page: George at His Piano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Coloring Page: Gershwin Brothers by Al Hirschfeld . . . . . . . . . . .11Gershwin Word Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Set List & Musicians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Classroom Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Book & Film Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15National Core Arts Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Student Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Teacher Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

  • WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG

    Composer George Gershwin, at the piano, and his lyricist older brother Ira, circa 1937.

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    1 Theatre EtiquetteBe prepared and arrive early. Ideally you should arrive at the theater 30 to 45 min-utes before the show. Allow for travel time and parking, and plan to be in your seats at least 15 minutes before the performance begins.Be aware and remain quiet. The theater is a “live” space—you can hear the per-formers easily, but they can also hear you, and you can hear other audience members, too! Even the smallest sounds, like rustling papers and whispering, can be heard throughout the theater, so it’s best to stay quiet so that everyone can enjoy the performance without distractions. The international sign for “Quiet Please” is to silently raise your index finger to your lips. Show appreciation by applauding. Applause is the best way to show your enthusi-asm and appreciation. Performers return their appreciation for your attention by bowing to the audience at the end of the show. It is always appropriate to applaud at the end of a performance, and it is customary to continue clapping until the curtain comes down or the house lights come up.Participate by responding to the action onstage. Sometimes during a perfor-mance, you may respond by laughing, crying or sighing. By all means, feel free to do so! Appreciation can be shown in many different ways, depending upon the art form. For instance, an audience attending a string quartet performance will sit very quietly, while the audience at a gospel concert may be inspired to participate by clapping and shouting.Concentrate to help the performers. These artists use concentration to focus their energy while on stage. If the audience is focused while watching the performance, they feel supported and are able to do their best work. They can feel that you are with them!

    ***Please note: Recording devices of any kind, including cell phone cameras and video, cannot be used during performances. Please remember to turn off your cell phone.***

  • 2 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG

    2 Meet George & Ira Gershwin“True music must repeat

    the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans and my

    time is today.”-George Gershwin

    George Gershwin, at left, and his brother Ira in rehearsal for one of the many RKO Pictures they worked on in 1937.

    “A song without music is a lot like H2

    without the O.”-Ira Gershwin

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    Ira Gershwin was born Israel Gershowitz in New York City on December 6, 1896. He was the oldest of four children. His parents, Morris (Moishe) and Rose Gershowitz (née Rosa Bruskin) were Russian Jews born in St. Petersburg who had emigrated to the United States in 1891. Ira’s siblings were George ( Jacob, b. September 26, 1898), Arthur (b. 1900) and Frances (b. 1906). Morris changed the family name to “Gershwine”, or alternatively “Gershvin” many years before Ira and George became famous. The name was spelled “Gershwin” much later. Shy in his youth, Ira spent much of his time at home reading, but from grammar school through college he honed his literary skills by writing for several school newspapers and magazines. George first be-came interested in music at the age of ten when he attended his friend Maxie Rosenzweig’s violin re-cital on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. At this time, the Gershwin family was not particularly musically inclined, but, Morris and Rose purchased a piano so that Ira could learn to play. Much to everyone’s surprise, and Ira’s relief, George was the one who immediately sat down and started playing songs. He had been teaching himself to play by following the keys with his fingers on a neighbor’s player piano. After trying various piano teachers for his first two years of study, George was introduced to Charles Hambitzer, the pianist with the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. Hambitzer mentored George’s musical development until his death in 1918. Mr. Ham-bitzer taught George traditional piano technique, introduced him to the classical music of European composers, and encouraged him to attend orchestral concerts to hear their music.All of the Gershwin children frequented the lo-cal Yiddish theaters since their childhood home, located on the second floor of 91 Second Avenue, between East 5th and East 6th Streets, was in the center of the Yiddish Theater District. As a child, Frances was the first to perform on stage, bringing home an income that helped support the family. Sometimes George appeared onstage as an extra.

    A young George Gershwin, circa 1915, at approximately age 17.

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    Ira did not become involved in the music business until 1921 at the age of 25. Broadway producer Alex Aarons signed him to write the songs for his next show, Two Little Girls in Blue. So as not to appear to trade off George’s growing reputation, Ira wrote under the pseudonym “Arthur Francis”, after his two youngest siblings. His lyrics were well received. The May 4 review in The New York Clipper stated: “The lyrics written by Arthur Francis are the best, and seem to show that there are some lyricists who are still able to write a lyric that rhymes and also means something.” This success allowed Ira to easily enter the show-business world after just one show. Later that same year, George and Ira collaborated for the first time on a score for A Dangerous Maid. This musical is remarkable in that it is one of the few Gershwin collaborations that never made it to Broadway. It premiered in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 21, 1921, touring until it closed on April 16, 1921 in Pitts-burgh, Pennsylvania.

    A “song plugger” is a profession that still exists today. In the early 20th century, pianists would be employed by music publishers to demonstrate sheet music to customers in music stores and department stores. This was a time before the internet existed and before quality recordings were available. The song plugger played whatever sheet music a customer requested so that he or she could hear a preview before buying it. Today, while they can be found at any musically centered area, song pluggers are mostly found in Nashville, Tennessee, where the country music industry offers the most opportunities to place songs that were not written or co-written by the artists and/or producer.

    Ira was graduated from Townsend Harris High School in 1914. He later went on to attend the City College of New York before dropping out. At the age of 15, George left school and found his first job as a “song plugger” in Tin Pan Alley earning $15 a week from the Jerome H. Remick Company publishing house. (That’s approximately $375 a week in 2017 currency value.) Later, he worked for the T. B. Harms publishing house where he earned thirty-five dollars ($838 value in 2017) a week writing songs on commission. By 17, George had published his first song, “When You Want ‘Em, You Can’t Get ‘Em, When You’ve Got ‘Em, You Don’t Want ‘Em”. It earned him $5, that’s $106 in today’s currency.

    George’s first visit to London came with the opportunity to write the score for “The Rainbow”, a musical revue. It paired him with English lyricist Clifford Grey. In a letter to Ira from the Savoy Hotel, George wrote that he was very pleased by his reception, which included a customs official who recognized him as the composer of “Swanee,” and a reporter who made him “feel like I was Kern or somebody.” George arrived in London just four days before rehearsals began; fortunately he brought with him a number of already-written songs that could be inserted into the production. Gershwin and Grey turned out many more. Though successful during its London run, it never received an American production. George’s passport photo for this trip is shown at right. He used his legal name, Jacob Gershwine.

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    The cover of the music to the song Just To Know You Are Mine from the musical A Dangerous Maid.

    Ira and George continued to collaborate with all of their hard work being rewarded in 1924 with their first Broadway hit Lady, Be Good. Their combined talents became one of the most influential forces in the history of American Musical Theatre, elevating the musical comedy to a sophisticated American art form. Together, they wrote the music for more than two dozen Broadway shows and Hollywood films. Their ambitious opera Porgy and Bess, continues to reveal and reflect African American life through its nonstop revivals. Some of their more famous works include the songs “But Not for Me”, “Embraceable You”, “How Long Has This Been Going On?”, “I Got Rhythm”, “I’ve Got a Crush on You”, “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off ”, “Love Is Here To Stay”, “The Man I Love”, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, “’Swonderful”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “Strike Up the Band”, “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”, and “Fascinatin’ Rhythm”.In 1926, at the age of 30, Ira married Leonore Strunsky. They were married for fifty-seven years, until his death in 1983. Leonore passed away in 1991.In 1932, Ira, along with George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Of Thee I Sing. It was the first musical comedy to be awarded this honor. Since the Pulitzer Prize was considered a literary award, George, being the composer, was not included in the original award. But, in 1998, at the centennial of his birth, he was posthumously awarded an honorary Pulitzer. The musical lampoons American politics where the main character, John P. Wintergreen, runs for President of the United States on the “love” platform. When he falls in love with the sen-sible Mary Turner instead of Diana Devereaux, the beautiful pageant winner selected for him, he gets into political hot water. The original Broadway production, directed by Kaufman, opened in 1931 at the Music Box Theatre and ran for 441 performances, gaining critical and

    box office success. It has been revived twice on Broadway and in concert stagings in the United States and in London. In addition to collaborating with his brother, George attained great success in the concert arena as a piano virtuoso, conductor, and com-poser of such celebrated works as Rhapsody In Blue, An American In Paris, and the Concerto In F. It was his Rhapsody in Blue written in 1924 that truly made him a star.Their partnership continued until George’s sudden death from a brain tumor on July 11, 1937 in Hollywood, California. He was only 38 years old and had never married.

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    The failure of Park Avenue in 1946, a “smart” show about divorce, co-written with composer Arthur Schwartz, was his farewell to Broadway. As he wrote at the time, “Am reading a couple of stories for possible musicalization (if there is such a word) but I hope I don’t like them as I think I deserve a long rest.” In 1947, Ira took eleven songs that George had composed but never used, provided them with new lyrics, and incorporated them into the Betty Grable film The Shocking Miss Pilgrim. He later wrote comic lyrics for Billy Wilder’s 1964 movie Kiss Me, Stupid, although most critics believe his final major work was for the 1954 version of A Star Is Born. American singer, pianist and musical historian Michael Feinstein worked for Gershwin in the lyricist’s final years, helping him catalogue his archive and unearthing several lost musical treasures in the process.

    1937 movie poster for Shall We Dance.

    In 1937, George received his sole Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”, written with Ira for the film Shall We Dance. George’s nomination was posthumous as he had died two months after the film’s release. They did not win. Ira was nominated in 1944 for “Long Ago (and Far Away)” and again in 1954 for “The Man That Got Away”. Again, neither won the award.

    Following his brother’s death, Ira waited nearly three years before writing again. After this temporary retirement, he teamed up with ac-complished composers such as Jerome Kern for the film Cover Girl; Kurt Weill for the film Where Do We Go from Here? and the Broadway musical Lady in the Dark.

    Ira teamed with Harold Arlen for the Broad-way musical Life Begins at 8:40 and the 1954 film remake of A Star Is Born starring Judy Garland. Their song “The Man That Got Away” was so popular that it became a standard sung by Ms. Garland at all of her concerts.

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    Ira died in Beverly Hills, California, on August 17, 1983 at the age of 86. He is interred, along with his siblings and parents, in the Gershwin mausoleum at Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hast-ings-on-Hudson, New York.In 1985, the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress, was awarded to George and Ira in recognition of “George and Ira Gershwin’s outstanding and invaluable contributions to American music, theatre and culture.” In 1987, Ira’s widow, Leonore, established the Ira Gershwin Literacy Center at University Settle-ment, a more than one hundred year old institution at 185 Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side, New York City. The Center is designed to teach English as a second language to residents of the neighborhood, primarily Hispanic and Chinese Americans. As children, Ira, George, Arthur, and, Francis spent many after-school hours at the Settlement which was established in the early 1900s as “a physical, psychological and spiritual haven where people of all ages, from all countries and every walk of life could seek advice, assistance, education or a simple respite from the harsh realities of everyday life.”

    In 1988 UCLA established The George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Musical Achievement Award in recognition of the brothers’ contribution to music, and, for their gift to UCLA of the fight song “Strike Up the Band for UCLA”. In 2007, the United States Library of Congress re-named its Prize for Popular Song The Gersh-win Prize for Ira and George. Recognizing the profound and positive effect of American popular music on the world’s culture, the prize is annually presented to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwin brothers.In September 2013, a partnership between the estates of Ira and George Gershwin and the Uni-versity of Michigan was created to provide the university’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance access to the Gershwins’ entire body of work. This includes all of the Gershwin papers, composi-tional drafts, and scores, providing opportunities for musicians, composers, and scholars to analyze and reinterpret their work with the goal of accurately reflecting the composer’s and lyricist’s vi-sions in order to preserve their legacies. The first part of The Gershwin Critical Edition covers the 1924 jazz band version of Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris and Porgy and Bess.

    Children at University Settlement, circa 1900.

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    3 K-12 Lesson: The Emotional Response to MusicThe Gershwin brothers still inspire, if only through the sheer emotional response to Ira’s turn of a phrase and George’s energetic music. Their uplifting songs truly move the listener at his/her emotional core. Choose a selection of about three songs from the list below. Play each, one at a time, asking the following questions:

    1. When you listen to the song, what kind of music do you hear? 2. How does your mood change as you listen to it? 3. Describe the music and your reactions to it.

    Then, have the students compare all three songs using the same questions above.

    I Got Rhythm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPRiM5JvYx8

    A Foggy Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFWDfTkyTo8

    Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gnYZ6xGuIo

    The Man I Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yLhzQnudME

    Lady Be Good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myw0TiKkPIw

    Summertime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixdJLXDT_QM

    Slap That Bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsEpYYQCZQY

    Rhapsody in Blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kIpr6nSvjI

    Strike Up the Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3XwQqTAK3E

    I’ve Got A Crush on You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bECkdZQMmSk

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    We receive information through our senses - see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. Our senses are like windows to our experiences. People that have shared experiences may share sensory impressions. The smell of wet wool, sparkling lights, and the feel of a warm bowl of soup in our hands may tell us that it is winter. Using the list below as a guide, write something about Spring that relates to each of the five senses. Try to include at least one descriptive adjective to go with each, such as smooth yellow ribbon, or intoxicating pink lilacs. SPRING: ____________________________________________________ (sight)

    ____________________________________________________ (sound)

    ____________________________________________________ (touch)

    ____________________________________________________ (taste)

    ____________________________________________________ (smell)

    CONGRATULATIONS! You have just written a poem!

    Your poem does not rhyme, but, all poetry does not have to rhyme. Rhyme and poetry do not have to be the same thing. Sometimes, when we focus so much on finding a word that rhymes, we can overlook perfectly good words that will best express the feelings we are trying to convey.

    Each season has its own character; smells, sounds, activities. On a blank piece of notebook paper, use the above lesson as a guide to write a poem about Summer, Fall, and Winter. Then, without showing the title, ask two people, a family member and a friend, to read each poem. Ask them what their impression is? Did they guess the correct season? Do they have any suggestions?Once you are pleased with your poems, copy them onto good quality paper for display in the classroom. BONUS: Choose your favorite color. Using the sensory guide above, describe that color from all of the five senses. Do these lines have a rhythm? Maybe a song will emerge from your favorite color!

    4 K-12 Lesson: Exploring The Senses to Write Lyrics/Poetry

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    5 Coloring Page: George at His Piano

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    6 Coloring Page: Gershwin Brothers by Al Hirschfeld

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    Find the following words in the chart below: COMPOSER, FASCINATING-RHYTHM, GEORGEGERSHWIN, IGOTRHYTHM, MUSIC, NEWYORK,PIANO, RHAPSODYINBLUE, SONGPLUGGER

    7 Gershwin Word Search

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    Some of these song titles are scheduled to be performed at the Gershwin student matinee: I GOT RHYTHMA FOGGY DAYLET’S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFFTHE MAN I LOVELADY BE GOODSUMMERTIMESLAP THAT BASSRHAPSODY IN BLUESTRIKE UP THE BANDI’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOUBLUES FROM AN AMERICAN IN PARISNICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET ITLOVE IS HERE TO STAY

    8 Set List & MusiciansTHE MUSICIANS: Michael Andrew - Bandleader/singerMichelle Amato - singer SAXOPHONESDavid MacKenzieBrian SnappGabe CarsonCeasar Martinez TRUMPETSFrank GreeneBob FranklinElaine BurtJohn DePaula TROMBONESScott WhitfieldCorey PaulRob StonebackWill Nestler RHYTHM SECTIONTedd Kooshian - pianoKevin Palacky - guitarCharlie Sylva - bassScott Neumann - drums

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    Classroom Reading:

    My First Gershwin Songbook: A Treasury of Favorite Songs to Play, Amazon Digital Services, 2016.

    Celenza, Anna Howell, Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue, Charlesbridge, 2006.

    Gerou, Tom, 5 Finger Gershwin Classics Book for Piano With Optional Duet Accompaniments, Alfred Publishing, 2008.

    Gershwin, George and Ira Gershwin, The Music and Lyrics of Gerge and Ira Gershwin: Piano, Vocals, Chords, (Sheet Music), Alfred Music, 1998.

    Heyward, Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, et al., Summertime, Aladdin, 2002.

    Kesh, Paul, An American Rhapsody: The Story of George Gershwin (Jewish Biography Series), E.P. Dutton, 1988.

    Mitchell, Barbara and Jan Hosking Smith, America I Hear You: A Story About George Gershwin, Carolrhoda Books, 1987.

    Slade, Suzanne and Stacy Innerst, The Music in George’s Head: George Ger-shwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue, Calkins Creek, 2016.

    Venezia, Mike, Getting to Know Gershwin (Getting to Know the Worls’s Greatest Composers), Children’s PR, 1995.

    Whiting, Jim, The Life and Times of George Gershwin, Mitchell Lane Publish-ers, 2004.

  • LOREM IPSUM | 15

    Book & Film Resources:Biography: Feinstein, Michael, The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs, Simon and Schuster, 2012. Furia, Phillip, Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist, Oxford University Press, 1996. Gershwin, Ira and Robert Kimball, Ira Gershwin: Selected Lyrics (American Poets Project), Library of America, 2009. Jablonski, Edward, Gershwin: A Biography, Harper Collins, 1988. Pollack, Howard, George Gershwin: His Life and Work, University of California Press, 2007.Rimler, Walter, George Gershwin n ntimate Portrait ( usic in merican ife , Univer-sity of Illinois Press, 2015. Rosenberg, Deena Ruth, Fascinating h thm he Colla oration of George an ra Gersh-win, University of Michigan Press, 1997.

    Music:George an ra Gershwin in oll woo otion Picture Soun track ntholog , Rhino, 1997. Gershwin Pla s Gershwin he Piano olls, CTS Digital, 1993.Gershwin hapso n Blue n merican n Paris, on n in on u ting h New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Sony Classical, 1987. Got h thm he Smithsonian George Gershwin Collection, mi h oni n o tion,

    1995.he ssential George Gershwin, Sony Classical/Legacy, 2003.

    Some Films The Gershwins Composed Music For:A Damsel in Distress, 1937.A Star Is Born, 1954.An American in Paris, 1951.Girl Cra , Porgy and Bess, 1959.Shall We Dance, 1937. The Barkleys of Broadway, 1949.

  • 16 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG

    BIG NEWS! THE NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS ARE NOW THE OFFICIAL K-12 ARTS STANDARDS FOR RHODE ISLAND

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    o i i n i i in in o o h n n tion n . n o hi o i h m i i in u o h tim .Background on National Core Arts Standards

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  • WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 17

    12 National Core Arts StandardsCREATING - Concei ing an e eloping new artistic i eas an work

    n ho n 1. n n on u i ti ti i n o .n ho n . g ni n o ti ti i n o .n ho n . n n om ti ti o .

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  • 18 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG

    FirstWorks Presents American Rhapsody: The Gershwin Songbook Student Matinee Thursday, February 22, 10:30 – 11:30 am, The Vets

    STUDENTS:

    1) Have you ever heard of FirstWorks? ___ Yes ___ No If so, how? : ________________________________________________________________________

    2) Before this, what was your knowledge of the Gershwin brothers music? Excellent Good Basic Not very strong

    3) Before this, had you heard of Ira Gershwin or George Gershwin?

    ___ Yes ___ No If so, how? : ________________________________________________________________________

    4) Now, has your understanding of an orchestra changed? A lot Not at all 1 2 3 4 How? _____

    5) Did you enjoy this Student Matinee?

    A lot Not at all 1 2 3 4 Why?

    6) Were you able to make connections between this art form and what you’re learning about

    in school? Please explain.

    ________________________________________________________________________

    7) What do you remember most strongly from today’s Student Matinee?

    ________________________________________________________________________

    8) On the back, please write/draw your impressions from today.

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    FirstWorks Presents American Rhapsody: The Gershwin Songbook

    Thursday, February 22, 2018

    To better serve you and your students, please complete this brief survey and contact information form and return with your students’ surveys to the FirstWorks office at your earliest convenience. Thank you!

    Name: School:

    Best Email: Best Phone #:

    1. Were you able to introduce your students to some background information about George and Ira Gershwin prior to today’s Student Matinee? What resources did you find most helpful?

    2. How did you incorporate this experience into your classroom teaching? Did it fit into a unit of study you were already working on?

    3. Did this experience provide you with new teaching tools or different points of entry into familiar topics? Please explain.

    4. I would estimate the impact on my students’ artistic and/or academic growth from today’s experience to be:

    Strong Good Basic Not very strong

    5. Please describe your own and your students’ overall experience with the student matinee.

    6. Information from these surveys helps us shape our programs. Very thoughtful quotes are included in grant applications that help support FirstWorks Arts Learning. Please encourage your students to think carefully about the following writing exercise:

    Using the back of the student survey, please ask students to write about their experience during today’s Student Matinee. (Please ask younger students; grades K – 3, to draw or write of today’s experience as opposed to filling out the Student Survey.) Some prompts may include:

    “Can you make connections between an orchestra and the instrument you play?”

    “Will this experience influence your work in other classes, or how you will approach your field of study?”

  • 275 Westminster Street, Suite 501 Providence, RI 02903Tel 401.421.4278 Fax [email protected]

    FirstWorks Arts Learning programs help K-12 students ui onn tion n , h i mi u ,

    and their lives. These school-based Arts Learning programs meet g n n mo h o h u u h ough o u o u u .

    FirstWorks Arts Learning n 1 ou h o in - i i h om o h mo in nti , ti

    min o ou tim o ing u n hi m n n o ning o i i iti .