For Everyone

A Moment for Etiquette LA.C, .TH.A.1.1.TH.A.1.1.T

About the Performer About the Performance

Resource Page

For the Teacher pages ...

4th and 5th Grade Activity Finish the Phrase MA.B.1.1.

6th - 8th Grade Activity The Stars of the Show MU.C.1.3.

Same or Different LA.A.1.3.

9th - 12th Grade Activity A Sign of the Times The Sign of Things to Come LA.A.1.4.

Our Stage is .... Your ClassroomOur Stage is .... Your ClassroomOur Stage is .... Your ClassroomFor the Teacher pages Our Stage is .... Your ClassroomFor the Teacher pages

Goals of this Guide Before/After the Show Activity Ideas

In this Issue (Goals of the study guide)

Class Acts ProgramEvaluations

How to Get to the Performance How to Contact Us

Cavani String Quartet

Friday, Friday, October 17, 2005October 17, 2005October 17, 2005

10:45 a.m. 10:45 a.m.

Our Stage is .... Your Classroom

The The PalladiumPalladiumPalladiumPalladium

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Class Acts Teacher Resource Guides are spon-sored by the Mahaffey Theater/City of St. Peters-burg, FL and their partner the Mahaffey Theater Foundation for the Performing Arts.

Supervising Editor …….......Elizabeth Brincklow, Education Program CoordinatorCoordinating Editor ……..........Fremont Sheldon, Education AssociateWriting and Artistic Design........Missy Schlesman

EVALUATIONS can be completed on the form provided. Your input is very important and useful to the theater’s education program. Plus, your evaluations will be placed in drawings for class appropriate prizes!

Class Acts is presented by the Mahaffey Theater for the Perform-ing Arts and the Mahaffey Theater Foundation with the support from the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council, Flori-da Department of State, Pinellas County Arts Council, and the City of St. Petersburg.

YOUR ROLE IN THE PRODUCTION

ARRIVAL Please plan to arrive at least 20 L Please plan to arrive at least 20 Lminutes before show time. Proceed to the en-trance with your group and look for the sign-in table. A designated representative must stop and sign in for the entire group.

Upon entrance, ushers will seat groups on a fi rst come, fi rst served basis and will seat your group as quickly and as effi ciently as possible. After your group is seated, the restroom may be visited. Young students should be escorted.

EXITING Ushers will help your group move out of the theater in a quick and orderly fash-ion. You will be directed to the parking area using various routes. Exit routes may be differ-ent from your entrance path due to the ingress of students entering for the next performance. Please follow the ushers’ directions.

DIRECTIONS TO THE PALLADIUMPALLADIUMP

QUESTIONS AND QUESTIONS AND CORRESPONDENCEClass Acts, The Coliseum535 4th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701-4346ATTN: Class Acts/ Perkins Elementary SchoolPony Route #5 Phone 727-892-5800Fax 727-892-5770 www.stpete.org/mahaffey.htm

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Located in Downtown St. Petersburg, at Fifth Avenue North & Third Street North, the PALLADIUM is reached via Exit 23A from I-275 to Third Street North then left one block. The PALLADIUM Theater is on the NE corner at the intersection of Third Street North and Fifth Avenue North. Parking for cars is available in the lot across Fifth Avenue from the theater or in the lot adjacent to the theater.

Additional car parking is available at the United Bank lot on Third Street N. & 4th Avenue North. Bus parking is available at The Coliseum, continue west on 5th Ave. N. Turn left into The Coliseum parking. Follow directions of the parking attendant.

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In This Issue:• Students will learn about and then compare and contrast the

similarities and differences between instruments of the string quartet.

• Students will get an overview of chamber music and have the opportunity to discuss the impact of music in historical society as well as in current society.

• Students will use math skills to solve unique musical theory problems.

• Be reminded of the importance of teamwork in a performance setting as well as in life!

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FOR THE TEACHER PAGEBefore/After the ShowBefore/After the Show• For Elementary teachers:For Elementary teachers: After

they have completed the measured phrases on page 5, have students clap out their rhythms for the class.

• For High School teachers:For High School teachers: After your students have read the piece entitled “A Sign of the Times,” on page 8, have them listen to various forms of popular music (Pop, Rock, forms of popular music (Pop, Rock, forms of popular music (Rap, R & B, Folk, Alternative, etc.) and discuss how each form refl ects the society in which it was, or is, written. What message is it sending? What emotions does the sound evoke in the listener? What do you think the composer is trying to communicate through the piece? Do you think he or she is commercially motivated? Motivated artistically, politically, emotionally?

• For Middle School teachers: The Cavani Quartet is named for Vincenzo Cavani, a 19th

century violin maker, as well as another maker, Giovanni. Using sources found at the library and the internet, have your students research these artisans and their work and present their fi ndings to

the class.• Encourage any of your students

who play a stringed instrument to come and share their talent with the class!

• Choose one piece of classical music and play it for your students three times. During the fi rst pass, have your students give you feedback on the music itself (the notes, the

melody, its style, etc.). On the second pass, have them give you feedback on how the music made them feel or what the “mood” of the piece is. Finally, after playing it a third time, have your students react to the music visually by describing or drawing pictures of the images the music might evoke for them.

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1 Measure 1 Measure

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Finish the Phrase

Look at the chart below and the note values there. Each note represents a certain number of beats. Using the chart to the right as a reference, see if you can complete the measures on page 5 to complete the musical phrase!

- twomeasuresThere are four notes per measure.

- time signature The top number means there are four beats per measure. The bottom number means the quarter note gets one beat.

- quarter note - means one beat in 4/4 time.

- whole note - means four beats in 4/4 time.

- half note - means two beats in 4/4 time.

- eighth note - means one half beat in 4/4 time.

- quarter rest - quarter rest - means one beat (no sound) in 4/4 time.

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4th & 5th grades

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3.

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In the measures below, draw the note that would complete each measure in 4/4 time. Remember, in 4/4 time each measure needs to have four beats! Good luck!!!

Measure A Measure B

Measure A Measure B

Measure A Measure B

Measure A Measure B

Measure BBMeasure A

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The Stars of the Show ...The string quartet is made up of two violins, a viola and a cello.

The viola is slightly bigger than the violin and is a little harder to play and tune because of its larger size. Like the violin and cello, violas are made of wood and have the same curved shape marked by “f-holes” in the middle of the body. Its fi ngerboard is made of ebony or rosewood and contains four strings held by pegs at the top, just like the violin and cello.

The violin is the smallest of the string quartet in-struments. Like the cello and the viola, the violin is played with a bow made of horsehair and sound is produced by drawing the bow across the strings of the instrument. Unlike the cello, however, the vio-lin and the viola are played by holding the instru-ment between the chin and the shoulder.

The cello is the largest of the string quartet instruments. Because of its large size, the cello is held between the musician’s legs when played. Just like the violin and viola, the cello’s sound is produced by drawing a bow made of horsehair across the strings, The quality of a cello’s sound depends on the vi-bration of the strings against the wood. This is true of all stringed instruments in the string quartet. Because of the vibration factor, all instruments in the string quartet improve with age -- the older it is the better it sounds!

Answers to “Same or Different” on page 7 Answers to “Same or Different” on page 7: 1. all; 2. violin and viola; 3. all; 4. all; 5. all; 6. cello; 7. all; 8. all; 9. all; 10. viola; 11. cello

Violins made in Italy during the 1500’s by a man named Andrea Amati were covered with ornate works of art that were either drawn or painted. The few that are still around are considered priceless!

There are violins played today that are over 300 years old? In the 1600’s a talented artisan named Antonio Stradivari created some of the finest violins in the world today.

Did you know?

Information contained on this page gleaned from www.library.thinquest.org

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6th - 8th gradesPossible answers to Page 5: 1. Measure A: Complete as it is. Measure B: one quarter note or one quarter rest at the end of the measure. 2. Measure A: two quarter notes, two quarter rests, one half note or four eighth notes at the end of the measure. Measure B: Complete as it is. 3. Measure A: one quarter note or one quarter rest at the end of the measure. Measure B: Complete as it is. 4. Measure A: one quarter note or one quarter rest at the end of the measure. Measure B: one half note, two quarter notes, two quarter rests or four eighth notes at the end of the measure. 5. Measure A: one quarter note or one quarter rest in between the existing notes in the measure. Measure B: four quarter notes, two half notes, four quarter rests, one whole note, eight eighth notes, or any combination of these.

Same or Different?Violin Viola Cello

1. Is made of wood

2. Is held between the chin and the shoulder

3. Makes a sound by drawing a bow across the strings

4. Has a fingerboard that is made of either ebony or rosewood

5. Has four strings

6. Must be held between the legs to be played

7. Uses a bow made of horsehair

8. Is designed with “f-holes” in the body

9. The older the instrument, the better the sound. sound.

10. Is bigger than a violin, but smaller than a cello

11. Is the largest instrument in a string quartet

For each statement, mark an “X” in the column of the instrument for which the statement is true.

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If you listen carefully, a piece of music will tell you more about what was going on in the world in which it was conceived than in the colorless narratives you fi nd in history textbooks. In emotionally charged and carefully composed phrasing, composers will clue the listener in on what his or her society is experiencing at the time emotionally, socially and politically.

No style of music better illustrates the truth of this phenomenon than Chamber Music.

The wild and complicated music of the Baroque period required huge orchestras attended exclusively by the wealthy and elite. The Baroque style itself with its frenetic counterpoint1 and contrapuntal2contrapuntal2contrapuntal design, refl ected the wild and sometimes frightening energy the world was experiencing as Galileo began revealing scandalous discoveries and pilgrims were leaving the comfort and familiarity of home for somewhere everyone was calling the New World.

As the New World was settled and Galileo’s wild imaginings proved true, people in general turned from concentrating solely on what the church required them to think and accomplish and began to explore the idea that an individual could accomplish much on his own through reason and logic. This movement is known as the Enlightenment and its philosophies gave birth to a new form of musical expression now called the Classical style.

Classical style was simple and ordered. As such, composers began to write music featuring only a few instruments and giving each one a distinct sound, easily recognized and accessible to the listener. The stringed instruments were favored by composers and listeners alike because of their similarity to the human voice and the emotions their versatile sounds produced. Because chamber groups had under 10 members (usually containing anywhere from two to nine musicians in a confi guration3), they could perform virtually anywhere they could all fi t comfortably. As a result, more of the middle class were able to enjoy live music played outside the exclusive orchestra halls. (The live tour was born!)

During this time, a composer by the name of Josef Haydn began writing for the string quartet, taking advantage of the informal performance settings to experiment with playfully free melodies. Mozart and Beethoven would look to Haydn as an inspiration and mentor for their own musical accomplishments in years to come. Considering the heavy hitters of this period, it’s no surprise that some of the best loved and most recognizable pieces of music were written during the Classical period.

The spirit of the French Revolution in the early 1700’s, followed by the American Revolution later on, is expressed in the music composed during its time, now called the Romantic period. Such composers as Brahms and Schubert showcased freedom and the emotional liberty of the individual (much like the music of the 60’s) in their work.

As the world evolved into the Industrial Age and into the 20th Century, the Modern era ushered in music that experimented heavily in new ways such as music with no distinct key (atonality4), music based solely on mathematical equation (serialism5) and music that barely moved tonally, creating a hypnotic sound (minimalism6).

Having traveled through nearly 400 years of music and social evolution in these few paragraphs, how do you think the music you listen to speaks to the society you currently live in?

1counterpoint: melodic material that is added above or below an existing melody.2contrapuntal: Having two or more independent but harmonically related melodic parts sounding together.3confi guration: the way a group is set up4atonality: the absence of a tonal center and the scale corresponding to it5serialism: 20th century style of music that uses a defi nite order of notes as a thematic basis for a musical composition6minimalism6minimalism6 : a style of contemporary music marked by extreme simplifi cation of rhythms, patterns and harmonies, prolonged chordal or melodic repetitions, producing a trancelike effect.

*Most defi nitions taken from Google’s Dictionary.com*Story based on information found in www.librarythinkquest.org and www.stanfordalumni.org.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES

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For Everyone

A Sign of Things to Come

• What’s the author trying to convey in writing this article?

• Would you say this article is mainly informative or entertaining in nature?

• Do you agree with the author’s intent? Why or why not?

• “During this time, a composer by the name of Josef Haydn began writing for the string quartet, taking advantage of the informal performance settings to experiment with playfully free melodies.”In this passage from the text, to what informal performance settings is the author referring?

• What draws you to the music you listen to? Is it the message of the lyric or the sound? Is it both? How does it make you feel?

• How do you think the music you favor addresses current issues in the world today? Lyrically? Musically? Is the overall sound making any kind of emotional statement apart from the words contained in the lyrics? Does the sound support the message of the lyrics? How?

• Challenge:Challenge: Choose a style of music you would never in a million years listen to and give it a real chance. Consciously listen to it and search for any kind of social commentary contained in the lyrics or the sound. Pay attention to your gut emotional reaction to it.

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ConsciousConsciousConscEtiquetteThe four members of the Cavani String Quartet work together as a team to make their music happen. Just as the members of a sports team depend on each other to be successful, so the members of a string quartet depend on each other to produce each note and phrase of each piece of music with precision and grace. Because there is no conductor to

monitor the overall sound, each musician must watch and listen intently to the others to make sure her instrument is staying in tune with the other three. Otherwise, the music suffers. Audience members might not be able to tell you exactly what’s wrong when the quartet is out of sync, but they defi nitely know something isn’t right.

In a performance setting, audience and performer work together to create the performance. A performance isn’t really a performance without someone there to hear it and experience it. But in order to experience it, audience members have to watch and listen, allowing the performance to soak in, and then paying attention to the effect the performance had on them.

This is an important metaphor for life, don’t you think? It’s so important for people to work together to be successful. Watching and listening is crucial to working closely with other people. If you’re not listening and watching with conscious intent, how can you be sure you know where everyone else is truly coming from? If you’re not listening and watching carefully, you may feel as if you’re out of step with everyone else. Watching and listening intently brings things into focus. You’ll be surprised at how much you learn and experience just by being consciously present to those around you!

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ABOUT THE PERFORMER ABOUT THE PERFORMER A S

ABOUT THE SHOW ABOUT THE SHOW AThe Cavani String Quartet presents a program of music that not only introduces audience members to the beauty of chamber music, but also illustrates the importance of teamwork in creating and working together. The Cavanis have scheduled the following program for their St. Petersburg concert: Beethoven’s Quartet in A Major, Op. 18, #5, Kathleen Ginther’s “Blue Green Music,” and Ravel’s Quartet in F Major.

The Cavani string quartet features four very talented women: Kirsten Docter (viola), Annie Fullard (violin), Mari Sato (violin), and Merry Peckham (cello). The four friends formed the quartet in 1984 and made their debut in 1987 in New York. They are currently the Quartet-in-Residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Ohio and travel the world using their true gift of musical teamwork at its fi nest to reach audience members and illustrate the value of working together to create something beautiful.

Accomplishments include the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music Award, and prizes at the Coleman, Fischoff, Banff International and Cleveland Quartet competitions. They have performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Kennedy Center as well as festivals in France and Amsterdam. In addition, they have had the pleasure of performing with the Juilliard, Cleveland and Emerson String Quartets as well as with such artists as Itzhak Perlman, Michaela Petri, Anton Nel and Benita Valente.

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Resources to Read, Surf Resources to Read, Surf Rand Watch ....Rand Watch ....RThe Orchestra/InstrumentsBerger, Melvin, Guide to Chamber Music, Anchor Books, 1990

Levine, Robert, The Story of the Orchestra: Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music, and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!, Black Dog & Leventhal, 2001

Steinhardt, Arnold, Indivisible By Four, Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1998

Wade-Matthews, Max, The World Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments, Lorenz Books, 2000

www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2004/sepoct/show/history.www.chamber-music.orgwww.library.thinkquest.org/27110/noframes/homepage.html

Musical TheoryMusical Theory*Frank, Madeline, The Secret of Teaching Science and Math Through Music, Frank Pub., 1997

Garland, Trudi Hammel, Kahn, Charity Vaughn, Math and Music: Harmonious Connections, Dale Seymour Pub., 1995

Howard, Betrand, Fundamentals of Music Theory: A Program, Harcourt, 1975

www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/1073.htmlwww.fi ndarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3614/is_200301/ai_n9226284www.lessonplanspage.com/Math23.htmwww.coastmusictherapy.com/tips.htmlwww.educationthroughmusic.com/brainarticles.htmwww.educationthroughmusic.com/brainarticles.htmwww.cnx.rice.edu/content/m11638/latestwww.shoal.net/music/mathmusic.htm

*Available at your local library