Teacher`s Guide - Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

Fall 2016 Teacher’s Guide
Knoxville Civic Auditorium: October 26, 27, 28, 2016
Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Greeneville, TN: November 3, 2016
Aram Demirjian, Music Director
James Fellenbaum, Resident Conductor
KSO Kids’ Guide to the Orchestra
America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)
Traditional
Table of Contents
Variations on America
Charles Ives
Program Notes: Our Composers and their Music
Music: America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)
Introduction
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra/Meet the Music Director
Theme
The Woodwinds
Variation I: (woodwinds)
Variation IV: (trombone, tuba, castanets) The Strings
The Brass
The Percussion
Young Person’s Guide to the
Orchestra
Lessons & Activities
Benjamin Britten
Exploring Theme & Variations
Theme: Allegro maestoso e largamente e
Listening to Theme & Variations
tutti
Moving to Theme & Variations
Variation A: Presto (piccolo and flutes)
Exploring Meter
Variation B: Lento (oboes)
Be a Conductor!
Variation C: Moderato (clarinets)
Variation D: Allegro alla marcia (bassoons) The British Connection
Variation E: Brillante: alle polacca (violins) Additional Activities/Resources and Core Standards
Variation F: Meno mosso (violas)
Listening Map (Percussion Variation)
Variation G: Lusingando (cellos)
Student Program Template
Variation H: Cominciando lento ma poco a
What is a Conductor?/Maestro James Fellenbaum
poco accel. al Allegro (double basses)
My Concert Review/Audience Job Description
Variation I: Maestoso (harp)
Concert Behavior/Acknowledgements
Variation J: L’istesso tempo (horns)
Variation K: Vivace (trumpets)
Variation L: Allegro pomposo (trombones
and bass tuba)
Variation M: Moderato (percussion)
Fugue: Allegro molto
Bugler’s Dream
Leo Arnaud
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
John Williams
2, 5-7
3
8
10
12
14
16
18
19
20-21
22
23
24
25
26
27
29
31
32
33
This ear symbol will give students
something to listen for in select pieces.
What is a Composer?
Watch for the map to give you
interesting facts or vocabulary words.
A composer is a person who writes music. He or she can write music for groups as large as a symphony
orchestra, or as small as a single instrument. Many times in orchestral works the composer tells a
story. All of the different instruments of the orchestra are the actors in
The following
the story. A composer can write music based on many different things, such as a
program notes
dream, a place, a person, or a poem. Sometimes composers even create music by mixing
were written for
many different pieces. A composer has the ability to hear a tune in his head and write it
the students.
down as notes for instruments.
America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)
Lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith (1801-1895)
Please prepare your students to sing along with the
KSO at the very beginning of the concert!
‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee, also known as America, is an American
patriotic song. It is known as the first American national anthem before
the adoption of the Star Spangled Banner in 1931 and today is America’s
national hymn. The lyrics were written by Reverend Samuel Francis
Smith, when he was twenty-four years old, attending Andover
Movement AcƟvity:
Emphasize 3/4 meter with the following bean bag acƟvity.
By Susan Ramsay
Theological Seminary in Andover, Massachusetts, to become a minister.
His friend Lowell Mason asked him to translate or write new lyrics
(words) for music from a German school music book. (At that time in the
A
To practice 3/4 meter, pass bean bags in a circle using the
words “grab, touch, pass.” Grab the bean bag with one hand on
beat 1, touch to the right knee on beat 2, and place in front of the
person to the right on beat 3.
B
Working alone, touch the bag to the floor, toss and catch in one
hand, and then the other. “Touch, catch, catch.”
United States there were no music teachers in public schools.) Samuel
Francis Smith was struck by one tune, and not knowing that it was the
same melody as the British national anthem, God Save the Queen, he
wrote new lyrics in 30 minutes on a rainy day. Like many popular songs
from that time, America took music from another song. (When writing
our national anthem, Francis Scott Key used the melody from a theme
song of the Anacreontic Society of London.)
Melody—The main theme or tune of a piece of music. The melody is
the part of the music that is easy to remember and sing along with.
This practice of “borrowing songs” to become other songs was very
common at this time and in fact the same music was used for the former
anthems of Russia, Switzerland and Germany and is still used in Britten,
Liechtenstien, and Norway. America was first performed on July 4, 1831
at the Park Street Church in Boston and was sung by children in Lowell
Mason’s children’s choir.
Smith wrote over 150 other hymns
that were compiled into a Baptist
hymnal, The Psalmist.
Lowell Mason was one of this country’s first great champions of music
education for children. He founded a children’s choir and started the
first singing school for children in Boston. His choir sang for lectures
given by a man very influential in education, William C. Woodbridge, and
this helped to pave the way for public school music programs.
Aretha Franklin sang America on January 20, 2009 at the inauguration
of President Barack Obama and Kelly Clarkson sang the song at the
second inauguration on January 21, 2013.
2
MUSIC: AMERICA (MY COUNTRY ‘TIS OF THEE)
Please have your students learn America. They will have an opportunity to sing along with this piece at the concert. Tell them that this tune
will be the theme for Variations on America written by Charles Ives, an American composer.
KSO Kids’ Guide to the Orchestra, Track No. 1
3
7
Variations on America
Charles Ives
(1874 –1954)
Charles Ives was born in Danbury, Connecticut, in
Variations on America was originally composed for organ when
1874. His father played flute, violin, piano and
Ives was only 17 years old. He prepared it for a Fourth of
cornet and became the youngest band leader in the
July celebration in 1892 at the Methodist church where he
Union Army during the Civil War. Charles was a
was organist in Brewster, New York.
pianist, organist and composer. He also played drums
Variations on America was orchestrated in 1962 by William
in his father’s band and much of his inspiration for
Schuman and premiered by the New York Philharmonic in
composing music probably came from listening to his
father’s bands, orchestras and choirs. Ives’ first
piece that was performed in public was his Holiday
Quickstep which was played when Ives was only 13
years old. At 14, Ives was hired as the youngest
church organist in Connecticut. Growing up he was
captain of his high-school baseball and football
teams, he attended Yale University and played on
the Yale football team.
1964.
Premiere– the first time that a new piece of music is played or
presented.
At the concert, you will hear an introduction, that
starts with “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” in the brass,
but the melody is changed a bit from the song.
Then you will hear America in its traditional version.
Listen for two more variations, one played by the woodwinds
with the theme that you will recognize in the strings and one that has a
Ives did not work as a composer full-time. He owned an insurance company
little bit of a Spanish sound played by the trombones, tuba and
where he worked for 30 years and composed music in his spare time. Ives
castanets? What gives this variation its Spanish sound?
worked on several different pieces at the same time and often “borrowed”
music from himself and from other composers to put in his pieces.
One day in 1927, Ives told his wife, Harmony, that he could not compose
anymore because “nothing sounds right.” After that he did not
write any new music, but worked on pieces he had already written
Theme—A theme is the main melody of a piece of music. It can be
thought of as the subject of a piece of music.
Variations—The theme of a piece of music is repeated so that it can
still be recognized, but is changed in some important way.
to make them better.
After years of health problems, Ives was eventually diagnosed with
diabetes and was one of the first patients to receive insulin treatments.
Ives wrote other patriotic pieces including
Washington’s Birthday and The Fourth of July.
5
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Benjamin Britten
(1913 - 1976)
Benjamin Britten was born in a fishing
Britten was very interested in teaching young people about classical
town in England beside the North Sea.
music. His Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra was written in 1946
He was the youngest of four children
in his family—two boys and two girls.
as part of the score to a documentary film for children.
His father was a dentist and his
Score—A special print of music that shows how all the instruments of the orchestra play
at the same time. A complete copy of a musical work. Scores contain music for each
mother encouraged him in music
instrument that is playing in the piece. Scores are generally large enough for the
because she was a singer. When he
was three months old, Britten
contracted pneumonia and almost died.
The illness damaged his heart and his parents were afraid that Britten
might not lead a normal life. He wrote plays as a young man, studied the
piano and was also very good at sports, especially cricket.
Cricket—is an English team sport a little bit like baseball.
Benjamin Britten began writing music at age six (he would compose before
breakfast so that he would have enough time to get to school), began learning the viola at the age of ten and by the time he was fourteen he had composed over 100 works. After college, Britten traveled to the United States
to escape the beginnings of World War II. He lived in the U.S. for four
conductor to read as they are conducting.
For his theme, Britten borrowed a theme that the Baroque English
composer Henry Purcell wrote for a play in 1695. The piece uses three
kinds of music, Theme, Variation (like Ives’ Variations on America) and
Fugue. The piece begins with the full orchestra playing and then briefly introduces each section of the orchestra: woodwinds, brass, strings
and percussion all playing the same theme. Then there is a more indepth look at the different instrument families as each instrument
plays a variation that shows its own characteristics and how it is usually used within the orchestra. Finally the piccolo
introduces a fugue. Britten uses the fugue to add each instrument
back together into the full orchestra.
Purcell’s Theme
years and during this time he wrote his first opera and a piece called War
Requiem which was a tribute to soldiers in World War II.
“Composing is like driving down a foggy road toward a house. Slowly you see more
details of the house—the colour of the slates and bricks, the shape of the windows. The notes are the bricks and the mortar of the house.”
—Benjamin Britten
Britten did not like television and didn’t own a set until he received one as a gift
for his 60th birthday.
Fugue — The word fugue originally meant a chase. In a fugue the subjects follow each other in a
sort of “chase.” A fugue begins with the theme played by one instrument alone. A second instrument
then enters and plays the same theme while the first instrument continues with an accompaniment.
Remaining instruments enter one by one, each beginning with the theme.
6
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
John Williams
(1932-present)
John Williams is an American composer, arranger,
conductor and pianist. He was born on Long Island,
New York, and began his musical studies at the age
of eight. His father was a jazz percussionist and the
family moved to Los Angeles in 1948, when Williams
was 16. John Williams later attended The Juilliard
School as well as UCLA. After school he served in
International Olympic Committee awarded Williams with its highest
individual honor, the Olympic Order and he received a National Medal
of Arts in the White House in 2009 for his achievements in symphonic
music for films. The only person nominated for more awards is Walt
Disney.
Williams uses a technique in this music called Leitmotif (used by the
classical composer Richard Wagner). A leitmotif is a phrase or melody
of music that represents a character, place, mood, idea, relationship,
or another specific part of the film.
the U.S. Air Force where he wrote music and conducted the Armed Forces
Olympic Fanfare and Theme was commissioned by the Los Angeles
Band. He then made his way into Hollywood as a studio pianist.
Olympic Organizing Committee specifically for the 1984 Olympic
Games. Most Americans recognize this piece because Williams used
Throughout his life John Williams has composed music and served as the
themes from Leo Arnaud’s Fanfare (from the Bugler’s Dream suite,
music director for almost eighty films including: Jurassic Park, Home Alone,
written in the 1930s), a piece associated with ABC’s television
Hook, the Indiana Jones series, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Superman, the
coverage of the Olympics dating back to 1968. Since Americans had an
original Star Wars trilogy, Jaws, the first three Harry Potter movies and
attachment to Arnaud’s piece, Williams decided to use the same
War Horse.
sounds and instruments in his new piece. He also had to break the
piece up into chunks so the music could be used as “bumpers” by ABC
Williams usually writes two film scores a year and often blends traditional
before and after commercial breaks. Williams conducted the premiere
musical elements with popular music. He has also written music for the
of the work at the opening ceremonies of the 23rd Olympic Games on
concert hall, including a symphony and several concertos. In 1980, Williams
July 28, 1984 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. According to the United
became the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a position he held until
States Olympic Committee spokesman, Mike Moran, many athletes
1993.
include this piece in the music they listen to while preparing for
competition.
In addition, Williams composed the NBC news theme “The Mission,” the
“Liberty Fanfare” for the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty and the
themes for the 1984, 1988, 1996 and 2002 Olympic Games. Williams has won
five Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes and 22
Grammys, and was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2004. In 2003, the
In 1992 John Williams said that his music for the Olympic games was intended to
musically represent “ the spirit of cooperation, of heroic achievement, all the
striving and preparation that go before the events and all the applause that comes
after them.”
7
THE KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Today’s symphony orchestra varies in size from city to city, but
usually has about 100 players. Orchestras are different from bands
because they include string instruments. The string section is the
largest section of players in the orchestra, with about 60 people.
The woodwind section is made up of approximately twelve or more
players, and the brass section typically has ten players. Finally, the
percussion section ranges in numbers, depending on the amount of
percussion parts used in a piece.
The seating chart below shows how you will see the Knoxville
Symphony Orchestra seated when you come to the Young People’s
Concert. The players are seated in a semicircle facing the conductor.
Look at the following pages for more information on each section of
the orchestra.
Meet the KSO’s new Music Director,
Aram Demirjian!
Maestro Demirjian moved to Knoxville from Kansas City where he
was the Associate Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony. He was
born into a musical family in Lexington, Massachusetts where he
learned to play the cello and sing. Aram was 7 years old when his
mother first taught him how to conduct a 4/4 pattern, and he
always enjoyed being the line-leader in elementary school. His
desire to be a conductor began as he played cello in his high school
orchestra. The first orchestra he ever conducted was the
Lexington High School Orchestra, on his 18th birthday, one week
before he graduated from high school. He attended Harvard
University, where he first studied government, but switched to
music after two seasons conducting the Harvard Bach Society
Orchestra. He then attended the New England
Conservatory in Boston.
Aram loves sports especially football,
baseball and basketball! His
favorite teams are the New
England Patriots, Boston
Red Sox and Boston
Celtics.
8
THE WOODWINDS
Jill Bartine has played Second Flute with the Knoxville
Symphony Orchestra since 2000. She studied flute
performance at Northwestern University, where she
studied with flute players from the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra. Jill has taught flute at Carson-Newman
University and Maryville College, and also teaches middle
and high school flute students. As second flute, Jill also
sometimes plays piccolo with the KSO. The piccolo has a
very important role in Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to
the Orchestra, as the instrument that begins the fugue.
When not playing or teaching music, Jill is busy pursuing
her other passion, yoga. She became a certified
instructor in 2011, and currently teaches classes several times
a week. Jill’s free time is spent with her husband
One of the newer members of the Knoxville
Symphony Orchestra is Aaron Apaza, who
plays Principal Bassoon. Aaron grew up in South
Dakota but has lived in several cities in the
United States to study or perform as a professional musician. Before coming to
Knoxville he was a member of several other
symphony orchestras. The bassoon that Aaron plays is the same bassoon used in the Sesame Street band for years, played by Wally Kane (h p://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Wally_Kane). If you've ever heard bassoon on Sesame Street, it's Aaron’s instrument!
Mac and twin boys, Owen and Noah.
10 THE WOODWINDS
WHAT:
Wooden or metal tubes with holes in the tubing, to be covered or uncovered by the fingers to change the pitch.
WHERE:
Find this family in the middle of the orchestra.
HOW:
Sound is made by blowing across an open hole (flute, piccolo) or against a reed (clarinet, oboe, bassoon).
This causes the column of air in the instrument to vibrate, and the musician can change the pitch
by covering or uncovering certain holes on the body of the instrument.
WHY:
Composers use this family for color and sparkle. Each woodwind has a unique and distinct timbre.
HOW MANY: There are four main members: flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. Eight to twelve of these are
used in a full symphony. However, other wind instruments like the piccolo or English horn may be
added for additional colors.
The woodwind family sits together in the middle of the orchestra, behind the violins and violas. The name “woodwind” originated
because the instruments were once made of wood and are played using wind (by blowing). The flute is now made of silver or
sometimes gold. The flute has a cousin, very short and small, called the piccolo. This instrument plays the highest notes in the
orchestra. The clarinet is long and black. It is descended from an instrument called the chalumeau. The oboe is black in color, and
has a wider opening at the end called the bell. The oboe is an ancient instrument, once called the hautboy, in French. The oboe’s big
brother is the English horn. The largest instrument of the woodwind family is the bassoon, a very long wooden tube that has been
folded in half, so you can see the bell from the audience.
How they work:
The instruments in the Woodwind family used to be made of wood, which gives them their name.
Today, they are made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination. They are all
narrow cylinders or pipes with holes and a mouthpiece at the top. You play them by blowing air
through the mouthpiece (the “wind” in woodwind) and opening or closing the holes with your
fingers to change the pitch.
The mouthpieces for some woodwinds, including the clarinet, oboe and bassoon, use a thin piece
of wood called a reed, which vibrates when you blow across it. The clarinet uses a single reed
made of one piece of wood, while the oboe and bassoon use a double reed made of two pieces
joined together.
The smaller woodwinds play higher pitches while the longer and larger instruments play the lower
pitches.
11 THE STRINGS
Principal Cellist Andy Bryenton has played with the
KSO for thirty years. He lived and studied in the
northeastern U.S. before moving to Knoxville. Besides
his duties with the orchestra, he gives private cello
lessons in his home studio and teaches at Carson Newman University. He also plays with a local gypsy jazz
ensemble. Andy is also well known by the KSO staff for
Principal Harpist Cindy Hicks has been with the
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra for fifteen years.
During the summer, she travels with her harp to the
Bear Valley Music Festival in California, and plays for
the Assisi Music Festival in Assisi, Italy. In 1994,
Cindy was one of only two US citizens to compete in
the International Harp Contest in Israel held in
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
the delicious tomatoes he grows in the summer!
12 THE STRINGS
WHAT:
Wooden, hollow-bodied instruments strung with metal strings across a bridge.
WHERE:
Find this family in the front of the orchestra and along the sides.
HOW:
Sound is produced by a vibrating string that is bowed with a bow made of horse tail hair.
The air then resonates in the hollow body. Other playing techniques include pizzicato
(plucking the strings), collegno (playing with the wooden part of the bow), and doublestopping (bowing two strings at once).
WHY:
Composers use these instruments for their singing quality and depth of sound.
HOW MANY: There are four sizes of stringed instruments: violin, viola, cello and bass. A total of fortyfour are used in full orchestra.
The string family is the largest family in the orchestra, accounting for over half of the total number of
musicians on stage. The string instruments all have carved, hollow, wooden bodies with four strings running
from top to bottom. The instruments have basically the same shape but vary in size, from the smaller
violins and violas, which are played by being held firmly under the chin and either bowed or plucked, to the
larger cellos and basses, which stand on the floor, supported by a long rod called an end pin. The cello is
always played in a seated position, while the bass is so large that a musician must stand or sit on a very high
stool in order to play it. These stringed instruments developed from an older instrument called the viol,
which had six strings. The violin as we know it today was developed by master-craftsmen in 16th-century
Italy.
There is one more member of the string family: the harp. It is found at the
end of the violin section, and its forty-seven strings are plucked, not bowed.
How they work:
The bodies of the stringed instruments, which are hollow inside allow sound to vibrate within
them are made of different kinds of wood. The part of the instrument that vibrates to
make sound is the strings, which are made of nylon or steel.
The stringed instruments are played most often by drawing a bow across them, the handle of
the bow is made of wood and the strings of the bow are actually horsehair from horses’ tails!
Sometimes the musicians will use their fingers to pluck the strings.
The smaller instruments, the violin and viola, make higher pitched sounds, while the larger
cello and double bass produce low rich sounds.
13 THE BRASS
Phillip Chase Hawkins plays Principal Trumpet with the KSO. He
Sande MacMorran plays Principal Tuba with the
also regularly teaches and plays with ensembles in Kentucky, but
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. He was a founding
he has performed in concert halls all over the world. Chase plays
member of the Army Brass Quintet while serving
many styles of music besides classical: bluegrass, jazz, salsa,
with the United States Army Band in Washington,
funk, soul and other popular music. Chase started playing the
D.C. from 1971—1974. Sande recently retired from
trumpet at age 10, but before working on music pieces, he spent
teaching tuba and euphonium at the University of
over a month making sounds on the mouthpiece because it was
Tennessee. He is also Music Director Emeritus of
weird and made funny sounds, like a horse. These sounds are
the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra and serves
actually his favorite thing about the trumpet along with using
as the Music Director of the Appalachian Ballet.
mutes (like a plunger placed in the end of the trumpet bell) and
other objects to change the sound.
14 THE BRASS
WHAT:
Long brass tubes that are curled around, ending in bells.
WHERE:
Find this family in the back of the orchestra.
HOW:
Sound is made by buzzing the lips into a cup-shaped mouthpiece. The valves are used to change the
length of the tubing and alter the pitch. The musician can also control the pitch using lip pressure.
WHY:
Composers use the brass family for big themes and brilliant passages.
HOW MANY: There are four main members of this family: trumpet, French horn, trombone and tuba. Eleven to
fourteen brass instruments will be found in the orchestra.
The brass family usually sits across the back of the orchestra. The French horn is a very long brass tube
wrapped around in a circle several times. If you unwound a horn’s tubing, it would be twenty-two feet long! The
trumpet is the smallest member of the family and therefore plays the highest pitches. The trombone is an
ancient instrument that has not changed much since the early times. Part of the trombone’s tube, called a slide,
is movable, sliding in and out to change the pitch. The last and largest member of the brass family is the tuba.
The tuba was first used in a symphony orchestra by Richard Wager.
How they work:
How do you think the brass family got its name? If you think it’s because the
instruments are made of brass—you’re right! This family of instruments can play
louder than any other in the orchestra and can be heard from far away. Early brass
instruments were made of wood, tusks, animal horns or shells, but today’s modern
instruments are made entirely of brass. They are very long pipes that widen at their
ends into a bell-like shape. The pipes have been curved and twisted into different shapes to make
them easier to hold and play.
Like the woodwind family, brass players use their breath to produce sound, but instead of blowing
into a reed, they vibrate their own lips by buzzing them against a metal cup-shaped mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece amplifies the buzzing lips, which creates the sound. Brass players change pitch by
pressing different valves which open and close different parts of the pipe and by buzzing their lips
harder/faster or softer/slower. To change pitch on the trombone you push or pull the slide into one
of seven different positions.
15 THE PERCUSSION
Bob Adamcik has played with the KSO for over 25 seasons. He
is Co-Principal Percussionist and Principal Timpanist for the
KSO. Bob is originally from Texas and played with many symphonies there before coming to Tennessee. Bob enjoys playing
racquetball, canoeing, hiking and spending time with his two
children and his wife Barbara, who plays the French Horn.
16 THE PERCUSSION
WHAT:
Various instruments of wood or metal that are usually struck with mallets.
WHERE:
Find this family in the back of the orchestra, mostly on the left side.
HOW:
Sound made by striking the instruments.
WHY:
Composers use percussion instruments to give style and flair to a piece. This family provides the
most noticeable rhythm to a piece.
HOW MANY: There are many instruments in this family. In orchestras, one musician is assigned to play the
timpani, and then two to four additional musicians cover the remaining instruments.
The percussion family of the orchestra is found on the far left side of the orchestra. Most of the percussion
instruments are struck with mallets or sticks. One group of instruments in this family is the drums. Timpani,
the pitched drums, stand alone and have one designated player. Other drums are the bass drum, the field
drum, the snare drum, and even the drum set. You can hear other percussion sounds created by cymbals,
triangles, wood blocks, tambourines, sleigh bells and many others. Sometimes a composer uses tuned percussion instruments such as xylophones (tuned metal bars) and the glockenspiel (very high-pitched metal bars).
The piano is also a member of the percussion family because its strings are struck with felt-covered hammers.
How they work:
The percussion family is the largest in the orchestra. Percussion
instruments include any instrument that makes a sound when it is
struck, shaken or scraped. Some percussion instruments are tuned
and can sound different notes (xylophone, timpani or piano) and some
are untuned with no definite pitch (bass drum, cymbals or castanets).
Percussion instruments are important because they help keep the
rhythm and create sounds that add excitement and color. Unlike most
of the other players in the orchestra, a percussionist will usually play
many different instruments in one piece of music. They also use
different kinds of mallets, sticks or brushes to change the sound when
playing an instrument.
17 LESSONS &ACTIVITIES:
WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY TRACY WARD, SEQUOYAH ELEMENTARY
The following pages are available in clean copy for projection and as an activboard link on the KSO website:
http://www.knoxvillesymphony.com/education-community/young-peoples-concerts/
Page 18: Exploring Theme and Variations—Explain that composers often create their music in a form called theme and
variations. To illustrate theme and variations, the teacher will designate the theme by decorating the first T-shirt (polka
dots, stripes, etc.) Ask individual students to come up to the board and decorate each of the variation shirts in a way that
elaborates on the theme (diagonal, larger/smaller, etc.) Tell them that theme and variations works the same way—different
versions of the same tune.
Page 19 & 20: Listening to Theme and Variations*-See directions for the listening map, discuss with students what they
will hear, and play the piece, helping students to follow the map.
*This requires an uncut recording of the piece. There is one attached to the ActivBoard flipchart. If you are not able to
use the flipchart, follow this link for a complete version of the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki5OneF3Y7I. If you can not access YouTube at
school, you may need to download it ahead of time, or purchase a recording from iTunes.
Page 21: Moving to Theme and Variations-Have students create a parachute* routine to show the different variations in the Ives piece. Encourage them to
choose a movement that fits the character of each particular variation. Here are some possibilities:
Walk slowly in a circle, change directions
Skip or gallop in a circle
Inflate parachute
Sway right and left
Do “the wave”
Slow, gentle waves
Shake the parachute quickly
*If you don’t have access to a parachute, substitute something else such as scarves, paper plates, beanbags, etc.
Page 22: Exploring Meter-Lead students in experimenting with the movements indicated as they sing different patriotic songs. Be sure that they are listening
for the strong beat to land in the right place. Then draw a line from the title of the song to its appropriate movement.
Page 23: Be a Conductor-Now that they know the meters for the songs, let students try conducting as they sing, using the conducting patterns illustrated.
Page 24: The British Connection-The song we know as “America” actually comes from England. In England this song is “God Save the Queen.” Have students
sing these words to discover that the two tunes are the same.
Follow the link below to watch Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra performed by the New York Philharmonic way back in 1961, with Leonard
Bernstein conducting. If you are not able to use the ActivBoard flipchart, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJjjzuK1Svg, and start at 33:25.
You may need to download the video to your computer ahead of time.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR VARIATIONS ON AMERICA LISTENING MAP
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Additional Activities/Resources for Teachers:
1. Have students memorize America (My Country, ’Tis of Thee) and be prepared to
sing it at the concert.
2. Benjamin Britten often felt like an outsider. He went away to boarding school,
but hated being separated from his family and was upset by the bullying he saw in
other boys. He lived in a foreign country four years and he was a conscientious
objector during wartime (someone who refuses to fight because he/she believes
fighting is very wrong). Discuss what it feels like to be different and how we treat
people with differences.
3. To learn more about Benjamin Britten, check out www.britten100.org, a website
filled with media, games, and links to resources. Watch a video about Britten’s
life—click “New to Britten?” and then the tab “THE MAN.”
4. Discuss the four families of the orchestra and have students tell what they know
about them. How can they tell them apart? What does each family do best? Have
students divide a piece of paper into four sections and write a family name
(woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings) in each section. Listen to each family play
the theme from Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Tracks: 4, 5, 6, 7) Have
students draw an instrument they hear prominently and write down adjectives to
describe the family’s sound. Encourage students to think beyond “high/low, loud/
soft, happy/sad” For example: Brass: strong, regal, bold or Woodwinds: delicate,
bright, airy.
5. Remind your students that every instrument they learn about is played by a person—someone with a family, hobbies, and a great passion for orchestral music.
Learn more about Knoxville Symphony Musicians at www.knoxvillesymphony.com/
meet-the-orchestra
6. With multiple listenings, encourage your students to sing or hum along with Purcell’s theme used in Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
7. Discuss the difference between Purcell’s orchestration for strings only and a
modern orchestra which includes woodwinds, brass, and percussion along with more
strings. How do the two themes compare? How do the added instruments make
Britten’s music sound different almost 250 years later?
8. Visit http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/music/kamien9e/part01/chapter02/
youngpersonsguide/brittenguideinteractive.htm for an interactive listening experience of Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra which shows the instruments as they
are playing.
9. As a class, choose one common theme for creating a collage (e.g. seasons, food,
sports, etc.). Provide materials and time for students to create their collages. Compare the final products and discuss how the common theme was represented by a
variety of responses. How is this similar/different from Britten’s “theme and variations?”
10. In small groups or as individuals, have students create “fractured fairy tales,”
where students choose a familiar story, like Goldilocks, and change one of the following: setting, characters, time or outcome in such a way that the original story can
still be recognized. For example: the bears could come to Goldilocks’ home and do
what she did in their home in the original story. Following, engage students in a
discussion of how their stories can be related to the idea of theme and variations.
11. Lead students to create variations on a familiar tune. You can keep this simple
and just do faster/slower, louder/softer, major/minor, or if your students are more
advanced they may suggest rhythmic, metric or stylistic changes.
Additional Resources Available:
www.knoxvillesymphony.com
Core Standards addressed by the concert and/or the activities in this
Teacher’s Guide:
Creating
Performing
Responding
Connecting
MU:Cr2-3.a
MU:CR2-4.a
MU:Cr2-5.a
MU:CR3-3.a
MUCR3-4.a
MU:Cr3-5.a
MU:Pr4-3.a
MU:Pr4-4.a
MU:Pr4-5.a
MU:Pr4-3.b
MU:Pr4-4.b
MU:Pr4-5.b
MU:Pr4-3.c
MU:Pr4.4-c
MU:Pr4-5.c
MU:Pr5-3.a
MU:Pr5-4.a
MU:Pr5-5.a
MU:Pr5-3.b
MU:Pr5-4.b
MU:Pr5-5.b
MU:Pr6-3.a
MU:Pr6-4.a
MU:Pr6-5.a
MU:Pr6-3.b
MU:Pr6-4.b
MU:Pr6-5.b
MU:Re7-e.a
MU:Re7-4.a
MU:Re7-5.a
MU:Re7-3.b
MU:Re7-4.b
MU:Re7-5.b
MU:Re8-3.a
MU:Re8-4.a
MU:Re8-5.a
MU:Re8-3.b
MU:Re8-4.b
MU:Re8-5.b
MU:Re9-3.a
MU:Re9-4.a
MU:Re9-5.a
MU:Cn11-3.a
MU:Cn11-4.a
MU:Cn11-5.a
MU:Cn11-3.b
MU:Cn11-4.b
MU:Cn11-5.b
Activities from Music Textbooks
For Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Music Teacher’s Almanac by Loretta Mitchell: ppg. 57, 3-8 (Theme & Variations section only)
Spotlight on Music, Grade 2: ppg. 228-229 (excerpt), also page 162 in Teacher’s Resource Masters
Spotlight on Music, Grade 2: Interactive Listening Maps CD_ROM
Music and You, Grade 5: biography of Benjamin Britten, Percussion Match Game, listening map for percussion variation
For Variations on America:
Share the Music, Grade 4: ppg. 302-303 (excerpt played on the organ with listening map)
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For their generous support of our
Young People’s Concerts,
the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
gratefully acknowledges:
SHEENA McCALL
NISWONGER FOUNDATION
ROTARY CLUB OF KNOXVILLE
Akima Club
Knoxville Symphony League
Tennessee Arts Commission
Turkey Creek Land Partners
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
IN EDUCATION:
Sarah
Cummings, Knox County Schools Elementary
Professional Development
Tracy Ward, Sequoyah Elementary School, Teacher’s
Guide
KSO Education Advisory Council
October 26, 27 & 28, 2016
Knoxville Civic Auditorium
November 3, 2016
Niswonger Performing Arts Center,
Greeneville, TN
Aram Demirjian, Music Director
James Fellenbaum,
Resident Conductor
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America (My Country ’Tis of Thee)
Traditional
Variations on America
Introduction
Theme
Variation I (woodwinds)
Variation IV (trombone, tuba, castanets)
Charles Ives
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Benjamin Britten
Theme: Allegro maestoso e largamente e tutti
Variation A: Presto (piccolo and flutes)
Variation B: Lento (oboes)
Variation C: Moderato (clarinets)
Variation D: Allegro alla Marcia (bassoons)
Variation E: Brillante: alle polacca (violins)
Variation F: Meno mosso (violas)
Variation G: Lusingando (cellos)
Variation H: Cominciando lento ma poco a poco accel. al
Allegro (double basses)
Variation I: Maestoso (harp)
Variation J: L’istesso tempo (horns)
Variation K: Vivace (trumpets)
Variation L: Allegro pomposo (trombones and bass tuba)
Variation M: Moderato (percussion)
Fugue: Allegro molto
Bugler’s Dream
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Leo Arnaud
John Williams
Meet the Conductor
The conductor of an orchestra is the leader. Conductors must know a great deal about music, the great composers, and
their works. Also, conductors must have the personality and skill to direct many players at once and help them work as a
team. Often a conductor holds a baton that is used to mark the beats of the music for the orchestra to follow. Conductors
may sometimes know how to play more than one instrument, but they do not need to know every instrument in depth.
Instead, they understand how each instrument works and the special qualities of each instrument. Most importantly, the
conductor learns each piece of music well enough to guide all the players in an exciting performance.
Baton - A wooden stick, approximately 1 foot in length, that the conductor uses
James Fellenbaum
to communicate with the orchestra. The baton helps the musicians see the
conductor’s motions so that they can play better together.
James Fellenbaum was born in Alexandria, Virginia. His father and mother could play piano a little bit, but weren’t very musical. James started to play the guitar and
piano at an early age, but did not continue those instruments. When he was in fourth grade, he decided he wanted to learn to play the cello. He originally wanted to play
the double bass, but the string teacher told him he was too short! (The famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma also wanted to play the double bass when he started, but he was too
short too!!) In middle school and high school James played soccer, wrote interesting English papers, enjoyed learning about psychology and kept practicing the cello. He
liked the cello so much that he went to college to study music.
He got a degree in cello performance, but meanwhile he discovered that he liked conducting. He began to study conducting and went to Northwestern University in
Evanston, IL, to earn a masters degree in conducting. While in Evanston he continued to play the cello, conducted an orchestra at a Chicago university and was music
director of a youth symphony for high school and middle school orchestra players. After living in Evanston for many years (and in Texas for a few years), he moved to
Knoxville in 2003.
James is the resident conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, for which he assists the music director and conducts community concerts, Young People’s
Concerts, and has conducted the annual Fourth of July concert. He is also the music director of the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra and
director of orchestras at The University of Tennessee. He enjoys working with performers of all ages, and conducting the students in the Youth
Orchestra and at UT allows him to work with young musicians. James conducts the UT Symphony Orchestra and UT Chamber Orchestra, as well
as UT Opera performances, which he really enjoys.
Besides the KSO and UT, James has conducted in many places around the world. Some places are close by like Johnson City, TN and Kingsport,
TN. Other places in the U.S.A. include Waukegan, IL, and Fort Wayne, IN. And, he has also conducted overseas in Russia, Bulgaria and
Satu-Mare, Romania.
James likes watching sports and sports programs on TV and visiting interesting websites on his computer. He really likes science-fiction movies,
like The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and the Star Wars movies. He also has a cat named Scherzo (named after a kind of music), a cat named
Pirate (not named after anything musical), a giant white dog named Zubin (named after a famous conductor) and a daughter, Kiri (named after a
famous singer).
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MY CONCERT REVIEW: KSO KIDS’ GUIDE
TO THE ORCHESTRA
Use the following prompts to have your students write a concert review and send it to the KSO!
Attn: Jennifer Harrell, P.O. Box 360, Knoxville, TN 37901-0360
1. Think about your recent visit with your class to hear the KSO Kids’ Guide to the
Orchestra. In your own words, write about the performance:
2. Think about the music you heard. Choose one piece and describe the theme and your favorite
variation on that theme.
Job Description:
Audience
Please help make this a good
performance by showing how to be a
good audience.
Be quiet as the lights dim and the
concert begins.
Clap when the concertmaster enters
at the beginning of the concert.
Clap again when the conductor enters
at the beginning of the concert.
Clap to welcome any soloists during
the concert.
3. Describe the instruments in your favorite family of the orchestra. What role did they play in
the
concert?
During the performance watch the
conductor. When the conductor puts
his hands down and turns to face the
audience the piece is completed.
At the end of a piece, clap to let the
musicians know you like what you
hear.
4. What was your favorite part of the concert?
5. If you could change something about the concert, what would it be?
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
P.O. Box 360
Knoxville, TN 37901
6. Write a sentence you would say to your parents to ask them to take you and your friend to hear
the symphony again. Remember students get in free!
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SPONSORS:
Concert
Behavior
The musicians who are performing for
you would like to have your help in
making this a wonderful concert. It
is important to remember that the
orchestra is in the same room with
you, not in a movie or on TV. If you
talk or make other noises, they can
SHEENA MCCALL
NISWONGER FOUNDATION
ROTARY CLUB OF KNOXVILLE
AKIMA CLUB
Knoxville Symphony League
Tennessee Arts Commission
Turkey Creek Land Partners
hear you. If you get up and leave in
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS IN EDUCATION:
the middle of the performance, they
Knox County Schools’ Board of Education
can see you. These things could
make the musicians take their minds
off their music and they may not be
able to perform at their best. These
things can also be distracting to
those around you.
Connect with us!
865-291-3310
www.knoxvillesymphony.com
Tracy Ward, Sequoyah Elementary, Teacher’s Guide
Andy Adzima, Inskip Elementary, Education Advisory Council
Sheree Beeler, Shannondale Elementary, Education Advisory Council
Liz Britt, Webb School of Knoxville, Education Advisory Council
Sarah Cummings, Knox County Elementary Professional Development, Advisory Council
Allison Hendrix, Northshore Elementary, Education Advisory Council
Kristin Luttrell, Gibbs Elementary, Education Advisory Council
Lee Ann Parker, Bearden Elementary, Education Advisory Council
Mary Beth Townsend, Sacred Heart Cathedral School, Education Advisory Council