presenting sponsor - Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Transcription

PRESENTING SPONSOR
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1919, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is the third
largest symphony orchestra in Canada. The VSO performs to an
annual audience of more than 200,000 people and performs
over 150 concerts annually in the historic Orpheum Theatre, as
well as in venues throughout the Lower Mainland. As a cultural
staple of the Lower Mainland, VSO Education Programs are
experienced by over 50,000 students annually.
Maestro Bramwell Tovey has been the VSO’s Music Director
since 2000. He is known for his extraordinary artistic leadership
and passionate advocacy for music education. In 2008, the
VSO won a GRAMMY award and JUNO award and completed
a successful tour to China and Korea, the first such tour by a
Canadian Orchestra in over 30 years. The VSO’s mission is to
enhance the quality of life in our city and region by presenting
high-quality performances of classical and popular music to
a wide variety of audiences, and offering educational and
community programs.
Music
Director
Maestro Bramwell Tovey
The Orpheum Theatre
Home of the Vancouver Symphony
Designed in 1927 by architect Benjamin Marcus
Priteca, the Orpheum Theatre is Canada’s
last great entertainment palace, and one
of Vancouver’s most spectacular heritage
buildings. Since its opening, the Orpheum has
hosted vaudeville, cinema, musical theatre,
concerts, ballet, opera, and children’s shows.
The building is a masterpiece of theatre design,
with a magnificently painted dome soaring
above ornate plaster carvings, gold leaf, and
crystal chandeliers. Great care was taken with
the acoustics of the building: the sound is so
clear that musicians can hear a whisper in the
very last row of the highest balcony, and the
audience can hear every note played on stage.
In 1973, Famous Players slated the Orpheum
for demolition, but thousands of Vancouverites
wanted to save it. The City of Vancouver
responded, rescuing and renovating the theatre.
Maestro Bramwell Tovey is the Music Director of the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra. A musician of striking versatility, Bramwell Tovey
is acknowledged around the world for his artistic depth and warm,
charismatic personality on the podium. Tovey’s career as a conductor is
uniquely enhanced by his work as a composer and pianist, lending him a
remarkable musical perspective.
Recently named Principal Guest Conductor for the Los Angeles
Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, he frequently works with the
Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, among many others.
Tovey is also known as a champion of new music, both as conductor and
composer. As a composer, Tovey was honored with the Best Canadian
Classical Composition Juno Award in 2003 for his Requiem for a Charred
Skull. New works include a full-length opera for the Calgary Opera, The
Inventor, which was premiered in January of 2011.
Tovey has been awarded honorary degrees, including a Fellowship from
the Royal Academy of Music in London, honorary Doctorates from the
Universities of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Kwantlen University College, as
well as a Royal Conservatory of Music Fellowship in Toronto.
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VSO Elementary School Concerts 11/12 Simard’s Animal Kingdom
Members of the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra
first violins
Dale Barltrop, Concertmaster
Joan Blackman, Associate Concertmaster
Claude Halter, Assistant Concertmaster
Jennie Press, Second Assistant Concertmaster
Robin Braun
Mary Sokol Brown
Jenny Essers
Jason Ho
Akira Nagai, Associate Concertmaster Emeritus
Xue Feng Wei
Rebecca Whitling
Yi Zhou
Nancy DiNovo ◊
Kimi Hamaguchi ◊
Paul Luchkow ◊
Ruth Schipizky ◊
second violins
Brent Akins, Principal
Karen Gerbrecht, Associate Principal
Jeanette Bernal-Singh, Assistant Principal
Adrian Shu-On Chui
Daniel Norton
Ann Okagaito
Ashley Plaut
Maya De Forest ◊
DeAnne Eisch ◊
Pamela Marks ◊
violas
Neil Miskey, Principal
Andrew Brown, Associate Principal
Stephen Wilkes, Assistant Principal
Lawrence Blackman
Angela Schneider
Ian Wenham
Chi Ng ◊
Reginald Quiring ◊
Marcus Takizawa ◊
cellos
Janet Steinberg, Associate Principal
Zoltan Rozsnyai, Assistant Principal
Olivia Blander
Natasha Boyko
Joseph Elworthy
Charles Inkman
Cristian Markos
Ari Barnes ◊
basses
Dylan Palmer, Principal
Chang-Min Lee, Associate Principal
David Brown
J. Warren Long
Frederick Schipizky
Christopher Light ◊
Leanna Wong ◊
flutes
Christie Reside, Principal
Nadia Kyne, Assistant Principal
Rosanne Wieringa
piccolo
Nadia Kyne
oboes
Roger Cole, Principal
Beth Orson, Assistant Principal
Karin Walsh
English horn
Beth Orson
clarinets
Jeanette Jonquil, Principal §
Cris Inguanti, Assistant Principal
Todd Cope
e-flat clarinet
Todd Cope
bass clarinet
Cris Inguanti
bassoons
Julia Lockhart, Principal
Sophie Dansereau, Assistant Principal §
Gwen Seaton
contrabassoon
Sophie Dansereau §
French horns
Oliver de Clercq, Principal
David Haskins, Associate Principal
Benjamin Kinsman
Fourth Horn
Richard Mingus, Assistant Principal
trumpets
Larry Knopp, Principal
Marcus Goddard, Associate Principal
Vincent Vohradsky
trombones
Nathan Zgonc, Principal
Gregory A. Cox
bass trombone
Douglas Sparkes
tuba
Ellis Wean, Principal §
Peder MacLellan, Principal ∆
timpani
Aaron McDonald, Principal
percussion
Vern Griffiths, Principal
Tony Phillipps
harp
Elizabeth Volpé, Principal
Heidi Krutzen ◊
piano, celeste
Linda Lee Thomas, Principal
◊
∆
§
Simard’s Animal Kingdom
Bramwell Tovey
Music Director
Kazuyoshi Akiyama
Conductor Laureate
Jeff Tyzik
Principal Pops Conductor
Pierre Simard
Assistant Conductor
Edward Top
Composer-in-Residence
Education Staff
Joanne Harada
Vice-President,
Artistic Operations & Education
Susan Hudson
Education Manager
Pearl Schachter
Artistic Operations & Education Assistant
Programme
2010 Traffic Jam
Jared Miller
This Land is Your Land
Guthrie arr. Kenny
lyrics by Barbara Adler
And God Created Great Whales
Alan Hovhaness
Finlandia
Jean Sibelius
Map of the City/Map of the World
Jeffrey Ryan
Peer Gynt:
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Edvard Grieg
La Mer
Claude Debussy
Guthrie arr. Kenny
lyrics by Barbara Adler
Extra musician
One-year Position
Leave of Absence
VSO Elementary School Concerts 11/12
The Firebird:
Infernal Dance
Igor Stravinsky
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soundscapes
1.
1.2.
Take your students for a walk in an environment - it can be familiar or unfamiliar, indoors or outdoors- having them listen for aural landmarks. Before embarking on your walk, take a few minutes to open their
ears, and listen to the silence in your classroom. Is it really completely silent? Have your students identify
some of the sounds that they hear. How is the sound landscape of the environment you’ve chosen for your
walk different and the same from the classroom?
Using one of the five ecosystems that your students will encounter at Simard’s Animal Kingdom (city,
ocean, mountain, forest and arctic) create short soundscapes in small groups. Students can use one, or a
combination of, words, found sounds, and instruments.
Have students think about the sounds that they encountered on your class walk, and brainstorm different
aural cues they might hear in their new ecosystem. Consider nature, human and animal influence.
Talk about different ways to represent or recreate these sounds. For example, climbing a mountain could
be something as simple as getting higher in pitch.
The soundscapes could have a narrative, or simply aim to evoke a mood or atmosphere.
For a bonus, encourage them to use found sounds from the ecosystem itself. i.e. a short piece about the
mountains could be a veritable rock opera!
3.
Have your students perform their soundscapes for the rest of the class. For a twist, keep each group’s
ecosystem a secret over the course of the compositional period. This way, the students can guess what
ecosystem each group is describing with their music. Have them remark on different features of the
ecosystem in terms of aural landmarks.
This fall, we’re incorporating a visual arts element
into our show, and your students are the artists!
Print off the Simard’s Animal Kingdom student
activity PDF available for download on our
Elementary School Website! Have your students
send in their artwork, to be featured on the concertday video screens in the theatre.
student activity
3.
Check out the link on the back cover for
some helpful tips on teaching outdoors!
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Pierre Simard conductor
This is Pierre Simard’s second season as Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra. He is also Artistic Director of both the Vancouver Island
Symphony (BC) and the Orchestre Symphonique de Drummondville (QC). Having
served as Associate Conductor with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, he also
performs as guest conductor with major orchestras in Milwaukee, Toronto, Ottawa
(National Arts Centre), Victoria, Hamilton, Okanagan, Hot Springs (AR), TroisRivières, Québec’s Les Violons du Roy and Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain.
Recipient of many honours, Pierre Simard was awarded the Canada Council’s
Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Conducting, recognizing his work on a national
scale. He is also grantee of the Québec Music Council, the Québec Arts Council
and the Montreal Mayor’s Foundation.
A passionate defender of orchestral repertoire, Pierre Simard devotes himself to
reinventing the concert form, combining his fresh ideas, fantasy and humour with
music. His outstanding creativity and engagement with youth audiences inspire
him to write and perform original symphonic shows, featured all across Canada.
Holder of a Master’s Degree in Conducting from the Peabody Institute and five
Conservatory Prizes from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Pierre
Simard studied with Raffi Armenian, Frederik Prausnitz, JoAnn Falletta and Marin
Alsop.
The VSO’s Assistant Conductor position is made possible with the support of the
Canada Council for the Arts.
Barbara Adler poet, performer
Barbara Adler doesn’t faze easily. In her ten years of touring, she has told stories, performed poetry, and played her
accordion all over North America and Europe. She’s appeared in every conceivable variation of bar, night club, high
school, coffee shop, theater, folk festival, hockey rink, living room, elementary school classroom, and converted art
gallery\church\tattoo-parlor. Quick-witted, warmly funny, and charmingly adventurous, Barbara Adler travels well.
Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Barbara first started writing and performing for the Vancouver Poetry
Slam. She’s been a Canadian Team Slam Champ, a CBC PGI Laureate and a CBC Poetry Face Off Winner. She also tied
with Allison Boyce and Katie Marsh to win the “Be the Best You Can Be” award in Grade 7.
As a founding member of the critically acclaimed folk band, The Fugitives, Barbara has helped bring spoken word to
musical audiences around the world. She continues that work with her own band, Fang, which combines disastrously
energetic word and song mash-ups, with an idiosyncratic take on accordion playing meant to make you forget anything
Polka has ever done to you.
Barbara performs and teaches spoken word in schools across Canada, and works extensively with literacy organizations
in British Columbia to bring poetry to teens and adult learners all over the province. She is the schools liaison and lead
presenter of the B.C. Schizophrenia Society’s ReachOut Psychosis concert tour, which has shared its message with
over 85, 000 high school students in British Columbia. She has led workshops at the VPL Book and Writing Summer
Camp, and is a mentor for the Vancouver East Cultural Center’s Youth Spoken Word Intensive.
Her latest storytelling project, The B.C. Memory Game, collects, creates and shares stories from her travels.
For more information about Barbara and her work, visit: www.badler.ca
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Dear Maestro Simard,
In anticipation of your imminent visits to the various ecosystems of
western Canada, please find enclosed a Top Secret dossier. It is our hope
that the following reconnaissance will prepare you for the sights and
sounds that you may encounter on your travels!
Signed,
Your Sleuthing Friends in Music & Ecology
p.s. Please find below some interesting terms that we encountered!
Programme
Music
...means music that depicts a story, evokes a scene, or conveys a specific non-musical idea. An example
wold be Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, which depicts the ascent and descent of a mountain, in 22
musical excerpts, with titles such as “By the Waterfall,” “Summit” and “In Thicket and Underbrush on
the Wrong Path”. The opposite of programme music is called “absolute music,” or music which doesn’t
try to represent any non-musical ideas.
Ecosystems
... are biological communities of living organisms (that is to say, animals, plants and micro-organisms)
interacting with their enviroment (soil, light, water, climate). An ecosystem is not limited by size and can
be a small pond, or a tree, to something as large as the entire planet. The major ecosystem categories
are 1) aquatic (fresh water or salt water) and 2) terrestial (forest, alpine, desert...).
Animal Kingdom
... is the classification of all animals, living and extinct. Species of animals are classified by the similarities
they share with other animals. The first level of classification is invertebrates (animals without a backbone;
includes arachnids, crustaceans, insects) and vertebrates (animals with a backbone; includes fish, amphibians,
marsupials, reptiles, birds, primates, mammals, rodents). Did you know that the word “animal” originates
from the Latin language, and the word animalis which means “to have breath”?
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Western Canada/Ecosystems
In the City.
The city landscape is constantly shifting, in all dimensions.
Watch the time lapse video of South False Creek, available at Science
World’s website: http://timelapse.scienceworld.ca/timelapseplayer.htm
How do you think the soundscape in this neighbourhood has changed
over the past four years?
Which city
animal walked
across this page?
Find the animal
tracks on pages
7-11 and see
page 13 for
answers!
Urban Sightings
Jared Miller b. 1988
has made a name for himself as one
of Canada’s up and coming young
musical talents. Highlights from past
seasons include commissions from the
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and
Sara Buechner, collaborations with the
Victoria Symphony and the Juilliard
Dance Department and debuts as a
pianist in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center
and the Chan Center for the Performing
Arts. A graduate of the UBC School of
Music, Miller is currently completing
his Masters in Music Composition at
the Juilliard School with Samuel Adler.
When he’s not composing or playing
piano, Jared enjoys eating, bike riding
and watching cartoons!
Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis
The skunk is one of the
most commonly sighted
wild mammals in urban
Canada. The striped
skunk is an omnivore,
meaning that it has a
varied diet consisting of
both plants and animals.
Skunks are one of the
main predators of honey
bees! Their thick fur
serves as protection from
bee stings. The skunk
will scratch the front
of the hive, prompting
tasty guard bees to come
investigate.
Jeffrey Ryan b. 1962
Bald Eagle
has been praised for his
Haliaeetus
“strong and unique voice,”
leucocephalus
“masterful command
Every winter,
of instrumental colour,”
between
and “superb attention to
November
and
rhythm,” Jeffrey Ryan
February, up to
has emerged as one
2000 Bald Eagles
of Canada’s leading
migrate to the
composers. From 2002
West Coast of
to 2007, Ryan was
B.C., to prey on
the VSO’s
Salmon. Get a
Composer- insneak peek with
the CBC’s live
Residence. “Map of the
eagle cams:
City/Map of the World” is
set to text by
http://www.cbc.
by Albertan poet
ca/bc/features/
Robert Kroetsch.
eaglecam/
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Ecosystem: City
Every Ecosystem has a particular acoustic environment, or soundscape.
In the 1960’s and 70’s, the world soundscape project was developed
by R. Murray Schafer at Simon Fraser University. The project saw the
collection of sound samples, and acoustic profiles, of environments
and communities clear across the country. While one of the goals of
the project was to educate people about soundscapes and noise pollution, another was to preserve soundmarks (other than landmarks), and
dying sounds. The recording process started right here, in Vancouver,
with the recording “Entrance to the Harbour,” tracking the movement
of a boat. The boat’s original journey, lasting 30 minutes, is edited
down into 7 minutes. How is an unedited soundfile different than one
that has been cut by a composer. Is one more “art” than the other?
“Ever since Vancouver was
chosen as the Olympic
host, we have witnessed its
transformation into a bustling
metropolis. Concurrently, our
city’s soundscape has become
consumed by the sounds of
new stadiums in construction,
improved transportation
and of course, the increased
traffic. Having spent hours
commuting, I have been
fortunate enough to hear
first-hand, the colourful array
of traffic sounds; from the
shrill cry of a traffic whistle to
the drum-like sounds of busy
construction crews. The manic
cacophony of a traffic jam and
related human emotions were
the inspirations for this piece.”
Jared Miller
Ecosystem: Arctic
Ecosystem: City
Northbound.
The Arctic represents more than 40% of Canada’s land mass, and is home to more than 100,000 Canadians. The Canadian Arctic
spans the Northwest and Yukon Territories, Nunavut, and extends South into the provinces. Canada is one of only eight countries
world-wide with land mass in the Arctic. For centuries, explorers ventured into the Canadian Arctic in hopes of finding the
Northwest Passage, and new trade routes. In 1903-1906, Roald Amundsen of Norway was the first explorer to successfully navigate
his way through the Northwest Passage.
The Arctic Ocean is a unique ecosystem, with a large diversity of life. Life in the Arctic, including people, is shaped by the productivity
of the sea. The Arctic Ocean is the shallowest of all the oceans, and has great variation in temperature from one season to the next.
The ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean is fragile, slow to change, and equally slow to recover from damage. The Arctic is home to many
natural resources, the use of which can sometimes be controversial.
Reeled In
Migration
Alan Hovhaness b. 1911, d. 2000
Hovhaness has been described as
a 20th century, musical explorer,
as his compositional output
includes more than 500 works,
feautring diversely ranging
styles, and techniques. Over the
course of his career, Hovhaness’
music assimilates Renaissance
polyphony, the classical tradition
of South India, Japanese Gagaku
music and Korean Ah-ak music.
Arctic Cod
Arctogadus glacialis
Also known as the polar cod,
the Arctic cod is a deepwater
fish usually less than 25 cm
in size, but sometimes up
to 40 cm long. It has a dark,
bluish head and silver body
with a violet sheen, as well
as a protruding jaw. It feeds
on plankton and is, itself, the
main food source for many
marine mammals, seabirds
and other fish.
The Porcupine Caribou herd (Rangifer tarandus
granti) can be found in Canada’s Yukon and
Northwest Territories, and in Alaska. Every year the
herd migrates across great distances to reach their
calving grounds - land that is also in demand in the
name of oil field development.
In 2003, wildlife biologist, Karsten Heuer, and
environmentalist and filmmaker, Leanne Allison,
followed a herd of caribou across the Arctic tundra.
In addition to keeping travel diaries, they produced a
feature length documentary film of their trip, “Being
Caribou”, which can be watched online at Canada’s
National Film Board website:
www.nfb.ca/film/being_caribou
Fact! Did you know that in Canada’s Yukon
Territory, there are more caribou than people?
Whale
Song Some species of whales produce regular, predictable patterns of sound. The beluga whale, found in the Arctic
waters are nicknamed “sea canaries” because of the volume and frequency of their chatter! The songs help them to communicate
with other whales within their own species. Also, their sounds are used for echolocation, helping them to find food, breathing
holes in the sheets of Arctic Ocean ice, and to find their way around the ocean waters. Beluga sounds include clicks, squeals and
whistles. Songs found in nature have been known to inspire composers for hundreds of years - composers such as Vivaldi and
Mozart sought to recreate bird song through their compositions. In “God Created Great Whales,” Alan Hovhannes took this a step
further, and incorporated taped whale song into the piece!
8
Tree Line.
One way in which the different pieces of
an ecosystem are linked together is how
energy gets passed from one organism
to another. The food chain starts with
a primary energy source (e.g. the sun),
and moves on to primary producers,
also called autotrophs. An autotroph
is able to make it’s own food from the
primary energy source, as plants are
able to do from sunlight. Next in line
are the primary consumers, or animals
that eat autotrophs. These animals are
herbivores, or plant eaters. Secondary
consumers get their energy by feeding
on primary consumers. Can you think of
an example of each? How many more
consumers can you add to this chain?
The 19th century, Canadian
logging industry was
largely driven by European
demand, bringing waves of
immigration into Eastern
Canada. A good number
of Canada’s myths and
folk tales are tied to this
tradition.
The National Film Board’s
classic, 3-minute animated
film, “Log-Driver’s Waltz,”
with music performed by
Canadian folk legends Anna
and Kate McGarrigle, can
also be found at the NFB
website:
http://www.nfb.ca/film/log_
drivers_waltz/
Jean Sibelius b. 1865, d. 1957
Finnish composer Sibelius was a nature lover,
and was especially inspired by the beauty and
wonder of his homeland, Finland. His deep love
of nature is reflected in his compositions.
Sibelius first entered University as a law student,
but soon left his studies there to study music
at the Helsinki Music School. (Now called the
Sibelius Academy) Further studies in music took
him to Berlin and Vienna.
In 1892, Sibelius married Aino Järnefelt. They
lived a long life together, remaining married for
64 years until Sibelius’ death at the age of 91. He
is buried at his family’s home, which he named
‘Ainola,’ at Lake Tuusula, Järvenpää. This home
was made into a musem in 1974.
How big is a Hectare? One hectare is the same as
10 000 square metres.
Or: imagine a square, with
each side 100 metres in
length. For comparison: the green
space inside an athletic
track is usually about 1.12
hectares.
Canada has a total area of
738 454.17 hectares. This
includes 89 783.40 of water.
Of this area, 397 262.57
hectares are forest, wooded
land and other land with
tree cover. How many hectares does
this leave over? What would
you find on this land?
Pine Beetle
Dendroctonus ponderosae
Though the pine beetle is only
as big as a mosquito, they are
responsible for the largest beetle
epidemic to have been recorded
in North America.
Killing trees, scattering wildlife
and harming industry, these
bettles have 14,000 hectares of
forest in British Columbia. An
area about the same size as the
country of Greece!
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Ecosystem: Forest
Forestry has been an important industry in Canada, dating right back to the 1800s. Every year,
more than 30 billion dollars in exports come from this sector, though less than 1/400th of the
nation’s forests are harvested. In British Columbia, the forestry industry harvests less annually
than either Ontario or Quebec, but replants two to three times more than either of the other
two provinces. This reforestation initiative helps to ensure that forestry in B.C. is a sustainable
industry - reputedly forever! This is especially important to British Columbians because forestry is
a driving force in the provincial economy, and represents $12,000 annually for every household.
Ecosystem: Mountains
Ecosystem: City
Mountain Peak.
One fifth of the world is covered by mountain terrain, which is home to approximately one tenth of all people. Eighty
percent of fresh water on Earth originates in the mountains. Within a mountain ecosystem, there is an icredible
amount of biodiversity. This is, in part, because each level of the mountain receives different amounts of light and
precipitation, as well as having different temeperatures. As far as trees grow, the alpine larch flourishes in higher
altitudes while the lodgepole pine is better suited to the valley floor. In the Rocky Mountains...
Alpine Zone
The Alpine is the highest region of mountain life; diverse in life, though appearing fairly
desolate. Most plants at this level are shrubs and perennials. The Alpine zone begins where the
temperature is, on average, 10 degrees Celsius during the warmest month of the year. In the
Canadian Rockies, this can be between 2,200 to 2,450 metres in height.
Subalpine
The subalpine starts around an average elevation of 1,675 metres. The landscape in this area is rugged, and
varied - a mizture of glacial deposits, bedrock, shrubs and treed areas. Under the trees on the Rocky mountains,
you might find heather and willow plants. The species of trees in this area are typically Engelmann spruce and
subalpine fir.
Montane
Under the tree cover of Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine and white spruce, a variety of berry bushes grow. The
Montane is a warm ecoregion, with Chinook winds, and periods throughout the winter without snowfall.
Comparatively, the Subalpine recieves more than 200 centimetres of snow every year.
Edvard Grieg b. 1843, d. 1907
Grieg is Norway’s foremost composer, perhaps best known
for his Piano Concerto in A minor,
as well as the incidental music
that he wrote for Peer Gynt, a play
by Henrik Ibsen. The folk music
of Grieg’s home country is often
reflected in his compositions.
Grieg’s home, Troldhaugen, near
Bergen, Norway, translates to mean
“The Valley of Trolls,” and is named
after the nearby valley, as it was
nicknamed by the local children.
This locale has been immortalized
in song, by Grieg himself, as a short
work for piano, “Wedding-Day at
Troldhaugen”.
10
Grizzly Bear
Ursus arctos horribilis
The North American brown bear
is a subspecies of the
brown bear, and crossed
over to Alaska from Russia
100,000 years ago. Of all the
Grizzly Bears in Canada,
about half live in British
Columbia. The B.C. population
accounts for one fourth
of all Grizzly Bears
in North America. The Grizzly
Bear’s diet is varied; they
will feed on other mammals
(elk, deer, moose), fish, berries,
grasses, roots and wild honey.
VSO Elementary School Concerts 11/12 Bighorn Sheep
Ovis canadensis
The snow fields of Canada’s Rocky
Mountains are only one of the many
places that mountain sheep
can be found in North
America, as they are scattered
from as far and
wide as Mexico
to Alaska. The horns
of Bighorn Sheep weigh
about one tenth of their
total body mass and when the sheep
butt-heads (as they may do, while
attemption to create dominance over
one another), an echo
from the crash can be heard up to more
than a kilometre in distance!
Ocean Deep.
In Canada, we have a unique relationship
with Ocean ecosystems; Canada borders
three of the world’s four oceans; Atlantic,
Pacific, and Arctic. Canada has the most
coastline of any country, with 90 852
kilometres, or 15% of all coastlines on
Earth. Furthermore, the highest tides in
the world are in New Brunswick.
Many composers have written music
inspired by the lure of mythical
creatures that live in the sea.
Claude Debussy wrote an Opera,
Palléas et Mélisande, whose text
- adapted from work by symbolist
writer Maurice Maeterlinck - draws
inspiration from the myth of the sea
Mermaid Melusine. Another opera
by Antonin Dvorak, Rusalka, weaves
a story from the legends of ghosts,
or water goblins, that live in rivers
and lakes of the Slavic countries.
Northern Sea Otter
Enhydra lutris kenyoni
The northern sea otter has been
reintroduced to southern British
Columbia after becoming locally
extinct due to overhunting. Sea
otters are among the smallest
mammals found in the ocean. Unlike
other sea faring mammals, they
don’t have blubber, or a thick layer
of fat, to keep them warm. Instead,
they have fur in two layers. The top
layer is made of longer, guard hairs,
that trap water and keep the dense,
underfur layer dry. Otters are vocal;
cooing and screaming are just two
of the sounds that they are able to
make. The cry of a young otter, or
pup, is not unlike that of a seagull!
Ecosystem: Ocean
Oceans ecosystems cover 71% of all the
earth’s surface, and are a determining
factor in the global cilmate. The oceans
store solar energy from the sun,
regulating temperature on land. The top
ten feet of the ocean store the same
amount of thermal energy as the entire
planet’s atmosphere.
Claude Debussy b. 1862, d. 1918
Debussy is known as both one of
France’s foremost composers,
and as one of the two most
prominent composers of
impressionist music. Debussy’s
music bridges the gap between
the Romantic and the Modern
periods. He was inspired by the
work of symbolist writers, such
as Paul Verlaine and Stéphane
Mallarmé, who developped
the symbolist aesthetic in the
1860s and and 1870s. Symbolists
sought to use real, ordinary
themes in their art, instead of
the more idealistic and heroic
themes of the Romantic era. Crystal Jellyfish
Aequorea victoria
Crystal jellyfish are the jelly
most common to British
Columbia. They are best known
for a physical feature; the
ability to produce a glowing
light, or “bioluminescence”.
When crystal jellyfish become
agitated, the bottom line of their
umbrella-shaped body takes on
a green glow. Approximately
one third of all the jellyfish in
British Columbia’s waters are
bioluminescent. One interesting
feature that different species
of jellyfish share, is the ability
to regenerate small amounts of
tissue, such as a tentacle.
11
musical tracks
download the mp3 files for free at www.vancouversymphony.ca/esc
Track 2 - Music LIVE Only
2010 Traffic Jam, Jared Miller
Simard’s Animal Kingdom will open in our city soundscape, with Jared Miller’s 2010 Traffic Jam. Commissioned by the VSO
in celebration of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, 2010 Traffic Jam was inspired by the many sounds of our changing city
Miller had heard while commuting during the Olympic build up. Miller’s work expertly imitates some very familiar city traffic
and construction sounds, and we are sure you will enjoy it. Sadly, there is no available recording for us to use, so will have to
wait until the day. In the meantime, why don’t you create your own soundscape, city or otherwise? You will find some good
pointers on page 4!
And God Created Great Whales, Alan Hovhaness
On the day of the concert the VSO will be performing an excerpt from Alan Hovhaness’s And God Created Great Whales
to evoke the ice covered ocean and permafrost of the Arctic region. The wide variety of life forms in the Arctic includes
everything from organisms living in the ice to humans, and, as you have probably guessed from the title, Hovhaness draws
direct influence from one type of Arctic life in this work – whales.
You can listen to this piece on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzSWGPmjwjA). There is certainly a lot to listen
out for that brings the extreme arctic environment to mind - the chilliness of the free, rapid and repeated string patterns;
the icy sounds of the glockenspiel; tremolo violins playing the main theme (that’s that trembling sound you will hear, which
sounds like the icy wind blowing). As well as the sounds that are recreated by the orchestra, such as the trombones imitating
whales, this work also includes taped whale song, including the humpback, bowhead, and killer whales. It is pretty “cool”!
Finlandia, Jean Sibelius
Track 5
Sibelius wrote this piece to reflect the struggle of the Finnish people, and create a feeling of great national pride. Similarly,
Canada’s forests are close to the heart of our national identity. The opening brass melody of Finlandia brings to mind images
of the largest and oldest trees in the forest. Throughout the work, Sibelius features the different instrument families of the
orchestra, eventually settling on the woodwinds, which introduce the famous “Hymn” section. When all the sections of the
orchestra are woven together, the wall of sound shows us the power of working together; you can’t accomplish the majesty of
Map of the Country/Map of the World, Jeffrey Ryan
Jeff Ryan’s “Map of the City/Map of the World”, set to text by Albertan poet Robert Kroetsch, takes us back to a city setting,
albeit a different one. Images of Kamloops, a small city in the interior of British Columbia, become the inspiration for poet
Robert Kroetsch’s exploration of mapping. The energy and colours of the orchestra combine with the spoken word to vividly
amplify the images in Kroetsch’s poetry the sound of the coyotes, the noise of the traffic, the cheers from the arena, the
flash of headlights cutting through the night, and the twinkling of stars in the sky. You will hear this work on the day, so listen
carefully for all the different sounds. In the meantime, here is just a little snippet for you to listen to...
12
In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt), Edvard Grieg
Track 8
Lets head to the mountains next and Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King. Written in 1874/5, this
work has been, and continues to be, used in all kinds of current settings - film, TV, video games – and we are sure
that you will know this music pretty well. The music starts off slowly, gradually getting faster and faster – just like
a rock accelerates on its way down a mountain. The music ends at more than twice the speed of the opening!
You will also hear the instrumentation grow and grow, the dynamics doing the same, until the climax at the end.
La Mer, 1st Movement, Claude Debussy
Track 10
Our next track is an excerpt from Claude Debussy’s La Mer. Taken from the first movement, From Dawn to Noon on the Sea,
the music opens with the sun rising before you hear gently rocking waves from the string section. Debussy uses a few different
techniques to bring the ebb and flow of waves to mind. If you listen carefully, you will hear frequent small crescendos and
decrescendos – getting louder then quieter – the same as when you listen to ocean waves; you may also notice as you
listen that much of the music you hear gently rises and falls in pitch. Think about your own experiences with the ocean and
ocean life – at the beach, on a boat or ferry, or maybe something more adventurous. Does this music match your images?
Infernal Dance (Firebird), Igor Stravinsky
Track 12
Well, having visited all these different ecosystems, have you decided what the Orpheum creature might look like? Maybe it
has small eyes like a mole, or sonar for getting around in the dark. Maybe it has a beautiful song? You decide! Don’t forget
to send in you Orpheum Creature Artwork – it may well appear on the screens at our concerts! Until we decide what the
Orpheum Creature could be, let’s listen to music about another legendary, mysterious creature – the Infernal Dance from Igor
Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. I kind of hope that our creature isn’t quite as scary as this...
This Land is Your Land, Woody Guthrie, Lyrics by Barbara Adler
Track 14
On Page 14 of the study guide you will find the music for This Land is Your Land, with lyrics written especially for this concert
by Barbara Adler. The tune for what we now know as This Land Is Your Land became famous after Woody Guthrie wrote
lyrics to it in 1940. It became one of the United States’ most famous folk songs.
For this concert, Barbara readily took on the challenge of writing new lyrics to fit with our concert theme. You can learn
more about some of the tools Barbara used to write the new lyrics in the study guide, so maybe you could try your hand a
writing another verse!
We are also very excited that Barbara, a talented Vancouver poet and performer, is writing the script for Simard’s Animal
Kingdom, and you will see her performing with the VSO when you visit us. Don’t forget to learn the melody and lyrics – we
want to impress Barbara with our singing skills, don’t we?
animal tracks
fox
pg 9
raccoon
polar bear
pg 7
SImard’s Animal Kingdom
pg 8
VSO Elementary School Concerts 11/12 duck
lynx
pg 11
pg 10
13
Sing-A-Long at the VSO!
This land is your land, this land is my land
From the wind worn mountains to the city’s hum
From the symphony’s wide stage to the ocean’s wild waves
This land was made for you and me
I called my friends up, and we went on our way
To find the creature who creeps backstage
What shape will it be? And will it tell me:
We met and we made friends in the animal kingdom
We searched and sleuthed ‘til the day was done
When we found our creature, we heard it singing
Lyrics & Lesson by Barbara Adler
14
(see page 5 for biography)
Can song lyrics be poetry? Can poetry be like music?
Poetry that is written to be said out loud is called “Spoken Word Poetry.” This kind of poetry uses poetic devices
which sound good to our ears. Our ears love repetition, so many of these techniques involve repeated sounds. Song lyrics often use these tricks as well-- especially rhyme. Sometimes rhyme is very easy to hear, and sometimes
it is hidden. Mixing easy rhymes with sneakier rhymes can make poems and lyrics more interesting to our ears.
rhyme
repetition of similar sounds in two or more words
alliteration
refrain
repetition of an entire line or lines
the repetition of the initial sounds
in words (ex. “dressy daffodils”,
“meteorologists and music majors mumble”)
Types of Rhyme
ACTIVITY!
Perfect Rhyme: all of the sounds in the paired words match;
Ex., sight/flight, madness/sadness
Find examples of repetition in
the lyrics for This Land.
Slant rhyme or imperfect rhyme: not all of the sounds in the paired
words match. Imperfect rhyme is often used in song lyrics and rap.
It’s more subtle than perfect rhyme, and can be used playfully.
Ex. green/fiend, one/thumb
answers:
“this land is your land”
“this land was made for you and
me”
Assonance: is a type of imperfect rhyme, where the vowel sounds
match Ex. shake/hate
“wide stage” and “wild waves”
wide\wild and stage\waves
are both internal rhyme
and imperfect rhyme, using
assonance
Consonance: a type of imperfect rhyme, where the consonants
match (rabies, robbers)
Sometimes the rhyme is at the end of the line. This is called End
Rhyme. Rap, and sung lyrics often use Internal Rhyme, which is
rhyme hidden in the middle of phrases.
alliteration: “wind worn”
“creature” and “creeps”
“we met and we made”
“searched” and “sleuthed”
“day” and “done”:
Example of end rhyme:
Barbara’s cat is so very nice,
he even makes friends with mice.
Example of internal rhyme:
My cat’s so bad at fighting, he never gets a bite in
He’d rather hide at night than go out when he won’t win.
Question:
do “kingdom” and “day was done”
sound like a rhyme?
DISCUSS!
Not everyone hears rhyme the same way: “fight” and “hide” and “night” are
examples of assonance, because the “I” sound is repeated. Do you hear them
as rhymes? Could the “ing” sound in “fighting” rhyme with “in” and “win”?
Which types of rhyme do you think are the easiest to hear?
Which ones are trickier?
VSO Elementary School Concerts 11/12 15
The String F a m i l y
The string section is the largest family of instruments in the orchestra, and is made up of four instruments: violin, viola, cello, and
double bass. They are made of hollow wood, with strings attached; the musicians make sounds either by drawing a bow made of
horsehair across the strings, or by plucking the strings with their fingers.
The Cello
The Viola
The Violin
The violin is the
smallest stringed
instrument and
makes the highest sound. There
are two sections
of violins in the
orchestra – first
violins, and second violins. The
leader of the first
violins is the concertmaster. The
concertmaster
works closely
with the conductor to
coordinate all of
the strings.
The viola is the
next biggest
instrument in
the string family,
and is
sometimes
called an alto. It
looks exactly like
the violin, but is
a bit bigger, and
thus makes a
lower sound.
The Double Bass
The cello,
sometimes
called the
violoncello,
is not held
under the
chin like
the violin
or viola,
but
between
the player’s
knees,
resting on
a peg, with
the neck
extending
The double
bass is the
largest
member of
the string
family – it
stands seven
feet tall! It
also makes
the lowest
sound of the
string
instruments.
To play it, musicians either
sit on a stool,
or stand.
T h e W o o d w i n d F a mily
Like the string family, the woodwind family has four main instruments: flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon. These instruments are
hollow tubes with holes in them. The musician makes a sound by blowing air into one end, and covering the holes to produce
different pitches.
The Oboe
The Flute
The flute,
and its
smaller
sibling, the
piccolo,
used to be
made of
wood, but
today, are
made of either silver or
gold. The musician holds
the instrument sideways,
and blows across the hole.
16
The oboe is a
double-reed
instrument that
is used to tune
the orchestra
because of its
pure and steady
sound. Reeds
are made from
thin pieces
of cane that
vibrate when air
is blown across
them.
The Clarinet
The clarinet is
a single-reed
instrument,
meaning it has
only one reed,
while the oboe
has two. The
bottom end
of the clarinet
flares out, and
is called the bell.
VSO Elementary School Concerts 11/12 The Bassoon
The bassoon is
also a doublereed
instrument, and
is the lowest of
the woodwind
family. The reed
connects to the
top of one tube
by means of a
crook, or hollow metal tube.
T h e B r a s s Family
Brass instruments are shiny gold or silver-coloured instruments, made from metal. The musician makes sounds by buzzing his or her
lips in a mouthpiece. High and low notes are created by valves or slides, the size of the mouthpiece, and how the
musician uses his or her lips (the embouchure).
The French Horn
The French horn is a tightlycurled instrument; if you were
to uncurl it, it would be 17
feet long, ending with a widely
flared bell. In its usual playing position, the bell points
down and back, and is partially
closed by the musician’s right
hand.
The Trumpet
The trumpet is the highest
of the brass instruments,
and has around 4 ½ feet of
tubing. It has three piston
valves, which allow the
player to change the pitch.
Of the brass instruments,
it plays the melody most
often.
The Trombone
The trombone is the only
brass instrumentthat doesn’t
need valves. To change the
pitch, the player’s right hand
moves a slide up and down;
finding the correct pitch
depends on the musician’s
ability to stop the slide at the
correct position.
The Tuba
The tuba is the lowest of the
brass instruments, but isn’t
the longest. At 15 feet long,
it is two feet shorter than the
French horn. It plays lower
than the French horn because
its tubing has a larger diameter. Like the trumpet, it has
three piston valves that allow
the musician to change pitch.
Th e Percu s s i o n F a m i l y
Percussion instruments are the loud instruments in the back of the orchestra that produce sound when they are struck with another
object, usually a drumstick or mallet. There are two types of percussion instruments: definite-pitch instruments make pitches just
like the other instruments of the orchestra, while indefinite-pitch instruments make neutral rhythmic sounds.
The Timpani
The Bass Drum
The timpani
are the most
visible
instruments
in the
percussion
family, because they
are placed on a platform at the back
of the stage, in the centre. Timpani
are usually played in sets of four,
with each drum a different size and
pitch. The player uses a pedal to
tighten or loosen the skin on the top
of the drum to change the pitch.
The bass drum (pictured),
snare drum, and triangle are
indefinitepitch
instruments
that are
hit with a
drumstick
or a beater.
The Marimba
The Cymbals
The
tambourine
and cymbals
(pictured) are
also
indefiniteThe marimba (pictured) and pitch
xylophone are definite-pitch instruments, but they do not
instruments that are played require a beater to play. The
with yarn-covered or rubber tambourine is struck with the
mallets.
player’s right hand, while the
cymbals are crashed together.
18
Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver BC
Stage Plan
This is a typical layout for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in the Orpheum Theatre
and most likely the layout you will see at your school concert.
I nst ruments of the Orche str a
The Conductor
Orchestral conductors stand on a podium with a baton (which looks a bit like a wand) in front of the orchestra, constantly
communicating directions to the whole orchestra during a performance. The primary responsibilities of the conductor are to set
tempo, indicate beats (particularly first or “down” beats) and to listen carefully and critically to the ensemble. Communicating
changes that need to be made within the ensemble (such as showing the violins you want them to play louder to balance the
sound) requires highly trained listening skills. There are no strict rules for conducting, and you will notice that different
conductors have very different styles. However, the very basics of beat indication do follow a set pattern that you can see below.
Maestro Bramwell Tovey is the Conductor and Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony. He led the VSO to break the world
record for the largest orchestra performance in an outdoor venue when he conducted over 6,000 musicians in a performance of
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Try a few of the conducting examples below with a baton or pencil. Tracks on the accompanying CD
are labelled with which pattern to follow so you can conduct along!
B) 2/4 Time
Fast music
Track: 4
A) 4/4 Time
Most common
Track: 12
C) 3/4 Time
Often heard in waltzes
Don’t forget to
conduct in 3/4 the
next time you sing
happy birthday for a
classmate! It’s a bit
tricky so here’s the
first four bars to help
- make sure to count
1,2 before you start!
Happy Birthday
Traditional
Happy
Birthday!
Hap - py birth - day
1 2 3
1 2 3
to
you!
Hap - py birth - day
1 2 3
to
1 2 3
you!
1 2 3
Bio: Suzanne Fulton (Lesson Plans Pages 20-27)
In 2000, Mezzo-soprano Suzanne (Abbott) Fulton graduated from UBC with a
Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in Opera (Gold Medal recipient). While in
university, she had the privilege of performing in operatic roles, which included
Meg Page in “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Rebecca Nurse in “The Crucible,”
and Cherubino in “Le Nozze di Figaro.” In oratorio and concert work, Suzanne has
appeared as a soloist with various organizations in the Lower Mainland and the
Interior. She has also enjoyed many years of singing in the Vancouver Cantata Singers.
In 2002, Suzanne eventually realized that her true passion is for teaching music to
children, so she returned to UBC to complete her Bachelor of Education. Suzanne is
currently enrolled in a Masters in Music Education program at UBC. Suzanne appears
in “performance” on a daily basis at Gleneagles Elementary School (West Vancouver),
teaching both Grade 2 and K-7 music to her school.
19
Junior/Intermediate
Lesson Plans
Written by Suzanne Abbott (see bio page 19)
Learning About Strong and Weak Beats With Grieg’s
“In the Hall of the Mountain King” (Peer Gynt)
Materials required for the Grieg lessons below:
•
CD player/iPod and a copy of Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
•
A teacher copy of the lesson plan
•
15 hand drums and 15 rhythm sticks
•
White board or chalk board and white board pens/chalk
•
Lined paper and pencils
•
(Optional) A teacher copy of the score
•
A laptop cart, screen and projector (to show video links in the lesson plans)
Overall Goals:
The goals of the Grieg lesson plans are as follows:
• Students should be able to identify strong and weak beats
• Students should be able to maintain either the strong or weak beats on a percussion instrument while
playing along with Grieg’s piece, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
• Students should work to accurately maintain strong or weak beats as Grieg’s piece accelerates
Lesson # 1 – Identifying strong beats and weak beats in Grieg’s piece
Step 1 Listen to the VSO provided track of Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” without telling the students the title
of the piece. After listening discuss the piece with the students:
•What is the mood of the melody? (sneaky, sad, lonely, spooky…etc.)
•What images come to mind upon listening to this piece? What would be happening on screen
if this were a movie?
Tell the students the title of the piece and compliment anyone whose ideas were close to those of Grieg. Repeat
the selection again. This time demonstrate patting the strong beats (1 and 3) on your thighs as the music plays. Have
the students join you. Explain that the strong beats make you want to move to the music. In this piece, Grieg often
put accents on beats 1 and 3 (draw an accent sign on the board or show page one of the score as an overhead) to
show make them even stronger.
•How do the accented strong beats affect the mood of the piece?
(e.g. “It makes it sound heavy…like someone is working hard at something.”)
Step 2After a second listening, watch a video of the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg under the direction of Scott
Lawton playing “In the Hall of the Mountain King” found at the following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRpzxKsSEZg
Play the selection again up until letter A (approx. 60 seconds into the video clip). Tell the students that the melody
is alternating between two instrument families. Ask the students to identify the families (woodwind and string). Ask
if anyone can identify the specific instruments (bassoons, cellos and double basses).
Play the selection again from letter A to letter B (begin approx. 60 seconds into the video clip and stop at approx.
1 min. 41 sec.). Tell students that once again the melody is alternating between two instrument families. Ask the
students to identify the families (still woodwind and string). Ask if anyone can identify the specific instruments
(violins, clarinets and oboes).
20
Step 3Ask the students to listen again to the opening of the piece while you demonstrate patting only the weak beats on
your thighs. Begin the piece again and have the students join you.
Ask half the class to pat the strong (or stressed) beats, beats 1 and 3, while the other half pats only the weak (or
non-stressed) beats, beats 2 and 4. Ask the students to work to keep their beats precisely together with the people in
their group. Have the students switch roles.
Step 4 –
Hand out hand drums to the students patting the strong beats and rhythm sticks to the students patting the weak
beats. Ask the students to play along with the orchestra with a focus on staying together with their groups. After
playing through the piece twice so that all students get a turn playing the strong beats (drums) and weak beats
(rhythm sticks) have a discussion:
• Teacher: “What did you notice about your playing as the piece got faster?”
• Sample student response: “It was harder to stay together on the beat.”
• Teacher: “What might make this easier? What does an orchestra have to help them with this?”
• Sample student response: “A conductor.”
Teach a basic 4/4 conducting pattern. Discuss how each beat should touch an imaginary horizontal plane (in front
of the belly button) and then bounce off the plane. Demonstrate some poor conducting for the students, in which
the beat is hard to follow. Have the students try to play the beat with you.
Discuss what makes your poor example hard to follow:
• Teacher: “What would help to make my beat easier to follow?”
• Sample student response: “You could make your beats bigger and you could stop for a second at the
end of each beat.”
Have students practice their own conducting technique on each other in partners. One student can conduct while
the other plays his/her instrument (stick or drum) on the beat. Encourage students to give each other feedback about
how to make their gestures more clear.
After some practice time, ask the students to volunteer to conduct the whole group as they play on strong and
weak beats (without Grieg’s music). Ask the students for helpful feedback on the volunteer conductors.
• Teacher: “What would help to make my beat easier to follow?”
• Sample student response: “You could make your beats bigger and you could stop at the end of each beat.”
If a students seems confident and clear when conducting the class, as them to gradually increase the speed and see
if they can keep the strong and weak beats together.
Assessment Suggestion for Lesson #1
Watch your students as they play on either strong or weak beats. Note any students on a class list who
are not confident (e.g. playing strong beats when in the weak beats group) or simply unable to hear the
difference between the beats.
Supporting Struggling Students?
Follow up with extra one-on-one teaching time to support those students having difficulty.
Make the 4/4 conducting activity a music station to be completed in partners with one student patting
either the strong beats (1 and 3) or the weak beats (2 and 4) while following the other partner’s conducting.
You may choose to pre-select partners so that strong students are paired with weaker ones to enable peer
teaching.
21
Lesson #2 and #3 – Create a dramatic work for Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
(furthering student familiarity with the music)
Step 1Listen to Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and ask the students to tell you what they learned about the
piece during the last class. Ask the students if they have ever seen Disney’s “Fantasia”. Ask someone to explain what
it is all about (e.g. “Disney puts cartoons to classical music and the cartoons suit the sounds of the music”).
Explain that you have found a version of Grieg’s piece that was created by film students from the University of
North Carolina; the version was inspired by Disney’s “Fantasia.” Show the video of “Prometheus- In the Hall of the
Mountain King” from YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_kdJvEXutE
Ask the students to comment on how well the story fit the music (e.g. “I liked how the angry god chasing
Prometheus was running down the hallway on the beat.)
Step 2Invite the students to get into groups of 5 or 6 to create their version of Grieg’s piece using drama. Explain the
criteria for assessment:
• The storyline of the drama you create suits the style of the music.
• You have timed your drama well to the music so that it finishes with or slightly before the music does.
• Key movement in the drama happens to the beat of the music.
• The storyline is interesting and easy to follow (a narrator is optional).
• All group members are actively involved in the rehearsal and performance.
As groups are working on their drama selections, have Grieg’s music playing in the background. Encourage students
to either choose a story that they already know or to create a story of their own.
Step 3Allow for group working time. This will require at least one full working block.
Step 4Have the students form an audience to watch each other present their dramatic works.
Assessment Suggestion for Lesson #2 and 3
Watch your students as they rehearse and perform their dramatic works. Note any students on a class
list who are not engaging in the activity, causing difficulty in the group or who are not able to show respect
for Grieg’s music.
Have students complete a self and group member evaluation on lined paper to give you a better idea of
the group dynamics. Write the following questions on the board:
1) Did everyone in your group contribute equally?
2) Name the best idea you contributed to the dramatic work.
3) Was there anyone in the group causing difficulty on the task?
4) What are you most proud of in either your performance or your group’s overall project?
Final Bonus Activity on Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
Play students the Trent Reznor (from Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross version of “In the Hall of the Mountain King”
from the movie “The Social Network”. The score for this movie won an Academy Award (2011). It is available at the
following URL or for purchase on itunes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8EPdn5Ctg
22
Comparing Debussy’s “La Mer” to Other Music Written About the Ocean:
Expressing Personal Opinions About Compositions
Materials required for the Debussy lessons below:
•
CD player/ iPod and a VSO edited copy of Debussy’s “La Mer”
(the provided version has the necessary cuts)
•
A teacher’s copy of the lesson plan
•
A laptop cart, screen and projector (to show video links in the lesson plans)
•
Class set of photocopies of Appendix A
•
White board or chalk board and pens/chalk
•
Pencils for the students
Overall Goals:
The goals of the Debussy lesson plans are as follows:
• Students should be able to critically evaluate musical selections in different styles to form individual
opinions about music.
• Students should be able to explain the reasons behind their opinions.
• Students should be able to show respect for all types of music, even those that are non-preferred
Lessons #1 and #2 – Listening and Comparing
Step 1–
Mention that for this activity the students will be listening to various pieces of music that are all written on the
same theme. Tell the students that they will be asked to compare each composition in terms of how well it suits the
theme.
Play the VSO recording of Debussy’s “La Mer”, but do not mention the title of the piece. Ask the students to guess
what the theme of all of the compositions will be based on the sound of the first piece.
Once you are finished listening to the Debussy piece, take student ideas on the theme of the composition. After
taking some suggestions, project an image of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusaipaining’s work entitled “The Wave.”
Mention that Debussy used this picture as inspiration for his piece, which is called “La Mer” or “The Ocean.” More
information on Debussy’s inspiration and a copy of the picture can be found at the following URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Debussy_-_La_Mer_-_The_great_wave_of_Kanaga_from_Hokusai.jpg
Step 2Now that the students know the overall theme of all pieces that they will be exploring (the ocean), hand out to
each student a pencil and a copy of Appendix A, a graphic organizer for comparing the various pieces they will be
listening to. Note: You may wish to enlarge Appendix A to give the students more room to write their ideas.
Verbally explain how to complete Appendix A, and then listen again to Debussy’s “La Mer”. Have the students
complete the corresponding section of Appendix A as they listen.
Once the students have completed the first section, ask them to select a partner and have a brief (2 min.)
discussion about what the students noticed.
23
Step 3–
Play the second musical selection on the theme of the ocean, “The Waves” (3rd movement) from Vaughn Williams
“Sea Symphony” (play the recording until approx. 2 min. 30 sec.) available at the following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUERyOyBMs0&feature=related
Have the students complete the corresponding section of Appendix A as they listen.
Once the students have completed the second section, ask them to select a NEW partner to have a brief (2 min.)
discussion about what they noticed. Ask them to discuss their preferences between the first and second piece in
terms of how well each selection musically represented the ocean.
Step 4–
Play a recording of Ravel’s “Une Barque sur L’Ocean” (“A Boat on the Ocean”) for piano from “Miroirs lll” (play the
recording until approx. 2 min. 30 sec.) available at the following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTYUyDjVCRU&feature=related
Once the students have completed the third section, ask them to have a brief (2 min.) discussion with yet another
NEW partner. Again, have the partners discuss their preferences between the first three pieces in terms of which
selection best represented the ocean through the music.
Step 5–
Listen to the final piece, Nine Inch Nails performing “La Mer” (“The Ocean”). Play the recording (until approx. 2
min. 30 sec.), available at the following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB_GbMQftkA&feature=related
Once the students have completed the final section, ask them to have a brief (2 min.) discussion with another NEW
partner about what the students noticed.
Step 6–
 Once Appendix A is finished, have a group sharing session. Ask students to volunteer their observations and
thoughts on each piece.
 Finish this activity by taking a secret vote (“heads down, hands up”) to determine the piece the majority of the
class feels best represents the ocean through the music.
Assessment Suggestion
Was everyone involved during the partner discussions?
Circulate and make anecdotal notes during the process.
Collect the activity sheet (Appendix A) from each student to check for completion.
Supporting Struggling Students:
For students who may have difficulty with the activity, circulate as the music is playing and ask guiding questions
(e.g. “Can you hear the fast notes going up and down in the flute part? What could that represent if this piece is
about an ocean?”.
24
Lessons #3 and 4 – Create an Ocean “Soundscape”
Step 1Remind students of the ocean pieces they compared and contrasted in the previous lessons. Ask the students to
remember what elements in the pieces helped to create an “ocean-like” sound. Brainstorm ideas on the board.
Sample student responses:
“The music went up and down like waves.”
“The volume got louder and softer like waves washing in and out.”
Step 2Explain what a “soundscape” is: “An atmosphere or environment created by or with sound.”
(Definition taken from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/soundscape)
Give examples of “soundscapes”, such as a city scene in downtown Vancouver. Ask students to list things that
they might hear (e.g. car engines, honking horns, people talking, construction, street performers, etc.).
Step 3–
Play a video version of an “environmental soundscape” called “Tornado Watch on the Plains” found at the
following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNMO_0UCUWU
Ask the students if the sounds in the “soundscape” were simply repetitive or if there was a progression or story
created in sounds. Ask the students to explain the story.
Sample student response: “A guy was out on his farm, walking along and listening to the birds and the breeze.
Then it started to rain. Then he heard some alarms and went into a storm shelter.”
Step 4–
Tell the students they will be put into small groups (4-5 students) to create an “environmental soundscape”
about the ocean. Explain the criteria for assessment:
• The “soundscape” has an entertaining storyline that is easy to follow.
• The “soundscape” includes a good variety of interesting and creative ocean sounds.
• All group members are equally involved in performing and creating the “soundscape”.
• The length should be approximately 1 min.
• The sounds are layered as they would occur in nature (e.g. the waves and the wind happen at the same time)
Step 5Allow for group working time. This may take a whole music class or more, depending on the age and the group.
Step 6Have the students form an audience to watch each other present the ocean “environmental soundscapes”. You
may choose to videotape the presentations to aid you in assessing the final products and also to complete the
bonus activity suggested (below).
25
Assessment Suggestion
Did all group members participate equally in both the creation and performance of the “soundscape”
assignment? Circulate and make anecdotal notes during the process.
How well did each project meet the given criteria? Rate each criteria on a 4 point scale using the language of
the BC Ministry of Education Performance Standards (“not yet meeting expectations” (1), “minimally meeting
expectations” (2), “fully meeting expectations” (3), and “exceeding expectations” (4))
Supporting Struggling Groups?
 If you notice as you are circulating that a group is having trouble coming up with a “soundscape” story, suggest
that the group members think about how weather changes could affect the sounds that are present at the ocean.
Bonus Activity:
If you are familiar with a program like iMovie, film the students’ soundscapes, and then create a video in which
the “soundscapes” are interspersed with Debussy’s “La Mer”. This is a great way to have the students fully engaged
(watching themselves on screen) with the added benefit of getting the class even more familiar with Debussy’s music.
You may choose to send a copy of your completed iMovie project to the VSO on a DVD or through a free filesharing program such as “Dropbox”. http://www.dropbox.com/
The VSO staff love to see and hear what amazing things elementary school students are able to create!
Sources Used/Cited in Lessons on Greig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRpzxKsSEZg (The Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg playing “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Grieg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_kdJvEXutE (A cartoon version of “Prometheus” set to Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8EPdn5Ctg (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross version of “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from the movie
“The Social Network”)
Sources Used/Cited in Lessons on Debussy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Debussy_-_La_Mer_-_The_great_wave_of_Kanaga_from_Hokusai.jpg (The painting that inspired Debussy’s
“La Mer” by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusaipaining)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUERyOyBMs0&feature=related (Vaughn Williams “The Waves” from “A Sea Symphony”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTYUyDjVCRU&feature=related (“Une Barque Sur L’Ocean” from “Miroirs lll” by Ravel, the piano version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB_GbMQftkA&feature=related (Nine Inch Nails version of “La Mer”)
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/soundscape (definition of “soundscape”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNMO_0UCUWU (an example of a “soundscape” called “Tornado Watch on the Plains”)
http://www.dropbox.com/ (a free to download file sharing website)
26
Appendix A: Comparing Songs about the Ocean
27
want to learn more?
MP3 filesMusic Links!
Here are some additional resources that we found
to be of use! Please be advised that the VSO is not
responsible for content on these websites.
Discover Biodiversity!
Ecology & Species at Risk
www.pc.gc.ca/apprendre-learn/prof/sub/eep-sar/ecosar_e.pdf
www.env.gov.bc.ca/atrisk/toolintro.html
Canadian Geographic
www.canadiangeographic.ca
Resources & Lessons on Caribou
www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/caribou/Resources.html
Article on Pine Beetle Epidemic in B.C.
www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/features/2008/02/26/bug-ate-b-c
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
www.vancouversymphony.ca
Barbara Adler
www.badler.ca
Jared Miller
www.jaremillermusic.com
Jeffrey Ryan
www.jeffreyryan.com
Text for Map of the City/Map of the World
Poems by Robert Kroetsch
www.jeffreyryan.com/Works/Orchestra/2005_Map/Frameset.html
All about Canadian Forests
cfs.nrcan.gc.ca
Tips for Teaching Outdoors
www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/tips-for-teachingin-the-outdoors
Mystery Creatures!
From the CBC Archives
archives.cbc.ca/science_technology/unexplained/topics/14629706/
More about Canadian Composers
- includes online sound archives www.musiccentre.ca
Vancouver Poetry House
vancouverpoetryhouse.com
More Resources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conducting
www.classicsforkids.com/
Even More Composers!
Online Exhibit of Mythical Creatures
www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cmc/mythicbeasts/mythicbeasts09e.shtml
Alan Hovhanes www.hovhaness.com
Jean Sibelius en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Sibelius
Edvard Grieg en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Grieg
Claude Debussy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debussy
Woody Guthrie en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Guthrie
Igor Stravinsky en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Stravinsky
Cross-Curricular
Vancouver Aquarium
www.vanaqua.org
CBC Eagle Cam
www.cbc.ca/bc/features/eaglecam
Soundscapes:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundscape
Whale Song:
www.new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick
/whales/avi.html
Thank you, Barbara Adler and Gavin Youngash
for your work on “This Land is Your Land” in
the MP3 tracks!
© Vancouver Symphony 2011/12
28

presenting sponsor - Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Transcription

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