St. Paul`s Suite - Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra

Concert Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…….2
Artwork Submissions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Symphony Orchestra Instrument Families……………………………………………………………………………….4
Symphony Orchestra Template…………………………………………………………………………………………..…..6
Machine, by Higdon……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…8
I. Preludium from the Holberg Suite by Grieg……………………………………………………..……………...…10
II. Ostinato from St. Paul’s Suite by Holst……………………………………………………………………………….12
I. Vivace from Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven……………………………………………………………………….14
“Warehouse Medicine” from The B-Sides, by Bates……………………………………………………………….16
“Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville, by Rossini…………………………………………………….18
IV. Allegro non troppo from Symphony No. 5 Op. 47, by Shostakovich………………………………….20
Star Wars: Main Title, by Williams…………………………………………………………………………………………22
Lesson Adaptation Ideas………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24
The Conductor’s Role…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25
Review: Show What You Know & Post-Concert Reflection…………………………………………………….26
Concert Behavior: Setting Up Your Students for Success……………………………………………………….27
MI Standards and Benchmarks………………………………………………………………………………………………28
Instrument Index…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..30
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Stage Plot…………………………………………………………………………..31
Thank You to KSO Youth Concert Design Team……………………………………………………………………..34
Student and Teacher Guide cover design, composer pages, lesson formatting and graphic design by Cori Somers.
Dear Teachers,
Welcome to the Kalamazoo Symphony Youth Concert of 2016! We will explore a very exciting musical idea
and discover how this idea teaches us to achieve success. In music, when a composer repeats a small musical
idea over and over, we call it an ostinato. When we hear composers use ostinato, we are reminded to keep
moving even when we fail.
We will learn that many composers experienced significant obstacles during their lives. Some lost their hearing, others faced unfairness, others experienced failure, and some even survived threats to their lives. Despite these challenges, these composers did not give up but kept on moving forward. With great
perseverance, these composers impacted people’s lives and are remembered for their great success.
At the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, we value your participation. In this concert, we invite you to conduct
from your seats, create patterns of your own, and submit artwork that may be shown on the stage. Most importantly, you will have fun as you explore the wonders of the symphony orchestra. We look forward to seeing you at the KSO concert, enjoying the music that keeps you moving! - Maestro Daniel Brier
CONCERT PROGRAM
Higdon
Machine
Grieg
I. Preludium from the Holberg Suite
Holst
II. Ostinato from St. Paul’s Suite
Beethoven*
I. Vivace from Symphony No. 7
Bates*
“Warehouse Medicine” from The B-Sides
Rossini*
“Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville
Shostakovich*
IV. Allegro non troppo from Symphony No. 5 Op. 47
Williams
Star Wars: Main Title
* Indicates a student participation piece or guest artist!
Youth Concerts are made possible in part by: The Burdick-Thorne Foundation, Education for the Arts, John E. Fetzer
Institute Fund, Diane S. Robertson Foundation, Mignon Sherwood DeLano Foundation, Schupan And Sons, Tyler-Little
Foundation, Youth Concert Luncheon supporters , Dorothy U. Dalton Foundation, Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra League, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Pfizer Corporation, Upjohn Mason Grandchildren’s Chair in Music Education,
Zoetis
2
We invite your students to submit artwork based on Dimitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5,
Movement IV, Allegro non troppo.
Selected works chosen from each school will be displayed on our screen during the KSO’s performance of
Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. We will have a special presentation for each day of the week to be sure
that pieces chosen from your school will be shown when your students are at the concert.
While all submissions are accepted, we encourage you to collaborate with your art teacher! It can be as
easy as having your art teacher play the piece of music during art class to help inspire a project in progress.
Two lesson suggestions for art submissions for this year are:
1. Line and Pattern Paper Relief Sculpture
Created byJulie Jacobusse, Austin Road Elementary in Stockbridge, Georgia
http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/elem/Julie-design.html
2. Kandinsky Sound Interpretation Painting
Created by Shawn Dean
http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/elem/kandinsky_dean.html
Submission requirements:

All artwork must be submitted electronically to:
[email protected]

Please send them as a .png or .jpg file type

Any medium welcome

Label the front right lower corner with your school’s name and grade of the student
Submission Deadline:

All artwork must be submitted by Friday February 19, 2016

Please email all submissions to: [email protected]

You will receive an email confirmation that your artwork was submitted
3
When we talk about musical instruments, we often talk about them as being part of a family. That's because,
just like in human families, the instruments in a particular family are related to each other. They are often
made of the same types of materials, usually look similar to one another, and produce sound in similar ways.
Some are larger and some are smaller, just as people come in different shapes and sizes.
1. Using the student guide pictures on pages 4-5, discuss the different instrument families.

How do they produce sound?

How are they played?

How are they made?

Where can you find them on stage?
2. Make copies of the instrument cut-outs and stage plots from the Teacher Guide on pages 6 and 7. Have
students create their own Symphony Orchestra set up. Page 35 of the Teacher Guide shows how your students will see the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra on stage.






Produce sound from vibrating strings. In most strings instruments, the vibrations are transmitted to the
body of the instrument, which also vibrates, along with the air inside it.
A vibrating string on its own makes only a very quiet sound, so string instruments are usually constructed
in such a way that this sound is coupled to a hollow resonating chamber, a soundboard, or both.
All string instruments have a bridge, which holds the string at the proper action height from the finger
board. The bridge helps to transmit string energy into the "sound box" of the instrument to increase the
sound volume.
Makers of string instruments often seek very high quality woods, particularly spruce (chosen for its
lightness, strength and flexibility) and maple (a very hard wood). Spruce is used for the sounding boards
of instruments from the violin to the piano.
String Instruments are played by plucking: pizzicato or bowing: arco
Different pitches are created by varying the length of a string. A longer string results in a lower pitch,
while a shorter string results in a higher pitch. By placing a finger down on the string , it shortens the
distance between the finger placed and the bridge. The shorter the distance, the higher the pitch! A string
with less tension (looser) results in a lower pitch, while a string with greater tension (tighter) results in a
higher pitch.

String instruments can be divided in three groups.
Lutes - instruments in which the strings are supported by a neck and gourd, such as a violin.
Harps - instruments in which the strings are contained within a frame.
Zithers - instruments with the strings mounted on a body, such as a piano.

Produce sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the
player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones, literally meaning "lip-vibrated instruments"
There are several factors involved in producing different pitches on a brass instrument. Slides, valves,
crooks, or keys are used to change vibratory length of tubing, thus changing the available harmonic series,
while the player's embouchure (mouth shape), lip tension and air flow serve to select the specific
harmonic produced from the available series.
Modern brass instruments generally come in one of two families:


4


Valve - a set of valves are operated by the player's fingers that introduce additional tubing, or crooks,
into the instrument, changing its overall length. Each valve pressed moves air through additional
tubing, individually or with other valves.
Slide - brass instruments use a slide to change the length of tubing. The main instruments in this
category are the trombone family.
Most brass instruments are fitted with a removable mouthpiece. Different shapes, sizes and styles of
mouthpiece may be used to suit different embouchures. Trumpets, trombones, and tubas are
characteristically fitted with a cupped mouthpiece, while horns are fitted with a conical mouthpiece.
Traditionally the instruments are normally made of brass, polished and then lacquered to
prevent corrosion. Some higher quality and higher cost instruments use gold or silver plating.

There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed instruments (otherwise called reed
pipes). What differentiates these instruments from other wind instruments is the way in which they
produce their sound
Flutes
 Produce sound by directing a focused stream of air across the edge of a hole in a cylindrical tube. The
flute family can be divided into two sub-families: open flutes, and closed flutes.
Open Flutes - the player is required to blow a stream of air across a sharp edge that then splits the air
stream . This split airstream then acts upon the air column contained within the flutes hollow causing
it to vibrate and produce sound. Modern concert flutes are usually made of high-grade metal alloys,
usually containing nickel, silver, copper, or gold.
Closed Flute - the player is required to blow air into a duct. This duct acts as a channel bringing the air
to a sharp edge. Like open flutes, the air is split which causes the column of air in the closed flute to
vibrate and produce sound. Examples of this type of flute include the recorder (instrument),
and organ pipes.
Reed instruments
 Produce sound by focusing air into a mouthpiece which then causes a reed, or reeds, to vibrate. Similar
to flutes, reed pipes are also further divided into two types: single reed and double reed
Single-reed - produce sound by placing a reed onto the opening of a mouthpiece, using a ligature.
When air is forced between the reed and the mouthpiece, the reed causes the air column in the
instrument to vibrate and produce sound. Single reed instruments include the clarinet and
saxophone.
Double-reed - use two precisely cut, small pieces of cane bound together at the base. The bound
reed is inserted into the instrument and vibrates as air is forced between the two pieces by the
player’s lips. This family includes instruments such as the oboe, English horn, and bassoon.



Produce sound by being struck, scraped, shaken, or struck against another similar instrument. The percussion family is believed to include the oldest musical instruments, following the human voice.
The percussion section can also contain non-percussive instruments, such as whistles and sirens, or a
blown conch shell. Keyboard instruments, such as the celesta, are not normally part of the percussion
section, but keyboard percussion instruments such as the glockenspiel and xylophone (which do not have
piano keyboards) are included.
Percussion instruments are most commonly divided into two classes: Pitched percussion instruments,
which produce notes with an identifiable pitch, and unpitched percussion instruments, which produce
notes without an identifiable pitch.
5
6
7
By Jennifer Higdon
http://jenniferhigdon.com/audio/Machine-Clip.mp3
Jennifer wrote Machine as an encore tribute to composers like Mozart and Tchaikovsky, who seemed to be
able to write so many notes and so much music that it seems like they were machines! This work was
commissioned in 2003 by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., Leonard Slatkin, Music
Director, through a grant from The John and June Hechinger Commissioning Fund for New Orchestra Works.
The premiere was given by The National Symphony Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero, conducting.
The Washington Post describes it as "one long, loud, freight-train crescendo with hellishly snapping winds and
jumping-bean rhythms, and it sweeps relentlessly forward for just under three minutes, then stops on a dime.
For sheer unpretentious fun it was just the ticket."
Jennifer describes it as “gears moving at a very fast speed. A fun short blast of energy, not long enough to develop into a musical theme, but long enough to leave an impression on the audience”:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=A55629
A recording of Machine is not available for download or purchase, therefore you are only able to listen to the
last minute of this piece on the link provided above taken from Jennifer’s website.
Listening and Exploring Ideas
Preparation: Create a quiet and calm listening environment to counter the energy in this piece.
First and Second Listening: Without giving any background information on this piece, have the class listen to
the clip two times through. Have a short discussion on how this music made them feel and what types of images came to mind while listening with their eyes closed. Now is also a good opportunity to talk about the
different instruments or families of instruments they could hear. The music is very rich but many sounds also
“jump” out.
Third Listening: Give background information on what Jennifer Higdon’s ideas were when she composed
the piece, then have them listen through one time. Create a list on the board of different machines or images
that came to mind during this third listening.
8
This is a perfect piece to create statue tableaus or a group of motionless figures representing a machine
scene with your class. Each group will explore a machine by “being” the machine.
Parameters for creating the tableau:
1. Constructed while the music is being played
2. Constructed one student at a time
3. Student’s body must touch is some way, creating a larger machine each time a student is added
4. Student must walk up, strike a pose and freeze until the entire machine has been created
5. As soon as one student freezes, the next student begins
How to Begin:
1. Divide the class into two groups.
Group A are the machine creators
Group B are the observers
2. Give each group a card with a different machine or machine scene written on it from the list you created
with your class. Your class may have come up with all kinds of different ideas that are machines, assembly
lines, music related, industry related, the sky is the limit for their imagination. Give them a couple of minutes
to think about how they will move into their poses.
3. Have Group B sit in a way that will allow different students to view the tableau from different sides and
angles.
4. Have Group A create their tableau while you play the music.
5. Once they have completed the tableau, have them remain frozen while the observers get a chance to talk
about what they see. Encourage descriptions without any judgement. “I see lots of angles,” “I see she is
falling,” “I see she is pointing up,” “I see happiness,” etc.
6. Switch groups and repeat.
Repeat the Exploration activity with new machines, but this time after they have completed their frozen tableau, have them each create a single repeated movement that they add on at the very end. You may have to
play the music again so they have time to add movement to their machine.
Please see page 24 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
Special thanks to Cori Somers from the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra for creating this lesson.
9
from the Holberg Suite
By Edvard Grieg
In 1884 Edvard Grieg (Norway’s most famous composer at the time and born in Bergen) was commissioned by
the Bergen organizing committee to write a musical tribute to be sung at the unveiling of a statue celebrating
the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ludvig Holberg (1684-1754). Holberg was one of Scandinavia’s most
famous poets and playwrights whose plays are still performed regularly at theatres throughout Scandinavia
today. He was one of three artistic giants from Bergen, Norway along with Ole Bull (1810-1880), a violin
virtuoso, and then Edvard Grieg.
Grieg was not excited to write this piece or by the prospect of conducting it outdoors in harsh winter weather,
and accepted the invitation halfheartedly. He wrote in a letter to a friend that he was bored with writing the
piece and was having better success with his fishing. While writing the cantata, Grieg was inspired to write his
own personal tribute to Holberg, a piano suite, which he entitled “From Holberg’s Time.” The music reflects
Norwegian peasant life and nature – five movements based on 18th century dance (the era of Holberg). A few
months after the bicentennial celebrations were over and his cantata forgotten, Grieg conducted a string
orchestra version of his piano suite. The Holberg Suite is considered one of his greatest next to his Peer Gynt
Suite.
Understanding Ostinato: An Ostinato is a Short Repeated Pattern
1. Establish an understanding of rhythmic ostinato. Start with an ostinato and then bring in the melody (as
happens in the Grieg piece).
a. Song suggestion: Take Me Out to the Ballgame
b. Ostinato:
Home
run
up
in
the
stands
c. Perform ostinato with body percussion while singing song
2. Establish the understanding that an ostinato does not have to be continuous, but can appear and
reappear (as happens in the Grieg piece).
a. Song suggestion: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
b. Ostinato: Use the same rhythmic pattern as the Grieg piece
Slow the tempo as needed to accommodate this ostinato. The ostinato is only played on the first
and last lines (the two lines that have the same melody). Note with your students how this ostinato
gives a very driving feeling to the sections in which it appears.
c. Ostinato chant: Your rhythm language of choice, such as ti-taka or boom-chicka.
d. Transfer the ostinato to body percussion or non-pitched percussion (wood or skin)
10
Listening Activity
1. Show the Listening Map and point out the line which represents the ostinato. Show the rhythmic
notation of the ostinato, and note that it is what was used for the Twinkle ostinato.
a. Listen to the piece while the teacher points to the Listening Map.
b. Discuss that at times it is difficult to hear the ostinato. Discuss the importance of melody and
harmony and balance. Listen again to the entire piece.
1. Define terms
a. Pizzicato. Point out this section on the Listening Map. Establish the downward/upward melodic line
of the pizzicato, and that it is passed from the violas to the cellos/basses.
b. Arco. Most of the piece is played arco, and that there are many accents (define) that happen with a
harder stroke of the bow.
c. Allegro vivace and coda - show on Listening Map.
d. Melody. Refer to the Key on the Listening Map.
2. Recognize that this piece includes only four orchestral instruments that are all in the string family
(violin, viola, cello, double bass).
3. Listen to the piece while looking at the Listening Map. Choose a predetermined signal(s) with
students so they can indicate when they hear the:
a. long-note melody
b. pizzicato section and ending accents
Add student-created movement to use while listening to the piece
a. Divide the class into two large groups (in half).
b. Within each large group, create three small groups.
Group 1 - Create a movement to represent the ostinato.
Group 2 - Create a movement to represent the melody.
Perhaps this group could have scarves or streamers.
Group 3 - Will have two small parts to choreograph:
the pizzicato section, and the final section (after the ostinato ends).
Explore these YouTube videos
Norwegian Chamber Orchestra performs live , without music, and without a conductor!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/lXy21qsLY1A
A youth orchestra in Belgrade, Serbia prepares the entire piece in just four days without a conductor!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/=4-AeO5cUlyo
Slides of Bergen, Norway and chamber orchestra performing the Holberg Suite
https://vimeo.com/87164192
Piano versions (originally composed for piano):
https://www.youtube.com/embed/f20Cs9JBNpo
https://www.youtube.com/embed/pT9ICpuee2c
Please see page 24 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
Special thanks to Lisa Stucky, Diane Glass and Beverly Ropp from Portage Public Schools for designing this lesson.
11
from St. Paul’s Suite
By Gustav Holst
English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was best known for his suite, The Planets, whose popularity has
largely overshadowed his other notable works. One of those works is his St. Paul’s Suite, Op. 29 no. 2, a group
of four pieces he wrote for the student string orchestra at the St. Paul’s Girls’ School where he was Director of
Music from 1905-1934. Though originally written for strings, Holst added wind parts so a full orchestra could
perform it if needed. “Ostinato” is marked presto and contains a repetitive eighth note figure played primarily
by the second violins throughout the movement. Other repeated patterns can be easily heard throughout the
piece as well. Though the work was written in 1912, it was not published until 1922 because of its many
revisions.
KSO CD, CD player, Listening Map, rhythm instruments, streamers/ribbons/scarves
This movement is only 1 minute, 36 seconds long. It is beneficial to listen to the piece several times in order
to discover the rhythmic ostinato parts it contains.
First Listening:
Have students listen for the mood of the piece. Does it have a happy, sad or angry quality to it? Does the
mood change throughout the piece?
Second Listening:
Have students listen for the instruments they hear (violin, viola, cello and bass) and identify which instrument
seems to be playing the main theme or melody.
Third Listening:
Define “ostinato” as “a continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm.” Play a little of the beginning of the
piece to focus attention on the repetitive eighths notes in the 2 nd violins. Have students listen for this part
throughout the piece.
Fourth Listening:
Put up the listening map and have students follow it as you point. Notice the parts that repeat.
12
This is a wonderfully expressive piece for adding movement. You can explore short and long movements
during the pizzicato parts and lovely legato Theme. Large and small movements could be incorporated as the
dynamics and mood of the piece changes. Ribbons, scarves or streamers could also help create visual
interest.
This piece has numerous opportunities for adding classroom instruments. Here are some examples of
instruments that could be used and where they might fit into the piece, based on the listening map. Combining instrument parts and movement would be very exciting, too!
**Maracas – Shake during the Introduction, main Theme and rainbow parts
**Woodblocks/Claves – Play on the raindrops
**Small Drums – Play on the plain clouds
**Large Drums – Play on the lightning clouds
**Triangle – Trill on first sun, play a single note on last sun
Explore ostinato as it is used in not just this piece but in songs of other genres as well. Includes musical examples:
https://cassettetheory.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/ostinatos-repetition-isnt-just-to-annoy-you/
Novosibirsk Philharmonia playing this movement live:
https://www.youtube.com/embedhH42Biono6U
Please see page 24 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
Special thanks to Stephanie Measzros from Kalamazoo Public Schools for designing this lesson.
13
from Symphony No.7
By Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, was composed between 1811 and 1812. The premiere of Symphony No. 7 was in
Vienna on December 8, 1813, with Beethoven conducting. Beethoven had remarked at the premiere that this was one
of his best works. He wrote this symphony while visiting the Bohemian spa town of Teplice (which is now a city in the
Czech Republic). Beethoven was in Teplice to “improve his health.” Symphony No. 7 is dedicated to Count Moritz von
Fries. Count von Fries was the co-owner of a bank in Vienna. The Count was an art collector and music lover.
Beethoven was often a guest at the Count's home.
Symphony No. 7 is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 french horns, 2 trumpets, tympani and strings.
(French horns and trumpets are difficult to hear on the recording). This movement has been shortened for the Youth
Concerts. The introduction and the repeat of the exposition have been cut to make the music more student friendly.
Listening and Identifying
First Listening:
1. Without the listening map, ask students to listen for what orchestra instruments they hear and to listen for any
repeated patterns or repeated music.
2. After listening, list instruments the students heard on the board. Ask if there were any repeated patterns (yes). Ask
students if there was repeated music (yes). Ask students if there were any differences in dynamics (or loud and quiet
for younger students) – yes there was.
Second Listening:
If this is a different class period, review what was discussed after the 1st listening. If same class time, continue.
1. Show students what the repeated rhythm pattern looks like – write it on the board. Play the repeated pattern for
them, on “E”, since that is how the symphony starts.
2. Instruct students to raise their hand when they hear that rhythm pattern. Even the youngest students can do this if
you model for them. Play part of the piece and see if students raise their hands in the appropriate places.
3. Time for the Listening Map!
a. Explain that this music has four parts. With older students, you may want to explain the form using the
correct terms, with younger students you can say it's A-B-A form with an added ending.
FORM:
A) Exposition: initial presentation of thematic material
kid-friendly definition: In this part, we will hear the theme for the first time.
(B) Development: thematic material is elaborated and contrasted
kid-friendly definition: The theme is used in different ways and contrasted with other music.
(A) Recapitulation: altered repeat of the exposition and thematic material is resolved harmonically
kid-friendly definition: This part is almost like the beginning, but some of the music has changed.
Coda: an added ending and further development of thematic material
kid-friendly definition: This part is an added ending, and more of the theme is heard again.
b. While looking at the map, ask older students what elements the sections have in common (rhythm
pattern, dynamic changes, crescendo, theme, etc.)
14
c. With younger students, choose one element and point out that each section has that
certain element – and tell the students what that element means when you hear the music.
d. Ask what sections have different elements and what are they? With younger students, point out one of the
different elements and explain it to them.
e. Listen to the music again, and choose one (or two if you have an advanced group!) of the elements from the
listening map to focus on and point out as you listen. You could have students raise their hands (or a signal of
your choice) when that certain element happens in the music, if appropriate.
Third Listening: if time
1. Focus on a different element from the listening map to identify as you listen. Repeat listening as often as you'd like
using a different element from the map.
Since this music is so strong rhythmically, students can practice the rhythm.
1. To learn the rhythm pattern, teacher claps 1st beat of the pattern, students echo rhythm by patting on their legs –
either with alternating hands or using one hand, whichever is easier for them. (It would be beneficial for teacher to
model this for both older and younger students.)
2. Teacher claps the second beat of the rhythm pattern, students echo rhythm by patting on their legs.
3. Teacher claps entire pattern, students echo.
4. Now try to clap more than one measure of the pattern at a time.
5. Choose how many measures for the students to perform (2, 3, 4 or more!) Teacher will support, correct, confirm as
needed.
6. Now perform the rhythm pattern along with the music. Play the first part of the music and see if students can pat
the rhythm and keep up with recording. Play as much or as little of the music as you want.
7. Extra activity: Play the rhythm pattern on Orff instruments.
a. Holding a mallet in each hand, play the rhythm pattern on “E”, alternating mallets on the same note. This
would be a great chance to work on mallet technique as well as rhythm!
b. If students are doing well with this, teacher could play the theme music on the piano while students play the
repeated rhythm pattern.
Listen to the first movement in its' entirety, with a colorful graphic sound map:
https://www.youtube.com/embedwKUnjtscp8c
Conductor Daniel Barenboim conducts the entire symphony:
https://www.youtube.com/embeddavbMVNuwPY
The 2nd movement of Symphony No. 7 is very famous. Here is a beautiful video with music from the 2nd movement
paired with images from the Hubble telescope:
https://www.youtube.com/embedPmKe8kOmCwA
A Still picture of Beethoven, great for listening only:
https://www.youtube.com/embed7MqrBauptrE
Please see page 24 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
Special thanks to Norma-Jean Forshey from Kalamazoo Public Schools for designing this lesson.
15
from The B-Sides
By Mason Bates
www.youtube.comembedbrw5zMewByQ
“Warehouse Medicine” is the final movement in Bates’ The B-Sides, a collection of five pieces that focus on
texture, mood and orchestral color, all enlivened by the addition of 21 st century technology. Like the
forgotten bands from the flipside of an old piece of vinyl, The B-Sides describes a spaceship that lands on five
different landscapes. The first stop is the “dusky, circuit-board landscape of Broom of the System where a
chimneysweep dusts off wires inside the circuit board.” The second stop, Aerosol Melody, brings the listener
to Kauai, Hawaii with a melody that dissipates like an aerosol spray. Gemini in the Solar Wind is a reimagination of the first American spacewalk with NASA recordings from the 1965 mission. Temescal Noir
showcases “hazy, jazz-tinged hues” of Temescal, California. The final movement, “Warehouse Medicine”, returns the listener to the spaces where techno music was born in the empty warehouses of Detroit.
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that stylistically is repetitive, instrumental music produced for use
in a continuous DJ set. Since 2000, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival has evolved into one of the world’s
largest electronic music festivals held in Hart Plaza on Memorial Day weekend.
Mason Bates’ dual career as a composer and DJ gifts him with a unique talent for blending symphonic orchestration with electronic sound. He is a composer forever searching for new sounds and electronica gives him
an infinitely expanding library. These electronic sounds are rarely the point of his compositions, but rather one
of many resources in his “orchestral palette.” To incorporate the electronic component in the piece, all that is
needed is a laptop, two speakers, and a few onstage monitors. A member of the percussion section simply hits
laptop keys at rehearsal numbers, which in turn, triggers the sounds from a software sampler.
First Listening: (00:00 – 1:22)
I can hear computer generated sounds within the orchestra.
Before introducing the piece, give students an opportunity to identify instruments they hear. Do they
hear any unusual sounds not found in a typical orchestra? Is electronic music created by an “instrument” just
like sounds are created on the violin?
Second Listening: (00:00 – 2:05)
I can hear the pounding notes of a steady dance-floor beat in section A.
I can hear the electronically produced melodic ostinato in section A.
Before the second listening, introduce the background information. Listen for the pounding notes of a
steady dance-floor electronically produced beat at the beginning of the piece and the melodic ostinato
pattern generated by the computer at (00:32). Move to the steady beat. Put the rhythm of the ostinato
into body percussion. (8 note example: clap, hand 1 tap chest, hand 2 tap chest, hand 1 tap thigh, hand 2 tap
thigh, hand 1 tap side, hand 2 tap side, hand 2 tap side, repeat)
16
Third Listening: (2:06 – 3:04)
I can hear long sustained pitches passed from trumpets to oboe & cello to violins in section B.
Discuss the differences between sections A & B: in section B sustained pitches give a false impression of a
slower tempo, the pounding beat is replaced by flute/clarinet playing sixteenth note patterns underneath
sustained pitches, and electronic sounds fade away underneath quiet tremolos of the vibraphone.
Fourth Listening: (00:00 – 4:31))
I can hear and feel the ABA form of the piece.
Before the final listening, introduce the Listening Map and review the various elements of the piece. Discuss
ways to show the ABA form through movement. If time, you can explore the warehouse at 1217 Griswold
Street, Detroit. This building housed the first Electro Dance weekend parties in 1994.

In circle formation, students create non-locomotor movements (movements that don’t travel through
space) in their personal space during Section A and free flowing locomotor movements traveling to a new
spot on the circle during Section B. Section A repeats. Encourage students to develop movement
patterns that repeat like Bates’ ostinato pattern during Section A.

Explore two different kinds of energy: sharp and smooth. Develop a movement word bank for sharp
(poke, flick, slash, dab, dodge) and smooth (float, stretch, glide, twist, pull). Starting in scatter formation
in small groups of 2-3, students use sharp movements to play off one another during Section A. Remind
them to incorporate high, middle, and low level movements and develop movement ostinato patterns.
During Section B, students move through space in smooth locomotor movements. On the return of Section A, students will have either returned to their original group or can be instructed to form new groups
to interact in sharp movements.

Video animations created by the University of North Carolina art students under the direction of
Heather D. Freeman at www.youtube.com/embedbrw5zMewByQ

Video performance clip: Mason Bates performing Warehouse Medicine with the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra www.youtube.com/embedoFAJcHtFMxA

Video interview: Mason Bates talks about the use of electronic sounds in the orchestra.
www.youtube.com/embedu3vYpvAhhf4.
Please see page 23 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
www.masonbates.com
http://www.masonbates.com/work/work-bsides.html
Creative Dance for All Ages by Anne Green Gilbert, p. 217
http://crosspulse.com/pdfs/Part1.pdf (Keith Terry body percussion)
Special thanks to Kim Licavoli from Allegan Public Schools for designing this lesson.
17
from Barber of Seville
Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer who perfected the comedic stage genre (style) of opera buffa
(comic opera). Operas in the buffa style were written to be funny; the story typically unravels due to the story
line or the character’s comedic nature. Opera buffa was a popular remedy to the serious acting and singing of
the earlier operas. Rossini was a genius at writing melodies that had emotion with the use of florid passages
and complicated vocal parts reflective of Haydn and Mozart. Not only was he a master at using crescendos, he
also used rhythmic themes, slightly changing them to develop the pattern to alter the emotion for the singer.
This type of style of singing is known as bel canto. Here singers can “show off” their technique and skill while
still making the music sound musical and emotive.
First Listening: Listening and Identifying in Small Group Discussions
Preparation: Divide the class into small groups (4 per group) with the questions on one sheet of paper. You
can find these questions on page 18 in the Student Guide. Provide two or three listening opportunities to allow students to answer questions below and become familiar with the music. Students in small groups pick a
question to answer and then discuss within their group. Introduce the piece by letting the students know that
it is from an opera and it is sung in a different language.
1. Listen for the rhythm. Is it fast or slow? Does it speed up or get slower? Where does this happen?
2. Listen to the voice. Is it male or female? What is the energy level that the singer uses to tell the story?
3. What language do you think this is in? How can you tell? Which words are the most memorable?
(The libretto can be found on page 19 in the student guide.)
4. What instruments do you hear? What instruments grab your attention the most?
Second Listening: Rossini and the Musical Sections/Themes in the Barber of Seville
1. Share the following play synopsis for Act 1: Largo al factotum from Il Barbiere di Siviglia:
“Figaro is in the town square arriving to announce his services as a barber, a self-styled man of all
trades. Figaro brags about his abilities of being “on call” to all who need him; servicing anyone with
any problem. In this aria he sings of his ability to be the best barber to the young and old, and also a
discreet match maker who knows all of his clients’ secrets.”
2. Introduce the musical themes for the sections and the identifiable rhythm patterns per section.
The 3 musical themes and rhythm patterns can be found on the listening map.
Listen to the recording and have the students listen and follow along to the map provided.
3. Practice playing the rhythms from the Barber of Seville
Using rhythm sticks teach the students the identifiable patterns above to quietly play and accompany
the aria found on the map.
Third Listening: Compare and Contrast (Videos)
View traditional opera scenes of Il Barbiere di Siviglia on the following YouTube addresses using
SafeshareTV.Com and compare and contrast the clips.
Discuss what are some of the similarities and stylized differences in the different versions of the aria.
Which one do they like the best? Why?
18
1. Pietro Spagnoli -- 2011 modern version: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qHZkkgowdY
2. John Rawnsley -- 2007 traditional: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq_0wPYFp9A
3. Tito Gobi -- 1955 film very stylized: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMM9i5hdXZA
4. Stop Motion of The Barber of Seville in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMmHiS0wNtU
Teacher arranges students into a large open circle standing for movement warm-up.
Movement warmups: 8-6-4-2-1
1. Eight beats of a single movement and switch to another location for another eight beats.
For Example: March 8, Bounce Knees 8, Twist 8, Clap 8, Shoulders 8, Ear to shoulder- Left & Right 8.
2. Reduce the count to 6 for the next round increasing the speed for the tempo of the movements.
3. Repeat in the formula 8-6-4-2-1 and reduce the count to six counts per movement.
4. Repeat and reduce to 4, then 2, then 1.
Opera music is best described as singing and acting performed throughout an entire story accompanied by
an orchestra. Explain that opera singers are also excellent actors who must focus on how the character feels
while singing their song. Sometimes opera is sung in a different languages, however they all tell stories that
can be acted out through gestures and movement.
1. Have your students imagine that they are a very important local celebrity who is known for always helping
their friends get out of trouble, making matches that lead to happiness, providing medical advice and procedures, and helping others get the best trendy look. They are a barber or “handyman” of all trades.
2. Have students think words to put on the board that describe how they would feel if they were a barber.
(For example: proud, tall, strong, aloof, helpful, hurried, and confident).
3. Have students pick one of these characterizations and have them strike poses or act out the movements
while listening to the aria. They could even create a statue of poses adding one student at a time by practicing the following:
Teacher demonstrates what a feeling would look like by striking a pose.
One at a time each student shows their pose as the motion goes around the circle one at a time.
Students freeze to show pose.
Students try to not give away what their character feels and only shows a frozen action.
Practice doing the poses around the circle until it is seamless and students can do it in total silence.
Have students complete a quick write (writing for 3-5 minutes straight) using first person narrative. Don’t
worry about spelling and grammar as much as getting thoughts on paper. Use the following situation as the
basis of your writing prompt. Have them write about their life as Gioachino Rossini and how the production
of the Barber of Seville was a complete failure at the premiere. You were given the permission of the playwright to write a new version of the opera, however he sabotaged your performance. How did you feel? Did
you ever think of giving up? Why did you decide to not quit writing and keep trying to write new operas after
you were humiliated by the public? Share your quick-write with another student in the class.
Here are a few fun comedic interpretations of the Barber of Seville:
Tom and Jerry: https://www.youtube.com/embedQFFOHqx520E
Bugs Bunny and Giovanni Jones: https://www.youtube.com/embed14ijVeeeTjs
Please see page 24 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
Special thanks to Jeanna Cervantes-Hickman from Kalamazoo Public Schools for designing this lesson.
19
from Symphony No. 5
By Dmitri Shostakovich
Shostakovich was a Russian composer who was famous during his lifetime as one of Russia’s greatest assets.
He wrote compositions that used elements of Russian folk songs. The government at this time was a
dictatorship. Joseph Stalin, the dictator, ran the country using the military to enforce rules set down by the
government. The common people were often treated very poorly. Stalin set rules that formed the politics of
the country. He also controlled the art. He only wanted art that reflected positively on Russia.
Shostakovich had several friends—artists, composers and authors—who defied Stalin’s rules and had been
jailed, or worse, as a result. He was under suspicion of defying the government through his music. As a result,
he abandoned his Fourth Symphony (which did not follow the rules put before him) and began to write his
Fifth Symphony doing his best to follow the government’s parameters. When first performed, the Stalin
Regime praised the symphony as one that brought to the audience a sense of community and support for
their country. It followed the traditional form of having 4 movements. The melodies and harmonies in the
work were simple and direct, “as it should be.” It is speculated, however, that the work is full of hidden
messages. In the fourth movement, there is an ostinato of repeated notes in the woodwinds and strings
(8’30”) which supposedly represents the people rising up against the government in a single voice.
FIRST LISTENING: The MELODY in this piece has 2 parts. The first part of the melody is made up of long
tones; mostly half notes and quarter notes. This section of the melody will be followed by repeated,
descending and ascending eighth notes.
First part of melody:
Second part of melody:
The ACCOMPANIMENT will be steady eighth notes, often on a repeated pitch interrupted by the occasional
quarter note. Play each section to alert students what to listen for as they watch the following clip. Play this
video starting at the 7:32 mark. https://www.youtube.com/embedttzWiKRV6Io
After watching the clip, ask for observations. Responses may include: The melody was passed around to
different instrument families. Sometimes the two parts of the melody happen at the same time—in canon
(round) form. The ostinato gets to be really loud at the end.
20
SECOND LISTENING:
st
 Have students look at the listening map. Play the 1 part of the melody and have students identify it on
nd
their listening map. Play the 2 part of the melody and do the same. Repeat this process for the timpani
ostinato and the string ostinato.
 Explain to students, “We are going to listen to the Allegro non troppo with just the music—no video. As
the piece is playing, point to the sections that you hear on your listening map. Think about our past
discussions. Will you be pointing at only one section at a time? Would it be okay if you had to point to 2
or 3 or even all 4 parts of the map at once?” (If you wanted to, you could pass out BINGO chips to place
on each section as it is heard.) You can do this activity individually or in groups of 2 or 4. If working in
groups of 2, each student is in charge of identifying one melody and one ostinato. If working in groups of
4, each student is in charge of a section.
THIRD LISTENING:
Allow students to listen to this piece without interruption—no drawing, no identification, no analyzing. You
may even want to turn out the lights and let students stretch out. This is a very powerful piece of music and
if you have the time, give the students the opportunity to sit back and really listen to it.
Music can have hidden meanings—such as messages hidden in spirituals.
In the final movement: Allegro non troppo, there is a very strong melody that is often repeated. The dictator,
Stalin heard this melody as the strength of people supporting his governance. Shostakovich wrote this
melody to show the strength of the people and that they should stand up to Stalin and his military forces if
they could find the courage. The ostinato represents the cries of the people. From Stalin’s perspective, this
meant cheering for him and his armies. From the composer’s point of view, the people are crying out for
their freedom.
 Have students choose a perspective to listen from. Some students should choose to support Stalin’s point
of view and others choose the composer’s perspective.
 Play the music and have students concentrate on representing the melodies in their drawings. Discuss
the music again, talking about what musical elements were used in writing this piece besides the melody.
(Dynamics, timbre, repetition, etc.)
 Play the music again and have students layer these additional elements into their art work.
 If the music needs to be played again, you may have the “Stalin perspective group” congregate and
discuss their drawings so far. Do the same with students who are creating from the “Shostakovich
perspective.”



Divide the class into 2 groups—Stalin and Shostakovich.
Each group is given the task of creating a movement composition to accompany the music. Suggest that
each group divide into 4 parts, each representing the sections identified on the listening map.
As the groups create their movement/dance for the music, remind them to keep in mind the perspective
they represent: Military forces of the Stalin dictatorship or the Russian people, hoping to find the courage
to fight for their freedom.
Please see page 24 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
Special thanks to Marcia Working from the Crescendo Academy of Music for designing this lesson.
21
By John Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=YKA9DQZC510&feature=player_embedded
The Star Wars: Main Title was selected by the American Film Institute as the greatest American film score of
all time. So let’s face it – most of your students are going to be familiar with this piece! The George Lucas
created film series took the classic plot line of “good vs. evil” to space and gave pop culture some of its most
renowned characters, vehicles, weapons, and let’s not forget “the force.” John Williams composed music for
all six of the already released Star Wars films. He employed leitmotif in the popular score. Leitmotif is a
musical element used to portray a particular character, place, mood or event in a story. For example, the
iconic A Theme is also known as “Luke’s Theme.”

Make five copies of the rhythm pattern cards from the student guide. Put one of each up for students to
see on the white board. Teach them the rhythm syllables that you use in your classroom for each pattern.

Play the beginning of the piece (0:10 – 0:28) for your students. Ask your students to identify the music.
Have your students hum the A theme of the piece.

Have your students arrange the rhythm pattern cards on the board to correctly represent the A theme
drawing in the bar lines and repeat sign.

Play the entire piece for the class. Can the students point along with the rhythm notation as the A theme
is heard in the piece each time?

Have students create pictures or symbols to illustrate the rhythm of the A theme.

Discuss why certain symbols may be appropriate for the different length notes. Have the students point to
their symbols to follow along with the A theme each time it is played.

Have students assign body percussion for each icon to create a pattern to play each time the A theme
arrives in the music. For example:
snap snap snap

brush brush
snap snap snap brush clap
snap snap snap brush clap
snap snap snap brush
Try transferring their body percussion to classroom instruments. What instruments would be good for
short sounds, which for long?
22
Compare and Contrast the A and B themes.

Have students listen to each of the themes. Create a list of descriptive words for each theme.
A theme (0:10 – 0:28)
B theme (0:29 – 0:50)
Loud
Forceful
Majestic
Brass
Softer
Flowing
Smooth
Strings

Have students create movements to match the B theme. Discuss with them what kinds of motions would
match the music of the B theme (sways, turns, large arm circles…).

Have students perform their body percussion for the A theme and their motions for the B theme each
time they occur in the piece.
Explore a living composer!
If there is an example of a man who has kept at it, it is John Williams! He has been composing music for 63
years now with no sign of slowing down! Take a closer look at John Williams’ life and work with your students as well as how film music is composed.





A biography of John Williams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams
Star Wars recording session from 1999: www.youtube.com/embedK0ezvZoZAWc
Behind the Scenes Making of the Empire Strikes Back Score: www.youtube.com/embedhu7_dMhdciw
John Williams scoring E.T. He speaks toward our concert’s theme of perseverance toward the end of the
10 minute video always thinking, “maybe the next time I can do even better.”
www.youtube.com/embedHh4zxv7gYkY&index=3&list=RDD83YzbIwEmY
2004 Kennedy Center Honors – 2004
Brief bio of John Williams
Itzhak Perlman plays “Theme from Schindler’s List.”
United States Marine Band plays several of John Williams’ most well known film themes:
www.youtube.com/embedaPX8jhd6yqg
Please see page 24 for lesson adaptations and special needs modifications.
Special thanks to Beth Stachura from Comstock Public Schools for designing this lesson.
23
for Students with Special Needs
1. Simplify – teach to the most basic part of the concept. For example: instead of teaching a steady beat or a
specific rhythmic pattern, work on fast and slow or long and short; sing a song on a syllable instead of trying to
teach all the words.
2. Allow time for processing – many students with special needs process ideas much more slowly than their gen. ed.
peers. Give extra time for following directions and imitating activity or provide a task with fewer moving parts. For
example: instead of teaching a dance with multiple movements, create two movements that correspond with the
primary musical components of the piece you’re using and teach only those.
3. Don’t overlook the power of peers – much work is being done with students on the autism spectrum and peer
partners. This can be applicable across special needs populations. Often it’s the student helpers that know best how
to assist their peers. You may be able to complete more complicated tasks simply by turning over the instruction to
your regular ed. students.
4. Focus on all senses – especially if you have a student who is impaired in one area (movement, hearing, visual). Let
the whole class experience both the loss or limit of one sense and focus on a different one.
5. Don’t underestimate the power of simply listening to the music – many of the most severely impacted students
may simply enjoy becoming familiar with the music. When they attend a performance it is that familiarity that
allows them to enjoy the experience.
Holberg Suite
SENSORY ADAPTATION: use a ‘hands on’ ostinato to help connect students to the music. This could be by squeezing
hands, patting shoulders, or allowing students to feel the vibration when the ostinato is played on a drum.
MOVEMENT ADAPTATION: use scarves to assist students in conducting the piece. Scarves can be loosely tied to
wrists for students who have difficulty holding them. Have students hold one end of the scarf and a partner hold the
other to conduct or move to the music.
HANDS ON ADAPTATION: record the ostinato on a communication device and allow students to take turns playing
with the recording.
St. Paul’s Suite
SENSORY ADAPTATION: encourage eye contact on an individual basis and have students match facial expressions,
either of each other or staff, that change along with the music.
MOVEMENT ADAPTATION: match body movement to the music for example – wiggle fingers then wrists/arms/body
as the music progresses dynamically.
HANDS ON ADAPTATION: assign each student an instrument as in the Exploration but have them all play together
while matching dynamics.
Symphony No. 7
SENSORY ADAPTATION: increase arousal and awareness by encouraging students to reach out and up as music increases in activity then relax back down as the music relaxes.
HANDS ON ADAPTATION: have students play beats on a drum in as steady a beat as possible. Introduce the task as
the ostinato then add to the music, reinforcing the concept even though not playing the exact ostinato from the music.
Special thanks to Cindy Cross from Allegan ISD for designing special needs modifications for the 2015-2016 curriculum.
24
The B Sides
SENSORY ADAPTATION: utilize a techno pattern or music as a group warm-up, encouraging movement for various
body parts then transition to this piece.
MOVEMENT ADAPTATION: contrast the sections with moving around the space to standing still. Encourage student
partners to assist with movement when able.
HANDS ON ADAPTATION: utilize instruments and classroom materials to make computer/machine sounds. As able,
record the results to make your own symphony.
The Barber of Seville
MOVEMENT ADAPTATION: encourage students to act out the music by making exaggerated gestures as able.
HANDS ON ADAPTATION: encourage students to vocalize with music on ‘la’ or other neutral syllable, matching expression and volume with the performer.
Symphony No. 5
SENSORY ADAPTATION: if students are highly sensitive to the strong dynamics of the piece this would be a good time
to work up the dynamic ladder and assist students in adapting to increasing intensity of the musical stimulus. Problem
solve ways to make students more comfortable with the volume and power of this music. Options might include headphones, visual prompt to remind that loud music is coming, or allowing the student to control the volume increase.
MOVEMENT ADAPTATION: develop and encourage strong, specific movement to match the militaristic mood of the
piece. Lower body – marching or stomping feet, upper body – waving arms or punching arms forward. Create something simple that can match the intensity of the piece and be maintained to the end with a big final pose to finish.
Star Wars
SENSORY ADAPTATION: use the idea of space and introduce instrument sounds to match: triangles/bell sounds for
stars, drums for planets/meteors, shaking sounds for space ships, alien sounds.
HANDS ON ADAPTATION: have some fun with boomwhackers/light sabers! Encourage students to utilize the space
around them, traveling around the music room to play boomwhackers on drums, walls, chairs etc.
A. The Conductor's Role
1. Discuss the role of the conductor. The conductor's job is to help the musicians play exactly together. The conductor
uses his/her right hand to give the meter and the tempo of the music. The left hand is used to cue musicians when
it's time to come in, show players when to stop, and to indicate dynamics and expression.
B. Conducting Exercise
1. Using Student Guide p. 24, go over the conducting patterns for 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. Students can use straws or pencils
as batons. Try these conducting patterns in fast and slow tempos.
2. Some familiar songs are suggested for students to sing while they conduct. Feel free to use others.
3. Try conducting the pieces from the concert repertoire.
25
A. Review Activities
1. Play a few minutes of each track while students follow the activities on pp. 26-27 of the Student Guide.
2. Reflect and discus the various themes in the program.
3. Modify review activities as needed for younger students.
B. Listening ID
1. Play the CD tracks in random order and see if your students can identify the piece and the composer. Ask
them to raise their hands and tell you something interesting about each piece.
C. Review Concert Participation pieces!
(optional classroom lesson)
Using the Post Concert Reflection Writing Web Worksheet on Student Guide p.28, help students reflect on
and summarize their experience at the concert. Modify the activity as needed for younger students.
1. Review key vocabulary about music and orchestras.
2. The main idea is already filled in: students will write about the KSO Youth Concert 2015.
3. Some details are already filled in: the names of the concert pieces. Students will choose 4 pieces and then
list three key words about those pieces in the boxes.
4. Students should then write one thing they noticed about the concert in each oval. (These may include
projected images, lights, the conductor, the composer, or soloist, or other things that stand out in their
minds.)
5. Students use their pre-writing web and their answers to the questions as the foundation for writing a short
summary of the concert. (Provide additional guidelines as appropriate, i.e., number of paragraphs, etc.)
6. Students follow the writing process (i.e., rough draft, edited rough draft, final copy) to create their final
KSO Youth Concert Reflection.
7. Please select a few of your students’ reflections to send to the KSO! This helps KSO gather student feedback on the concert, and supports grant writing efforts.
This lesson is aligned with the Writing Process (W.PR) GLCE’s for grades 2 and up. For example:
 WPR 4.02 Apply a variety of pre-writing strategies for both narrative and informational writing (e.g.,
graphic organizers such as maps, webs, Venn diagrams ) in order to generate sequence, and structure
ideas.
 WPR 4.03 Draft focused ideas using a variety of drafting techniques composing coherent and
mechanically sound paragraphs when writing compositions.
26
Music and Classroom Teachers
Positive guidance from all teachers and chaperones will help students develop good listening skills, practice
appropriate concert behavior, and make the most out of this exciting event.
Lead a discussion about concert etiquette and “power listening.” The “Power Listening Checklist” on page 25
in the Student Guide might help to get a discussion going. Then have students complete the KSO Youth Concert Puzzle Page on Student Guide p. 25.
A. Getting Ready to Watch and Listen
Make yourself comfortable beforehand so you can enjoy the whole performance.
1. Take a moment before the concert to take off your coat and try out your seat.
2. Relax into your chair, and get ready to focus on the events onstage.
3. Don’t talk during the concert — you don’t want to miss anything!
B. Auditorium Rules for a Great Concert Experience
1. Walk (do not run) outdoors, in the lobby, and in the concert hall.
2. Quickly follow instructions given by teachers, ushers, bus/car drivers, and chaperones.
3. Stay seated during the concert. Don’t stand or use the restrooms during the music.
4. Do not do anything that makes people notice you instead of the performance (talking, moving a lot, etc.).
C. Power Listening
When you Power Listen, you don’t just listen...you listen FOR something!
1. Power Listening is active, not passive. Encourage students to zoom in and out with their ears and eyes,
focus on their favorite instruments for a while, or follow the melody as it moves from one section to another.
2. Watch the conductor to observe visual cues, tempos, and dynamics.
3. Think about the things you learned in music class as you listen.
D. Clapping, Applause, Appreciation
Clapping enthusiastically—at the right time—is the best way to show your appreciation.
1. Talk about the role of the Concertmaster and why we clap when s/he comes on stage. The concertmaster
is the leader of the orchestra (like the line-leader!) and has special responsibilities. The concertmaster also
signals to the oboe player to sound an “A” so that all the players can tune their instruments.
2. Emphasize that some pieces are unpredictable.
 Students can be “tricked” into clapping when a piece gets very quiet, after the first big cadence, or during
every pause in a solo.
 Encourage students to be “clever” listeners, and not be “fooled” by tricky places in the music. If they wait
for the conductor to put his/her arms down and turn around, they will be right every time!
3. A quiet audience will help the musicians concentrate and perform their best. While they are playing,
silence is the highest compliment! Discuss how attentive and quiet listening creates a powerful concert
experience for everyone.
27
This curriculum meets the following Michigan Content Standards and Benchmarks in Arts Education:
Content Standard 1: All students will apply skills and knowledge to perform in the arts.
ART.I.M.EL.1
Sing and play independently, on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction,
posture, and tempo.
ART.I.M.EL.3
Sing expressively, with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, and interpretations.
ART.I.M.EL.6
Perform easy rhythmic, melodic, and chordal patterns accurately and independently on
rhythmic, melodic and harmonic classroom instruments.
ART.I.M.EL.8
Perform independent instrumental parts while other students sing or play contrasting parts.
ART.I.M.EL.9
Read whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests in double and triple meter.
ART.I.M.EL.10
Use a system to read simple pitch notation in the treble clef in major keys.
ART.I.M.EL.12
Use standard symbols to notate meter, rhythm, pitch, and dynamics in simple patterns
presented by the teacher.
Content Standard 2: All students will apply skills and knowledge to create in the arts.
ART.II.M.EL.2
Improvise “answers” in the same style to given rhythmic and melodic phrases.
ART.II.M.EL.3
Improvise simple rhythmic variations and simple melodic embellishments on familiar
melodies.
ART.II.M.EL.4
Create and arrange short songs and instrumental pieces within specified guidelines.
Content Standard 3: All students will analyze, describe and evaluate works of art.
ART.III.M.EL.1
Identify simple music forms when presented aurally.
ART.III.M.EL.3
Use appropriate terminology in explaining music, music notation, musical instruments and
voices, and music performances.
ART.III.M.EL.4
Identify the sounds of a variety of instruments, including many orchestra, band and electronic
instruments, and instruments from various cultures, as well as children’s voices and male and
female adult voices.
ART.III.M.EL.5
Respond through purposeful movement to selected prominent music characteristics or to
specific music events while listening to music.
ART.III.M.EL.6
Devise criteria for evaluating performances and compositions.
ART.III.M.EL.7
Explain, using appropriate music terminology, personal preferences for specific musical works,
and styles.
Content Standard 4: All students will understand, analyze, and describe the arts in their historical, social, and
cultural contexts.
ART.IV.M.EL.1
Identify by genre or style aural examples of music from various historical periods and cultures.
ART.IV.M.EL.4
Identify and describe roles of musicians in various settings and cultures.
ART.IV.M.EL.5
Demonstrate audience behavior appropriate for the context and style of music performed.
Content Standard 5: All students will recognize, analyze, and describe connections among the arts; between the
arts and other disciplines; between the arts and everyday life.
ART.V.M.EL.2
Observe and identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines
taught in the school are interrelated with those of music.
28
Cross curricular standards and benchmarks include but are not limited to the following:
English Language Arts
W.GN.(00-05).03
K-5th grade study of writing informational pieces
W.PR.(00-05).02
K-5th grade study of pre-writing strategies
S.DS.(00-05).01
K-5th grade ability to engage in interactive, extended discourse to socially construct
meaning
*Writing Process, Personal Style, Grammar and Usage, Spelling, and Handwriting Standards could be applied throughout all grade
levels to the Post Concert Review writing assignment.
Social Studies
H1.1
All grades study chronology using composer timelines from all lessons
K1.3
5th grade study of the diversity of human beings and human cultures
K1.4
5th grade ability to analyze events and circumstances from the vantage point of others
K1.5
5th grade ability to understand social problems, social structures, institutions, class,
groups, and interactions
Physical Education
M.MC.(00-03).01
M.MC.(00-03).06
K-3rd grade study of movement concepts
M.MC.(00-03).11
M.MC.(04,05).02
M.MC.(04,05).06
4th-5th grade study of movement concepts
M.MC.(04,05).11
M.RA.(00-05).01
K-5th grade study of movement rhythmic activities
Visual Arts
ART.II.VA.EL.3 Explore and understand prospective subject matter, ideas, and symbols for works of art
ART.II.VA.EL.4 Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning
ART.V.VA.EL.4 Identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum
29
I. Preludium from the Holberg Suite by Grieg
II. Ostinato from St. Paul’s Suite by Holst
IV. Allegro non troppo from Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 by Shostakovich
I. Vivace from Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven
IV. Allegro non troppo from Symphony No. 5 Op. 47 by Shostakovich
Star Wars Main Title by John Williams
“Warehouse Medicine” from The B-Sides by Bates
“Warehouse Medicine” from The B-Sides by Bates
Machine by Higdon
I. Vivace from Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven
Vocal
“Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville by Rossini
“Warehouse Medicine” from The B-Sides by Bates
IV. Allegro non troppo from Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 by Shostakovich
Vivace from Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven
30
Conductor
*Due to stage size, orchestral arrangement, and artistic decisions made by the conductor, the harp, piano,
and other instruments may be placed differently on stage. Look for the differences at the concert!
31
Many thanks to the teachers who helped design this year’s
materials. We appreciate your hard work and dedication!
Jeanna Cervantes - Hickman
Kim Licavoli
Winchell Elementary
Kalamazoo Public Schools
North Ward and Dawson Elementary
Allegan Public Schools
Stephanie Measzros
El Sol Elementary
Kalamazoo Public Schools
Marcia Working
Orff Instructor
Crescendo Academy of Music
Norma-Jean Forshey
M.L. King-Westwood Elementary
Kalamazoo Public Schools
Mary Foster
Arcadia Elementary
Kalamazoo Public Schools
Beth Stachura
Green Meadow Elementary and
North Elementary
Comstock Public Schools
Cindy Cross
Lisa Stucky
Hillside Learning and Behavior Center
Allegan ISD
Moorsbridge Elementary
Portage Public Schools
Courtesy of Naxos of America
8.553477 Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
8.557890 Grieg: Holberg Suite
8.550823 Holst: St. Paul’s Suite
8.556652 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
8.555922 Rossini: The Barber of Seville
Major funding provided by:
Burdick-Thorne Foundation, Diane S. Robertson, Tyler-Little Foundation, and Schupan and Sons