All About Sports - Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

BSO Midweek Concert
All About Sports
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Ken Lam
Organist Matthew Van Hoose
Music for Youth
Thu, Feb 4, 2016 (4 – 6 grades)
10 am & 11:30 am
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Fri, Feb 5, 2016 (4 – 6 grades)
10 am & 11:30 am
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Table of Contents
Welcome Letter, Teachers’ Guide Information ……………….………….… 1
All About Sports: Snapshot for Teachers and Students...……………...... 3
Track One: Budget Fanfare..………..…………………………………….……….. 9
Music, STEAM
Track Two: Designing an Amphora..……..………………………………..…… 11
Visual Arts, History
Track Three: Art and the Heroic Pose...…………………………………....... 14
History, Visual Arts, Music
Track Four: Rhythm in Sports…………….....……………….………………….. 16
Music, Drama
Track Five: Beethoven at Bat…..………………………………………………….. 24
Music, Drama, English Language Arts
Track Six: Biomechanics and Bunraku………………………………………… 25
Visual Arts, Drama, STEAM, Music
Track Seven: Teams and Ensembles……………………………….………...… 29
Music, Drama, STEAM
Track Eight: Famous You...…………………………………….…………………… 32
Music, Visual Arts, English Language Arts
Track Nine: Kinetic Art…....………..…………………………….……....…….…. 33
Music, STEAM
Centennial Activities ……………………….….……………………..……….…..….. 35
Special Thanks ……………………………………..………………...………..….….... 42
Welcome to the BSO Midweeks!
On behalf of the Associate Conductor for Education, Ken Lam, the members of the Baltimore
Symphony Orchestra, and the BSO Education Department, I am delighted to welcome you to our
2015-2016 Midweek Concert Series. This season we celebrate the BSO Centennial: 100 years of
extraordinary orchestral music in Baltimore. With the BSO Midweek Concert series as the longest
running education initiative at the BSO (running since February 16, 1924), and the first regular
educational concert series of any orchestra in the country, we are thrilled to have you join us to
celebrate this momentous occasion here at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.
This Centennial Midweek Concert Season we present four concert themes: two for younger
students (The Polar Express and Peter and the Wolf) and two for older students (Icarus at the Edge
of Time and All About Sports). For the first time ever in the history of the BSO we are offering
concerts for High School Students with special presentations of Icarus at the Edge of Time.
Two of these concert themes have been hand-selected especially for this season to celebrate our
Centennial. Icarus at the Edge of Time celebrates you, our future audiences, and our exciting new
Arts-Integrated, STEAM-Activated approach to relevant, interactive and interconnected concerts.
Peter and the Wolf celebrates the BSO’s tradition of bringing live music to student audiences, with
Prokofiev’s timeless tale and engaging music.
About this Guide
On the next pages you will find the All About Sports Teachers’ Guide, written by a highly skilled
group of Maryland educators with specialism in music, drama, science, English/Language Arts and
visual arts, led by extraordinary award-winning curriculum writer and editor, Richard McCready.
At the start of the guide is a “Snapshot” of your concert experience. This will give you a sense of
what to expect in the concert, along with some thoughts about the various curricular connections,
and music we suggest you experience in the classroom before the performance. This is also where
you can find the listing of all the specific curriculum standards that are supported by the concert
and by the activities.
Beyond the Snapshot pages you will find a variety of activities, organized as “Track and Field
Tracks” to signify the various directions that you can explore in order to prepare for this concert.
Each Track may be used in whichever order you wish. We have also highlighted the various crosscurricular links that align with each Track so that you may jump to areas that are of particular
interest to you and your students. We hope that your students try at least one activity prior to
coming to the concert so they can make the most of their live experience at the Meyerhoff.
Each activity is written to the student and encourages their natural sense of creativity and
exploration. They will be able to read the activity pages, or you will be able to read the activities
with them. Not all of the activities are specifically musical. Some are scientific, some are movement
games, some employ and encourage art skills, and some involve storytelling and role-play. You
best know your students, their capabilities and interests. You should encourage students to try the
activities that you feel most appropriate for them and for your classroom. Encourage other teachers
in your building to try some of the activities as well.
Share & Connect
Most importantly, this year we have designed our guides as a mere starting point for exploration,
with the essential piece being the work that is created by the student, for the student, and then
presented to us here at the BSO. We can’t wait to see where these ideas might take your students
and all the inspired, arts-integrated work they will produce in the classroom. We will aim to post
this material on our website to inspire other students and teachers. We may even incorporate it
into the concert experience some day in the future. If you wish to share any materials with us at the
BSO, please send them to [email protected]. Be sure to let us know how we may
acknowledge the creators of the work. If you wish to send us materials for our internal use, please
do be sure to specify which works may not be posted on our website. We promise to read every
email, enjoy every art piece, listen to every composition, and watch every video. We hope that you
will also check back on our website to share in the works of others.
We hope you enjoy this guide, your explorations that are yet to come, the concert experience, and
sharing your creative work with us. See you in February, and be sure to also check out our other
Midweek Concert this season: Peter & the Wolf!
Warmly,
Annemarie Guzy
Director of Education
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
All About Sports:
Snapshot for Teachers and Students
The Team
“We’re going to go to the Symphony to hear all about sports???”
You heard right. This is a concert all about sports. Baltimore is a great sports town. We have some
professional teams - the Baltimore Orioles play baseball and the Baltimore Ravens play football (you might
pass both of their stadiums on your way to the Meyerhoff). We also have a men’s indoor soccer team, the
Baltimore Blast, and two women’s football teams, the Baltimore Burn and the Baltimore Nighthawks. We
have many famous athletes that were born in or near Baltimore—Babe Ruth, Pam Shriver, Cal Ripken,
Michael Phelps and many others. Baltimore loves its sports and Baltimore loves its athletes.
Baltimore has another professional team that the city loves just as much: The Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra. Their “stadium” is the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, which was designed and built specially for the
orchestra. The musicians come together at the Meyerhoff to rehearse and perform music of the highest
quality. Each member of the orchestra is a highly skilled musician and they have all worked for many years to
become as good as they are today. Each member of the orchestra is as important as each member of a sports
team. Each person in the orchestra has their own instrument to play, like baseball, football or basketball
players have their position to play, and everything is held together by a conductor, who is like a coach,
manager, and trainer all rolled into one person.
And it’s just the right time of year to be celebrating sports! February is a great sports month, with Babe
Ruth’s birthday on February 6 and the Superbowl on February 7. You’ll sure to be in the sporting spirit.
Welcome to our stadium! We hope you enjoy the concert. You will hear a lot of music that relates directly to
sports and there may even be a few sports surprises thrown in along the way.
There are three particular pieces of music that we would like you to be familiar with before you come to the
concert. We hope that you will take time in class to listen to them and to try some of the accompanying
activities in this guide.
Gioachino Rossini: Overture to William Tell
Rossini is a famous Italian composer that lived at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. He wrote many
pieces of instrumental music and vocal music, but he was best known for his operas. In Rossini’s day, the
opera was the most popular form of entertainment in Italy. More people showed up to performances of
opera than to soccer games. The Italian people adored the lavish sets and costumes of opera and loved to
hear the incredible vocal performances of the opera singers. Rossini was a favorite composer because he
wrote operas based on stories that were well known, and he wrote in a very dramatic fashion that made the
audience very excited by the music.
Rossini wrote 39 operas in total. That’s a lot of notes and a lot of singing. He earned a lot of money from
his opera performances and he retired from music at the age of 37. William Tell was the last opera that he
wrote and was to become possibly the best known and most popular of any of his major works—its
popularity ensured Rossini’s financial stability for the rest of his life. After he retired, Rossini did not write
much more music, but lived comfortably to the age of 76.
William Tell tells the story of the Swiss folk-hero William Tell, who lived in Switzerland in the early
Fourteenth Century and used his athleticism to overcome all the obstacles thrown his way. Tell was a very
strong man who was well-known for his skills at mountain climbing, swimming, running, sailing, and archery.
Tell was loved by everyone in his village because of his kindness to others and willingness to help everyone
with his amazing strength.
At that time in Switzerland, the country was under occupation by the Austrian army. The Austrians
appointed mayors of villages to rule over the people. The Swiss disliked the Austrian occupiers because
they treated them so unfairly and they wanted them gone. One day, a cruel and tyrannical mayor was
appointed over William Tell’s village by the ruling Austrian government. The new mayor, Gessler, wanted
the people to know he was in charge, so he posted his hat on a pole in the village and ordered everyone to
bow to the hat when they passed. William Tell refused to bow, so as punishment, Gessler placed an apple
on William Tell’s son’s head and ordered him to use his crossbow to shoot the apple. A crossbow is a type
of weapon that shoots arrows very precisely and quickly, but which requires incredible skill and strength to
fire successfully. Tell pulled two arrows out of his quiver and shot the apple clean in half without harming
even one hair of his son’s head. When Gessler asked him why he had pulled out two arrows, Tell told him
that the second arrow would have been directly aimed at the mayor himself if the first shot had missed and
Tell had harmed his own son. Gessler was so angered by Tell’s response that he ordered the strongman to
be imprisoned. Gessler’s guards tied Tell in chains and took him on a boat across Lake Lucerne to the
prison, while Gessler himself took the safer route on horseback around the lake. A huge storm blew across
the lake, and the guards untied William Tell so he could help steer the boat—he was the only man with that
sort of physical ability. Tell escaped from the boat once they were close to land and he ran to the prison.
When he got there, Gessler was just arriving on horse. William Tell still had the second arrow, so he shot
and killed Gessler, and freed his village from the horrible tyrant. He was welcomed back to the village as a
hero, and his victory inspired the Swiss to stand up, take their country back, and send the occupiers back to
Austria.
The Overture to the opera William Tell, which you will hear selections of in the concert, sets the scene for
the story. The music begins with a gentle picture of the beautiful Swiss countryside, which is where William
Tell lived. Then there is the storm on the lake as Tell is led to the prison. After that you will hear a time of
peace when the storm has stopped and finally you will hear the Gallop of the Swiss Soldiers as they drive
the Austrians out of Switzerland.
Rossini’s music is full of mood changes. That’s why the Italian people liked it so much. The different parts
of the overture are very easy to hear because Rossini wrote so well to summon up the scene. As you listen to
the music in class before you come to the concert, see if you can hear the sections of the overture that show
the countryside, the storm, the end of the storm and the soldier’s gallop. Perhaps you might close your eyes
as you listen so you can imagine the scene in your head. You might also like to draw and color a picture to
show the William Tell Overture. Divide your page into four quadrants and draw the action in each part of
the overture as you listen. Maybe you could think of your drawing as an illustration for a poster advertising
the concert.
Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Aaron Copland was an American composer who lived through most of the twentieth century. He was born
in New York in 1900 and died in 1990. He wrote a lot of wonderful music, including ballets, symphonies,
and film scores. He was also a very skilled conductor and enjoyed conducting professional orchestras
through the United States.
Fanfare for the Common Man was composed for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1942. Copland
was inspired by a speech given by United States Vice President Henry Wallace, in which he referred to the
twentieth century as “The Century of the Common Man”.
A fanfare is a short flourish of music, usually for brass and percussion, often played to celebrate a famous or
important person. Foreign presidents or other dignitaries are sometimes welcomed to the US by a fanfare.
Our own President is often greeted at important events by the Army Band or Marine Band playing a fanfare
called Ruffles and Flourishes. Sports heroes are usually welcomed at sporting events by short songs that we
call “walk-ups”. For example, you will hear lots of walk-ups if you go to Oriole Park at Camden Yards and
see an Orioles game. As the Baltimore batters come up to bat, or the Baltimore pitchers come out of the
bullpen, you will often hear their walk-ups. Walk-ups are simply fanfares for athletes.
Aaron Copland wrote Fanfare for the Common Man as a piece of music for anyone to use as a fanfare. He
wanted to celebrate that everybody is somebody important, everybody deserves a fanfare or a walk-up at
least once in his or her life. The term “common man” means everybody—man, woman, child or adult.
Aaron Copland wrote his fanfare for you. He wrote it for your friends. He wrote it for your teacher. He
wrote it for everybody.
The music for Fanfare for the Common Man is loud and exciting. You will hear the brass players in the
Symphony accompanied by the tympani. Brass instruments require a lot of physical strength to play well.
Each player is putting a lot of air down those horns to make such a loud and beautiful sound. Tympani are
large drums that can play different notes, and they require a lot of co-ordination to play properly. Even
though the fanfare just lasts a few minutes, it takes a lot of skill and effort by the Symphony players to really
make it sound so amazing. We would like to think that hearing Fanfare for the Common Man in the
Meyerhoff is an experience you will never forget. If you already play a musical instrument yourself, you
might be inspired to practice your instrument so you can one day become a musician in the Baltimore
Symphony Orchestra.
As you listen to Fanfare for the Common Man in class, imagine that you are a president or another
important person visiting a foreign country and being welcomed with the fanfare. Perhaps you might also
think of yourself as a famous baseball player walking up to bat as the orchestra plays the fanfare. Also try
some of the activities that accompany this teacher’s guide. You will find lots of fun activities connecting with
the idea of athletes and other heroes.
PDQ Bach: Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Sportscast
PDQ Bach may or may not have been a member of the Bach family and may or may not have been “the
worst musician ever to have trod organ pedals.” His tombstone reportedly once listed his birth and death
dates as 1807-1742, and allegedly the Bach clan called him “a pimple on the face of music.”
It is also possible that PDQ Bach may or may not be Peter Schickele, the composer, musician, author and
satirist known for his humor in music. To read more about these two (one?) composers, visit:
http://www.schickele.com/psbio.htm and http://www.schickele.com/pdqbio.htm.
Indeed, the composer is silly, and the piece is as you might now anticipate, equally so much fun. PDQ
Bach’s piece Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Sportscast is a spirited way of putting Beethoven’s iconic
Symphony Number 5 into an unusual context: a baseball game! It compares musicians to athletes, motives
to baseballs, and is chock-full of the music theory that makes Beethoven’s Symphony so great. This piece is
perfect for sports and music fans alike.
As you listen to this piece, imagine being at a baseball game and all the excitement, energy, anticipation of
what’s about to come. After listening, compare it to the original Beethoven (without the sportscast). Do
you hear the piece differently now? Even without the narration, can you hear the excitement, the
anticipation, and the unexpected musical twists and turns that the piece takes?
Share & Connect!
As you explore the following activities in your class, we hope you will share all your great work with us at the BSO.
We look forward to seeing and listening to what you send us!
Useful Web Links
This concert is all about sports—and therefore all about physical activity. We encourage you to consider how the
Common Core Standards can be used and implemented as children learn through physical education. The following
website may be of use:
 http://www.peteacheredu.org/pe-and-common-core/
Curriculum Connections
This symbol
denotes
National
Common
Core ELA
Standards.
This symbol
denotes
National
Common
Core Social
Studies
Standards.
This symbol
denotes
National
Common Core
Arts
Standards:
Music
This symbol
denotes
National
Common Core
Arts
Standards:
Drama
This symbol
denotes
National
Common
Core Arts
Standards:
Visual Arts
This symbol
denotes Maryland
Science
Expectations &
National Common
Core Mathematics
Standards
Here are the National Common Core Standards in Arts, English Language Arts,
Mathematics and Social Studies, that apply to this program and the activity guides:
National Common Core Arts Standards
Creating
1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
3. Refine and complete artistic work.
Performing
4. Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Responding
7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Connecting
10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen
understanding.
National Common Core English Language Arts Student Capacities
2. They build strong content knowledge.
3. They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.
4. They comprehend as well as critique.
7. They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
National Common Core Mathematics Standards
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
National Common Core Social Studies Standards
2. Applying disciplinary tools in civics, economics, geography, and history.
3. Gathering and evaluating evidence.
4. Developing claims and using evidence.
6. Taking informed action.
In addition, these Maryland Science Expectations apply to this program and the
activity guides:
Maryland Science Expectations
Expectation 1.1 The student will explain why curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism are highly
regarded in science.
Expectation 1.7 The student will show that connections exist both within the various fields of science and
among science and other disciplines including mathematics, social studies, language arts, fine arts, and
technology.
Track One: Budget Fanfare
In sports, we often have a fanfare for players entering the stadium. A fanfare is a musical flourish,
often played by loud instruments such as brass and drums.
At the All About Sports concert you will hear Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland.
In this piece, Copland created music to sum up the idea of everybody being a hero: everybody
deserves a fanfare at least once in their lives. He uses loud brass and timpani, and the music is very
exciting to listen to.
Activity Ideas
Listen to some other fanfares. Maybe you could search for some of the following pieces on Youtube,
Spotify, or iTunes.




Olympic Fanfare by John Williams
“Promenade” from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky
Fanfare for a New Theatre by Igor Stravinsky
Ruffles and Flourishes performed by the US Army Band or US Marine Band
What would your perfect unique fanfare music be? Let’s create one. You have $25 to spend on musicians
for your fanfare. Budget your money to create your perfect fanfare. Use the following chart.
Orchestra Families
Brass
Woodwind
$2 Trumpet
$2 Piccolo
$3 Trombone
$3 Flute
$4 Tuba
$4 Clarinet
$5 French Horn $5 Bass Clarinet
$5 Oboe
$5 Bassoon
String
$3 Violin
$4 Viola
$5 Cello
$5 Bass
Percussion
$1 Triangle
$1 Tambourine
$2 Woodblock
$2 Crash Cymbal
$2 Suspended Cymbal
$2 Claves
$3 Gong
$4 Xylophone
$5 Snare Drum
$5 Bass Drum
$15 Drum Line
Vocal
$3 Male Singers
$3 Female Singers
$5 Children’s Choir
$7 Full Choir
$15 Dramatic Announcer
Share & Connect!
Capture your work on video and scan your pictures, then send them to the BSO at
[email protected]. We can’t wait to see your fanfares!
Useful Web Links
 Recording of Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr6CnG5dmvM
 Recording of Olympic Fanfare by John Williams:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCqUESCoB1w
 Video of “Promenade” from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5r8sa863Ts
 Recording of Fanfare for a New Theatre by Igor Stravinsky:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfSZoOLfb38
 Recording of Ruffles and Flourishes performed by US Marine Band:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQjsKu_U-Cc (0:00-0:07)
Track Two: Designing an Amphora
Athletes work very hard, and sometimes they are rewarded for their work. Today we occasionally
give cash bonuses to athletes, film them endorsing their favorite products, or put their images on
magazine covers and the front of cereal boxes. But in early Greece, the winners in the PanAthenic Games were awarded oil from the sacred olive groves in Attica, and the oil was stored in
large ceramic vessels called amphora.
Early amphora had decorative bands at the bottom and top and figures around the body of the
vessel. These figures could be doing any number of activities, but most given as prizes to athletes
contained a depiction of Athena on the front panel and beautiful images of athletes engaged in the
featured competition on the back. See the amphora below for images of a footrace, which was one
of the earliest competitions of the Olympic Games and a competition called the Pankration, which
combined wrestling, boxing, and kicking. Notice that there is also the figure of a robed judge who
is there to keep things safe in this dangerous sport!
The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Terracotta Panathenaic Prize
Amphora, attributed to the Painter
Euphiletos ca. 530 B.C.E., Credit
Line: Rogers Fund, 1914,
Accession Number: 14.130.12,
www.metmuseum.org
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora,
attributed to the Painter Kleophrades, ca.
500 B.C.E,Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1916,
Accession Number: 16.71,
www.metmuseum.org.
Activity Ideas
Now it’s time to make your own amphora design! First think about a person who inspires or protects you—this could
be a teacher or a parent, a famous person or your best friend, anyone at all that you would like to honor.
Who is your inspirational figure? __________________________________________________
Next, think about activities that you do well or enjoy. These could be athletic activities, but they don't have to be. It
could be any activity at all. Are you a powerful reader? Do you enjoy cooking? How about playing an instrument or
dancing? If you can’t think of anything, ask a relative or friend or teacher what kinds of things they have noticed that
you do really well.
Name at least five activities that you enjoy or do well here:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Print two copies of the amphora template on the last page of this activity. Draw or paste a picture of your inspirational
or protector figure on one side of the vase, and at least three images of yourself doing what you love. Have fun with
how you place your figures on the vase and think about how the vase has convex and concave forms. Perhaps you
might like to create an amphora for William Tell, as you listen to the William Tell Overture and learn about his
heroic exploits.
Useful Web Links
For more information on how these vessels were made and other kinds of decorative pottery in early Greece and
Rome, you can look here:
 http://dl.ket.org/humanities/connections/class/greecerome/vases2.htm
Share & Connect!
Take a photograph of your amphora and send it to us at the BSO ([email protected]). We would be very
excited to see your artwork.
Track Three: Art and the Heroic Pose
When you come to the All About Sports concert at the Meyerhoff, you will hear lots of music that
portrays athletes and heroes in sound. You will hear how composers use music to convey the strong
characteristics of athletes and other sporting heroes.
Music is just one way to represent sporting achievement or heroism in the Arts. Many visual artists and
photographers like to capture the essence of athletic ability in their art. When they draw or
photograph the athlete (the subject) they would often have them strike a heroic or athletic pose which
shows that they are strong and capable of great physical feats.
Jacques Louis-David
Napoleon Crossing The Alps
Oil on canvas, 1801
Useful Web Links
 Elaine de Kooning painted basketball players for 30 years! What do you notice about the lines and
brushstrokes in her paintings?
o http://www.fada.org/image/10183/basketball-no-40-1977/
 Aaron Douglas created paintings and murals to reflect the experience of Black persons in Africa and America.
What visual choices did he make? What emotions are conveyed by these choices?
o http://www.socialhistoryofart.com/photos/undefined/DouglasSongOfTowers1966Milwaukee web.jpg
 Gail Folwell makes metal sculptures that show athletes frozen in action. Some of them are balanced on one
leg—can you create a sculpture that balances on one leg? The bronze statue of Jim Palmer at Oriole Park at
Camden Yards balances on one leg.
o http://www.folwellstudios.com/gail-folwell/portfolio/sports-themes/
Activity Ideas
Look up some photographs of athletes or dancers in action. Maybe you could do a search at
http://images.google.com for “heroic pose”. Project one image on a chalkboard and use chalk to try to capture the
essence of the pose in as few simple lines as possible—maybe 5 or less! Cover up the projector and compare the
photograph to your drawing.
 Even though your chalk drawing is a few simple lines, you will still get such a good sense of the action! If you
do not have access to a projector, you could also try this with tracing paper on top of a photograph or a digital
drawing program or app.
How can we communicate through our poses? Think of a list of strong emotions. Hang up a bedsheet or a big piece
of paper with a strong light behind it, and act out each emotion by striking a stationary pose behind the screen so that
your friends can see your silhouette (shadow) cast on the sheet. See if they can guess what emotion you are trying to
communicate. (You can also simply strike your poses if you cannot use a lit screen, but the screen makes it even
more fun!) What types of poses are most effective at communicating your emotions?
Why do you think artists and/or subjects choose certain poses for portraits? Look at the picture on the previous page
of Jacques Louis-Davidʼs Napoleon Crossing the Alps and think about what the portrait is trying to communicate
about Napoleon, and how Louis-David tried to help you see this. Can you picture yourself in this kind of portrait?
Kehinde Wiley is an artist who uses visual language from European art history, but applies it while painting subjects
who are persons of color dressed in their everyday clothing.
 Visit Wiley’s website (http://kehindewiley.com/works/ rumors-of-war/) and look at her Napoleon Leading the
Army Over the Alps. Compare it to the painting by Louis-David. Try to design your own heroic portrait!
What would you be doing? Where would you be? What would you want to wear?
Think about monuments, too! How do artists show heroism in three dimensions? Have you ever seen the wonderful
bronze statues at Oriole Park at Camden Yards? They show Baltimore’s baseball heroes in full action poses.
You might also like to compose a piece of music to illustrate the heroism of the subjects in your artwork. You might
be inspired by something you hear in one of the pieces the orchestra plays at the concert. Maybe you could use a
program such as GarageBand or Studio One Prime to compose a piece of music for a hero.
Share & Connect!
As you create art, find a way to photograph it, scan it, or create a video/audio recording, and send it to us at the BSO
([email protected]). We would be very excited to see your work.
Track Four: Rhythm in Sports
Music and sports have so much in common! One of those mutual traits is rhythm. Use these
activities to explore rhythms in sports to create music.
Activity Ideas
As a warm-up, have one student name a sport while you perform actions required for the sport.
Sometimes those actions can be described using rhythm. Let’s associate the following rhythms with their
matching sports! Print out the next pages and cut out each of the cards.
Shuffle the cards and then see if you can match the rhythms to the sports actions. Take turns
performing the rhythms of sports actions for the class using your voice and body percussion (no
words!). Can your class guess the right sport and action? If they can’t guess it, try acting it out while they
clap your rhythm.
Create your own rhythm for an action you do every day. What rhythm would brushing your teeth have?
What rhythm would you make walking to the bus stop? What rhythm would you make with a pencil as
you write your name?
What about actions that get faster or slower? We use the word tempo in music to describe speed. What
actions might go at a fast tempo? What actions might go at a slow tempo? What actions might speed up
(in music this is called accelerando) or slow down (rallentando)? If you were walking at a slow tempo
towards the bus stop in the morning and noticed the bus was about to leave without you, would you
accelerando or rallentando to make the bus?
Using the blank cards, create your own sports actions and rhythms, and have your classmates guess your
action. Then, use your favorite rhythm and create a musical piece based on your sports action.
Share & Connect!
Record your friends performing their rhythms and send them in to us at the BSO ([email protected]). We can’t
wait to see sports and music combine through rhythm!
Track Five: Beethoven at Bat
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is often considered to be one of the greatest compositions of all time.
It is full of excitement, surprise, and anticipation.
Interestingly, these are also traits of a great baseball game.
Now, imagine combining a baseball game experience with the experience of listening to
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. That’s exactly what PDQ Bach (Peter Schickele) did when he
composed Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Sportscast.
Activity Ideas
First, listen to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, First Movement. Then listen to PDQ Bach’s New
Horizons in Music Appreciation. You should be able to find it by searching Youtube, Spotify or
iTunes.
As you listen to the music, notice how the commentators (Peter Schickele and Robert Dennis) talk
to the audience through the performance as though they are providing the color commentary of a
sporting event. After listening to the Beethoven and PDQ Bach, go back and listen to Beethoven’s
Fifth Symphony. How does the music sound now that you’ve experienced PDQ’s commentary?
Can you still hear the excitement and anticipation?
In groups of 2 or 3, write a color commentary to a different well-known piece of music, such as
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, or the first movement of Mozart’s Eine Kleine
Nachtmusik. Be sure to make your commentary as a conversation with your partners as well as
giving information and details to the audience.
Share & Connect!
Using your phone or another recording device record your new sports commentary and send it to us at the BSO
([email protected]). Make sure that the music is clearly audible in your recording so we can really enjoy your
fun commentary.
Track Six: Biomechanics and Bunraku
Biomechanics is the study of the mechanics of a living body, especially the forces exerted by muscles
and gravity on the bones. It is also the study of the mechanics of a part of the body, such as the heart,
or a function of a body like locomotion.
The understanding of body mechanics is vital to sports, but it is also very important to musicians.
Playing an instrument, singing, or conducting, all require very precise and well-rehearsed physical
movements. Musicians must look after their bodies just like an athlete. Many will risk injury from
repetitive motion, which must be treated just the same as an athlete’s injury.
Useful Web Links
Take a look at these videos:
 Olympics 2012: How to Execute the Perfect Dive
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UL-tWDZrL8
 Here’s a really cool video of just feet at an indoor track and field competition.
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5pilWIqMLc
 It’s also fun to watch what happens when you combine biometrics and music! Warning! If
dancing skeletons freak you out, don’t watch this one!
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXZE26WBMww
 Here’s a video of Pink performing the song “Try” at the 2014 Grammys:
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY_rbzS2RPc
Activity Ideas
Now it’s time to explore movement with your own bodies, objects and, eventually with an ancient form of team
puppetry called Bunraku. You can try each of these activities on their own, or do them all as one class, but you
should do them in order. The further down the list you go, the more challenging the tasks become.
Before you begin, you will need:




A big clear space
Lots of old newspapers or a giant roll of paper
Rolls of masking tape
A variety of everyday objects (such as paper cups, rulers, pencils,
pens, pencil cases, rubbers, empty plastic bottles, etc.)
Step 1: Warm-up
Movement is the essential attribute of any puppet—movement defines puppetry. So to begin, we need to think about
how we move.
Start by walking around a big clear space. Now imagine that you are very happy, sad, afraid, confused, old, shy, angry,
and excited. How did the way you walk change as you changed emotions? Try the exercise again and observe the way
your walk changes. Focus also on how your breath changes. Do you sigh when you are sad, take short breaths when
you are afraid, breathe with difficulty when you are old?
The breath is very important in puppetry. Breath creates the illusion of life. Breath is also very important to athletes
and musicians. Discuss how.
Step 2: Puppetry of the hand
Place your hand on a flat surface. Concentrate on your breathing. Slowly bring the rise and fall of your breath into a
gentle movement of your hand so that your hand appears to breathe. Your hand is now a puppet.
Try breathing as if your hand puppet is asleep, snoring, starting to stir, and then yawning it begins to wake up.
Experiment with different breathing rhythms connected to an emotional or physical state—panicked, sighing, yawning,
shocked, relaxed, and excited. Explore the line between when the puppet is simply a lifeless object and when it is
alive. How much or how little movement is required to bring your hand to life?
Each of your hands is now a puppet but with very different, distinct characters. Find the different way each hand
moves, for example have one hand walk energetically on two finger legs while the other shuffles slowly like a spider on
all five bent fingers. Find the different sounds and quality of breath that each puppet has. Make the different
characters very defined.
Act out a little scenario with your puppets. Maybe one puppet is sleeping and snoring and the other one wakes him
up. What happens next? Remember to keep each hand alive all the time, at the same time.
Step 3: Bring a piece of newspaper to life
Take one sheet of newspaper and roll it up into a tube. Fold the tube an inch from one end so that it can stand on
one foot. At the other end of the tube make another fold an inch away from the end to make a head. Hold the
puppet at the foot fold with one hand and the head fold with the other. Now slowly bring your newspaper to life.
Give it breath. Now think about your puppet’s eyes. Where is the puppet looking? Be very specific. The eyes of the
puppet establish an essential communication with the audience and let them know what the puppet is thinking or
feeling.
Experiment with having the puppet look at three different points of focus in the room, but be sure to keep your
focus on the puppet and not on what the puppet is seeing. How does your puppet move and walk? How can your
puppet express different emotions? What voice emerges? Can your puppet jump, dance, fly?
Step 4: Object manipulation
Choose an everyday object from the room to bring to life. Look at your object carefully. What does the physical
form of your object tell you about your puppet character before it has even moved?
Experiment with what your puppet can do. How can it walk, sit, lie, do hand stands, etc.? How can your puppet
express different emotions? What voice emerges?
Allow two different objects to meet and interact. Do they like each other? Are they shy? Afraid? Excited? Allow a
third object to join and make a creature, for example a character with an eraser for a head, a pencil case for a body
and paper cup legs. Work together with other people to bring your combined puppet creature to life.
Step 5: Bunraku puppetry
Bunraku is a Japanese form of puppetry. Three puppeteers operate one puppet. The master puppeteer operates the
head and right arm. The master puppeteer leads the movement with the breath and the eyes. The first assistant
puppeteer operates the left arm and hand. The second assistant puppeteer controls the feet and gives the puppet its
sense of weight and gravity. You can see a wonderful documentary on Bunraku puppetry here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44dH7j-rITw
With three puppeteers and several different objects, create one character (eg. paper cup for head, rulers for legs,
pencils for arms). Think about where your bodies are in relation to each other and the puppet. How will you
negotiate this to make it easy for the puppet to move? If you are the master puppeteer operating the head, lead the
movement with the breath and the eyes.
Can your puppet walk a few steps, wave, look happy or sad, surprised or angry, scratch his head or nose, rub his
belly, dance, do acrobatics, fly?
Take turns being the master puppeteer and first and second assistant. Meet another puppet and create a short scene.
Step 6: Newspaper Bunraku puppets
In groups of three, make a newspaper Bunraku puppet by scrunching sheets of newspaper into balls for the head
and body, and rolling and scrunching newspaper tubes for arms and legs (making folds at the ends for hands and
feet). Use masking tape to attach body parts making sure there is some flexibility in the joints and neck.
You can see a YouTube video of how to make a newspaper Bunraku puppet here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dgz1Gv49m4&index=8&list=PLVHFsB4uD3a-24QmnygwYcTzMnFMHwSzU
Feel free to add more newspaper to your puppet body, head, arms or legs after you have the basic form. Now work
as a team to bring your puppet to life.
Step 7: Telling a story about athletes and musicians
With your partners, try moving your puppet on top of a table as if they were different kinds of athletes. Show us how
they feel when they make the goal or the basket, or fall off the balance beam, or fall down when trying to jump.
Now try moving your puppet as if they were playing a musical instrument. What can we tell about the music that is
being played by how your puppet moves? What can we tell about how they feel?
Now let your puppet meet other puppets. Create a world they inhabit. Can you devise a story that involves all your
puppets? Can you devise a story that includes all your puppets and some of the music you heard or are about to hear
at the concert?
Share & Connect!
We would love to experience the fun you have with Bunraku puppetry. Use a video camera to record your puppets’
interactions and send them in to us at the BSO ([email protected]).
Track Seven: Teams and Ensembles
An orchestra is made up of four instrument families—strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion—
that interact with one another like many sports teams. The performance of each individual player
enhances the performance of the sections, which in turn contributes to the performance of the
entire orchestra. The same idea applies to a relay race, for example, in which each member of the
relay affects the athletic performance of the relay group as well as the overall team.
Working together as a team or as a musical group involves a high level of mutual trust and
cooperation for the greatest success. The element of trust helps you support each other and
achieve your goals as a unit. In addition, sports and music both require lots of physical
coordination, also known as kinesthetic skills, both individually and in the group. All members of
the team use their reliance on each other, or interdependence, to create a collaborative
environment in which they can contribute their individual strengths.
Key Terms
Trust: When you trust someone, you feel that they are honorable and reliable and that they will
not take advantage of you. When you trust someone you can be vulnerable around them and take
risks, knowing that they “have your back.” You trust that they have the ability to do their job, or
fulfill their purpose on the team.
Kinesthetic response: The visceral body response that we have to one another when we are
working together well. Have you ever felt that magical feeling when you could just feel that your
team was pushing together towards the goal? How about that moment in playing an improvisation
with a band when everyone just started to groove together naturally. You were experiencing
“kinesthetic response”: the way in which your entire group was connected without even speaking,
when you simply felt what was happening in the room.
Interdependence: The mutual reliance between two or more things or people who depend on each
other.
Activity Ideas
Trust Circle Game
Form groups of six to eight students of roughly the same size. Create a circle. Select one student to stand in the
center of the circle with their eyes closed and hands crossed over their chest. The other students provide support by
putting two hands on this center student. When the center student is ready and has eyes closed and body rigid like a
plank of wood, they say “Ready?” The group answers “Ready!” and the center student gently leans/falls backwards
and is then passed around and across the circle. After a while, the group gently brings the student’s body back to a
central, upright position. Let everyone have a chance to be in the middle.
Discuss these key concepts as a group:
 Trust: How did it feel be forced to rely on someone else? What fears did you have? Did you trust your team
would prevent you from harm?
 Protection: In this game we have to protect someone in the group from injury. Do we as a group have an
obligation to look out for each other? What are some of the ways we can protect each other in our lives?
 Helping those who fall: What are some ways we can help to catch those who fall? Within our city and state there
are many people who need help. How can we help?
Kinesthetic Response Circle Game
Stand in a circle. When your teacher says “go” the entire group must count to ten out loud, but here are the rules:
1. Only one person can say one number at a time.
2. Any time two people say a number at the same time, the leader says “Again” and the group must start back at
“One.”
Now see if your entire group can perform certain tasks together without speaking and without a discernable leader.
Pick someone to stand outside the group and watch as the group tries to:
 Stand up together at exactly the same time
 Sit down together at exactly the same time
 Walk in a circle counterclockwise and stop and start walking exactly together
Did you have the desire to lead the group? Could you feel when there was an impulse to move together or speak?
Did either of those experiences make you frustrated or happy?
Interdependence Circle Game
Form circles of 6-10 students. Have everyone put their hands in the center and grasp the hands of two other people
across the circle from them. You’ve now become a giant knot! Try and untangle your knot without releasing your
hands. Different circles can have a race by seeing who can untangle their knot the fastest.
Now try the same activity, but do it without speaking.
In this game, everyone has to rely on everyone else for the task to work. What are some of the ways we have to rely on
each other in life? How do team members rely on their team in sports and in musical ensembles?
At the Concert
When you make music together as a class, you will find how much these skills of trust, kinesthetic response, and
interdependence make you into a better musician. As you watch the BSO in the concert, watch to see if you can see
these skills. Look particularly at the conductor and watch how he is able to guide the musicians in these skills. His job
is much more than just keeping time and telling the orchestra when to start and stop.
Share & Connect!
We’d love to see the fun that happens in your class when you try these movement games. Perhaps you could record
one of the activities with a video camera and send it to us at the BSO ([email protected]).
Track Eight: Famous You
Have you ever seen your favorite athlete featured in a magazine, on a web site, or on TV? They
often get that exposure so that the public can get to know them for their exceptional talent and as
people.
Activity Ideas
Trading Cards
Many famous athletes have trading cards with their picture and current stats, including age, how long
they have played the sport, and some fun facts. Create a trading card for yourself. Start your card on
scrap paper, with the final work being created on an index card. Draw a sketch of yourself in action
on the front. On the back, write down your name, age, and 3 statistics about you (for example, you
ate 24 jelly beans in one minute, played all 12 musical scales with no mistakes, raced through the
Laundromat 3 times in one week, or shot 50% of paper towel baskets). Write neatly! Color and
decorate your trading card. Trade cards with classmates to see what makes your classmates “famous
enough” to have a trading card.
Famous You Illustrated
Sometimes, athletes achieve a level of skill that earns them the opportunity to appear on the cover of
sporting magazines. On a plain piece of paper, create a cover for a magazine that features you! Come
up with your own title, or simply ________ Illustrated. For example, you may be on the cover of
Jump Rope Illustrated because you could jump full speed for 2 minutes straight! Include a sketch of
yourself holding an object related to your achievement. It does not have to be a sport. It can be
music, art, etc.
BSO Musicians Trading Cards
Did you know that the musicians of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra are featured on the
http://www.bsomusic.org website? After the concert, go to
http://www.bsomusic.org/musicians/search.aspx, pick your favorite musician, print out their picture,
and make a trading card for them.
Share & Connect!
Take a photograph of your magazine cover and send it to us at the BSO ([email protected]). We’d love to
learn about your skills.
Track Nine: Kinetic Art
Physical movement is very important in sports. Athletes have finely honed physical skills and work
very hard to maintain their strength and coordination.
Did you ever consider that making music is also a very physical activity? While you’re listening to
the concert, take some time to observe the performers. You will see that each musician is very
precise in their physical movements. Watch how the bows in the strings sections all move at the
same time. Watch how much air the brass players need to breathe in in order to play loud. Watch
how the woodwinds almost dance to the music with their instruments. Watch how each drum hit is
an incredible feat of coordination. When musicians practice their music, they are not just
practicing the notes—they are honing their own physical abilities to be the musicians they can be.
Athletes and musicians learn to use their bodies in very precise ways. A pitcher knows that she
must push and pivot with her feet in order to add power to her throw, and a violinist hones his
craft through developing all the muscles that help coordination of arms and fingers. Kinetic artists
create works that mimic natural motion through the use of simple mechanisms such as cams,
cranks, gears, and pulleys. These are often called “automata” (the singular nous is “automaton”)
Kinetic artists study a lot of motion in animals and people in order to create the machines. The
study of physical movement is known as “biomechanics.”
“Mrs. Rylands takes tea with a dragon” by
Keith Newstead Automata
@TheJohnRylands, photograph by
Duncan Hull [CC BY-SA 2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bysa/2.0)], via Flickr
“Migration” by Guido Accascina (Own
work) [CC BY-SA 3.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by
-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Activity Ideas
You can make your own automaton using simple materials such as cardboard, glue, and wooden dowels. What sort of
motion do you want to create? Do you want something to move back and forth, spin in a circle, go up and down?
How could you translate a motion you make, such as turning a crank, into a motion that your automaton makes? You
really need to think about the biomechanics of each action in order to work out how to make your automaton make
that same motion.
Would you like to see and interact with some automata in person right here in Baltimore? The American Visionary
Art Museum is home to a collection of automata from Londonʼs Cabaret Mechanical Theatre! Visit them at the Jim
Rouse Visionary Center: http://www.avam.org/ exhibitions/jrvc.shtml
You would probably also love the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race, which takes place every year in early summer!
How would you design a human-powered sculpture that can race on dry land as well as in water? Learn more about
the race here: http://www.avam.org/kinetic- sculpture-race/index.shtml
Theo Jansen designs and builds amazing sculptures that get their energy from wind and natural forces. The sculptures
move along beaches as though they were alive! http://www.strandbeest.com/
Rube Goldberg invented elaborate machines that used numerous steps to accomplish simple tasks. Look at his
drawings and design your own complicated machine! https://www.rubegoldberg.com
Useful Web Links
Here are some great resources that might help you learn about basic engineering concepts and artists who use them
to create automata:
 Dug North http://blog.dugnorth.com/
 Dan Torpey http://barkingdogsautomata.homestead.com/home.html
 The Exploratorium http://www.exploratorium.edu/pie/gallery/cardboard/
 London’s Cabaret Mechanical Theatre http://www.cabaret.co.uk/
Share & Connect!
Create a design for a new automaton. Draw some schematics or blueprints for your machine, or write a description of
how it works. Let us know about your machine and how it works by emailing us at the BSO
([email protected]).
Welcome to the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra’s Centennial Season!
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is going to turn 100 years old in 2016! This very special
birthday is called a Centennial, and is a great opportunity to learn more about the BSO’s amazing
history.
The BSO’s first ever performance was of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, and it took
place on February 11, 1916. That is a long time ago! What was life like in 1916?
This is the American flag as it was in 1916. What do you notice that is different? This flag was in
use in the United States from 1912-1959, and only had 48 stars! It was designed in 1912 to
include the recently-added states of New Mexico and Arizona. It
is strange to imagine a time when new states were still being
added, isn’t it?
The flag as we know it today, with 50 stars, first flew in 1960,
and represented the addition of Alaska and Hawaii. Will we ever
have more than 50 states? Some people believe that Puerto Rico
and Washington D.C., among other places, could become states one day in the future. How would
you redesign our flag to include more stars?
The U.S. population in 1916 was about 101,961,000 people. Today it is about 321,216,397! The
population of Maryland in 1916 was about 1,415,000 people and is now about 5,976,407!
In 1916 our President was Woodrow Wilson. When the BSO played its first concert, America was
about one year away from adding its support to the Allies and entering World War I.
In 1915, you could buy a dozen eggs for 20¢, a pound of cookies for 10¢, and a pair of kids’ flannel
pajamas for 37¢. A kids’ movie ticket was only 15¢! But before you get too excited looking for your
time machine, you might want to know that the average salary was $687 a year - and that was only
for men. Women in the workforce earned an an average of $340 per year. Women were not yet
able to vote in 1916, and persons of color continued to be prevented from voting and participating
equally in society by unfair laws and practices. Children often worked long, difficult hours in
factories or on farms, and were not protected by consistent child labor laws. We have grown as a
country in our efforts to combat these inequities, and are still continuing to grow.
In 1916, what were some trends in the areas of this season’s
Midweek Concerts?
All About Sports!
Baltimore has always loved baseball, but in 1916, it was without any team—either major or minor
league. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there were both major and minor league teams (with
names such as “The Lord Baltimores,” the “Baltimore Orioles,” and the “Baltimore Terrapins”) in
the city. Babe Ruth (a Baltimore native!) had just been sold to the Boston Red Sox in 1915, and
although minor league baseball returned in 1918, it wasn’t until 1954 that Baltimore had its’ own
modern major league team—the Baltimore Orioles that we know and love today!
The 1916 Summer Olympics were scheduled to be held in Berlin, but were actually cancelled due
to World War I.
The Preakness Stakes have been run at Pimlico in Baltimore since 1873!
Peter and the Wolf
The Maryland Zoo at Baltimore was founded in 1876! In 1916, the zoo was a few years away from
getting its first elephant, Mary Ann, which was very exciting! If you have been to this amazing zoo
recently, you might be surprised to know how much it has changed - consider this description from
the Maryland Zoo at Baltimore’s website:
“An inventory of the Zoo’s collection from 1880 lists 17 species, including hundreds of deer,
13 monkeys, two black bears, two wolves, one tiger, one alligator, two boa constrictors, and
one three-legged duck.”
Wondering how they took care of all that land?:
“The Zoo’s early collection also included a flock of sheep used to “mow” the grass.”
The Polar Express
In the early 20th century, explorers were racing to be the first to get to the North and South Poles.
The claims by those who said they reached the North Pole during this time are questionable, but
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team were the first documented group to have
reached the South Pole, which they did in December 1911 traveling primarily by dog sled.
Transportation in America at this time was rapidly changing! Railroads were incredibly important
for transporting goods and people. But how did most people travel in their everyday lives? 1916
was right in the middle of a huge transition, and people had many different way of transportation:
walking, riding horses, bicycles, streetcars, wagons pulled by animals, and the car, which was
exploding in popularity.
In 1900 there were about 8,000 cars in the United States. This meant that there was 1 car per 9,500
people. By 1920, only twenty years later, there were an estimated 7.5 million cars in the United
States, which meant that there was 1 car per 14 people. You might be interested to know that in
1915, an average new car cost $2,500, and gas was 15¢ per gallon!
Today, there are about 253 million cars in America, and about 321 million people in America.
How does your family get from place to place every day? Do you have a car? Do you use public
transportation like buses or the light rail?
Have you ever flown in a plane? The first commercial flight took place in 1914, but air travel did
not become widespread until after World War II.
Icarus at the Edge of Time
There were some major scientific discoveries in the early 20th century, including a few that are
incredibly relevant to Icarus at the Edge of Time!
Albert Einstein had just published his general theory of relativity (or “general relativity”) the year
before, in 1915. Simply put, general relativity deals with gravity, space, time, and provides rationale
for such celestial phenomena as black holes. Einstein’s general relativity continues to inform our
modern understanding of physics.
In 1924, Edwin Hubble was able to show that there were numerous galaxies beyond our own Milky
Way Galaxy. Up until this time it was believed that the Milky Way was the only galaxy in the
universe. As you might know, the Hubble telescope was named in his honor! Icarus at the Edge of
time incorporates some of the most stunning images the Hubble telescope has recorded.
How has the BSO grown since 1916?
Just like society and technology, the BSO has grown by leaps and bounds since 1916. The BSO’s
initial budget was $6,000, which at the time was the equivalent price of about 2 to 3 new cars. Today
the BSO’s budget is $27 million!
In 1924, the BSO became the first American symphony orchestra to offer a regular educational
concert series.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra proudly added its first woman to the roster in 1937, even
though male musicians at the time protested this decision. In 1965, Wilmer Wise won the position
of Assistant Principal Trumpet and became the first African American musician to join the BSO
roster.
Some strange things have happened over the years! For example, Percy Grainger performed the
Grieg Piano Concerto on January 15, 1933 while a bat was flying over the heads of the orchestra! It
must have been a big fan of the BSO!
The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall has been the home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
since its opening in 1982.
The BSO has won two Grammys over its history, and both recordings were conducted by David
Zinman and featured cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The first included music of Barber and Britten in 1990 and
the second featured music by Bloch and Bartok in 1995. The 2009 recording of Bernstein’s Mass
also earned a Grammy nomination.
The BSO made musical history in September 2007, when Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural
concerts as the Orchestra’s 12th music director, making her the first woman to head a major
American orchestra. With her highly praised artistic vision, her dynamic musicianship and her
commitment to accessibility in classical music, Maestra Alsop’s directorship has ushered in a new
era for the BSO and its audiences.
The Future!
Now that you’ve traveled with us through 100 years of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra,
American history, and developments in the way we live, what do you think we can expect in the
NEXT 100 years?
What will our daily lives be like in 100 years? What sort of vehicles will we use to get from place to
place? What will we eat, wear, and do for fun?
How will music change? What sorts of new instruments or styles might be developed? How could
interactive technology be used? Will the audience help perform the concert, right from their seats?
One thing is for certain - we are looking forward to making these discoveries with you! We are so
glad that you have joined us for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Centennial Season!
BSO Centennial Activities
This year, the BSO is celebrating its 100 year anniversary, or Centennial! With that in mind, we have
created the following fantastic activities that correspond with all of our Midweek Concerts in the
2015-2016 Season.
Classroom Olympics
The 1916 Olympics were cancelled due to World War I, but resumed in 1920. Did you know that
from 1912 to 1948, the Olympics not only included sporting events, but also an art competition?
Work with your classmates to design your own Olympic games. Imagine that any activity could be an
event - even one that you invent. What activities would you most enjoy competing in? Think about
what the rules would be for your event, and if you would need any special uniform or equipment.
Now, design a trading card that shows you competing in your event. Ask your teacher if they can be
photocopied so that you can trade them with your classmates.
Maybe you and your class could even plan and compete in your very own Olympics. You could
BuildingtoDesign
collaborate
create puzzles, challenges, or trivia which could be events in your Olympic games.
The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall has been the home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
since its opening in 1982. We are lucky to have such an amazing space to hear the BSO! Architects
work very hard to design spaces which perfectly fit specific needs. Think about all the choices which
were made when designing the Meyerhoff, such as: how the building looks from the outside, how the
.
audience enters the space, the height of the ceilings and windows of the lobby, how sound travels in
the space, and how every seat is able to see the stage.
What if you were given the job of redesigning your school or classroom? What does a school or
classroom need in order to best support teaching and learning? How could you address these needs
with your design choices?
Draw out your plans for the new school or classroom, making sure to label the parts. Optional: you
could make your plans look like blueprints by drawing in white (with a gel pen, colored pencil, chalk,
or charcoal pencil) on blue paper!
WBSO News at 11
Think about history over the past 100 years and how the orchestra might have shaped that history.
Imagine that you are putting together a modern-style news broadcast about these events. You could
do in small groups, or as a class. Identify the events or characteristics which are most interesting to
you, then plan out short skits to explain what happened. Once everyone is ready, these can be
performed while a newscaster narrates the story. For example, think about what you read about
Roald Amundsen and his team reaching the South Pole in 1911, and imagine that a newscaster could
say “This just in! We have received word that Amundsen and his team have made it to the South
Pole! Let’s go to our Antarctica reporters to get the full story...” while a group is acting out the
scientific team traveling on their dog sleds to reach their destination. You and your class could
rearrange the events provided in the historical information so that your newscast would present
information in chronological order.
Past, Present, and Future
Research what life was like 100 years ago in Maryland and compare that to life today. Talk with a
partner
or small group about the similarities or differences you noticed.
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Work as a class to make a large display which compares and contrasts life today with life 100 years
ago. Or, work individually to create a written or illustrated response which explains this.
Think about all of the changes we have seen over the past 100 years—what do you think will change
over the NEXT 100 years? Use writing, art, acting, or any other creative idea you can think of to
depict what you think life will be like 100 years from now.
Here are some things you could consider:
 What will transportation be like?
 What will music sound like? Will there be new instruments?
 People in 1916 probably could not have conceived of technology such as a SmartPhone - what
will technology be like in 2116?
 What will buildings look like? What will we eat, wear, and do for fun?
Ask your teacher if you can together as a class to combine your responses and hold a “Future Fair!”
Visitors would be able to come learn about your ideas and possibly get a glimpse of what life will
really be like in 2116!
Share & Connect!
Send us your explorations of the BSO’s Centennial! We look forward to seeing your discoveries and
ideas for the next 100 years! Send your drawings, ideas, videos, photographs, short stories and more
to [email protected].
Useful Web Links
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Want to know even more about the BSO’s Centennial? Check out the newly released book
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: A Century of Sound by BSO Oboist and author Michael Lisicky
 http://www.bsomusic.org/online-store/bso-centennial/centennial-book.aspx
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SPECIAL THANKS
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra acknowledges with gratitude the
work of the following individuals who contributed to the development
of these materials:
Richard McCready, Lesson Plan Writing Workshop
Facilitator; Lead Writer, Editor
River Hill High School, Howard County
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is proud
to acknowledge support for its Midweek
Education Series from the following funders:
Caro Appel, Writer
River Hill High School, Howard County
Official Education Partner:
Gina Braden, Writer
The Park School of Baltimore, Baltimore County
Centennial Season Education Partner:
Greg Clark, Writer
River Hill High School, Howard County
Nellie Hill, Writer
Retired, Howard County
Midweek Education Concert Series Sponsors:
Theresa Iacarino, Writer
Joppa View Elementary, Baltimore County
Rebecca Ludwig, Writer
Baltimore City Public Schools
Catina Ramis, Writer
Thomas Viaduct Middle School, Howard County
Carol Bogash, Vice President for Education and
Community Engagement
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Annemarie Guzy, Director of Education
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Katie Brill, Education Assistant
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
These concerts are supported, in part, through
the generosity of the Zanvyl and Isabelle
Krieger Endowed Fund for Education.