CURRICULUM GUIDE - Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

CURRICULUM
GUIDE
LETTER TO EDUCATORS
Welcome to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Sound Discoveries Young People’s Concerts!
For over 90 years, tri-state area teachers and students have joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to
experience great music and explore basic musical concepts through Young People’s Concerts. We believe
access to the arts is important for every student, and that the skills developed through the study of music
are easily related to other subject areas and to life experiences.
We are pleased to share this Curriculum Guide, which aims to promote an appreciation of the orchestra
and develop and 21st Century Skills through music. Carefully designed with music and content area
teachers in mind, these materials and lessons have been developed with the help of our Advisory
Committee for Education (ACE) made up of area educators and Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris
Russell (JMR). We also encourage you to access our web site www.cincinnatisymphony.org to find
more information and resources for your classroom, your students, and parents.
You are an important part of the CSO’s Sound Discoveries: Music for Life education initiative! Music
for Life not only continues the CSO’s tradition of offering special Young People’s Concerts but also
provides opportunities for CSO musicians and conductors to visit area students in their school
classrooms.
If you have any questions about any of the CSO’s education programs, please email, call, or check our
website for additional details. Finally, please don’t hesitate to let us know how we’re doing! We will send a
short evaluation survey link after each semester of concerts, but please feel free to send your comments to
us throughout the year so we can make our concerts and events the best they can be to serve you.
Thank you for sharing the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with your students and thank you for the job
you do each day to share knowledge and the love of learning with the young people in our community.
We look forward to seeing you and your class in Music Hall this season!
Sincerely,
Logan Kelly
Community Learning Manager
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GUIDE to the CURRICULUM GUIDE
We know that your time is limited and valuable! We hope these materials provide a flexible but
comprehensive resource that can be tailored to suit the needs of your students. In the following pages
you’ll find:
 Information for teachers and chaperones
 Printable texts, worksheets and/or resources for students
 Standards-based lesson plans
We believe music and the concert experience can enhance learning across the curriculum. These colorcoded content area lesson plans and extensions are provided with the idea that classroom teachers can
work along with arts specialists to make connections between music and other subjects, thus providing a
more integrated teaching/learning experience for children. The plans are intended to suggest activities we
believe most teachers will be comfortable presenting, utilizing the concert music as a catalyst for the
activity. If you are the music specialist, you may want to share these plans with an interested classroom
colleague.
Music
Math
Dance & Movement
Language Arts
Visual Art
Social Studies
Science
Please visit our website (www.cincinnatisymphony.org) to access the listening tracks and additional
resources. A link on the program page will take you to a password protected page where you can
download specific tracks for each concert. You can also choose to download a .zip file which contains all
the pieces for a particular concert. All audio files are in .mp3 format and may be played through iTunes or
other media players or burned to a CD. You should have received a password with your order confirmation
or in a follow-up email.
If you need any help accessing the audio files or have other questions about the resources available to you,
please contact: Logan Kelly, Community Learning Manager
513-744-3347 / [email protected]
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CONTENTS
5 Concert Program
6 Introduction: The Water Concert
7 LESSON: The Water Cycle
8 Music on the Concert
9 Claude Debussy - Inspired by Water
About the Music
LESSON: La Mer
11 Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6
About the Music
LESSON: Storm Scene
“Storm at the Jetty” by Leonard Everett Fisher
LESSON: Storm Scene - Visual Art
15 Your Trip to Music Hall
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Meet the Conductor
Cincinnati’s Music Hall
LESSON: Concert Etiquette
Post-Concert Activities
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November 17, 2015 at 10:30am
November 23, 2015 at 10:30am
KEITARO HARADA conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
Overture to Idomeneo, rè di Creta, K. 366
Claude Debussy
(1862-1918)
Nuages from Three Nocturnes for Orchestra
Ludwig Van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, Pastoral
IV. Thunderstorm
Antonio Vivaldi
(1678-1748)
L'inverno from The Four Seasons, RV. 29
III. Camminar sopra il ghiaccio: Allegro
Kathryn Woolley, violin
Duke Ellington
(1899-1974)
"Giggling Rapids" from The River
Claude Debussy
(1862-1918)
La Mer
Ottorino Respighi
(1879-1936)
Selections from Fontane di Roma
III. La fontana di Trevi al meriggio
Klaus Badelt
(b. 1967)
ed. Kunzel/Price
"He's a Pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean
III. "Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea
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INTRO: THE WATER CONCERT
Water, water everywhere. Where would we be without water? Here in our culture, we don't think twice about our water.
It's so easy to get and easy to take for granted. But that is not so in other parts of this world. Water is truly one of our basic
needs to survive. In this concert we celebrate this essential part of our world. The oceans, rivers and other bodies of water
have long been an inspiration for poets, authors, artists and composers who have tried to capture its spirit. This concert explores celebrations of water, states of water, and bodies of water.
Water: an odorless, tasteless, transparent liquid that many of us take for granted. Water has been a favorite topic for artists,
poets and musicians for a long time. Through their art forms, these people have shared their love, respect and fascination for
this necessity of life. How many ways can water be portrayed in music?
Waves and the Sound of Water
Debussy: “La Mer”
It’s easy to paint a picture of big waves rolling through an oceanscape.
Further listening: Rivers lead to oceans. Two other exciting works depicting the open sea are "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship"
from Scheherzade by Rimsky-Korsakoff, and Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage by Felix Mendelssohn. It would be interesting to compare the sounds of the sea as suggested by two other composers.
Seasons
Vivaldi: No. 4, “Winter” from The Four Seasons
Compare the music to the poem he wrote
Further listening: Other composers have used the seasons as their inspiration. Listen to Alexander Glazunov's "Winter" from
The Seasons or Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1, subtitled Winter Daydreams for other interpretations of this
icy season. Debussy’s “The Snow is Falling” from Children’s Corner Suite would be interesting to compare to Vivaldi’s
Winter scene.
Storms
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, “Pastorale”, IV. Storm
It is easy to hear the impending storm and the loud thunder accompanying the storm. The orchestra plays loud, rather
fast and strong accents of sound makes it easy for the listener to evoke images of storms, something we are all accustomed to.
Further listening: Other composers have also enjoyed creating musical renditions of thunderstorms. You might want to listen
to the William Tell Overture by Rossini, "Cloudburst" from Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe, or "The Storm" from
Four Sea Interludes by Peter Grimes.
Water in Other Places
Debussy: “Nuages” (“Clouds”) from Nocturnes
Imagine what kinds of clouds Debussy was painting with his musical sounds in this work. Do they have a shape or are
they amorphous? Are they thick or thin?
Further listening: Debussy wrote many piano works that incorporate images of water and other aspects of nature.
Celebrating Water
Respighi: Fountains of Rome (Triton Fountain)
Waterfalls, fountains and rainbows are three images that are worth celebrating.
Further listening: The other Fountains depicted in Respighi’s musical composition are worth listening to and finding the
fountain that inspired the work.
6
LESSON PLAN:
THE WATER CYCLE
STANDARDS:
NATIONAL MUSIC STANDARDS
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Enduring Understanding: Musicians connect their personal interests, experiences, ideas, and knowledge to creating,
performing, and responding.
MU.:Cn10.1.6)a Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating,
performing, and responding to music.
PLAN:
1.
Using the pieces from the CSO concert program, develop a chart of the water cycle using the musical
pieces in plance of the physical elements. It could look something like this:
“Giggling Rapids”
Water evaporates
"Fountains of Rome"
Water is consumed
"Nuages"
Water accumulates in the clouds
"Storm Scene” from Symphony
No. 6 (“Pastorale”)
Precipitation
2.
Divide the students into groups and assign each group to a part of the water cycle. Ask the students to
design choreography for their assigned piece. Some pieces are longer than others, obviously, so it may be a
good idea to limit the piece to the first minute, or perhaps the first section. Since each group will be given
a diferent piece, it will be necessary to divide the children into different areas of the room or even put
some in the hallway or another space. iPads or other devices can be used so that the children can listen to
the recordings.
ASSESSMENT:
Students will be observed for participation and appropriate interpretation of music through movement.
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MUSIC ON THE CONCERT
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Overture to Idomeneo, K. 366
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 to Leopold and Anna Mozart in the town of
Salzburg Austria. Mozart has made a tremendous impact on music even today, 250 years after his birth.
With major compositions ranging from the delightful opera The Magic Flute to dark and powerful scores
within his Requiem in D minor, Mozart displayed versatility and an ability to use music to connect the listener with Mozart's soul and spirit. Ideomeno was composed in 1781. It is a dramatic opera that takes
place in ancient Greece and water plays an important role. Neptune, the god of the sea figures into the
plot of the opera.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - The Four Seasons, Op. 8, IV. Winter (L'Inverno)
Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi wrote many compositions, with a preference for rapid scale passages,
and extremes of highs and lows that contributed decisively to the development of violin style. Vivaldi
wrote frequently in the concerto grosso style, exploring the colorful contrast between large and small
group of players. Vivaldi's music is full of energy and brings to life for us the elegance of eighteenthcentury Venice. Sometimes the music is literal - you can almost feel teeth chattering or rolling thunder.
Other times Vivaldi creates a mood - warmth by a fire or emotion - revelry of a harvest celebration. A
series of sonnets or poems accompany each concerto. Experts concur that they were probably composed
by Vivaldi. You be the judge as to whether the music of this movement describes the sonnet.
We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously, for fear of tripping and falling.
Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and, rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up.
We feel the chill north winds coarse through the home despite the locked and bolted doors…
this is winter, which nonetheless brings its own delights.
Duke Ellington (1899-1974) - Giggling Rapids" from The River
Edward Kennedy Ellington was born in Washington D.C. in 1899. Although known as one of the greatest
jazz composers and pianists in American music, he also wrote everything from simple tunes, theater songs,
piano pieces, works for jazz septet and octet, to instrumental compositions for full jazz orchestra, and for
symphony orchestra. In all, he wrote over 2,000 compositions. The Suite entitled The River was written
for ballet in 1970 and choreographed by Alvin Ailey. The music itself can be thought of on two levels, on a
spiritual level as an allegory of the cycle of life and also on a more literal level - the imaginary journey
down a river.
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) - The Fountains of Rome by
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer who tried to establish a symphonic art in the land that was
devoted and dedicated to operatic music. Like the country, Respighi's music is very colorful and exciting.
The Fountains of Rome is a series of four pieces, each inspired by a different fountain. Each fountain is an
actual fountain located in Rome, and described musically at a specific time of day in which Respighi believed the fountain was most in harmony with its surrounding landscape and most impressive to the
viewer.
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MUSIC ON THE CONCERT
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Nocturnes, “Nuages" (“Clouds”)
La Mer “Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea”
Claude Debussy was born near Paris in 1862. He always had a love for the
sea. At one time he considered being a sailor but his musical ability progressed so that he entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of 11. Debussy was known as a brilliant pianist but he was already shocking his theory teachers with his dissonant, novel harmonies and chords he invented.
This music, dubbed "impressionism," provided an important bridge to 20th
century music. This style of composition enabled Debussy to artfully paint
pictures with his music - pictures that glisten, shimmer and evoke images
even to the listener today. Debussy’s father was a sailor and he no doubt
was influenced by the many sea stories his dad told him.
“Nuages” is a movement from a series of sound pictures entitled Nocturnes, completed in 1899. Nuages, meaning "clouds," is as atmospheric as
the actual ones. The music floats, and changes shapes, gracefully and effortlessly, like the clouds you gaze at up in the sky. Listen for the haunting
English horn solo weaving through the various orchestral sounds. As Debussy states, this work evokes "the slow, solemn motion of clouds."
In La Mer, all of the greatest influences of Debussy's life are manifested.
As a child, the son of a sailor, he was told wondrous stories of his father's
expeditions. Debussy’s music suggests rather than imitates the sounds of
the sea. The movement you will hear is called “The Dialogue of the Wind
and the Sea.” Can you guess what sounds are the wind and what are the
sea?
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LESSON PLAN:
LA MER
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE(S):
Students will analyze the third movement of “La Mer” and engage in discussion as it relates to the dialogue between the wind
and the seas.
Students will identify other similar forces in nature and will compose short motives to illustrate the forces.
STANDARDS:
NATIONAL MUSIC STANDARDS
Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians’ work emerge from a variety of sources
MU:Cr1.1.5) b Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and accompaniment patterns) within specific related tonalities, meters, and
simple chord changes.
Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Enduring Understanding: Performers make interpretive decisions based on their understanding of context and expressive intent
MU:Pr4.3.5a Demonstrate and explain how intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo,
timbre, and articulation/style )
Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work Enduring Understanding: Individuals' selection of musical works is influenced by their
interests, experiences, understandings, and purposes.
MU:Re7.1.5)a Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences,
purposes, or contexts
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Enduring Understanding: Musicians connect their personal interests, experiences, ideas, and knowledge to creating, performing, and
responding
MU:Cr2.1.5a Demonstrate selected and develop musical ideas for improvisations, arrangements, or compositions to express intent, and explain
connection to purpose and context.
PLAN:
1. Students will listen to the piece. They will be encouraged to get comfortable while they do so. Perhaps they would like to
find a comfortable place to lie down and close their eyes so that they might be able to visualize the discussion that occurs
between the wind and the sea. Before they begin listening, they should be asked to listen for the different musical
characteristics of the wind versus the sea.
2. Students will then be asked to discuss verbally, the different musical characteristics of both the wind and the sea. The
following leading questions may be useful: Do you think the wind and the sea are getting along? Why/why not? Which
instruments do you think are used for the wind? The sea? Do you think, in this case, that Debussy was thinking about the
wind and the sea being opposites?
3. Students will then, as a class, choose another set of “forces that interact” in nature. Trees/birds, sunshine/clouds, etc.
There could be any number of suggestions from students.
4. Students will then, as a group, discuss what kinds of sounds their character would make. They should create short, repeating
motives that can be played several times over, using classroom instruments. If using pitched percussions, this could be a good
opportunity to incorporate modes, using Orff instruments (one group plays in D Dorian while the other group uses G
Mixolydian, for example). If the teacher is unfamiliar with the use of the modes using Orff instruments, a C pentatonic scale
is always a possibility, major/minor triads. The teacher will act as a coach for the groups.
5. The groups can alternate playing their motives so that the opposite feel of the each group's piece is obvious. There are many
ways to do this. One student could conduct the two groups, or they could simply "converse" in the way that the wind and
sea do in the Debussy piece. Remind the children to vary the tempo and dynamic level.
Extensions:
Create complementary movements for the classroom composition. Students should consider the character of the force for
which they composed (legato, staccato, loud, soft, etc.) and should create movements that are reflective thereof.
Science Extension
Write a short science report about the "forces in nature" that the students chose for their composition. They should research
the respective members of the pair and describe the characteristics thereof. After they complete the research, they should be
able to explain in their paper how the two forces interact and why the relationship is important to the natural cycles.
10
MUSIC ON THE CONCERT
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, "Pastorale"
Beethoven was born at a time of great change in Europe. Scientific discoveries and quests for equality among the social classes affected the works of artists, writers and musicians. Beethoven lived
in the heart of this tremendous time. He was not just carried
along by what was happening around him, but actually helped to
bring about some of these changes.
The premiere of this symphony took place on December 22, 1808.
Beethoven paired it with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony as
well as several other works by the composer. It was a gigantic program. Unfortunately, Beethoven, who at this time had grown increasingly deaf, had to stop the concert and begin the concert
again, since it was difficult for him to conduct his music.
Although the music in this symphony does indeed emulate nature,
it was not Beethoven's intent to simulate an outdoor environment.
The musical sounds are more symbolic and evocative of the beauty
and power of nature reflecting Beethoven's love and respect for
the natural world. Subtitled “The Storm,” you will hear in this
movement the mighty thunder and rain.
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LESSON PLAN:
STORM SCENE
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE(S):
Students will listen to the “Strom Scene” from Symphony No. 6 and listen for Beethoven’s musical description of a storm.
Sudents will read the poem “Storm at the Jetty” and describe it using created musical sounds.
Individual students will have the opportunity to direct an instrumental version of a storm scene.
STANDARDS:
NATIONAL MUSIC STANDARDS
Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians’ work emerge from a variety of sources.
MU:Cr1.1.5 Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, and explain connection to specific purpose and context (such as social, cultural,
and historical ).
Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: Musicians’ creative choices are influenced by their expertise, context, and expressive intent
MU:Cr2.1.5Demonstrate selected and develop musical ideas for improvisations, arrangements, or compositions to express intent, and explain
connection to purpose and context.
Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
Enduring Understanding: Through their use of elements and structures of music, creators and performers provide clues to their expressive
intent.
MU:Re8.1.5)Demonstrate and explain how the expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation ) are used in performers’
and personal interpretations to reflect expressive intent
MATERIALS:
Sound Discoveries CD, Poem (Storm at the Jetty) by Leonard Evertt Fischer, Various instruments
PLAN:
1. Listen to the “Storm Scene” from Beethoven’s Symphony #6. What instruments did Beethoven use? How did
Beethoven describe a storm? How did the scene end?
2. Have students read “Storm at the Jetty” by Leonard Evertt Fischer.
3. Have students identify descriptive words/phrases (verbs, adjectives, adverbs). List these words/phrases on the
board.
4. Have students choose a word or phrase and describe it using instruments.
5. Read through the poem again using the musical descriptions the children have created to help describe the
storm.
6. Without using the poem have a student direct a performance of the storm scene using instruments only. Give
many students the opportunity to direct a performance and see how the performances vary.
ASSESMENT:
Students are able to identify how Beethoven described a storm in the “Storm Scene” from Symphony No. 6
Students are able to describe the poem “Storm at the Jetty” using created musical sounds.
Individual students are able to direct an instrumental performance of a storm scene.
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STORM AT THE JETTY
Leonard Everett Fisher
Low tide and daylight were Levi Farber’s tide and time. The jetty was his place.
There he sat in the cockpit of the rocks, watching a lone ship and the rolling sea.
Most people who live near the jetty were too busy to listen to the sounds of the sea, the endless beat of the breaking surf
slapping the rocks or crashing into the seawall.
Fog kept sensible people off the jetty. If Levi could not see the end of the jetty from the beach,
he, too, would stay away. The dull clank of a nearby fog bell,
echoing through the mist, was warning enough.
Now, at noon there was a little sun in the gloomy sky. Summer was playing itself out. School
was a week off. Usually the clear, dry days of August
were hints of the coming fall. But not now. Now it was too dark for noon,
and it was the wrong season for a storm brewing in the southwest.
A breeze began to push the clammy air from one side of the bay to the other.
In minutes, choppy waves hammered the seawall with foamy spray.
A complaining gull challenged the wind and lost.
Its succulent dinner of silvery shiners below would have to wait.
Levi, his eyes smarting from the wind-whipped brine,
saw fingers of lightning stab the distant beach.
Behind him, a rusty crab darted out of a shadowy crevice,
looking for a better place to hide.
The sea heaved, twisted, and smashed into the jetty. A gust of wind pushed Levi against the
slippery rocks. The fog bell clanked as a foggy squall rapidly approached.
Thunder growled and rolled inland. Day became night at noontime.
It was time to leave the jetty—quickly!
Another blast of thunder shattered the air.
The whirling mist disappeared, chased by the wind and driving rain.
Levi, soaked from the rain and the spray, fled up the seawall ladder to safety.
Behind the rain-streaked window of the big house, Levi, dripping and breathless, stared at
another crackling line of lightning. It leaped out of the watery blackness above and slammed
into the lighthouse roof. The rain in its wake became steam.
For a moment the jetty glowed eerily in the white-hot light. Beyond, more lightning stabbed
the ghostly silhouette of a great ship reaching for the open sea.
Suddenly the rain stopped and the air began to clear. Levi could see the jetty again.
Windowpanes shook slightly with every diminishing rumble of thunder.
Levi watched the storm move northeast—away. Soon a startling quiet invaded the sea.
The sun broke through, spreading its warming heat over the water.
Silent and spent from its wild struggle, the sea rested.
The jetty stood, firm as always, bathed in the brightness of the clear afternoon.
Levi climbed onto the rocks. Now he could sit on the jetty’s point,
in the cockpit of the rocks, once again.
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LESSON PLAN:
STORM SCENE - VISUAL ART
STANDARDS:
NATIONAL MUSIC STANDARDS
Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Enduring Understanding: People create and interact with objects, places, and design that define, shape, enhance, and empower their lives.
VA::Cr2.3.7a Apply visual organizational strategies to design and produce a work of art, design, or media that clearly communicates
information or ideas.
MATERIALS:
CSO Sound Discoveries CD, Drawn blocks for the comic strip or go to http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/
comic (kids and adults can create and print comic strip from this website.)
PLAN:
1. Listen to Symphony No. 6 in F Major, “Pastorale” 4th movement.
2. Have students identify the “Approaching storm”, “Storm at its strongest” and “Subsiding Storm” sections of
the piece.
3. Using comic strip blocks or website, have students create a three panel comic strip.
Panel one: Approaching storm
Panel two: Storm at its strongest
Panel three: Subsiding storm
ASSESMENT:
Students are able to draw what they hear in the Storm Scene of Beethoven’s “Pastorale” Symphony.
EXTENSION:
Students can create poetry in three stanzas, or three paragraphs, describing what they drew.
14
YOUR TRIP TO MUSIC HALL
15
THE CINCINNATI SYMPHONY
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra represents the evolution of 200 years of musical tradition in the
Queen City. The fifth oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S. and the oldest orchestra in Ohio, the CSO
has played a leading role in the cultural life of Greater Cincinnati and the Midwest since its founding in
1895.
There are 90 musicians in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The artists of the Cincinnati Symphony &
Pops Orchestras are world-class, inspirational performers who have come from around the globe to live
and work as members of the Greater Cincinnati community. As individuals they are artists, teachers, collaborators, friends and neighbors. We invite you to meet and get to know these extraordinary people!
SOLOISTS:
Kathryn Woolley
Violin
Performing:
L'inverno from The Four Seasons
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MEET THE CONDUCTOR
Conductor Keitaro Harada continues to be recognized at the highest levels for his artistic abilities and passion for musical excellence. As a recipient of The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award (2014 and 2015), Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview (2013), the Seiji
Ozawa Conducting Fellowship at
Tanglewood Music Festival, a student of Lorin Maazel at Castleton Festival and Fabio Luisi at
Pacific Music Festival, Harada’s credentials are exemplary.
Newly appointed Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra, Harada
begins his new post in the fall of 2015. As the Associate Conductor of the Arizona Opera, he will
lead their production of La fille du régiment in spring of 2015 and of Carmen in 2016. Harada is
also Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony.
A native of Tokyo, Japan, he is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Mercer University.
He completed his formal training at University of Arizona with Thomas Cockrell and Charles
Bontrager.
17
CINCINNATI’S MUSIC HALL
The Cincinnati Music Hall, an elegant century-old building, stands majestically at the corner of 14th and Elm - just
a short walk from the city’s center. In January, 1975, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S.
Department of the Interior.
Music Hall was designed originally for a unique and dual purpose - to house musical activities in a center area and
industrial exhibitions in its side wings. It has played host to a wide number of activities. These have ranged from
traditional symphony concerts and theatrical performances to the Democratic National Convention of 1880, the
Cincinnati Industrial Expositions, home shows, air shows, automobile shows, basketball games, tennis matches,
wrestling matches, in short, Cincinnati’s “Convention Center” until the present Convention Center was built in
1967. Music Hall is best known, however, for its central portion, the elegant, spacious and acoustically acclaimed
3,417 seat Springer Auditorium where Cincinnati’s Symphony Orchestra, May Festival, Opera, and Ballet Companies and other productions hold performances.
Music Hall owes its existence to two prominent Cincinnatians who loved their city and its music - Reuben
Springer and J. Ralph Corbett. It was Springer, an early Cincinnati millionaire, who recognized the need to house
great musical events and industrial exhibits properly. Singer proposed that the citizens of Cincinnati put up half
the funds to build this new Music Hall and Exhibition Center, and he would put up the other half. About 600 contributors raised $125,000, including an important contribution of $3000 by the city’s school children who had
been collecting pennies for the project. This was matched by $125,000 from Springer and was enough to start the
new building.
In the domed center of the ceiling of the auditorium, an oil painting by Arthur Thomas depicts an Allegory of the
Arts. This was part of the original decoration. Suspended from the center of the dome is a dramatic chandelier of
brass and thousands of hand-cut crystals, seemingly light and airy but actually weighing two tons.
Throughout the years, the rare acoustics for which Music Hall is world famous have been preserved intact. Truly,
Music Hall can aptly be called “The Queen of the Queen City.”
18
LESSON PLAN:
CONCERT ETIQUETTE
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE(S):
Students will demonstrate appropriate concert behavior during performances.
STANDARDS:
NATIONAL MUSIC STANDARDS
CONNECTING
Connect #11: Relate musical ideas and works with varied context to deepen understanding..
MU.:Pr6.1.6b Demonstrate performance decorum (such as stage presence, attire, and behavior) and audience etiquette
appropriate for venue and purpose..
PLAN:
1.
2.
3.
Allow the children to choose a piece that they would like to perform for the rest of the class and/or
another audience. They can perform in groups or individually and should have the freedom to choose
anything they want. This can be something that have worked on in class, or have rehearsed elsewhere, but
it should be "performance ready."
Give the children a short period of time to polish their piece.
After all groups are prepared, review the Rules of Concert Etiquette :
 Refrain from talking or whispering during the performance. The first and greatest rule! The musicians are working hard on stage to perform well for you - you’ll want to be able to hear them.
 No singing or tapping fingers or feet - unless the conductor tells you to! Like talking during the
performance, other body movements can make a lot of noise. There will be parts of the performance where we ask you to move and sing. Please save extra movements and sounds for those moments!
 Applaud at the end of each piece. This lets the musicians know you enjoyed the music! Watch the
conductor - he will lower his arms and face the audience when the Orchestra has finished playing.
 Do not leave the performance space during the music. If needed, wait for a break in the concert to
visit the restroom.
 Follow the rules of the concert hall. Food, gum, beverages, cameras, mp3 players and other electronic devices are not allowed in Springer Auditorium
 Be on your best behavior. Remember that you are representing your school and teachers at Music
Hall!
4.
5.
6.
7.
Discuss the rules with the students.
Find a "formal" setting, with chairs, for the kids to perform. The school auditorium, cafeteria, or other
public space is a good option for this, but the children need to be able to sit in chairs. This is so that when
they attend a concert at Music Hall, they are familiar with the expectations.
Remind the children to follow the Ten Rules of Concert Etiquette guidelines that were discussed in class
while they watch their classmates perform.
The same expectations are in place for the children at Music Hall for the YPC concerts, so review the
etiquette rules with the children prior to arriving at the venue.
ASSESSMENT:
Students will be observed for appropriate behavior during school and CSO concerts.
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AFTER THE CONCERT
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES
These ideas and activities are designed to utilize specific intelligences as defined by Howard Gardner in his ground-breaking
work. They are flexible and can be used for either of the concert experiences and the music found on the CD from each of
the concerts. Several of the lessons in this guide already utilize the multiple intelligences; this simply offers a specific approach.
LANGUAGE ARTS/VERBAL/LINGUISTIC LEARNING:
The following are suggested writing activities that can complement any of the Sound Discoveries programs while providing
valuable writing opportunities for your students.
 Create a class thank you letter to the orchestra. After the performance, brainstorm and write down all the things
the students liked about the concert. Organize them into categories such as sounds, people, compositions. Compose
a letter that includes all the responses. Students can add pictures of some of their favorite things.
 You are a newspaper reporter and you are reviewing one of the pieces of music as if you were at the premiere and
hearing it for the very first time.
 Write a friendly letter to the Conductor. Let him know what your favorite piece was, what excited you and a request for something you’d like to hear for your next visit.
 Describe a piece of music that you liked. Recreate it in your mind and then write down the description of the music
so that another person who listens to the music could understand what you heard.
LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL (using numbers, patterns)
Many modern composers create number patterns using a matrix or strictly random as a way to organize sounds. Find a pattern such as telephone numbers or birthdates to use as a base to organize body percussion sounds. Each number can represent the number of sounds that are made or a sound can be assigned to each number.
KINESTHETIC: (using bodily movement)
Students choose movements from everyday life to create movement patterns to perform with music from the concert. Arrange it any way you wish including classifying the movements.
INTERPERSONAL: (group work; communications)
Using patterns from the above activity, organize them in various ways so that more than one pattern is happening at a time.
It can be in duets, trios or large group.
INTRAPERSONAL: (self-awareness; reflection; higher level thinking)
Using a selection from the concert CD, reflect on the feelings that this music generates. Write your words on paper/index
cards and/or cut words and pictures from magazines. Organize them into a collage representing what the music says to you.
VISUAL-SPATIAL: (using images and space to understand)
Invent a musical instrument that reflects the 21 st century. Think of the technological advances of the last few years and reflect those in your instrument. Draw and name your instrument.
NATURALISTIC INTELLIGENCE: (nature; nurturing; relating to one’s natural surrounding)
Often composers are inspired by nature. It may be weather, geographical areas, or animals. Ask students to answer the following:
 What instrument in the orchestra would you use to describe a butterfly?
 How would music sound like that would describe a desert?
 If music is supposed to represent snow, what would it be like?
Naturalistic learners obviously learn best by actual interactive learning experiences outside with nature, and classifying and
organizing sounds in nature. Ask students to go on a “sound” scavenger hunt. Each student lists the sounds they hear outside
and around their home. They then organize the sounds by human, man-made or natural.
MUSICAL:
Choose an instrument from the orchestra and using the internet and suggested resource books, research its history. Find
parallel instruments in other cultures that are similar to it.
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The Corbett Educational Endowment
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the extraordinary support of Mrs. J. Ralph Corbett and The Corbett Foundation.
Andrew Jergens Foundation
The YOT Full Circle Foundation
Ronald McDonald House Charities
The Dental Care Plus Group
THE
CINCINNATI
The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund
Musical recordings under license from Naxos of America, Inc. www.Naxos.com (P) 2007 HNH International Ltd.
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