MUSIC EMOJISFeelings. Connections. Life.

2018Teachers

Guide

Sponsored by:

S.E. Ainsworth and Family

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Music Emojis Feelings. Connections. Life

Symphony No. 1 (excerpt) Gustav Mahler

(1860-1911)

Music from Spiderman Danny Elfman

(1953- )

Galop

from The Comedians

Dmitry Kabalevsky

(1904-1987)

Cello Concerto (3rd movement)

Ifetayo Ali-Landing, cello

Èdouard Lalo

(1823-1892)

Miller’s Dance

from Three-Cornered Hat

Manuel de Falla

(1876-1946 )

Machine

Jennifer Higdon

(1962- )

Flying Theme

from E.T.

John Williams

(1932- )

La Rejouissance

from Royal Fireworks

George Frideric Handel

(1685-1759)

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With the increase of texting, email and other electronic communication in the last 20

years, face-to-face conversation or a phone call is often skirted by a quick text. It can

be easier and less intrusive, but without any context of feeling behind them the words in these

quick communications can be misunderstood.

Emojis have the ability to express feelings wordlessly

and can take the edge off of any text. They were

invented by Shigetaka Kurita, who is a board member

at a Tokyo technology company. He was a 25-year-old

employee of a Japanese mobile carrier back in 1998

when he had the idea. His challenge was the 250

character limit and the need for some sort of

shorthand.

“Emoji” combines the Japanese for "picture," or "e'' (pronounced "eh"), and "letters," or

"moji" (moh-jee). Apple and Google have made emojis a world sensation. What started as a

few digital drawings has now become a gesture to communicate every conceivable emotion.

They have been displayed in an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City,

earning a place in our culture and giving value to the design that has had the power to change

lives.

Almost all kids these days speak emoji, and we thought it would be fun for them to use emojis

to demonstrate how the music we are studying on this program makes them feel. Music is

charged with emotion and it helps us express our human experience. No matter what music a

person likes to have as their real-life soundtrack, it is a way to cope, celebrate and express that

emotion that cannot be voiced. Music is what feelings sound like.

In preparing for your visit to hear the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, we suggest you listen as a

group to each piece on the program via the ESO website (Machine by Jennifer Higdon is not

available on recording), you may use the this worksheet to have students choose the emojis

that best express and describe the feelings evoked by each piece. Ask the students to discuss

what aspects of the music brought them to the selection of their emojis. (There are no right or

wrong answers.)

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La Rejouissance from Royal Fireworks

By George Frideric Handel

b. February 23, 1685 d. April 14, 1759

“I should be sorry if I only entertained them, I wish to make them

better.”

~George Frideric Handel

Handel spent most of his career in London writing operas and

oratorios. He was born in Germany, but immigrated to London in

1717 and became a naturalized British subject in 1727. He is

considered one of the world’s greatest Baroque composers. His

oratorio, The Messiah, can be heard performed regularly around the world.

“Baroque” is a word used to describe the period of time spanning from about 1600 to 1750 in which the arts in Western

Europe flourished. The word “Baroque” means ornamental, or fancy. During this period, composers made a decent living

working on the premises of a castle within a kingdom of a prince, queen, or King. Handel was the official composer for

King George I of England. In fact, Westminster Abbey, a famous landmark in London, England, houses a drawing of

Handel himself by artist Roubillac, denoting his prominence in King George’s reign. During this period, Copernicus’s

theory that planets didn’t revolve around the earth was accepted and Galileo was able to explore space with

the invention of the telescope. Rembrandt and Shakespeare were defining their art forms alongside Handel.

One of the philosophies of Baroque music comes from ancient Greece and Rome which held that music could

be used as a powerful tool to communicate and had the ability to arouse any emotion. Baroque composers

believed that harmony and counterpoint took precedence over text. The power of the music communicated

the meaning of the words.

La Rejouissance (The Rejoicing)

La Rejouissance is the 4th movement of the 5-movement work Music for the Royal Fireworks. It was

commissioned in 1749 for the fireworks in Green Park in London which celebrated the ending of the war of

Austrian succession. This music is a cheerful and uplifting piece, evoking excitement and exhilaration.

Discussion

List some reasons a king or queen would actually request music to be performed in their castle or residence. Think of the activities that may take place and decide which events would need music for entertainment, for background ambience, or for celebrations or mourning.

Vocabulary

Look up the following terms using an online source for a dictionary. List names of composers who wrote these forms of music and one or two famous works.

Baroque, Opera, Oratorio, Counterpoint, Basso Continuo

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Symphony No. 1 (excerpt)

By Gustav Mahler

b. July 7, 1860 d. May 18, 1911

“If a composer could say what he had to say in words, he would not bother trying to say it in music.”

~Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler was the son of a tavern-keeper in a small

Bavarian village. He’s known for his 10 symphonies and his

various songs for voice with orchestra. His music was mostly

ignored for 50 years after his death, but eventually he became

known for being a groundbreaking composer, making way for

20th-century composition techniques and influencing many.

During his life he was a well-known conductor and ascended to the top of his profession. As a conductor he

was very popular, but as a composer during his time he was not generally understood.

Mahler’s aim in his compositions was autobiographical, expressing his views of the world through music. His

background may explain what he portrays in his music: tension, irony, death and a search for the meaning of

life. Mahler had a traumatic childhood. From a Jewish family, he experienced strong racial tensions. In

addition, his home life was difficult because his father was quite violent and mistreated his mother. He had 13

brothers and sisters, several who were constantly ill and some who died at a young age. In the personal

content of Mahler’s compositions, it can be said that he expressed his personal torment through his art.

Mahler demonstrated creative composing techniques and broke away from many of the traditional composing rules often followed in the earlier music history time periods (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic). Other 20th century composing techniques include tone clusters, extreme use of dissonance, a greater use of percussion and noisemakers, unpredictable melodies, and new sounds to chords. Now breaking from the traditional influences of European countries, the United States and Eastern music became influential during this time of experimentation.

Follow this Link to Kids Encyclopedia to read more about Gustav Mahler.

Symphony No. 1

Mahler did most of the work on his first symphony in 1888, using ideas from previous compositions. The first

performance was given on November 20, 1889 in Budapest, with Mahler himself conducting. Performance

time for the entire piece with 4 movements is 58 minutes.

For our concert, we will be listening to just the beginning of the first movement (with a duration of about 3

minutes). It begins with an introduction marked “Slow, dragging, like the sound of nature”. Over hushed,

sustained A’s, we hear the sound of the cuckoo and fanfares in the distance. A lyrical melody appears in the

French horn. Imagine that you are a hiker wandering through the woods, the gentle hum of sustained notes

could be representing sunbeams shining through the trees. You hear the cuckoo and bird songs. The fanfares

in the distance are perhaps coming from some activity in a nearby village.

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Discussion

1. Watch this video on You Tube of the Vienna Philharmonic performing the Mahler’s 1st Symphony

conducted by Leonard Bernstein. (The ESO will just play a portion of the symphony, stopping at 3:30)

Which instruments depicted the cuckoo and the bird calls? Which family of instruments are these

instruments from? Which family instruments did you hear playing the “gentle hum” representing the

universe”? Finally, what is a fanfare, and which instruments played it? 2. Mahler had a difficult childhood. Can you think of any famous Hollywood actors or actresses that have

had some type of sadness in their lives? Do you think their acting ability was improved as a result of

living a life that was not perfect? Do you think their problems made acting more difficult or did they

use acting to get away from their real world problems?

Activity

1. Try to draw 5 different faces each showing a negative emotion: sadness, anger, doubt, suspicion, fear. Now try to draw 5 different faces showing positive emotions: joy, excitement, wonder, humor, comfort.

2. Review the families of the orchestra. Follow this link to the San Francisco Symphony Kids page for more fun: SFS Kids. Check out this timed quiz: Instruments of the Orchestra Quiz.

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Music from Spiderman

By Danny Elfman

b. May 29, 1953

“If there’s one thing I really love…its sad music.” ~Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman is famous for composing some of the most familiar

melodies in American TV and movies. I’ll bet you didn’t know that he

wrote the theme song for “The Simpsons”! He is truly successful when

it comes to writing music for film scores. The great movie director Tim

Burton first worked with him when he wrote the film score to Burton’s film “Pee Wee Herman”. He has gone

on to score 16 movies with Tim Burton including “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “The Corpse Bride”,

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “Beetlejuice”, and “Batman”. He’s been called a darkly romantic film

score composer, and his melodies are linked to the gothic style of film.

Writing a Film Score

When deciding what kind of music to write for a film, Elfman says, “…when I’m scoring, I’m scoring the

characters and the story and if the movie was made for the 30 million dollar, the 100 or the 200 million dollar

version, I don’t know if I’d be writing the score any differently. Mainly what I’m scoring is about this character,

if he’s got goodness inside of him, but he doesn’t know it and he gets into this crazy situation, but he’s got to

find the inner strength. It comes down to character and I think there’s a few moments where maybe what I’m

scoring is really just the awesomeness of a particular scene, but not that much of the score is really about

what you’re seeing, it’s more about what the character is reacting to. And I think that’s not just me, that’s the

way composers compose, whether it’s small scale, or big scale, but you know, you could have a big story and a

small scale or vice versa, and you’re scoring that story and those characters more than the costumes, or the

background, or the animation.”

Spiderman

Elfman collaborated with another famous director, Sam Raimi, to create the film score to

the movies “Spiderman” and “Spiderman 2”. He utilized the leitmotif as a musical

association to the characters. As you listen, see if you can pick out Spiderman’s main

theme. How does that theme make you feel?

Activity with the website Freeplay

This activity will demonstrate how music can enhance the recitation of a few paragraphs describing the setting

of or a character in a story.

Plan

1. Have students find a few paragraphs in a favorite book describing a setting or a character, or have

them write a few paragraphs of their own. A good setting may include the moment in history in which

the story takes place, the time of day, the climate, and the geographic location and creates an

imaginary world for the story. A character can be a person, animal or a thing that plays an important

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part in a story. Choose 4 to 5 different setting/character descriptions and choose a student to read

each in front of the classroom. Decide, as a group, a few adjectives to describe each. For example:

ominous, warm, reflective, cheerful, bleak, etc.

2. Listen to different moods of music on the website Freeplay. Click here for information on how to use

freeplay Type the chosen adjectives into the search bar to find music to match those moods. Choose a

few pieces to download that match the adjectives.

3. Read the setting paragraphs again, now with the mood music in the background. Do you feel any

differently hearing the recitation with the music? How is it different?

Activity Watch this video of several interesting classical excerpts. Discuss what you liked or didn’t understand. What emoji’s would you draw for some of these pieces?

Vocabulary

Look up the following terms using an online source for a dictionary.

Music Score, Gothic, Leitmotif

A view from the Hemmens

balcony: the Elgin Symphony

Orchestra awaits the start of the

performance.

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Galop

from The Comedians

By Dmitry Kabalevsky

b. December 30, 1904 d. February 14, 1987

Kabalevsky was an important figure in soviet musical life at the beginning of the 20th century. He was born in St. Petersburg, but in 1918 when he was 14 his family moved to Moscow. In 1925 he entered the Moscow Conservatory to study piano and composition. His developed composing style became markedly easy to understand for most listeners. He was influenced by fellow Russian greats including Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Borodin. He used classical forms, lyrical melodies, and especially energetic rhythms. He was highly-regarded by the Soviet government, in a time when many composers were being censured. He won the Stalin prize three times and during World War II he composed pieces designed to boost the morale of the Russian people. He had a life-long interest in spending time with children, dedicating himself to young people as both composer and as a teacher. His buoyant and pleasing style is befitting to music for young people. Listening to his music style brings emotions of a simple, happy and lighthearted innocent child at play.

The Comedians

Composed in 1938, The Comedians was written to be incidental music to accompany a children’s play, “The

Inventor and the Comedians.” The suite, which consists of music taken from the play, consists of ten

movements designed to depict the life of a company of traveling buffoons.

The most well-known movement is “Galop”. In fact it is probably the most well-known of all of Kabalevsky’s

work. It was even used as opening music in the classic 1950’s game show Masquerade Party.

Form

This short, bright piece has a very clear A B A form.

Specifically: Introduction A/Bridge/A Bridge/B A/Bridge/A

While listening to the piece, point out the different sections.

Introduction: Very short, starts with galloping rhythms in the strings and xylophone, joined by powerful

trumpet tones interplaying with the cymbals.

Section A: Galloping strings continue with the addition of the snare drum. Trumpets and woodwinds have the

melody.

Bridge: Change of tonality, fast scales in the violins, leading us back to section A.

Section A: Same as before with a few subtle differences.

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Bridge: Change of tonality, similar to first bridge but shorter and instead of fast scales, a snare drum roll

Section B: Marimba solo with the new theme, followed by the violins playing same theme, transition back to

section A.

Section A/Bridge/Section A

Vocabulary

Incidental Music: music written to accompany stage, film, radio or television, to serve as transition between parts of the action.

Activity

Students can create their own listening maps to share with the class.

Plan

1. Listen as a class to the selection 2 to 3 times, each time writing down instruments, tempo, soloists, moods or pictures that come to mind. Write everything vertically on the page so it shows the chronological order of musical events.

2. Create a visual set of pictures, adjectives, instruments, and things to listen for during the selection. 3. Make a chart, creating a path that one can follow visually. It should look more like a picture than a list

of words or thoughts. Use colors and unique fonts, show measures or beats, add pictures of animals, emojis, or instruments.

4. After working through a couple of drafts, students can color with bright crayons, markers or colored pencils. Teachers can use an ELMO document camera to showcase all listening maps created by the students.

5. Have a conversation about which maps showed helpful details, fun observations, or worthwhile musical terms to help the first time listener or younger musician enjoy what they are hearing.

OR: Listen to Galop while following this Listening Map.

Musical Gesture

When we speak, we change the pitch and volume of our voice, sometimes using hand gestures, so that we can

fully communicate our meaning. If we speak in a monotone with no movement or facial expression, we may

not convey accurately how we feel. Likewise, when we send a text the tone of the words can be

misunderstood. Adding an emoji is considered the digital equivalent to a facial expression or a hand gesture.

Emojis are picture gestures representing the physical gestures we make when we speak. They infer the

feelings within our words.

Making music is a way to communicate emotions. Let’s compare speaking in monotone without feeling to

making musical sounds without feeling. Sing any note and stay on the same pitch: la-la-la-la-la-la. Is that

music? Maybe, but without gesture it carries no emotion.

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A musical gesture is the dramatic exchange of a musical idea and the action of its performance which

creates an emotional reaction from the listener.

To create a musical idea a composer can:

Change the pitch of the note, higher or lower and create a melody

Combine the notes to create harmony

Change the duration of the sound, or rhythm

Change volume or dynamics

Change speed or tempo

Change the timbre by choosing which instruments to perform the music

Create a structure for the music, or form

Create a texture for the music: the number of voices or instruments playing together

When musicians perform the music that the composer created, they will interpret the written notes and

translate them using their instrument or voice and their own ideas about what the composer was

communicating. Just as two actors may perform a role from a play very differently, the performance and

interpretation of a piece of music may differ greatly between musicians.

When musicians prepare to perform a piece of music they are thinking:

“What can I learn about the composer and what is the story, if any, the composer is trying to

communicate?”

“What did the composer mean when he/she put that dynamic marking there? For instance, how much

stronger or louder should I be at the end of that crescendo?”

“What kind of tone should I use? Should I play with a thin or full sound?”

“How long or short should I make these notes?”

“How do I interpret the composer’s tempo marking?”

The musical decisions by the composer and the performer help communicate gestures that convey emotional

meaning. In addition, a musician may move their body while playing, a natural expression of what they are

feeling. Through gesture, we shape the music and the music shapes us.

Activity

Have students read a few sentences from a favorite book or the

famous Dr. Seuss quote to the right in a monotone voice with no

expression. Repeat the sentences adding emotion by including

changes in pitch, tempo, facial expressions and hand gestures.

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Cello Concerto in D Minor III. Introduction, Andante-Allegro Vivace

By Èdouard Lalo

b. January 23, 1823 d. April 22, 1892

Lalo was a French composer of Spanish descent. He chose his career

against his father’s wishes which caused much friction in his family.

At the age of 16 he left home to forge a career in Paris as a violinist

and a violist.

As a composer, he showed great persistence. He worked for decades

trying to make a name for himself. His great breakthrough didn’t come until he was in his 50’s with his

Symphonie espagnole, a violin concerto, which is by far Lalo’s most famous work.

The Cello Concerto

The Cello Concerto in D minor, written just a few years after the famous

Symphonie espagnole, is one of Lalo’s finest achievements. At the time it was

written, there were few concertos written for the cello which was just beginning

to emerge as a viable solo instrument with an orchestra. Prior to this time,

concertos were mostly written for the violin and piano.

Lalo composed the piece for Parisian cellist Adolphe Fischer (1847-1891). It was

premiered on December 9, 1877, but was not well-received. One reviewer said it

was ‘agreeable but somewhat pretentious.’ As many (but not all) new music

compositions demonstrate, it takes time and a number of performances of the

music for it to be embraced by the public. Today, Lalo’s Cello Concerto is a

standard part of an accomplished cellist’s repertoire and well-loved by audiences.

For the Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s concert in April, a wonderful award-winning young musician from Chicago, Ifetayo

Ali-Landing, will be performing the last movement of this 3-movement work. It opens with a slow eloquent introduction

for the cello. The remainder of the movement, in rondo form, is filled with Latin flavor and exciting rhythms.

Vocabulary Look up the following terms using an online source for a dictionary.

Concerto, Rondo form

Interview with Ifetayo Ali-Landing, cello soloist

At the age of 14, Chicagoan Ifetayo Ali-Landing has already had an exciting career. She began studying the

violin when she was so young she was barely able to stand. At the age of 3, she begged her mother to let her

switch to the cello because she loved the lower, mellower sound of the instrument.

Adolphe Fischer

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Ifetayo has won many awards, including first place in the 2017

junior division of the Sphinx Competition in Detroit. Here is a

YouTube recording of her winning performance: Ifetayo Ali-

Landing performs Lalo Cello Concerto with the Sphinx Symphony

Orchestra We wanted to get to know Ifetayo better, so we asked her some

questions.

Can you describe how it feels to sit in front of the orchestra as a

soloist? Do you ever feel nervous?

Playing in front of an orchestra feels amazing. It is very different

than just playing with the piano or playing by yourself, but it

always makes me play slightly better.

Yes, I always get nervous before I play, but I try not to focus too

much on my nerves.

When did you know that you wanted to be a soloist?

Ever since I started playing cello I’ve loved performing. One

specific time I remember was when I was 8. My mother and I were sitting in the car, probably after watching

someone perform. I randomly said “I want to be a soloist” and my mother called my aunt and they started

thinking of ways to make that happen.

Who is your favorite composer?

I don’t have just one favorite composer, but I love playing music by Shostakovich. Solo and chamber music.

What is your favorite part about playing the cello?

My favorite part of playing the cello is being able to play any genre of music and express any feeling at any

time.

How much do you have to practice every day? Do you find it feels easy or hard to practice?

I practice anywhere from 1- 4 hours. Practicing never really feels “easy" for me because I’m constantly learning

harder pieces. I have learned how to make practicing fun and that makes it slightly easier.

Do you have any other interests and hobbies?

I have a lot of hobbies, but a few of them are contortion, gaming, makeup, baking, and acting.

Do you have a favorite emoji?

I don’t have just one favorite, but the three I use the most are:

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Miller’s Dance from The Three-Cornered Hat

By Manuel de Falla

b. November 23, 1876 d. November 14, 1946

Spanish composer Manuel de Falla brought folk music of Spain to the rest of the world at the same time as

Debussy and Ravel in France and Stravinsky in Russia. Equally sophisticated as those composers, he fused the

rhythms and melodies of his culture with a modern palette of harmonies and instrumentation. His music

blends colors that have always been a part of the mysterious Spanish soul: strong rhythms, sensuality, and

beautiful melodies.

Born in Cádiz, a coastal city, Falla first studied piano with his mother. He showed an aptitude for music from an

early age, and was soon sent to study with an experienced local teacher. By the age of 10 he was studying

harmony and counterpoint, and began writing his first compositions. When he was 20, his family moved to

Madrid, Spain’s capital city. He then enrolled in the Royal Conservatory, a leading music school. It was there

that he discovered the feel of Spain through music that he was only able to know through his studies.

A feeling of isolation overcame young Manuel as he began making a living as a teacher and composer. He felt

that there were limitations to having his music performed, as Madrid was cut off from the exciting new

developments that were taking place in music in the early 20th century. In 1907, he moved to Paris where

received advice from Debussy and had great successes with his work. Seven years later as World War I began,

he returned to Madrid, a famous musician.

The Three-Cornered Hat

The war years caused hardship for artists in Paris, including ballet companies. Ballet Russes, a dance and

theatre company led by a famous Russian visionary named Serge Diaghilev, was based in Paris and had been a

source of inspiration for many composers there. As the war raged on, Diaghilev kept his troupe afloat by

taking tours outside of France, including a stop in Madrid. This gave Falla an opportunity to compose a work

for the company, and the result was The Three-Cornered Hat. The plot of the ballet is based on a traditional

Spanish tale (“The Governor and the Miller’s Wife”). The Miller’s Dance, taking place in the latter part of the

ballet, is a vigorous flamenco-style dance initiated by solos in the French horn and English horn. The dance

pairs strong and sensual gestures. The strings imitate the strumming of guitars, which traditionally accompany

this type of dance. As it comes to a close, an accelerating tempo creates a feeling of rising energy.

Vocabulary

Look up the following terms using an online source for a dictionary.

Harmony, Counterpoint, Flemenco

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Activity

This activity will show that using the basic elements of dance, students can create movements that depict

various emotions connected to the music.

Plan

1. Listen to “Miller’s Dance”. Ask students to draw emojis or list adjectives that describe emotions related

to this music.

2. Discuss how dances can create a story. Some examples are “The Nutcracker”, “Swan Lake” and

traditional folk dances. If you have time, you may want to show your students clips from folk dances or

from a famous ballet.

3. Discuss basic elements of dance with the students:

A. Level: high, medium, low

B. Speed: fast, slow

C. Direction: forward, backward, left, right, diagonal, turning

D. Locomotor: walk, run, hop, jump, leap, gallop, slide, skip

E. Axial: bend, twist, stretch, swing

4. Ask students to make up short dances to depict how the music makes them feel. Using the emotions

noted after listening to “Miller’s Dance”, ask them to create five tableaus that demonstrate that

emotion. (A tableau is a “freeze frame” or a stop-action combination of facial expressions and

gestures.)

5. Have students connect their tableaus using the basic elements of dance, creating movements to get

from one tableau to the next. Starting with the first tableau, create a movement to get to the second,

and then a movement to get to the third, and so on. Ask students to keep in mind the integrity of the

emotion as they create their connecting movements. (For instance, a sad movement would be slow, an

excited movement, fast, etc.)

6. Allow the students to perform the dances before the class. See if the students express the same

emotions for this music, or if they vary. Discuss why some may feel a different emotion than another

when they express themselves through movement.

Three-Cornered Hat

(Baltimore Museum of Art)

Artist: Walt Kuhn

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Machine

By Jennifer Higdon

b. December 31, 1962

“I wrote "Machine" as an encore tribute to composers like Mozart and Tchaikovsky, who seemed to be able to write so many notes and so much music that it seems like they were machines!” ~Jennifer Higdon

Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon, from Brooklyn, N.Y., is one of America’s most acclaimed and most frequently performed living composers. Higdon started late in music, teaching herself to play flute at the age of 15 and beginning formal musical studies at 18, with an even later start in

composition at the age of 21. Despite this late beginning, she has become a major figure in contemporary Classical music and makes her living from commissions. These commissions represent a range of genres, including orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and wind ensemble.

Higdon holds a Ph.D. and a M.A. in Music Composition from the University of Pennsylvania, a B.M. in Flute Performance from Bowling Green State University, and an Artist Diploma in Music Composition from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Hailed by the Washington Post as "a savvy, sensitive composer with a keen ear, an innate sense of form and a generous dash of pure esprit," her works have been performed throughout the world, and are enjoyed by audiences at several hundred performances a year and on over sixty CDs. Higdon’s orchestral work, blue cathedral, is one of the most performed contemporary orchestral compositions by a living American with more than 600 performances worldwide since its premiere in 2000.

Watch blue cathedral on YouTube with the New England Conservatory Orchestra including an intro with

conductor James Sommerville: blue cathedral link

Machine

Reviewing the world premiere, Ronald Broun of The Washington Post wrote, "It is one long, loud, freight-train

crescendo with hellishly snapping winds and jumping-bean rhythms, and it sweeps relentlessly forward for just

under three minutes, then stops on a dime. For sheer unpretentious fun it was just the ticket."

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Discussion

We have access to many videos featuring interviews with Jennifer Higdon which we don’t have with most non-

living composers who were born before our technology greatly expanded. Follow these links to watch an

interview from “The Drexel Interview” with Jennifer Higdon on YouTube:

Jennifer Higdon Interview: Part 1

Questions:

1. Many people say that Jennifer Higdon’s music is “accessible”. What does that mean to you?

2. Ms. Higdon said that when composing, she takes the “emotional message” from the music she heard

growing up: the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and bluegrass. What do you think she means by this?

What kind of emotional message do you get from the music you listen to?

Jennifer Higdon Interview: Part 2

Questions:

1. What does Ms. Higdon mean when she says a composition is a collaboration between the composer

and the musicians? What do you think she means when she says each conductor/musician puts their

own fingerprint on a piece?

2. Why do you think composing is a solitary process?

3. What does Ms. Higdon mean when she says, “There’s a real business to being a composer” ?

Activities

1. Since Machine is not available to hear on a recording, it will be a surprise for audience members to

hear it. Based on the description of this brief piece, have students draw a machine of their own

invention. Ask: what does the machine do? What is it made out of? If you were to compose a piece of

music to portray a machine, what instruments would you use? Would it be soft or loud? Fast or slow?

Send student drawings to w.evans@elginsymphony.org. We will post some of them during the concert!

2. Create a human machine using body movements and steady beat. Assign six students in a group. They will need to find a way to connect to one another to make a giant machine. Each individual is a working part of the machine. The machine only works if each part is showing a steady beat. Motions should be repeated and easy to do, visible from 15 feet away and not injurious to anyone nearby!

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Flying Theme From E.T.

By John Williams

b. February 8, 1932

Considered by many to be one of the finest film scores in history, the

music from Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial has an

“otherworldliness” quality that entirely supports the film’s subject

and elicits the drama and excitement of the strange but lovable E.T.

Unlike most other movies of its genre, this one carries a hopeful view

of an alien civilization. The score earned John Williams his fourth

academy award and evokes the perfect emotional response for what

audiences crave from the magic of Hollywood.

Activity

Watch this wonderful 10-minute video about the scoring of E.T.: Click Here

John Williams has written music for movies spanning six decades. He has also

written for television, including themes for the Olympic Games, NBC Sunday

Night Football and the NBC Nightly News.

In 1975, Williams teamed up with Steven Spielberg to compose music for his

epic film Jaws. The score’s sinister 2-note motif has become synonymous with

sharks. Williams considers this score to have been the jump-start of his career,

winning him his first Academy Award for an original composition.

From 1980 to 1993, he followed Arthur Fiedler as the Boston Pops Orchestra’s

principal conductor. He has written many concert pieces, including a symphony, concertos for horn, clarinet,

trumpet, flute, violin, cello, and bassoon, and a sinfonietta for wind ensemble.

Williams is an accomplished pianist and has played on many film score recordings. He studied composition at

The Juilliard School in New York City, and has received 5 Academy Awards and 45 Academy Award

nominations.

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Etiquette for Concert-Goers

Leave your cell phone at home! (Or at least turn it off).

No gum or candy.

Picture taking is not allowed! (That includes videos).

Refrain from talking.

Applaud when the concertmaster walks on stage. That is the signal that the concert

is about to begin.

Careful, if you think the piece is over, wait a few seconds until you hear other people

clapping…sometimes it’s just a pause in the music. (You should never be the only

one clapping!) When the conductor’s arms are down, it’s usually time to clap.

Smile! Bring a good attitude…you are going to love this concert!

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Stephen Squires, Resident Conductor

Mr. Squires has had a distinguished career (now 39 years) as a collegiate

professor. Currently he is Professor of Music in the Music Conservatory at

the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University, where he

conducts the CCPA Wind Ensemble and teaches in the Core Music Studies

curriculum. Prior to his appointment at CCPA, Mr. Squires served on the

artist faculty at the Northern Illinois University School of Music.

Stephen Squires is in his 28th season as Resident Conductor of the Elgin

Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Squires received musical training at the Eastman

School of Music Preparatory School, and earned a Bachelor of Music in Music

Education from the Crane School of Music, at the State University of New

York at Potsdam. Mr. Squires also earned a Master of Music in Instrumental

Conducting/Trumpet Performance at California State University, Northridge.

In addition to his duties with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, he is the Music Director of the Salt Creek Ballet

Orchestra, the Millar Brass, the Illinois Brass Band, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Fox Valley Symphony.

He is the former Music Director of the Illinois Chamber Symphony.

Mr. Squires has conducted recordings for Delos, Spring Hill (a division of EMI) and Centaur Labels. An ardent

proponent of new music, he has conducted over 80 world premiere performances. Mr. Squires has guest

conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony, the Green Bay Symphony, the

Columbus Symphony and the Chicago Composers Orchestra. Mr. Squires is also an accomplished recital

accompanist and freelance trumpeter.

About the Elgin Symphony Orchestra

The ESO was founded as a community orchestra at the Elgin Community College by Doug Steensland in 1950.

In 1971 Margaret Hillis was appointed Music Director, and the Orchestra’s artistic growth grew significantly.

Margaret Hillis was an incredibly talented person. She was born in Kokomo, Indiana. During World War II, she

was a civilian flight instructor and contemplated a career as a professional golfer. Ms. Hillis broke many

barriers in her career. Her leadership and founding of the Chicago Symphony Chorus led her to eventually

conduct major orchestras around the country. She captured national attention in 1977 when she substituted

on short notice for an ailing Sir Georg Solti and conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s

Symphony No. 8 at Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Hillis was succeeded by Maestro Robert Hanson in 1985 as the Music Director of the ESO. Under Maestro

Hanson’s leadership, the ensemble became a fully professional ensemble. In 1988, 1989, and 2005, the ESO

was named Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. The ESO was the first three-time winner

of this award, which recognizes programming excellence, artistic quality and leadership. Maestro Hanson

stepped down in 2011.

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In 2013, after an international search that featured 200 applicants, the ESO appointed Maestro Andrew Grams

as the fourth Music Director to lead this orchestra. Andrew has appeared with many of the great orchestras of

the world as Conductor. Ironically, Maestro Grams and Maestra Hillis both received their conducting training

from the renowned conductor Otto-Werner Mueller.

With an annual operation budget of just under $3 million, the ESO is Illinois’ premier regional orchestra.

Audiences of over 40,000 are served each year, and over 20,000 students are reached yearly with a

combination of Traveling Ensembles and the Ainsworth Concerts for Youth. The Elgin Symphony continues to

enlarge its mission as one of the foremost education orchestras in the country, adding programs for adults like

the Listeners Club at the Gail Borden Public Library and the Elgin Symphony Orchestra Listeners Club on

Huntley Community Radio. A partnership with Advocate Hospitals (Musicians Care) brings professional

musicians weekly into area hospitals with healing and soothing music.

Teachers Guide Authors

Wendy Evans, Director of Community Engagement and Orchestra Personnel, Elgin Symphony Orchestra

Susan Carlson, comprehensive music teacher district 15, Willow Bend Elementary, Rolling Meadows

Resources:

Encyclopedia Britannica

National Center for Quality Afterschool

“Can You Speak Emoji?” from PBS Idea Channel

“Meaning in Musical Gesture” by Fernando Iazzetta, Universidade de Sao Paulo: Trends in Gestural Control of Music, M.M. Wanderley and M. Attier, eds.

Music Emojis Worksheet Instructions: Circle the Emoji that best matches how you feel when you listen to the corresponding piece.

Le Rejouissance from Royal Fireworks by Handel

Symphony No. 1 (excerpt) by Mahler

Music from Spiderman by Elfman

Galop from The Comedians by Kabalevsky

Cello Concerto (3rd movement) by Lalo

Miller’s Dance from Three-Cornered Hat by Falla

Flying Theme from E.T. by Williams

Galop from The Comedians

By Dmitry Kabalevsky

Introduction

Bridge

Section A

Section B

Section A

Section A

Section A

Bridge

Bridge

Listening Map