Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra

Teacher Resource Booklet

Teaching ideas designed around repertoire from the Education Concert

THE AMAZING TALE OF GIBSON

Story by Jenny Compton

Prepared by

Sharee Bahr, Carolyn Cross and Dianne O’Toole

©2016 Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Pty

CONTENTS

Page

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra 1

The Amazing Tale of Gibson 2

Teaching Ideas 4

A What’s an Orchestra 4

B Emotion in Music 6

C Texture in Music 12

D Patterns from the Program 26

E Cross-Curricular Possibilities 30

1

TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Marko Letonja Chief Conductor and Artistic Director

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has been at the forefront of concert life in Tasmania for more than six

decades. Established in 1948 and declared a Tasmanian Icon in 1998, the TSO gives nearly 80 concerts

annually including seasons in Hobart and Launceston, and appearances in Tasmanian regional centres.

Additionally, the TSO collaborates with other Tasmanian arts organisations, including highly successful

projects with the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

Resident in Hobart’s purpose-built Federation Concert Hall, the TSO has a full complement of 47

musicians. Marko Letonja is the orchestra’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director. For works that require

choral forces, the TSO is joined by the TSO Chorus. With approximately 80 CDs in its catalogue, including

21 titles in the Australian Composer Series on ABC Classics and 14 in the Romantic Piano Concerto Series on

the British label Hyperion, the TSO is known and heard nationally and internationally. In December 2016-

January 2017 the TSO gave a highly successful tour of China, performing nine concerts in seven cities,

including Shanghai and Nanjing.

2

The Amazing Tale of Gibson This concert traces the story of an amazing violin, one that survived theft and neglect before finding glory in

the hands of one of the world’s most famous violinists.

A LITTLE OF THE HISTORY BEHIND THE STORY OF “THE AMAZING TALE OF

GIBSON”

The narration that you will hear during the performance of The Amazing Tale of Gibson was

written by Jenny Compton and is loosely based on the history of the Gibson ex-Huberman

Stradivarius.

The following links provide more information:

Orchestra of Exiles http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1906443/ - This is a documentary about

Huberman who owned the Gibson Stradivarius and Jenny makes reference to Huberman playing

for Brahms when Huberman was a boy and also the famous night when the Gibson Stradivarius

was stolen. The Gibson Stradivarius is now owned by Joshua Bell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Stradivarius - a concise history of the Gibson ex-Huberman

Stradivarius

https://rhapsodyinwords.com/2015/08/24/the-astonishing-300-year-history-of-the-gibson-ex-

huberman-stradivarius/ - this is an in-depth look at the 300 year history of the Gibson ex-

Huberman Stradivarius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5aLHuk0PUU Joshua Bell the renowned concert violinist has

owned his pride and joy, a Stradivarius violin for over a decade, it is over 300 years old.

The story of the theft, return, and subsequent acquisition by Bell is told in the 2013 documentary

The Return of the Violin, directed by Haim Hecht. Bell's first recording made with the Gibson ex

Huberman was Romance of the Violin (for Sony Classical Records) in 2003.

A FURTHER LINK TO JOSHUA BELL AND HIS VIOLIN … SO WHAT’S GIBSON DOING

NOW?

In a 2007, violinist Joshua Bell went busking in an experiment to see if the public would recognise

one of the finest talents in the classical world. It did not work out like that.

http://www.classicfm.com/artists/joshua-bell/guides/busking-subway/#f3SIwmaVeQdq5xPV.97

In September, 2013 The Man With the Violin by Kathy Stinson illustrated by Dušan Petričić from

Annick Press was published. It tells the story of the Washington Press’s experiment where they

asked Joshua Bell to play in the subway incognito. This link provides https://vimeo.com/65555503

information about the book.

CONCERT REPERTOIRE

Please note:

a) Most of these pieces are either extracts or abridged versions, omitting repeats, to keep the

durations in the 2.00 – 3.00 minutes range.

3

b) Most are readily available on YouTube and/or iTunes/Spotify. The YouTube clip links have been

included in this resource booklet.

Composer/ Title Country Year Written Duration

HUANG Saibei Dance from Saibei Suite No 2, Op 21

China

1975

4’00

TRAD ARR. SHAWCROSS Ai Hai Yo

Australia 2015 1’00

CORELLI Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op 6, No 8 Christmas Concerto

Italy

1690

2'00

II Allegro; III Adagio

VIVALDI Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) Op 8 No 2 in G Minor L’estate (Summer)

Italy 1723 3'00

III Presto

BACH Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 Germany 1717 –1723 1'15

II Largo

MOZART Serenade No 13 in G Major, KV 525 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Austria 1787 3'00

IV Rondo

BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 61 Germany 1806 3'00

I Allegro ma non troppo

MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 4 in A Major, Op 90 Italian Germany 1833 2'30

I Allegro vivace

SAINT- SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, Op 28

France

1863

3'30

LALO Symphonie espagnole in D Minor, Op 21 France 1874 2'20

I Allegro non troppo

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 35 Russia 1878 4'20

I Allegro moderato; III Finale: Allegro vivacissimo

BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 27 Germany 1878 2'00

II Adagio

BRUCH Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor, Op 26 Germany 1866 0'30

I Vorspiel: Allegro moderato; II Adagio

HOLST St. Paul’s Suite Op 29, No 2 England 1912 1'45

III Intermezzo

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op 64 Germany 1838 - 1844 2'00

III Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

4

TEACHING IDEAS

A WHAT’S AN ORCHESTRA?

Having the opportunity to listen to and see an orchestra playing is an incredibly special and memorable

event for children.

While it is really important for the students to be familiar with all or at least some of the pieces the TSO

will play it is equally important for them to have an understanding of what an orchestra is. Please take the

time to familiarise your students with the four sections of the orchestra and the instruments in them. Look

at a clip of an orchestra playing a familiar piece, use the colouring page, watch the YouTube clip ‘George

meets the Orchestra’ or look at the many interactive on-line websites.

1 Listening to an orchestra

Play a piece that the students are familiar with being performed by an orchestra. Playing the

students a piece that they are familiar with allows them to connect immediately with the music

and they are very excited because they know the piece and it can conjure up images in their mind

and stir up memories. Once this connection has been created you can move on and focus on the

sections of the Orchestra and the instruments in them. A good starting point would be Pirates of

the Caribbean.

Here is a link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zTc2hD2npA to a performance by the

Auckland Symphony Orchestra.

2 Colouring page

Ask the students to colour in the 4 sections of the orchestra using the colours that the players

will be wearing in the concert:

Woodwind = dark blue Brass = green

Percussion = light blue Strings = red

Use this link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/475692779367242089/ OR http://www.myriad-

online.com/cgi-bin/workshop/YaBB.pl?board=request;action=display;num=1305290627 for a free

orchestra layout chart.

3 George meets the orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Jc4sP0BEE

George is going to meet an orchestra for the first time! He wants to learn an instrument – but

which one?

Follow George as he chats with players of the Sydney Youth Orchestra and learns all about the

four families of the orchestra – strings, brass, woodwind and percussion. A perfect introduction to

orchestral music for Prep – Grade 2 students.

5

4 Instruments of the orchestra

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/374799720679211009

Instruments of an Orchestra – Roger Gunn. Thinglink – each image has a clip linked to it to

enable the viewer to see and hear each of the instruments from the orchestra playing. Find out

about the conductor’s role as well.

There are many interactive online websites. For example:

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra:

http://www.sfskids.org/classic/templates/instorchframe.asp?pageid=3

Philharmonia Orchestra: http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/explore/instruments

MSO Learn app: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/mso-learn/id441422027?mt=8

Composition Lab: http://www.compositionlab.co.uk

5 Create your own “Stand-up Symphony”

http://colorinmypiano.com/2012/09/20/instruments-of-the-orchestra-study-free-orchestra-stage-pieces/

There are 20 cut out figures for students to colour in and cut out and put in place on a stage plan.

It’s a hands on way of reviewing the instruments as well as learning where the orchestra members

sit.

6 A monster collection of links from Katie Wardrobe

Katie Wardrobe is a music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music

teachers. This link will take you to an amazing collection of free resources online that she has

collated to help introduce or expand upon the topic of Instruments of the Orchestra.

http://www.midnightmusic.com.au/2014/12/instruments-of-the-orchestra-a-monster-collection-of-

links-for-music-teachers/

7 The violin

The featured instrument in this program is the violin. Use the following links to introduce the

violin to your classes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgaQFLUdUL0 Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay from the Philharmonia

Orchestra (London U.K.) introduces his instrument, the violin. (8.39 minutes)

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/374799720679211009 click on the Violin link from Roger Gunn’s

Orchestra thinglink page

http://coloringcafe.com/coloring-pages/violin/ a free, downloadable violin colouring page

Using the parts of the violin picture from Get-Tuned.com ask the students to label the parts of the

violin on the colouring page above http://www.get-tuned.com/violin.php

Go to Wikipedia for more information on the violin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin

6

B EMOTION IN MUSIC

As a means of introducing the concept of emotion in music you could use the following interactive website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/schools/4_11/music/mm/mood01.shtml Musical Mysteries was

designed to help support the Northern Ireland Music Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and 2 (7-11 year olds).

The resource helps pupils to explore basic musical concepts in sound, rhythm and mood. The students

need to help Robbie and Curly solve some musical mysteries. The link above takes you directly to the page

that focuses on mood.

What is it about music that makes us feel happy or sad, or makes us want to dance?

Students need to be able to identify the way the music makes them feel. Page nine of this document has an

excellent list of positive/negative mood words https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mood-Guess-

My-Mood-FREEBIE-668428 . There is also a list below **

Ask students to draw how the music makes them feel by drawing different facial expressions on the blank

faces http://www.getcoloringpages.com/blank-face-coloring-page

How do I feel right now? https://skinnurse.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/how-do-i-feel-right-now-faces-

visuals/ this link will take you to several Feeling or Emotion Charts that are free printable visuals.

Apart from identifying how the music makes us feel students also need to be able to identify the elements

that are used by composers when they compose a piece of music that lead us to feel that way.

Listening glyphs are worksheets that ask students to colour each object or portion of the picture based on

what they hear. These glyphs are an excellent way for students to identify musical elements. They are a way

to share information about a piece of music in a pictorial way that students can easily interpret. Some of

the concepts covered: loud/soft, fast/slow, steady beat/no steady beat, lullaby, march, smooth/separated,

mood and more. The listening glyphs are available from

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Listening-Glyphs-for-Listening-to-and-Analyzing-Music-

597898 $4 - The Bulletin Board Lady – Tracey King. Included in the kit are 7 glyphs: butterfly,

penguin, house, Christmas tree, snowman, pizza and gingerbread man.

Ask your students to imagine that they are a composer. Ask them the following questions:

“If you wanted to create a piece of music that sounds happy and exciting, describe the music that

you would write”

“How would this music change if you wanted your music to sound sad?”

Lead the discussion to talk about musical elements of instrumentation, tempo and dynamics.

1 ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

Mood/Expression: This is how the music affects you emotionally. For example: an upbeat tune may make

you joyful, while a slow violin song may make you feel lonely, cold, and depressed.

Use adjectives which describe how the mood of the music sounds to you. What do you hear in the music

that suggests this mood? Does the mood ever change? Describe the changes.

** Use adjectives (descriptive words) to describe the music. Here are some examples: dark, cold,

mysterious, joyous, loud, soft, morbid, sad, swift, bubbly, gurgling, light, buoyant, heavy, dragging, bouncy,

smooth, choppy, sensitive, weak, strong, bright, excited, warm, colourful, cheerful, dramatic, exciting,

exhilarated, passionate, sensational, soaring, dreamy, scared, triumphant, tragic, yearning, agitated, angry,

restless, tense, depressing, gloomy, melancholy, mournful, solemn, dreamy, sentimental, tranquil, forlorn.

7

Tempo: Refers to the speed of the beat (i.e. fast/slow). Does it ever change? Is it steady? Does it get faster

or slower? When does it change? We use mainly Italian terms to indicate tempo:

Adagio = slow

Andante = moderately slow tempo

Moderato = moderately

Allegro = fast

Presto = very fast

Accelerando = getting faster

Rallentando = getting slower

Dynamics: Refers to the level of volume at which the music is played (i.e. loud/soft). Do they change? We

use mainly Italian terms to indicate dynamics:

pp = pianissimo = very soft

p = piano = soft

mp = mezzo piano = moderately soft

mf = mezzo forte = moderately loud

f = forte = loud

ff = fortissimo = very loud

crescendo = gets gradually louder

decrescendo = gets soft gradually

Pitch: Relates to the notes used (high, medium, low) and what sequence they are used in.

Melody (tune): a melody is the part of the song you might hum to yourself as you remember the song.

This is the horizontal aspect of pitch.

When pitches are put together they make melodies. What is the shape of the melody? Melody can be

described as monotone, ascending, descending, wavy contour, jagged. What instrument/s are playing the

melody?

Harmony (accompaniment): The vertical aspect of pitch: what is being played with the melody.

Tonality: a melody (and its supporting harmony) is based on a particular scale (e.g. major, minor, blues,

chromatic)

Rhythm: the pattern of long and short sounds or silences.

What time signature is being used? (Meter 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 3/2), Does the piece use patterns? Repetition?

An ostinato? A drone? Listen for repetitive patterns.

Tone Colour/Timbre: Refers to the individual sound of an instrument or voice. What instruments/

voices do you hear? Each instrument has a different tone colour. Is the sound pleasant? Is it harsh? Is it

mellow? Is it dark?

Texture: Texture refers to the layers of sound and how the layers relate to each other. Is the sound thick

(lots of instruments) or thin (few instruments)

Instrumentation: In what combination are the instruments being used? What is the type of ensemble you

can hear?

8

2 VIVALDI Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) Op 8

No 2 in G Minor L’estate (Summer)

III Presto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJTfG1MmMwQ

Summer is played during the story when Gibson’s brother Daniel is bought by someone and taken away on

horseback. Gibson is feeling horrified as he watches his brother being taken away by the stranger on the

back of a galloping horse.

Share the narrative from the concert and ask students to listen to the recording of Vivaldi Le

quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) Op 8 No 2 in G minor - "Summer" 3rd Movt, and fill in the table

below:

Describe your feelings when you listen AND think about how Gibson

must have felt.

What does the music do to help you feel that way?

Name the musical elements Vivaldi used

Example : unsettled - anxious it’s fast Tempo

Younger students might like to draw a picture of the stranger on horseback taking away Gibson’s

brother, they need to draw Gibson in the picture so we can see his face.

Ask them to write three things about the music that made them feel that way / draw what they

drew.

Use a listening glyph to help students focus on the musical elements used.

3 SAINT- SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, Op 28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWwi0iR65E 0.00 – 3.39

Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is played during the story when Gibson was really enjoying himself and life

was wonderful. Gibson played music all day and all night. It was so much fun. This piece made Gibson feel

like he was a superstar ballet dancer and very handsome!

Listen to the recording of Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op 28 and

draw a picture that shows how Gibson was feeling.

How did you decide what Gibson was feeling?

What was it in the music that made you decide that is what Gibson was feeling?

Using a blank face template, draw in the features of your face to show how the music is making you

feel. Discuss what is happening in the music to make you feel this way.

9

Provide a face feelings guide to assist students, available from “how do I feel right now”. These can be

found at this link https://kk107.k12.sd.us/new_page_2.htm or there are several at this link

https://skinnurse.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/how-do-i-feel-right-now-faces-visuals/

Templates for blank faces are available from: http://www.getcoloringpages.com/blank-face-coloring-page.

After listening to the Saint-Saëns, fill in the table below:

Describe your feelings when you listen AND think about how Gibson

must have felt.

What does the music do to help you feel that way?

Name the musical elements Saint-Saëns used

Students could compare their responses to the Vivaldi and the Saint-Saens and create a list of

musical elements used in both and discuss the differences between the two pieces. How were the

elements used differently in the pieces?

4 HOLST St Paul’s Suite Op 29, No 2

III Intermezzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XazbSPIYNIw 0.00 – 1.44

Gibson was stolen from Bronislaw and put inside a hard and bumpy case. He felt sad and lonely. He didn’t

understand what was happening; he didn’t make beautiful music with the nasty man and this made Gibson

even sadder. He would lie in the case and wonder what his friends were doing. He was all alone, with no

idea if he would ever see the people he loved again.

Listen to the recording of HOLST’s St. Paul’s Suite Op. 29, No. 2 III Intermezzo without explaining

the narrative that goes with it in the concert. Use the link above for a recording 0.00 – 1.44.

a) What do you imagine is happening in the music? How does the music help you imagine those

things? (The use of solo violin for the melody, accompanied by pizzicato strings - thin texture, tonality,

tempo, rhythms establish a melancholy and sadness)

b) How does the music make you feel? Compile a list from the students and discuss what musical

elements made them feel that way.

c) Draw a picture of what you think the music is creating. Give your picture a title.

d) Let the students share their artwork, with the title, and discuss what they heard in the music that

led them to draw this.

Once students have completed this work reveal to them the narrative from the story and see how

their ideas match.

Play the following excerpt below from the Intermezzo at the tempo that it should be – (Andante

con moto) and then try playing it at a moderate tempo (Moderato) and then a fast tempo (Allegro)

and a very fast tempo (Presto)

10

Does changing the tempo of the excerpt change its mood? How does it make you feel when it’s

faster?

Using a blank face template draw in the features of your face to show how the music is making you

feel. Discuss how the music is making you feel this way.

Provide a face feelings guide to assist students, available from “how do I feel right now”. These can be

found at this link https://kk107.k12.sd.us/new_page_2.htm or there are several at this link

https://skinnurse.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/how-do-i-feel-right-now-faces-visuals/

Templates for blank faces are available from: http://www.getcoloringpages.com/blank-face-coloring-page.

To lead to further understanding of the impact that the elements can have on a piece, ask students

to manipulate Frere Jacques by changing the tonality.

Sing and play through the piece.

Discuss how changing this element can completely change the mood.

Major:

Minor:

Students could also experiment with playing Frere Jacques with different instruments and discuss the

effect that this has.

11

5 MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op 64

III Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K67o86CS5uo 20.40 – 22.31

Gibson has been saved, he has a new gorgeous velvet lined case, he’s been cleaned up and he’s finally feeling

loved again. He feels like his old self again. He is ecstatic.

Play a recording of the selection of the piece that will be used in the concert using the link above

starting from 20.40 and finishing at 22.31, and ask the students move to the music in a manner

which shows the mood of the music.

a) Ask them why they chose to move that way

b) What features of the music made them respond in that way?

c) Ask them to move in a way that does not reflect the mood/style of the music

d) Discuss why this is not appropriate

Use a listening glyph to help students focus on the musical elements used.

How does the music make you feel and what are the musical elements that are used?

12

C TEXTURE IN MUSIC

Texture in music refers to how the music is organised – how the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic elements

interact; it is often referred to as ‘thick’ or ‘thin’. A good illustration to share with students is that of a

sandwich: a sandwich with only one filling represents a ‘thin’ texture ie minimal different musical sounds (eg

unison singing/playing); a sandwich with multiple fillings represents a ‘thick’ texture ie many different musical

sounds happening at one time, woven together. For the purposes of this concert program we will be

focusing on three different examples of musical texture:

A) Melody/accompaniment

B) Solo/group

C) Duet (two equal parts)

In the table below you will see how each piece from the concert repertoire may be classified in relation to

these examples of musical texture.

CORELLI Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op 6, No 8 Christmas Concerto

II Allegro; III Adagio

C

VIVALDI Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) Op 8, No 2 in G Minor L’estate (Summer) III Presto

A

BACH Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 II Largo

C

MOZART Serenade No 13 in G Major, KV 525 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik IV Rondo

A

BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 61 I Allegro ma non troppo

A

MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 4 in A Major, Op 90 Italian I Allegro vivace

A

SAINT- SAËNS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, Op 28 A

LALO Symphonie espagnole in D Minor, Op 21 I Allegro non troppo

B (+A)*

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 35 I Allegro moderato

A**

BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 27 II Adagio

A

BRUCH Violin Concerto No 1 in G Minor, Op 26 I Vorspiel: Allegro moderato; II Adagio

II A

I B (+A)*

HOLST St Paul’s Suite Op 29, No 2 III Intermezzo

A

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op 64 III Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

A

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D Major, Op 35 III Finale: Allegro vivacissimo

A-B-A

(+A)* = very minimal accompaniment.

A** = lots of ‘solo’ passages but these are more like cadenzas than a change to solo/group texture, a

feature of a few other pieces also.

13

Throughout this section, TP refers to tuned percussion and UP refers to untuned percussion.

A MELODY/ACCOMPANIMENT

1. Pudding on the Hill: sing (melody) and play TP (accompaniment)

‘Pudding on the Hill’ (from Marimba Music for Little Kids by Jon Madin):

Listen to recording and sing along

Join in by clapping the ostinato

Sing descending scale pattern

Show how (descending) ostinato and (ascending) scale are notated – discuss pitch

direction also

Sing along while following notation

Learn to play ostinato and scale on TP

Sing melody while playing accompaniment on TP

2. ‘Holidays’ composition: created melody accompanied by bordun and UP ostinati

Create simple rhyme to a set theme eg ‘Holidays’ using basic rhythms made up of note values such

as ta, ti-ti and za – an example of one I have done with my students to commence the year is below:

Read rhythms together

Clap rhythms together

Add words

Play the rhyme on UP

Transfer to TP on limited notes eg C and G

Discuss key concepts – scale, pentatonic, improvisation

Try improvising a melody with notes of the C Pentatonic scale using the rhythm of

the rhyme

Share some and reflect/evaluate

Discuss ways to improve

Notate melody

Add accompaniment parts – bordun using C and G + UP parts (students create UP

ostinati by taking snippets from the rhyme)

Notate bordun and ostinati – see below for an example

Prepare for performance

14

3. Popcorn – sing (melody) and play UP (accompaniment)

‘Popcorn’ (from Great Southern Songbook 2001):

Listen and learn words to sing along

Add UP accompaniment as below

Learn the ‘Popcorn Line Dance’ and add to the song

Work in groups to sing melody/dance and play the UP ostinati

Swap roles

UP ostinati:

4. Good Morning Rainbow – sing (melody) and add movements + TP bordun

(accompaniment)

‘Good Morning Rainbow’ (used with permission):

Sing whole song for students

Teach phrase by phrase

Add hand movements to reflect pitch – solfa if possible

Split class in half to sing half phrase (ie one bar) each in call and response style then

swap roles

Add actions to complement the text

Add basic pentatonic accompaniment using a pedal (tonic) then bordun (tonic +

dominant) then some melodic ostinati: see examples below

Allow time for melodic improvisation using D Pentatonic scale

Combine all elements with sung melody and TP accompaniment

15

5. Coconuts – sing and play (melody) and add UP ostinati (accompaniment)

‘Coconuts’ (from Terrific Tunes for Novice Performers by Glen Hughes and Frank Wakewood):

Discuss non-conventional pitch notation and devise a simple score for the above

song

Learn to sing the song – check for vocal pitch accuracy and follow the created

score

Add UP ostinati as below

Label and learn to play melody on TP instruments

Rehearse all together – sing/play melody, accompanied by these UP ostinati (these

could also be transferred to TP eg the drums ostinato could become a bass part –

C, C, G)

6. The White Flower – melody + accompaniment, both played on TP

‘The White Flower’ (from Marimba Music for Little Kids by Jon Madin):

Listen to recording and discuss mood (minor tonality)

Look at notation and label notes of melody

Discuss how phrases differ re pitch of phrase endings

Learn to play melody on TP

Which note is not used? (Remove ‘G’ bars)

Add bass part

Combine two parts

Add some UP

Rehearse in two groups – melody (TP) and accompaniment (Bass – TP + UP)

16

7. Porog Ata e – sing (melody) and play TP Bass/UP ostinati (accompaniment)

‘Porog Ata e’ (from Children’s Songs of the Torres Strait Islands transcribed by Frank York):

Learn to sing the song

Add appropriate movements

Add instrumental accompaniment – Bass part + UP ostinati (see below for

suggestions)

8. Movement pathways – movement (melody) and TP/UP (accompaniment)

Students work in groups of three to explore movement pathways where one student is responsible for

movement and the other two accompany this movement, one using TP and the other, UP:

Map out a route across/through the space – for example, using train station names:

choose three stations to include in your movement piece

Student responsible for movement must choose three different ways of moving

from station to station

Demonstrate this for others in the group

Based on this demo others then make a choice regarding an appropriate

instrument (one person UP, one person TP) to accompany the movement ie to

represent the movement in sound

Rehearse together

Swap roles (and change the movement and sound patterns according to what the

new ‘leader’ chooses – all improvised)

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9. Wind Song – Choral speaking poem (melody) with UP and vocal sound effects

(accompaniment)

‘Wind Song’ by Lillian Moore (from Vocal-Ease Module 1: From speaking to singing):

When the wind blows

the quiet things speak.

Some whisper, some clang,

Some creak.

Grasses swish

Treetops sigh.

Flags slap

and snap at the sky.

Wires on poles

whistle and hum.

Ashcans roll.

Windows drum.

When the wind goes –

suddenly

then,

the quiet things

are quiet again.

Read poem together

Discuss sound words found in the poem eg whisper, clang, creak, swish

Add vocal sound effects to all of these words

Add any extra atmospheric sounds which are appropriate to the context

Transfer some of the sounds to UP and perform along with vocal sounds as an

accompaniment to the poem

10. Improvisation – Improvise (melody) with TP ostinati (accompaniment)

Work with students to create three ostinati on TP which can be used as the accompaniment to an

improvised pentatonic melody (in time signature of choice – examples below in simple triple time):

Bordun to become a Bass part (‘X’ in example below = cross-stick tap)

Two other melodic ostinati – see examples below

Remove bars (fourth and seventh) to make improvising using the pentatonic scale

easier for students to manage

Split class – half accompanying, half improvising and then swap roles

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B SOLO/GROUP

1. Join in the Fun

‘Join in the Fun’ (from Join in the Fun by Sharee Bahr):

Teach all parts beginning with Bass and layering other parts in

Once all parts have entered play tutti twice then feature ‘solos’ by individual parts

one at a time (eight bars) in between repetitions of the piece played tutti

2. UP Rhythmic Rondo

A rondo form activity for students to experience solo vs group:

Learn each of the five parts below

Divide the class into five groups – each group to play one of the parts

Allow time for students to create their own rhythm piece using given instruments

featuring from one to all of their group members, playing in unison or two parts

Hear these and provide feedback

Assemble into a rondo form piece

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3. Y.M.C.A dance project

Students work in groups to create a dance to the music of the song ‘Y.M.C.A’ by The Village

People:

Work as a whole class and learn actions to the Chorus of ‘Y.M.C.A’

Try with the music

For the verses teacher lead some movements then ask for student volunteers to

lead the class

Show students a set of movement cards and go through each one with the class (eg

clap your hands, stamp your feet, step to the right, bob up and down). Explain that

each movement needs to last for eight beats

Spread the cards out in the centre of the circle so that everyone can see all of

them

Choose one student to select four cards and assemble them into the order of

his/her choice. Try this sequence in time with the music and repeat with another

student and another four cards to create a dance to go with the verse of the song

Divide class into groups with the task of creating their own dance sequence using

original ideas or ideas from the cards – eight ideas to last for eight beats each

Students rehearse and try to memorize their sequence in order to perform with

the music

Share group work with the class then assemble into a performance: Group 1 (solo),

Chorus (whole class), Group 2 (solo) etc

4. Balafon

‘Balafon’ (from Hot Marimba by Walt Hampton):

Learn all three parts of the song

Combine and rehearse together

Assemble into performance order: layered beginning (Bass begins), then tutti, solo

(last group to enter), tutti, solo (second group to enter), etc

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5. Solo’s Here for Everyone

‘Solo’s Here for Everyone’ (from Music for Children vol. 1: Pentatonic by C. Orff and G. Keetman,

adapted by Margaret Murray):

Learn to sing the song

Give four pitches to students and let them ‘find’ the melody

Share and play altogether

Add bordun accompaniment – C and G

Combine parts

Create ‘B’ section with improvisation

Assemble into Rondo form: ‘A’ section = song tutti (“Now the first one’s turn has

come”), ‘B’ section = improvised solo (with one person to continue playing

bordun), ‘A’ (“Now the second one’s turn has come”), ‘C’ section = a second

improvised solo and so on

6. Charlie Over the Ocean

‘Charlie Over the Ocean’ (from 150 American Folksongs to Sing, Read and Play ed. Peter Erdei):

All learn the song by echoing teacher ie class sings lyrics in brackets

Check the last phrase for pitch accuracy

Add the game – one student to be soloist, class echoes each phrase (solo, group,

solo, group, etc); whilst singing, the ‘leader’ walks around the outside of the circle

and on the last phrase taps someone on the shoulder who then has to chase

him/her ‘home’ (once around the circle) and that person has the next turn

Students ‘out’ or caught sit down but still participate

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7. Cool Cats

‘Cool Cats’ (from Pukeko Stomp by Janet Channon and Wendy Jensen – Kids Music Company):

Teach the first half of the song by having students echo phrase by phrase

Demonstrate movements for first half of song using pegs to represent feet

Students imitate using fingers

Clarify movements with students and then try with music, standing in a circle

Teach second half of song words and movements together, phrase by phrase

Demonstrate role of ‘leader’ in centre of circle and then ask for a volunteer to take

on this role: Devise a simple movement/body percussion pattern for class to copy

and demonstrate this during the phrase: “So copy carefully, you can do it”; class

then copies during the next phrase: “It’s lots of fun you’ll see, when you do it”

Form groups of six and sing with CD (plays six times so all have a chance to be

leader); movement sequence = group, solo, group (once through the song)

8. Improvisation

An exercise to help students become familiar with improvising, build confidence and allow time for

them to collect ideas from their peers:

Clap some four-beat phrases for students to echo

Ask for some volunteers to have a turn at leading the group in this way

Choose one rhythm to be our ‘theme’ clap and teach this to students

Sitting in a circle, have each student improvise a four-beat pattern in between tutti

repetitions of the theme, going around the circle so all have a turn; teacher keeps

the beat going quietly during the improvisations

9. Singing Sockie

‘Singing Sockie from Salzburg’ from Margaret McGowan-Jackson, 2008, OSASA State Conference:

Introduce Sockie – never whispers, speaks, etc – only sings

Sockie teaches his ‘Sockie Song’ and then leads lots of echoing using a variety of

sung phrases and vocal sounds

Sockie then tells the class he is lonely and needs some friends to sing with who, like

him, only sing; teacher gives out socks to all students and once all have a sock on

their hand they join in the song, the echoing and also some ‘conversation singing’

Students work with a partner, having a play at singing conversations

Game: students sit in a circle and individual students sing odd-numbered bars with

the class singing even-numbered bars (solo, group, solo, group, etc)

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C DUET: 2 EQUAL PARTS

1. Partner songs

Partner songs work really well when introducing two-part songs. Some great examples are:

Shoo Fly/Get That Fly (from Sing! 2006)

Ten Green Bottles/Green Glass (from Sing! 1998)

2. Rhythmic Rondo

‘Rhythmic Rondo’ (from Music for Children vol. 1: Pentatonic by C. Orff and G. Keetman, adapted

by Margaret Murray):

Use speech to teach the rhythms – two parts separately (words source unknown)

Work in two groups and put two parts together

Add body percussion to words and include dynamics

Try without words

Transfer to UP

Give opportunity for improvisation and use this to create a ‘B’ section

Turn the TV off and go to bed now

Turn the TV off and go to bed now

Turn it off

Go to bed

Turn the TV off and go to bed now

Oh no I won’t

Oh no I won’t

Every time I want to watch a

program that I really like, it’s “No!”

Oh no I won’t

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3. Score-reading

Use a simple two-part rhythmic piece for students to experience score-reading:

All read Part 1

Add body percussion

All read Part 2

Add body percussion

Work in two groups – reading rhythms + body percussion

Transfer body percussion to UP

4. Monday’s Child

‘Monday’s Child’ (from Marimba Music for Little Kids by Jon Madin):

Listen to song and join in with ostinato after hearing this a few times – tap knees

for TP, clap for stick taps

Listen out for bass pattern and discuss pitch direction

Learn to play both ostinato and bass pattern (remove bars between notes of

ostinato to make it easier for young students)

All play bass, all ostinato then split class and try both parts together as a duet

5. Evolving Shapes

Movement activity for students working in pairs:

Students experiment with curvy and pointy shapes that they can make with their

bodies

Work in pairs to make a statue together with one student making a pointy shape,

the other a curved shape

Continue working to come up with a total of four different statues

Share with the class – holding each statue for several seconds before moving to the

next statue (half at a time: half audience, half performers)

Students work together again to devise a smooth pathway to flow from shape to

shape so that each ‘statue’ seems to evolve

Share with the class again

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6. Thursday Song

‘Thursday Song’ (from Treasures from the Orff Attic by Konnie Saliba):

Teach song by imitation

Add clapping pattern in pairs (‘L’ (left), ‘R’ (right) and ‘both’ refer to which hands to

use when clapping with a partner):

Explain purpose of the rest at the end of the song: to jump 180 degrees and meet

your new partner

Add another similar jump at the end of bar four (halfway) – then there will be two

people to sing and clap with each time through the song

7. The Mouse and the Elephant

‘The Mouse and the Elephant’ (from Children’s Folk Dances 1997 compiled by Andre Van de Plas):

Listen to the music and ask students what they notice about it

Discuss the two very different types of music and how these types differ – pitch,

character, etc

Discuss instrumentation

Listen again for students to identify section in the middle where both types of

music are playing at the same time – a duet of opposites

Students to work in pairs to create their own piece of music portraying opposites,

using one TP instrument and one UP instrument

8. Movement + UP

Students work in pairs to create a representation of an Australian animal:

Brainstorm a list of Australian animals and/or have some pictures available

Students work in pairs to create their own representation of one of these animals,

one using movement, the other an UP instrument

Plan a pathway for the animal and rehearse the movement and corresponding

sound together

Share with the class (half audience, half performers)

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9. Brothers

‘Brothers’ (from Ragtime and Blue by Elena Kats-Chernin):

Listen to the music and have students identify the two instruments used to portray

the two brothers

Discuss what was the same and different about the ‘brothers’

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D PATTERNS FROM THE PROGRAM

Many of the pieces in the program have melodies with a singable range, and/or repetitive rhythms or motifs

which may be useful for class work.

The examples here have been given words or vocables, as that usually helps children to learn to play or sing

them.

It is, of course, each teacher’s decision about whether an example should be identified as part of the

concert program before children attend, or indeed when (or if) any work will be undertaken. Students do

enjoy finding something familiar in concerts, but it’s just as valid to use the concert as a starting point.

Every teacher will have plenty of ideas about how to make use of these examples: singing, playing, creating,

moving, listening – exactly what you’d do with any stimulus material. As a starting point, the first example is

the A tune in a Rondo, and can be used in your classroom in the same way, with students groups / pairs /

individuals creating other material to come between repetitions of this theme. The Lalo extract offers an

opportunity to build understanding of some musical vocabulary (unison, harmony, scale). The Saint-Saens

3-part rhythm could become an exercise in interlocking patterns and working with syncopation.

1 MOZART Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G major, KV 525, IV, Rondo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsztV6HFGuA

2 BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto in D major, Op 61, 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD_CaKUqsgE

This melody is played by oboe, clarinet and bassoon

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3 MENDELSSOHN Symphony No 4 in A major, Op 90, Italian, I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HX_jF1_Tgc

4 SAINT-SAENS Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op 28

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWwi0iR65E

The top line is the rhythm of the solo violin. You could try it first without syncopation, by removing the

ties. The vocables in brackets are those that need to become internalised (“in your head”) in order for the syncopated rhythm to be accurate.

It’s obviously easiest to get it together by establishing Line 3 first, then Line 2, so you have a solid repeated

pattern over which to try the more testing one; or to use as the accompaniment for improvisation.

5 LALO Symphonie Espagnole, Op 21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-C5ujRHpZw

This melody is played by the bassoon.

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This 2-bar rhythm pattern is the basis of the whole movement.

There are lots of variations to the base pattern, including all those shown here. You can mix and match as

you see fit, and of course they don’t have to be 2-bar patterns.

6 TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D major, Op 35, I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTE08SS8fNk

This melody has been transposed from D major to make it easier to sing and play. In the original key, the

low A pushes the range of younger children (and needs a C# for playing purposes).

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7 BRAHMS Violin Concerto, II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QelR9_EIMgs

This duet is played by oboe and bassoon.

8 HOLST St Paul’s Suite Op 29 No 2, III Intermezzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XazbSPIYNIw

This ostinato rhythm is used extensively.

The very simple melodic version is played by the low strings, also as an ostinato. The scale used in the piece is included as a basis for improvisation work.

Here is a treble clef version:

Scale:

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E CROSS-CURRICULAR POSSIBILITIES

Literacy

Speaking and thinking

There are many opportunities for discussion and reflection throughout the teaching ideas.

Vocabulary building

Activities in Section B Emotion in Music offer opportunities for the development of students’

vocabulary of adjectives and synonyms.

Musical vocabulary will be developed through many of the teaching ideas.

Thematic work related to Empathy

The attribution of human characteristics to an inanimate object is a well-established strategy for helping

students to become articulate about their feelings and those of others. The story of Gibson is an example

of this, and references many emotions and life experiences such as fear, loneliness, pleasure, resilience,

friendship, sadness and joy.