What’s Your Story? - tnartseducation.org · Interlude from La Boda de Luis Alonso by Gerónimo...

Fall 2018 Teacher’s GuideFall 2018 Teacher’s GuideFall 2018 Teacher’s Guide Knoxville Civic Auditorium: October 31, November 1 & 2, 2018Knoxville Civic Auditorium: October 31, November 1 & 2, 2018Knoxville Civic Auditorium: October 31, November 1 & 2, 2018

Niswonger Performing Arts Center: November 20, 2018Niswonger Performing Arts Center: November 20, 2018Niswonger Performing Arts Center: November 20, 2018 Aram Demirjian, Music DirectorAram Demirjian, Music DirectorAram Demirjian, Music Director

What’s Your Story?What’s Your Story?What’s Your Story?

What’s Your Story?

Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla by Mikhail Glinka

Mississippi River Suite by Florence Price

Interlude from La Boda de Luis Alonso by Gerónimo Gimenez

“Conversa on of Beauty and the Beast” from Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel

“Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walküre by Richard Wagner

“Brother Come and Dance with Me” from Hansel and Gretel by Englebert Humperdinck

“In the Hall of the Mountain King“ from Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Greig

Symphony No. 5 II. Allegre o by Dmitri Shostakovich

“Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Po er and the Sorcerer’s Stone by John Williams

Program Notes: Our Composers and their Music 2

Elements of a Story 2

Music: Brother Come and Dance with Me 7

Lesson: Music Can Tell a Story...but How? 13

Writing Challenge: 18

Listening Map: In the Hall of the Mountain King 23

Activities & Resources for Teachers 24

Student Program Template 25

What is a Conductor?/Meet Aram Demirjian 27

Anatomy of a Symphony 28

Meet the Orchestra 29

Acknowledgements 30

What is a Composer?

A composer is a person that writes music. He or she can write music for groups as large as a

symphony orchestra, or as small as a single instrument. Many times in orchestral works the

composer tells a story, and all of the different instruments of the orchestra are the actors in the

story. A composer can write a song based on many different things, such as a dream, a place, a

person, or a poem. Sometimes they even create a song by mixing many different songs. A

composer has the ability to hear a tune in his head and write it down as notes for instruments.

This ear symbol will give students something to listen for in select pieces.

Table of Contents

The following program notes were written for the students.

Watch for this symbol to give you interesting facts or vocabulary words.

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Mikhail Glinka was raised by his grandmother who fed him sweets,

wrapped him in furs, and kept him in her room which was kept very

warm. During this time the only music that he could hear was the

sound of the village church bells and folk songs of passing peasant

choirs. As a child he also began to study the piano and the violin. At

the age of 13, Glinka traveled to the capital city of St. Petersburg to

study at a school for children of noble birth. He learned languages,

math, about animals and continued his piano lessons. When he

graduated, his family wanted him to work for the government, so he

got a job in the Department of Public Highways, which left him plenty

of time to write music.

Glinka was the founding composer who influenced later Russian com-

posers to write music in a Russian style. His music was the first Rus-

sian music to be heard outside of Russia and parts of his operas were

heard in Paris in 1845.

Russlan and Ludmilla is his second opera, and the plot is based on a

poem by Alexander Pushkin. On his wedding night, Russlan, the hero

of the story, finds that his bride, has mysteriously

vanished. The bride’s father annuls the marriage

and promises his Ludmilla’s hand to whoever is able

to rescue her from the evil sorcerer Chernomor.

Glinka’s opera has all the elements of a good fairy

tale: a beautiful princess, a handsome prince, an evil

wizard and a happy ending.

LISTENING GUIDE: Listen for swirling notes at the beginning that depict the magical landscape that is the setting for the story.

Track #1:

(0:15-0:27) Russlan’s Theme: A heroic and lively melody in the strings.

(1:03-1:33) Ludmilla’s Theme: A smooth and beautiful melody in the viola and cello.

(4:32-4:51) Chernomor’s Theme: The evil sorcerer is represented by a descending whole-tone scale and is heard toward the end of the overture in the basses, celli and trombones.

Fairy Tale - a short story that features characters such as dwarfs, dragons, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, mermaids, talking animals, trolls, unicorns or witches and usually contains magic or enchantments. Fairy Tales are set “once upon a time” in lands “far far away” rather than in actual times or places...

Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla

Mikhail Glinka

(1804-1857)

Elements of a Story

Character: The individuals that the story is about. The people in the story. Characters can also be animals or objects that act like people.

Setting: Where and When the story takes place.

Plot: The events that happen in a story. A plot should have a very clear beginning, middle and end so the reader can make sense of the action and follow along from start to finish.

Mississippi River Suite

Florence Price

(1887-1953) Florence Beatrice Smith Price was the first

African-American female composer to have

a symphony performed by a major

American symphony orchestra. The

Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed

her Symphony in E Minor on June 15, 1933.

Florence was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her father was a

dentist and her mother was a music teacher who taught

Florence and her two siblings to play the piano.

Florence gave her first recital at the age of four and

published her first musical composition at the age of eleven.

She graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class and

went on to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

At first, she pretended to be Mexican to avoid the prejudice

people had toward African Americans at the time. After college

she moved back to Arkansas and married the well known civil-

rights attorney Thomas Jewell Price. Because of the prejudice in

Little Rock, the Price family moved to Chicago in the 1927.

In her lifetime, Price composed more than 300 works. Her

Mississippi River suite follows the water as it builds from a

trickle to a torrent, passes through Native American lands and finally arrives in the lands of southern Spirituals (you’ll

hear Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, Deep River and

Let My People Go) and New Orleans jazz.

In 2018, she was inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall

of Fame and honored by the Arkansas State Music Teachers

Association, which had denied her membership while she lived

in the state.

Interlude from La Boda de Luis Alonso

Gerónimo Giménez

(1854-1923) Gerónimo Giménez was a Spanish composer who became famous for

writing Zarzuelas. He preferred to spell his name with a “G,” even though it

officially began with a “J”. Giménez began music lessons with his father and by

the age of 12, he was already playing violin with a professional theatre

orchestra in Cádiz. At the age of 17 he became the director of an opera and

zarzuela company.

La boda de Luis Alonso, or The Wedding of Luis Alonso was

Giménez’s most famous work. He wrote the music and the text was written by

playwright Javier de Burgos.

Luis Alonso is a fifty-five year old dance master who is engaged to be married

to Maria Jesús, a pretty girl much younger than him. The wedding party is

going to take place at the same time as the famous bull fighting. During the

reception, a stray donkey is mistaken for a fierce bull (escaped from the bull-

fighting ring)! Luis Alonso throws himself out a window to get away from the

bull and is injured, but calm is restored and the couple continues to celebrate

their wedding.

Listen for hints of Spanish flamenco style. The interlude was originally

written to accompany a dance in the zarzuela at Luis Alonso’s wedding feast.

It begins with a bullfight fanfare followed by flamenco-style tunes that include

an instrument that helps you know this piece is set in Spain. Can

you name the instrument?

Castanets are a percussion instrument commonly found in Spanish

music. They produce clicks for rhythmic accents or a rattling sound.

Castanets are traditionally made of hardwood and their name comes

from the word “chestnut” as they look like the nut.

Setting: Where and When the story takes place.

Examples of Setting from the concert: On the Mississippi River, A Wedding, Spain, A Castle, A Battle, the Hall of the Mountain King

Zarzuela—a light, comic, uniquely Spanish form of musical theatre. Zarzuela alternates between spoken dialogue and musical numbers and also includes dancing. This type of theatre became popular entertainment in the 1600s and then became popular again in the early 1900s.

Have you ever seen the movie, “Beauty and the Beast?” As you know,

Beauty loses her way in the forest and asks for help in a castle where an

enormous Beast resides. The Beast is actually a prince under a sorcerer’s

curse and only true love can restore his human form. He detains Beauty

and after her initial anger and fright, they become friends and she

eventually falls in love with him. Here is another telling of the story of

Beauty and the Beast:

“Call me Beast, for that is what I am. I am pleased that you did not run away

from me. I hope you will continue to come here always. Please don’t leave

me or my garden, “ answered Beast.

After that, Beauty and Beast became good friends and spent many pleasant

afternoons talking together.

Then one day, Beauty was not able to come to the garden. Beast missed her

terribly. He was sure she would never return. He became sick with grief and

felt he would surely die.

In a dream, Beauty saw that he was ill. She returned to the garden at

once and found Beast lying on the ground by a brook. He was very still

and pale.

“Oh, Beast, you cannot die. I love you!”

Suddenly, Beast disappeared in a blinding light. In his place appeared a

handsome prince.

“Beauty,” said the prince, “you have released me from a magic spell. Now I

am myself again and can ask you to stay here with me always. Will you?”

Beauty agreed at once. They were married in the garden the very next

evening. As it grew dark, the fireflies spelled out a message in twinkling

lights across the orange trees. The message said, “Long live the Prince and

Princess.”

And they indeed lived long and happily ever after.

“Conversations of Beauty and the Beast”

from Mother Goose Suite

Maurice Ravel

(1875-1937)

Character: The individuals that the story is about. The people in the story. Characters can also be animals or objects that act like people. Examples of Characters from the concert: Beauty, The Beast, Valkyries, Hansel, Gretel, Hedwig

Think about if you were telling this story of Beauty and the Beast

with music, which instrument would you use to represent Beauty

every time she appears? Beauty’s melody is high and light and is

played by woodwind instruments. (Track 4 00:03 - 1:00)

Now, if you were going to have the Beast as an instrument, which

one would he be? The Beast’s theme is low and awkward. You

might think about some funny words with it, like “I...am just a

hair—y beast.” (Track 4 1:10 - 1:34)

Most of the time when you hear the beast at the concert he will be

played by a trombone or a contrabassoon.

You probably recognize a trombone, but you might not

be familiar with the contrabassoon. This instrument

growls like a beast, and it’s the very lowest in the whole

orchestra.

As you listen to the musical story “Conversations of

Beauty and the Beast” by French composer Maurice Ravel listen for

Beauty’s music to be high and light. Toward the end of the story

there is a big musical crash and the Beast is transformed. How

does the music change to show that the Beast has changed?

Maurice Ravel was a French composer. He had a special talent for

choosing the right combinations of instruments to produce the

sounds he wanted. Mother Goose Suite was originally written for

piano. “Conversations of Beauty and the Beast” is one of five

movements from this suite.

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In Scandinavian mythology Valkyries were sometimes painted as young and beautiful (above left), while others describe them as warriors (above right).

Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre

Richard Wagner

(1813-1833)

Wagner was unlike any other opera composer. He not only

composed all of the music for his operas but also wrote the

words that are sung, as well as the plot. His operas are always

performed with fancy costumes and a huge stage set. A whole

new opera house actually had to be designed in order to

perform Wagner’s pieces.

Ride of the Valkyries is Wagner’s second most well known piece

in America. You may also recognize Wagner’s Bridal Chorus

from Lohengrin. It is the piece “Here Comes The Bride” played

in many weddings. Ride of the Valkyries occurs in the opera

Die Walküre, a tale of warfare in Scandinavian Mythology. This

piece sets up the opening of Act III, when a mountain peak is

revealed on stage. Here young maidens, called Valkyries, are

preparing to transport fallen soldiers.

Ride of the Valkyries has been used in various TV commercials

and in movies. It is the music to the “Kill the Wabbit” song that

a Viking helmet wearing Elmer Fudd sings, as he chases Bugs

Bunny in the 1957 Looney Toones cartoon. It may also sound

very similar to the soundtrack of Star Wars, but when compared

side by side the two pieces are very different.

Listen to the strings, especially in the opening of the

piece, as they depict a swirling and stormy setting in

the music. Which instruments represent the Valkyries?


5

Before they go to sleep they sing a beautiful prayer. The next

morning Hansel and Gretel find the gingerbread witch’s house and

eat their fill. Suddenly, the witch appears! She grabs Hansel, puts

him in a big cage, and sends Gretel to find food. The witch stuffs

Hansel full of food to fatten him up, so she can roast him. When

she turns away to tend the oven, Hansel slips out of the cage.

When Gretel tricks the witch into looking in the oven, both children

push her in and slam the door! Suddenly it grows dark, a loud

noise is heard, and all the ginger bread cookie children around the

house have come back to life. They dance for joy because Hansel

and Gretel have freed them from the witch’s spell! The parents of

Hansel and Gretel, who have been searching for their children, are

joyously reunited with them.


The German composer Humperdinck studied architecture before he

became a professional musician. He was Richard Wagner’s (another

famous German composer also featured on this concert) assistant for

a long time. Humperdinck traveled through Europe with Wagner and

made friends with all of the great composers of the 1800s.

In April 1890, he composed four songs to his sister’s words to

Hansel and Gretel. At that time, he had no idea that he would

eventually develop these into an opera. At Christmas of the same

year, he presented his fiancée with an early version of Hansel and

Gretel as an engagement present. The piece was first performed in

1893 and was conducted by another famous German composer,

Richard Strauss. It was immediately a success.

One of the most famous folk stories of all time is Hansel and Gretel. As you may know, Hansel and Gretel are brother and sister, and they

live deep in the Black Forest of Germany. Their father is a broom

maker, and the family doesn’t have much money. One day Mother

and Father go to the village to sell brooms. The children are

supposed to do chores, but they get bored and stop to play and sing.

When Mother returns, she is angry because the chores aren’t done.

She turns, knocks over the milk jug, and all of the milk spills. Now

there is no supper, so she sends Hansel and Gretel into the forest to

gather berries. They wander a long way and get lost. Finally, they are

exhausted and lay down under a large fir tree.

Brother Come and Dance with Me

from Hansel and Gretel

Englebert Humperdinck

(1854-1921)

6

Music: Please prepare your students to sing along with the KSO!

7

Edvard Grieg was born in Norway to a musical family. His mother

was a pianist and was Grieg’s first music teacher. As a teenager he

studied at a music conservatory in Germany and then went on to a

career as a pianist and composer. Every summer he returned to his

home country to compose and was a supporter of Norwegian

music, art, and theatre. Peer Gynt was originally a play written by

the famous Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen asked Grieg

if he would compose the music for Peer Gynt.

This is the story of Peer Gynt and the Troll King as told by Susan

Ramsay:

Peer was a young and handsome man from Norway. He and his

mother Ase lived in a small house and were very poor. Peer had a

wild imagination—he made up stories about fantastic adventures

that never happened. He often pretended to be rich, and

sometimes fibbed so well that people believed him.

One day Peer was walking far from his home near two beautiful

mountains. He tripped, hit his head on a rock, and fainted. When

he woke up, a beautiful girl was standing over him. She said that

she was a princess, and her father was the king of the mountain

beside them. Peer introduced himself as a prince and said his

father was the king of the other mountain. The princess offered to

take Peer to her father. They walked to the mountain. The girl

struck the mountain with her hand and it opened to form a cave.

As they walked through the cave, Peer asked about the strange

looking people he saw sleeping by the walls. She explained that

they were trolls, who lived in the mountain and were her father’s

subjects. They entered a large room in the center of the mountain,

where her father waited on his throne.

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In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite

Edvard Grieg

(1843—1907)

On one side he had a huge pile of gold and silver, and on the other a

pile of diamonds and precious stones. Peer decided he’d like to

marry the princess. He made a good impression on the king, so

when he asked for her hand, the king said he would agree if Peer

would meet three conditions.

First, Peer must dress like the trolls, including wearing a tail.

Peer didn’t like the idea, but looked at the beautiful girl, the gold

and silver, and he agreed. The king said that Peer must also eat

what the trolls eat. Peer found that the trolls ate rocks and dirt, but

he figured he could manage somehow, so he agreed.

The king said that the trolls were almost completely blind, and

that if Peer married his daughter, they would put something in his

eyes to make him blind. Peer looked again at the princess and the

wealth of the king, but decided it wasn’t worth it. He said “NO” and

began to leave.

The king was furious! He ordered the trolls to grab Peer and beat

him, but Peer took off running down the cave to escape.

He found the trolls in the cave still sleeping, so he walked on

tip-toe at first, stepping over the trolls. He heard the King coming

so he began to walk faster. Eventually he was running for his life.

He came to the end of the cave, but the opening had closed. He

struck the mountain like the Princess had done, but nothing

happened. The trolls caught up and began to bite and scratch him.

Desperately, he beat on the mountain again, and tried to push the

trolls away. He hit the wall a third time. He heard a rumbling deep

within the mountain, and the walls began to shake. The ceiling

caved in and everything went dark. When Peer opened his eyes he

was lying on the ground, on the very spot where he met the Princess.

His head was hurting. Did he get out of the cave by magic, or did he

dream the whole thing?

Listen for Peer to begin by tip-toeing out of the mountain.

How does the music change as Peer hurries to escape the

trolls? Can you hear Peer hit the wall of the mountain?


Symphony No. 5, Movement 2 Allegretto

Dmitri Shostakovich

(1906-1975)

Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian pianist and

composer who wrote 15 symphonies, three operas,

ballets and film music. He was born in St. Petersburg,

Russia and was second of three children. His family

began to realize his musical talent after he began pi-

ano lessons with his mother at the age of nine. His

first major musical achievement was his First

Symphony which premiered in 1926 when he was 19

years old and was written as a graduation piece.

In 1917, the Russian Revolution had taken place and the new leadership of

Russia, under the direction of Joseph Stalin, had its own ideas about what

appropriate music should sound like. It banned any sort of innovative

works. Afraid that he would be put in prison, Shostakovich composed

“safe” music, but became bitter and wanted the freedom to write music as

he wished. Shostakovich was obsessed with cleanliness, synchronized the

clocks in his apartment, and regularly sent cards to himself to test how

well the postal service was working! Besides Music, Shostakovich loved

sports and he was a qualified soccer referee.

Shostakovich began Symphony No. 5 in April 1937, and finished the entire

symphony in three months. Shostakovich had to have his symphony

approved by the Communist Party before it could be played publically. The

premiere was a huge success and received an ovation that lasted over half

an hour.


Premiere—The first time that a new piece of music is played or presented.

Take the W

riting Challe

nge

to go along with

Symphony No. 5

Details o

n Page 18!

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John Williams is an American composer, arranger, conductor and

pianist. He was born on Long Island, New York, and began his mu-

sical studies at the age of eight. His father was a jazz percussion-

ist and the family moved to Los Angeles in 1948, when Williams

was 16. John Williams later attended The Juilliard School as well as

UCLA. After school he served in the U.S. Air Force where he wrote

music and conducted the Armed Forces Band. He then made his

way into Hollywood as a studio pianist.

Throughout his life John Williams has composed music and served

as the music director for almost eighty films including: Jaws, all

eight films in the Star Wars series, E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first three Harry Potter movies, and War Horse. Williams has worked with well known directors such as Steven

Spielberg, George Lucas, and Oliver Stone. He usually writes two

film scores a year and often blends traditional musical elements

with popular music. He has also written music for the concert hall,

including a symphony and several concertos.

In 1980, Williams became the conductor of the Boston Pops Or-

chestra, a position he held until 1993. In addition, Williams com-

posed the NBC news theme “The Mission,” the “Liberty Fanfare” for

the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty and the themes for the

1984, 1988, 1996 and 2002 Olympic Games. Williams has won

five Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes

and 22 Grammys, and was honored by the Kennedy Center in

2004.

Williams uses a technique in this music called Leitmotif (used by

the another composer on this concert, Richard Wagner).

“Hedwig’s Theme”

from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

John Williams

(1932—present)

A leitmotif is a phrase or melody of

music that represents a character,

place, mood, idea, relationship, or

another specific part of the opera,

movie or piece. Hedwig’s theme is a

leitmotif from the music of Harry

Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

You will hear this theme

played three times at the beginning of the piece. The first

instrument you’ll hear is the celeste, a keyboard instrument

whose keys strike metal bars to create a bell-like sound.

Hedwig is more to Harry than just a pet or a mail delivery

service. She’s a link to his life and friends at Hogwarts, which

becomes his only true “home.” Williams instructs the musicians to

play the beginning “mysteriously” - how does this help to create the

setting of the story?

In J.K. Rowling’s first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, all the main character knows is a miserable life with his Aunt, Uncle,

and Cousin—the Durleys. Harry’s room is a tiny closet underneath

the stairs, and he has never had a birthday party, and he is eleven

years old. All of that is about to change. A mysterious letter arrives

with an invitation for Harry to attend a mystifying school. There he

will find friends, sports, magic, and the destiny that has been

waiting for him.

J.K. Rowling was a struggling single mother when she wrote the

beginnings of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. She began

writing on scraps of paper at a local café and her efforts soon paid

off. She was given an award to finish this first book which has

become an international bestseller. The series includes seven

books, all of which have been made into movies.

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Lesson: Music Can Tell a Story...but How? by Tracy Ward

Discuss with the students the theme for this year’s concert, “What’s Your Story?” (The KSO will play a concert of music that that describes various stories, and students will even have the opportunity to create a story based on one of the musical selec ons they hear!) Elements of Music: “What if you didn’t know the story behind a piece of music? What would you listen for to help you figure out the story?” (possible answers: how fast it is, the mood, which instruments are used, etc.) “Those things are called the elements of music. They are a bit like the building blocks a composer uses to create a musical work. Let’s learn about these elements with a game.” Have the students help you list elements of music on the board, and discuss their defini ons. Here are the ones we will use in this lesson, but you and your students may think of others!

steady pulse of the music

pa erns of long and short notes

speed of the beat

pa ern of strong and weak beats (e.g. 1 2 3 1 2 3 like a waltz or 1 2 1 2 like a march)

how high or low a musical sound is

Pitches that are played one a er the other to make a tune

how loud or so a musical sound is

the quality or color of sound that makes one voice or instrument sound different from another

ACTIVITY: Have the students play the memory card game either on the flipchart (whole class) or with the cards provided on the next page (small groups). To use the cards, make enough copies (preferably on cardstock) for the number of groups and cut apart. Each group shuffles their cards and lays them out face down in a large rectangle. Players take turns flipping over two cards to try to make a match. Each player collects his/her matches or turns the cards back over if they don’t match. The player with the most matches wins, but make sure the winner has the correct defini ons!

13

“What are the parts of a story you have studied in your classroom?” (Se ng, plot, character, etc….list on board) “How could these musical elements be used to describe the se ng, character, or plot of a story?” (Let students give examples: music with a turtle as a character might be slow, etc.) “Now let’s discover how these elements are used to tell the stories in the music to be played at the Young People’s Concert.” 1. Interlude from La Boda de Luis Alonso Without revealing the tle or story, have students listen to the musical example (CD: Track 3). Ask them what they can tell about the se ng from the sounds they hear in this music. “Where do you think this story takes place? What is it about the music that makes you think that?” Lead them to discover that the music sounds Spanish because of the castanets. “So which musical element is this composer using?” (Tone color) ACTIVITY: Make your own castanets with the cardboard and bu ons (see instruc ons below), and play this rhythm along with the music, beginning at 00:39 on the CD: Track 3. (The orchestra has a pick‐up before students begin playing.)

Now share the story of this music with the students (included in this guide page 3). Students will also enjoy this video of a performance featuring an amazing castanet soloist: h ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf9ypRpbZMA

Watch for flamenco dancers and castanet soloists at the concert. Flamenco—an art form that comes from the Andalusia region of Spain. It includes cante (singing), toque (guitar playing), baile (dance), Jaleo (vocal sounds), palmas

Lesson continued: 1. Interlude from La Boda de Luis Alonso (CD Track 3)

15

Lesson continued: 2. In the Hall of the Mountain King (CD Track 7) 2. In the Hall of the Mountain King Without revealing the tle or story, have students listen to the musical example. Ask them what they can tell about the plot of the story from the sounds in the music. “What do you think is happening in this story? What is it about the music that makes you think that?” (Someone running away, gets faster, gets louder, etc.) “Which musical elements help to create this story in your mind?” (Tempo, dynamics) Now read the story of the music to the students (included in this guide on Page 10). Have students give more specific informa on about the tempo (starts slowly and gets faster, depic ng Peer sneaking away and then running for his life) and dynamics (so parts sound sneaky, ge ng louder helps to create excitement). ACTIVITY: While listening to the music again, show the tempo and dynamic changes as you pat the eighth notes (alterna ng hands) and clap the quarter notes of the rhythm.

Lesson continued: 3. Conversations of Beauty and the Beast (CD Track 4) 3. Conversa ons of Beauty and the Beast Without revealing the tle or story, have students listen to the musical example. Ask them what they can tell about the characters in this story from the sounds in the music. “This is a conversa on between two characters in this story. What are these characters like? What is it about the music that makes you think that?” (Low instrument, higher instrument, sounds like music for dancing, etc.) “What musical elements help to create this story in your mind?” (Tone color, meter) Now read the story of the music to the students (included in this guide on Page 4). The clarinet represents Beauty’s voice, and the contrabassoon represents the Beast’s voice (show pictures of the instruments). The 3/4 meter represents the two characters dancing. ACTIVITY: Color and cut out the pictures (on the next page), and use them to show when each character’s voice is heard while listening to the music. (These can also be made into s ck puppets by gluing or taping a cra s ck on the back). 16

Close the lesson by discussing the wri ng challenge on the next page with your students. Now they will have the opportunity to create their own stories to go with a piece of music!

17

Writing Challenge: Symphony No. 5, II. Allegretto by Shostakovich (CD Tracks 8-12)

“Now it is your turn to create a story to go along with a piece of music.”

Listen to Track 8—Symphony No. 5, II. Allegre o by Shostakovich Ask students to imagine where the story takes place (se ng). Where—geographic loca on, event, etc. When— me of day, season, year, etc. Listen to Tracks 9, 10, 11 and 12 Ask students to consider different characters. Have students use the Character Worksheet on the next page to list ideas. Is there a main character? Are there suppor ng characters? What traits do these characters have? (people, animals, objects that act like people, appearance, mood, personality, etc.) What does the character look like? What does the character do? What is the character’s name? Do you like the character? Why? What is something important about the character?

Listen to Track 8 Ask students to consider the events that happen in the story (plot). Ask students to write down four events that happen during the story. Events may or may not coincide with the four themes above. Have students use the Plot Worksheet on the next page to list events in their story. Have students write their own story to go along with the music. Use the story worksheets on the next pages to complete their story. One winning story will be read at each concert. Please email to [email protected] with the following informa on: Which Concert are you a ending? (Wednesday, October 31 at 9:30 AM; Thursday, November 1 at 9:30 AM; Thursday, November 1 at 11:00 AM; Friday, November 2 at 9:30 AM; Tuesday, November 20 at 9:30 AM; Tuesday, November 20 at 11:00 AM) Student Name: Student Grade Level: School Name:

Stories must be submi ed by 5:00 PM on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018 to be considered! 18

Character: The individuals that the story is about. The people in the story. Characters can also be animals or objects that act like people.

What does the character look like? What is something important about the character?

What does the character do? Do you like the character? Why?

What is the character’s name?

Name

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Name

What happens first? How does the story begin?

What happens next? Is there a problem in the story that the characters must solve?

What happens next? How do the characters try to solve

the problem? What happens last?

Does the problem in the story have a solu on?

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Name

What is the se ng of your story?

Who are the important characters in your story?

What is the plot of your story?

Who is your favorite character and why?

What is the problem in your story?

Does the problem have a solu on?

Does your story have a theme?

What is the Title of your story?

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SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONY NO. 5, MOVEMENT II ALLEGRETTO

NAME: GRADE: SCHOOL: TEACHER: STORY TITLE:

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More Ac vi es for Teachers

1. Ask questions: Does every piece of music tell a story? How can music tell a story? What is your favorite story? Is there a piece of music you know that could go with it? What is your favorite piece of music? Is there a story in it?

2. Have students complete the writing challenge in this guide. Compare the

different stories of different students for the same piece of music. 3. Have students listen to a story and compose their own music for it. Can other students figure out what the story is about by listening to the music/ sounds? 4. Visit http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/shows.php?id=256 for a show about the story of Peer Gynt. 5. Discuss how ballet, opera, musicals, and films use music to tell a story. What other elements can they use to tell a story? 6. Discuss their understanding of songs: is the music just underlying the text or would we understand the music even without the words? Have students listen to a song they will learn later in the year without telling them the text or the title; can they figure out what it is about? 7. Play “modern pop” music. Are the stories in this style of music different than the stories of “classical music”? 8. Learn to sing, clap and stomp “Brother Come and Dance with Me” 9. In Peer Gynt the main character is chased by trolls, what other fairy tales include trolls? Have any students been to Rock City and seen the trolls there? 10. Learn about Spirituals and the stories they often contained. Three spirituals are included in Mississippi River Suite: Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, Deep River and Let My People Go.

Resources for Teachers

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Additional Resources Available:

www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Submit Your Stories to the KSO! Link to this guide as a PDF Link to the Lesson Plan as an ActivBoard flipchart Information for Knox County Risk Assessment Complete Vocabulary and Glossary The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Personnel List Brief History of the KSO

Activities from Music Textbooks Share the Music

Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre, Gr. 6, 417E

Greig: In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite, Gr. 2, 308 (CD6:28)

Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen (I & II), Gr. 6, 374 (CD9: 24 & 25) Spotlight on Music

Interactive Listening Maps for:

In the Hall of the Mountain King

Brother Come and Dance With Me

Core Standards addressed by the concert and/or the activities in this Teacher’s Guide:

3.GM.R1.A 3.GM.R1.B 3.GM.R1.C 3.GM.R2.A 3.GM.R3.A



Respond

3.GM.Cn1.A 3.GM.Cn2.A Connect

Perform

3.GM.P1.A 3.GM.P1.B 3.GM.P1.C 3.GM.P1.D 3.GM.P3.A 3.GM.P3.B 3.GM.P3.C 3.GM.P3.D



4.GM.Cn1.A 4.GM.Cn2.A

5.GM.Cn1.A 5.GM.Cn2.A

The Knoxviille Symphony Orchestra Aram Demirjian, Music Director

presents

Sheena McCall Young People’s Concerts

Knoxville Civic Auditorium: October 31, November 1 & 2, 2018

Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Greeneville: November 20, 2018

For their generous support of our Young People’s Concerts, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges:

SHEENA McCALL

NISWONGER FOUNDATION

ROTARY CLUB OF KNOXVILLE Akima Club

City of Knoxville Coldwell Banker / Wallace & Wallce Realtofs

Connor Concepts Enrichment Federal Credit Union

Investors Management Service, Inc. Knox County

Knoxville Symphony League Tennessee Arts Commission

Turkey Creek Land Partners, LLC

Special thanks to our Partners in Education:

Sarah Cummings, Professional Development Specialist, Choral Music, Knox County Schools

Tracy Ward, Sequoyah Elementary School, for lesson plans

in this Teacher’s Guide KSO Education Advisory Council


Aram Demirjian conducting

Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla Mikhail Glinka Mississippi River Suite Florence Price Interlude from La Boda de Luis Alonso Gerónimo Giménez

“Conversation of Beauty and theBeast” Maurice Ravel from Mother Goose Suite “Ride of the Valkyries” Richard Wagner

from Die Walküre “Brother Come and Dance with Me” Englebert Humperdinck

from Hansel and Gretel “In the Hall of the Mountain King Edvard Greig from Peer Gynt Suite Symphony No. 5 Dmitri Shostakovich

II. Allegretto “Hedwig’s Theme” John Williams From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone


What is a Conductor? The conductor of an orchestra is the leader. They must know a great deal about music, the great composers, and their works. Also, conductors must have the personality and skill to

direct many players at once and to turn them into a team. Often conductors hold a baton that they use to mark the beats of the music for the orchestra to follow. Conductors may sometimes play more than one instrument, but they do not need to play every instrument. Instead, they understand how each instrument works and the special qualities of each instrument. Most importantly, the conductor learns each piece of music well enough to guide all the players in an exciting performance.

baton - A wooden stick, approximately 1 ft. in length, that the conductor uses to communicate with the orchestra. The baton helps the musicians see the conductor’s motions so that they can play better together.

Meet the KSO’s Music Director, Aram Demirjian! Maestro Demirjian moved to Knoxville from Kansas City where he

was the Associate Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony. He was

born into a musical family in Lexington, Massachusetts where he

learned to play the cello and sing. Aram was seven years old when

his mother first taught him how to conduct a 4/4 pattern, and he

always enjoyed being the line-leader in elementary school. His desire

to be a conductor began as he played cello in his high school orches-

tra. The first orchestra he ever conducted was the Lexington High School Orchestra, on his

18th birthday, one week before he graduated from high school. He attended Harvard Universi-

ty, where he first studied government, but switched to music after two seasons conducting

the Harvard Bach Society Orchestra. He then attended the New England Conservatory in Bos-

ton. Aram loves sports especially football, baseball and basketball! His favorite teams are the

New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics.

Aram Demirjian

Please help make this a good performance by showing how to be a good audience. Be quiet as the lights dim and the concert begins. Clap when the concertmaster enters at the beginning of the concert. Clap again when the conductor enters at the beginning of the concert. Clap to welcome any soloists during the concert. During the performance watch the conductor. When the conductor puts his hands down and turns to face the audience the piece is completed. At the end of a piece, clap to let the musicians know you like what you hear.

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra P.O. Box 360

Knoxville, TN 37901

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Job Description: Audience

Today’s symphony orchestra varies in size from city to city, but usually has about 100 players. Orchestras are different from bands because they include string instruments. The string section is the largest section of players in the orchestra, with about 60 people. The woodwind section is made up of approximately twelve or more players, and the brass section typically has ten players. Finally, the percussion section ranges in numbers, depending on the amount of percussion parts used in a piece. The seating chart below shows how you will see the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra seated when you come to the Young People’s Concert. The players are seated in a semicircle facing the conductor.

Anatomy of a Symphony

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SEAN DONOVAN, FRENCH HORN Meet the KSO

♪ Has been the concertmaster of the KSO for two seasons

♪ Played his first solo with an orchestra at age 12

♪ Graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City

♪ Organized a ten-year series of benefit concerts for the United Nations’ Adopt-a-Minefield Campaign, providing more than 40 prosthetic limbs for landmine victims in Iraq and Afghanistan

♪ Performs on a violin made by Jean-Baptiste Vuilaume in 1865—it is over 150 years old!

WILLIAM SHAUB, CONCERTMASTER

CINDY HICKS, PRINCIPAL HARP

♪ Has played with the KSO for 16 seasons

♪ One of two US citizens to compete in the International Harp Contest in Jerusalem, Israel

♪ Attended Peabody Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University

♪ Cindy likes to read, cook, travel, and be outdoors

♪ She has 8 siblings!

♪ Has played with the KSO for 6 seasons

♪ Has also played with the Symphony of the Mountains, Nashville Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony, and Huntsville Symphony

♪ Attended Middle Tennessee State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City

♪ Teaches French horn at ETSU

♪ Has played for the record labels “Me And The Machine” and “Theory 8”

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SPONSORS:

SHEENA MCCALL

NISWONGER FOUNDATION

ROTARY CLUB OF KNOXVILLE

AKIMA CLUB ENRICHMENT FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

COLDWELL BANKER, WALLACE & WALLACE CONNOR CONCEPTS

TURKEY CREEK LAND PARTNERS INVESTORS MANAGEMENT SERVICE

Knoxville Symphony League Knox County

City of Knoxville Tennessee Arts Commission

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS IN EDUCATION: Knox County Schools’ Board of Education

Tracy Ward, Sequoyah Elementary, Teacher’s Guide

Andy Adzima, Chilhowee Elementary and Sunnyview Primary, Education Advisory Council Erin Archer, Tate’s School of Discovery

Sheree Beeler, Shannondale Elementary, Education Advisory Council Liz Britt, Webb School of Knoxville, Education Advisory Council

Sarah Cummings, Knox County Elementary Professional Development, Advisory Council Kristin Luttrell, Gibbs Elementary, Education Advisory Council

Lee Ann Parker, Bearden Elementary, Education Advisory Council

Connect with us! 865-291-3310

www.knoxvillesymphony.com @knoxsymphony

Concert Behavior

The musicians who are performing

for you would like to have your help

in making this a wonderful concert.

It is important to remember that the

orchestra is in the same room with

you, not in a movie or on TV. If you

talk or make other noises, they can

hear you. If you get up and leave in

the middle of the performance, they

can see you. These things could

make the musicians take their

minds off their music and they may

not be able to perform at their best.

These things can also be distracting

to those around you.

What’s Your Story? - tnartseducation.org · Interlude from La Boda de Luis Alonso by Gerónimo...

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