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!!!!!Hello Teachers! This guide was created to help you make the most of your Class Notes Artists visit. The goal of the concert experience is to inspire, motivate, and entertain students through live performance. This curriculum is comprised of a PowerPoint presentation and this Teacher’s Guide. The curriculum supports the concert experience by extracting several concepts or ideas directly related to the concert and its contents. Activities and information about these concepts align with Minnesota music standards, and help make music come alive for students. These concepts provide focus and establish learning goals that connect to the concert experience. Each concept is explored in three ways: Learn, Listen, and Do. Visuals, audio, and information for the Listen and Learn components are presented in the PowerPoint. Use this in the classroom to present and illustrate ideas. There are four Lesson/Activity plans that correspond with the Do section in this Teacher’s Guide. The core ideas/concepts for Class Notes Artists: L’unica Trio are: .

1. The L’unica Trio is a string ensemble consisting of a violin, viola, and cello.

2. There is a wide variety of “classical” music and it is a part of your daily life. 3. Classical music is full of various kinds of emotion and everyone can relate

to it. We hope you find these that these tools enrich the concert experience for your students.

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MOLD-A-MELODY LESSON/ACTIVITY PLAN OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will understand that musicians add expression to a melody by using special techniques, including: rubato, vibrato, accents, and dynamics.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Start with a simple familiar classroom melody. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star works for just about everyone. Together with students, sing the melody as “flat” and inexpressively as possible.

2. Introduce vocabulary using vocabulary cards:

Give brief, easy-to-understand descriptions of each. Flash cards to practice definitions. Listen to and/or watch examples of each. (Suggestions for definitions and examples below.)

• Rubato – slight changes in tempo; speed up/slow down • Vibrato – a pitch pulsates or vibrates for expressive effect • Accent – emphasis on a particular note • Dynamics – the volume of music; loud/soft

Rubato: This is pianist Vladimir Horowitz playing a Mazurka by Frédéric Chopin. While listening and watching, and slows down. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8PJsO1u5w

Vibrato:

DYNAMICS!

ACCENTS!!

VIBRATO!!

RUBATO!

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Vocal and string music include a lot of obvious, easy-to-hear vibrato. Watch the first minute of Steven Doane from Eastman School of Music to hear an excerpt of The Swan from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. Continue watching to find out more specifics about how vibrato is produced on a cello/string instrument. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2GhMUZCbC14 Accents: Watch conductor Michael Tilson Thomas conduct the San Francisco Symphony playing Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf0e_n49dcQ At about 3:30 minutes in, you will hear a great example of accents. Tilson Thomas’s conducting cues give visual reinforcement. Listening to the full eight and a half minutes provides a wonderful opportunity to see and hear a vast array of instrument-specific techniques, such as pizzicato or trills. It’s also a chance to practice instrument identification and see some great close-up shots of musicians playing their instruments.

Dynamics: The Stravinsky piece listed above is also a great example of a pretty short piece that contains dynamic extremes. Another good example is Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rzKXNQxjHs Or, juxtapose two pieces – one extremely quiet and the other very loud. Quiet: Charles Ives’s The Unanswered Question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trkFgIMC-Ks Loud: Richard Wagner’s The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AIEvy0fJto If you have students with long attention spans, see if you can make it through all of Maurice Ravel’s Bolero, which begins very quietly and is basically one long, giant crescendo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r30D3SW4OVw

3. Once students are familiar with the terms and their definitions, repeat the

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simple melody/song, applying one (or more) of the techniques discussed in class.

4. Continue to use the flash cards over time with various classroom repertoire and listening activities. Use in both singing and instrumental activities whenever possible.

STANDARDS:

1. Grades 4 – 5. Artistic Foundations. 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of the arts area. Music. 4.1.1.3.1. Describe the elements of music including melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, tone color, texture, form and their related concepts.

2. Grades 4 – 5. Artistic Foundations. 2. Demonstrate knowledge and use of the technical skills of the art form, integrating technology when applicable. Music. 4.1.2.3.2. Sing and play alone and in a group demonstrating proper posture, breathing, technique, age-appropriate tone quality and expressive intent.

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!EMO-METER LESSON/ACTIVITY PLAN OBJECTIVE:

1. Students will develop awareness of emotion in music. 2. Students will develop self-management skills through observing and

identifying their feelings. 3. Students will develop active listening skills.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Create an emotion gauge or “emo-meter” for students to use while listening to music. Fill each quadrant with adjectives of your choice. Add an arrow that spins.

HOW!DOES!THIS!MUSIC!MAKE!YOU!FEEL?!

FEARFUL!ANXIOUS! PEACEFUL!

CALM!

EXCITED!JOYFUL!

SAD!SORROWFUL!

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The choice of repertoire is not nearly as important as the process. Here is a list of diverse repertoire that might work well for this exercise:

• Night on Bald Mountain, Modest Mussorgsky • Hungarian Dance No.5, Johannes Brahms • Black Angels, George Crumb • The Tides of Manaunaun, Henry Cowell • Trois pièces, Nadia Boulanger • Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets, Gustav Holst • Allegro Barbaro, Béla Bartók • Prelude Op. 23 no. 5 in g minor, Sergei Rachmaninov • Five Preludes for Guitar, Hector Villa-Lobos • Golliwog’s Cakewalk, Claude Debussy • Meditation de Thaïs, Jules Massenet • Trio for flute, violin, and piano, Nino Rota • Prelude No. 1, George Gershwin • Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, Krysztof Penderecki • Serenade No. 10, “Gran Partita”—III. Adagio, W. A. Mozart • Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet, Sergei Prokofiev • Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly, Giacomo Puccini

STANDARDS:

1. Grades 4–5. 4. Artistic Process: Respond or Critique.1. Respond to or critique a variety of creations and performances using the artistic foundations. Music. 4.4.1.3.1. Justify personal interpretations and reactions to a variety of musical works or performances.

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!CLASSICAL TIMELINE/MAP LESSON/ACTIVITY PLAN OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will understand the breadth and depth of the term “classical music.”

2. Students will understand the historical and geographical origins of a wide variety of musical selections.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Select a diverse collection of classical repertoire (broadly defined) from various countries and eras. Below is a suggested list. Feel free to alter or modify based on the needs of your classroom.

PIECE

COMPOSER

ERA/TIME PERIOD

LOCALE/COUNTRY

OF ORIGIN Spiritus Sanctus Hildegard von

Bingen 1098-1179 Germany

Concerto for Mandolin in C

Major

Antonio Vivaldi 1678-1741 Italy

In the Hall of the Mountain King

Edvard Grieg 1843-1947 Norway

Juba R. Nathaniel Dett 1883-1943 Canada Sinfonía India Carlos Chávez 1899-1978 Mexico Concret PH Iannis Xenakis 1922-2001 Greece/France

From me flows what you call

Time

Toru Takemitsu 1930-1996 Japan

Tibetan Tunes Chen Yi 1953- present China Omaramor Osvaldo Golijov 1960- present Argentina

Concertino for bassoon and

chamber players

Augusta Read Thomas

1964- present USA

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2. Begin with a grid that has only the first two columns—piece and

composer—filled out.

PIECE

COMPOSER

ERA/TIME PERIOD

LOCALE/COUNTRY

OF ORIGIN Spiritus Sanctus Hildegard von

Bingen

Concerto for Mandolin in C

Major

Antonio Vivaldi

In the Hall of the Mountain King

Edvard Grieg

Juba R. Nathaniel Dett Sinfonía India Carlos Chávez Concret PH Iannis Xenakis

From me flows what you call

Time

Toru Takemitsu

Tibetan Tunes Chen Yi Omaramor Osvaldo Golijov

Concertino for bassoon and

chamber players

Augusta Read Thomas

Listen to a short excerpt of each piece and ask students to guess the era and the country of origin. After they’ve guessed, go back and listen again, this time supplying them with the correct answers. A few recommended performances/videos of the pieces above, with some notes/suggestions:

• Takemitsu: It’s a long piece, but it’s fun and interesting to see the performers play this piece. It uses a lot of interesting percussion and many traditional instruments play in slightly unconventional ways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWipy3Q6gAI.

• Vivaldi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-utT-BD0obk • Read Thomas: Great way to showcase and feature the sometimes

overlooked bassoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98b1KRm3hys.

• Dett: A short piece that is easily listened to in its entirety. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BLHNQK8V7E

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• Golijov: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Yjm0uuzWg • Grieg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLp_Hh6DKWc or with

live musicians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRpzxKsSEZg • Yi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVFZLubE_tU • Chávez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEJ40UlIweo • Xenakis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDP8H5IK5nw • von Bingen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFwxnWWjIeU

1. Find a world map and map each composer’s country of origin.

2. Create a timeline of chronology of the composers’ lives. Use pictures from

the internet to accompany each composer’s name.

3. Add a column to the listening chart that asks for thoughts, descriptions, or characteristics of the works.

4. Extend the activity by asking students to select one composer to research

in depth. STANDARDS:

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1. Grades 4–5. 1. Artistic Foundations. 3. Demonstrate understanding of the personal, social, cultural and historical contexts that influence the arts areas. Music. 4.1.3.3.1. Describe the cultural and historical traditions of music including the contributions of Minnesota American Indian tribes and communities.

2. Grades 4–5. 4. Artistic Process: Respond or Critique.1. Respond to or critique a variety of creations and performances using the artistic foundations. Music. 4.4.1.3.1. Justify personal interpretations and reactions to a variety of musical works or performances.

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!CLASSICAL MUSIC IN YOUR LIFE LESSON/ACTIVITY PLAN OBJECTIVE:

1. Raise students’ awareness of classical music in their lives and in the world around them.

2. Students will develop active listening skills. ACTIVITIES:

1. Create a journal or log entry template for students. Explain that they should document any classical music they hear for an entire week/month/quarter, etc. A sample entry might look like this:

DATE: January 15, 2015 LOCATION/SETTING: my home/on TV TITLE OF PIECE (if known):

????

DESCRIPTION: I heard classical music on a commercial. A flute and piano and maybe some string instruments were playing. It was quiet and peaceful.

Encourage students to use music vocabulary learned in class (terms like staccato or forte) and give bonus points if they use those words correctly.

2. Share your findings in class. Ask each student to choose one entry to tell

a partner, or begin or end class with one student reporting to the whole group.

3. Extend this activity by integrating content into other subjects/curricula.

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• Work with a math teacher to compile data and do some statistical analysis.

• Expand the description section to tie in with literacy. Instead of asking for a general description, specify criteria for the description. For example, ask students to describe the music by writing a paragraph with a topic sentence and three supporting points. You might ask them to describe the music by writing a descriptive poem or by using a certain number of adjectives. Ask them to include both fact (“Drums were playing”) and opinion (“I liked how it sounded”).

STANDARDS:

1. Grades 4-5. 4. Artistic Process: Respond or Critique.1. Respond to or critique a variety of creations and performances using the artistic foundations. Music. 4.4.1.3.1. Justify personal interpretations and reactions to a variety of musical works or performances.

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