music artsource · european harmonies in his maple leaf rag, composed in 1899. aaron copland...

they perform. Powered by a cutting-edge attitude, Bang

on a Can is an undeniable force in the search for and cre-

ation of new music.

About The Artwork:David Lang describes Cheating. Lying. Stealing. as an

observation of the darker elements within the human

personality. The piece is a sequence of five sections that

explore different musical textures and emotional limits.

The music is filled with heavy and aggressive accents

played by all the instruments at different times within

the piece. The instruments you will hear are bass

clarinet, cello, piano and percussion (marimba, bass

drum, snare drum, triangle, and the brake drums of a

car). Composed for four musicians, Cheating. Lying.

Stealing. is filled with a wide variety of sounds.

Creative Process of the Artist or Culture:There is no lead voice in this music; instead each instrument

participates in creating a variety of moods and feelings

that drive the piece forward. It is a push-and-pull

relationship, with each instrument becoming forceful

for a short period of time, until overpowered by another

instrument. This creates an atmosphere of conflict,

struggle and anxiety. The musical

phrasing of the piece suggests images of

twitching, crying, whining, laughing

and arguing.

New York

Background Information:Bang on a Can composes and performs pieces that reveal

an exciting new hybrid of many musical styles, including

rock, classical, folk, world and electronic music.

American composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and

Julia Wolfe founded the Bang on a Can festival in 1987, a

one-week marathon of new and innovative music with

no stylistic restrictions. The Bang on a Can All-stars

bring this challenging music to life with a combination

of instruments resembling a rock band: drums, bass,

electric guitar, keyboards and cello. The All-stars music

which is funky, gutsy and energetic requires no special

musical listening experience to enjoy. Bang on a Can

evokes a gamut of moods as they use musical sound to

express feelings of joy, fear, excitement, anxiety and

aggression in a raw fashion. Based in New York City,

Bang on a Can developed as a reaction to a divided

musical scene that made many musicians feel they didn’t

fit in. Michael, David and Julia fought back by creating

music that reflected their intellect, classical training,

emotional spirit and urban consciousness. By combining

the experiences of a rock show and a classical concert,

they impact their audiences with a new sensation.

Currently Bang on a Can has recorded numerous CDs

that include: Industry; Cheating. Lying. Stealing.; and Big

Beautiful Dark and Scary. The depth and talent of these

musicians and composers is evident in the variety of music

Title of Work: Cheating. Lying. Stealing. (1995) Performed by the Bang on a Can All-stars

Creators:Composer: David Lang, Founders: David Lang (b. 1957),Michael Gordon (b. 1958) and Julia Wolfe (b. 1958)

“The variety of music inAmerica is one of thegreat gifts of our time.”

David Lang

MUSIC

TRANSFORMATIONTHE POWER OF NATURE

FREEDOM &OPPRESSION

ENDURING VALUES

THE HUMANFAMILY

ARTISTIC PERCEPTION (AP)

CREATIVE EXPRESSION (CE)

HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT (H/C)

AESTHETIC VALUING (AV)

CONNECT, RELATE & APPLY (CRA)

rtsource ®

The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts

A TRADITIONAL

CLASSICAL

CONTEMPORARY

EXPERIMENTAL

MULTI-MEDIA

Photo courtesy of Bang on a Can

*

*

*

Additional References:• Talking Music: (Book) Conversations with American

composers by William Duckworth. Da Capo, 1999.

• Marsalis on Music by Wynton Marsalis (Book w/CD,

also available on video), Norton, 1995.

• www.bangonacan.org

Multidisciplinary Options:• Divide the class into four equal groups. Have each

group develop a simple rhythmic pattern. Figure out

how to start and stop these patterns in unpredictable

ways. Perform for your classmates. Try having more

than one group perform at the same time.

• With a partner, develop a story that will be accompanied

by Cheating. Lying. Stealing. Keep in mind the emotional

content of the piece. Allow the music to be a character

in the story, by providing several spaces for it to play

alone.

Sample Experiences:

LEVEL I• Create a simple story with a beginning, middle and

end for a piece of music.

• Select a piece of music that appeals to you and express

how it makes you feel through dance and movement.

LEVEL II• Create vocal sounds that represent a human emotion

or human trait.

• Listen to three to five differing styles of music - rock,

jazz, blues, salsa, classical, etc. Discuss their similarities

and differences.

• Write the lyrics to a song about your life. Describe

what the music of this song would sound like.

LEVEL III• Learn some techniques that help musicians communicate

emotions on their instruments.

• Examine the emotional content of three popular songs

on the radio. What do these songs make you feel or

think?

• Ask older members of your family or community to

share songs that make them feel happy or sad. Bring

recordings of these songs to share with your class.

Discussion Questions:After listening to the audio:• How is this music similar or different to most music-

played on the radio? Could this music be played at a

party? Why or why not?

• Were you able to recognize the instruments in the piece?

• What does it mean to play music that is described as

cutting-edge? What risks are being taken?

• What is the opposite of cheating, lying and stealing?

How could these opposite ideas be expressed in musical

sound? What instruments would you include?

• What art forms have you experienced? (ballet, rock

and roll, orchestral music, jazz, opera, theater, poetry

etc.) What were your feelings about the art you heard?

• Does your attitude towards art impact your appreciation

of art? How?

Summary of the Music Scenario:Since the beginning of the 20th Century, American

composers and musicians have been creating new and

vibrant music. Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was one of the

first, creating a unique hybrid of African rhythms and

European harmonies in his Maple Leaf Rag, composed

in 1899. Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was the first

American composer to gain international acclaim,

creating a simple, earthy sound that also borrowed

themes and ideas from folk music. Duke Ellington

(1889-1974) also had a distinct musical voice which he

shared in his many compositions for the jazz Big Band

sound. Over time American music developed many

styles - blues, jazz, rock-’n’-roll, country, rap, hip-hop,

and variations of classical music. As ideas evolve, these

styles get mixed and matched in very exciting ways. In

fact, rock-’n’-roll began as a combination of country

music and the blues. The members of Bang on a Can

are influenced by the constant musical activity that

came before them and that still continues today.

Audio-Visual Materials:• Artsource® audio: Cheating. Lying. Stealing. Composed

by David Lang, from the 1995 album Cheating. Lying.

Stealing. Performed by the Bang on a Can

All-stars.

* Indicates sample lessons2

3

LEVEL I Sample Lesson

INTRODUCTION:

Listening to music can be very similar to listening to a story. As listeners we naturally interpret the meaningof the music we are listening to in some way. Music may conjure up images, ideas, memories, emotionsand landscapes in our minds. Although Cheating. Lying. Stealing. is not a specific story, it does have astory-like quality. Emotions play a big part in this musical story, but they might not be the emotions thatyou expect. Music can help us use our imaginations, and with our imaginations we can create great thingsthrough drawings, paintings, songs and stories.

OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes)

Students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a greater understanding of the connection between human emotion and music. (ArtisticPerception)

• Identify the five main sections in the composition, Cheating. Lying. Stealing. (Artistic Perception)

• Create an interpretive story to go with the musical composition, Cheating. Lying. Stealing.(Creative Expression)

• Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer toAssessment at the end of this lesson. (Aesthetic Valuing)

MATERIALS:

• The Bang on a Can All Stars Artsource® audio: Cheating. Lying. Stealing. by David Lang.

PROGRESSION:

• Give some background information on Bang on a Can.

• Explain to the students that in music the word “lick” refers to an interesting or difficult short phrase.Musicians may compliment each other by saying, “Hey, that was a cool lick you played.”

• Ask the students to give their impressions of the music and the way the musicians perform and interact.

TRANSFORMATIONMUSICAL STORIES

MUSIC

• Read the following example of a story that interprets the musical composition, Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

A Cheating. Lying. Stealing. Musical Story:

PART ONE (The instruments will be characters in the story)

All the instruments are home; the cello, bass clarinet, piano, marimba, triangle, bass drum and brakedrums. Three notes sneak in to the house, soft at first then getting louder quickly. Bang! They’ve becomean unreliable rhythmic phrase, starting and stopping, clanking and jerking. This music is different, butat least everyone is home and safe. After a few minutes the Piano becomes anxious and nervous and convinces the other instruments that they are in danger, “maybe this kind of music isn’t safe to play.” Theinstruments leave home.

PART TWO - @ 3 min.50 sec.

The Marimba starts mumbling and the Cello and Bass Clarinet begin to cry, they really didn’t want toleave home. The Piano twitches and the Triangle feels lost. Feelings and emotions become part of themusic. Leaving home can be a little scary.

PART THREE - @ 5 min. 45 sec.

The Cello and Bass Clarinet regain their composure and devise a plan to get back, “ let’s try to rememberthe music we played at home.” The Brake Drums think they remember the way, “follow us.”

PART FOUR - @ 6 min. 33 sec.

Remembering that home is an unreliable repeated phrase; the instruments work together to find it.Things are sort of repeating unreliably but something’s not right, the Cello whines, “this is not home!”

PART FIVE or One @ 9 min. 35 sec.

During all of the arguing something happens. Bang! Home sweet home. The instruments remember theirunreliable rhythmic phrase, starting and stopping, clanking and jerking. This music is different. Shortmoments of silence follow the music. The Cello laughs. Silence fills the room.

• Draw two or more pictures to illustrate the above story while listening to Cheating. Lying. Stealing. The instruments may be drawn with arms, legs and faces.

• Have students stand up and tell the class their version of the story using their drawings.

EXTENSIONS:

• Have groups of students combine their drawings to create other versions of the story.

• Listen to another piece of music and create your own story for it.

• Discuss how it feels to be lost, scared or nervous. When is it okay to feel this way and when is it not?

4

5

• Visit the Bang on a Can. website. www.bangonacan.org

VOCABULARY: rhythm, emotion, instruments.

ASSESSMENT: (Aesthetic Valuing)

DESCRIBE: Describe the way you feel when you try something different. Describe the way you feltwhen listening to this music.

DISCUSS: Discuss how different parts of the world might be different in the future. (school, fashion,technology, etc.).

ANALYZE: Discuss the music you usually listen to (instruments, vocal, rhythm, etc.) and the music of

Bang on a Can. How are they similar or different?

CONNECT: What are some of the things that make you feel “at home.”

6

LEVEL II Sample Lesson

INTRODUCTION:

Part of the fun of music-making for musicians is searching for new sounds, new techniques and break-ing the rules. Creating musical sounds and styles, then mixing them together to express real life feelingsand experiences is part of the challenge of making music. Music gives us an opportunity to be childish,serious, playful and experimental, as well as to explore new ways to move beyond our current boundariesof musical knowledge. This is the way the Bang on a Can All-Stars make music. They do this by beingbrave and creative and looking for new ways to communicate through music. In Cheating. Lying. Stealing.we experience a different way of looking at our emotions. The music sounds like a feeling or a humangesture: anxiety, twitching, laughing, crying, etc. There are no words being spoken, but if we listen closelywe can imagine what the instruments might be saying. Just like when a dog barks or a cat meows, we canget a lot of information through sound.



• Discuss the connection between human emotion and music. (Artistic Perception)

• Identify the five main sections in Cheating. Lying. Stealing. (Artistic Perception)

• Create a piece of music using Cheating. Lying. Stealing. as a model. (Creative Expression)


MATERIALS:

• The Bang on a Can All-Stars Artsource® audio: Cheating. Lying. Stealing. by David Lang

PROGRESSION:


• Explain to the students that in music the word “lick” refers to an interesting or difficult short phrase.Musicians may compliment each other by saying, “Hey, that was a cool lick you played.”


• Explain to the students that sometimes music transforms human emotions into sounds. In Cheating.

THE HUMAN FAMILYLEARNING WITH OUR EMOTIONS

MUSIC

7

Lying. Stealing. the instruments may sound as if they are agitated, nervous, scared, whining or angry.

• As a group name and describe at least ten emotions, being sure to include contrasting emotions.

• Have each student pick one emotion and create a verbal sound that fits that emotion. i.e. Happinessequals laughter, the sound of being on a roller coaster- “wheeee,” the “yum” sound of eating ice cream,etc.

• Each person shares their sound with the class as the class tries to guess the corresponding emotion.

• Explain to the class that Cheating. Lying. Stealing. is not about those words but about all of the parts ofthe human emotional spectrum. What would be the opposite of Cheating. Lying. Stealing. ?

• Provide some listening guidelines for your students as well as some techniques to help them stay focusedon the music. (closing their eyes, creating mental images, etc.)

• Listen to the musical composition, Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

• Describe the emotions in Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

• Describe how the instruments communicated human emotions to you. Be as detailed as possible.

• Create a vocal music piece with the emotional sounds you used earlier.

• It should have four sections of different lengths and be no longer that four minutes.

• The first and last section should be almost the same, kind of like bookends.

• Use some of the elements of Cheating. Lying. Stealing. in your piece. Sudden changes in mood, irregular starts and stops, short moments of silence, repetition, varied volumes of sound - loud and soft,etc.

• Have each section explore a different emotion.

• Be brave and have fun!

• If you get confused go back and listen to Cheating. Lying. Stealing. and notice how it is organized.

• Use the extension questions below to broaden the experience for you students.

EXTENSIONS:

• Write a short essay that communicates emotions to the reader. It can be about human interaction, a realor imaginary place, nature, etc. Be as descriptive as possible.

• Listen to two or three different pieces of music and compare how they make you feel.

Bang on a Can All-StarsPhoto courtesy of Bang on a Can

• Visit the Bang on a Can website. www.bangonacan.org

• Search the Internet for more information on the people who are a part of Bang on a Can. (David Lang,Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe). What other projects are they involved with - not related to Bang on a Can?

VOCABULARY: rhythm, emotion, repetition, interpretation


DESCRIBE: Describe the process you went through in composing your piece.

DISCUSS: Discuss the problems you encountered in creating your vocal composition and how yousolved them.

ANALYZE: Analyze the different sections of your composition and how they were related.

CONNECT: Discuss how expressing our emotions through art can be helpful. What kind of music doyou listen to when you’re sad, happy, angry or nervous?

8

LEVEL III Sample Lesson

INTRODUCTION:

David Lang takes a look at the darker side of the human psyche in Cheating. Lying. Stealing. and encourages us to examine all of our human traits. This music is not about being perfect, it’s about beingrealistic. We all have good days and bad days. By interpreting real life issues through art, we provide ourselves an honest but sometimes less painful mirror to examine our feelings, thoughts and actions. Byacknowledging our imperfections we can lean towards the qualities that we favor: compassion, honesty,integrity, love and trust. We can also communicate the complexity of our inner lives and express morethan one emotion at a time, for example: happy and scared, nervous and excited. When the full spectrumof human existence is embraced and appreciated, its reflection in art is also appreciated. When we canstop looking for sounds and textures that are strictly “harmonious,” and also look for some rough edges,blemishes and grit, then we can appreciate the imperfections that make life interesting and each one of usunique.



• Demonstrate insight into the process and ideas involved in creating a work of art. (Aesthetic Valuing)

• Perform rhythms in a manner that is similar to Cheating. Lying. Stealing. (Artistic Perception)

• Interpret emotions and human traits through music. (Creative Expression)


MATERIALS:

• The Bang on a Can All-Stars Artsource® audio recording: Cheating. Lying. Stealing. by David Lang

• Stopwatch or watch with a second hand.

PROGRESSION:


• Explain to the students that in music, the term “lick” refers to an interesting or difficult short phrase.Musicians may compliment each other by saying, “ Hey, that was a cool lick you played.”


9

THE HUMAN FAMILYROUGH EDGES, BLEMISHES AND GRIT

MUSIC

• Read David Lang’s introduction to Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

• Listen to Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

• Ask the students which emotions they identified in Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

• Explain to your students that emotions are conveyed in music by the way a musician performs on aninstrument. The way they play a note, rhythm or chord is more important than which note, rhythm orchord they play. For example, a simple tune like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star can be played to sound sleepy,happy, sad, or even angry. Some factors that help to convey emotion in music are: tempo (how fast); volume (how loud); and intensity (how aggressive). This concept is easy to understand if we think abouthow many ways we can say “hello,” and how each way of saying it sends different emotional messages.

• Learn the following rhythm. / / / / /1 2 3 and 4

• Ask students to create some interesting ways to play this rhythm. ( clapping, tapping pencils on desks,flipping through a book, tearing paper, vocal sounds, stomping feet, moving a body part, etc.)

AS A CLASS:(Us a stopwatch or watch with a second hand/)

• Play the rhythm without stopping for one minute, at an easy tempo and moderate volume.

• Play the rhythm once every ten seconds for a minute and a half. (decide on a tempo - fast, moderate, slow)

• Play the rhythm very fast for thirty seconds.10

Introduction to Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

“A couple of years ago, I started thinking about how so often when classical composerswrite a piece of music, they are trying to tell you something that they’re proud of and likeabout themselves: Here’s that big gushing melody, see how emotional I am. Or, here’sthis abstract, hard-to-figure-out piece, see my really big brain. I am more noble, moresensitive, I am so happy. The composer really believes he or she is exemplary in this orthat area. It’s interesting, but it’s not very humble. So I thought, what would it be likeif composers based pieces on what they thought was wrong with them? I wanted to makea piece that was about something disreputable. It’s a hard line to cross. You have to workagainst all of your training. You are not taught to find the dirty seams in the music. Youare not taught to be low down, clumsy, sly and underhanded. In Cheating. Lying.Stealing., although phrased in a comic way, I am trying to look at something dark. Thepiece is a series of unreliable, imperfect repetitions. There is a swagger, but it’s not trustworthy. In fact, the instruction on the score for how to play it says: Ominous funk.”

-- David Lang, composer, Cheating. Lying. Stealing.

Excerpted from Cheating. Lying Stealing. album liner notes. Used by permission.

• Play the rhythm very softly without stopping for two minutes. (Decide on a tempo: fast, moderate, slow.)

• Ask the class: What emotions or human characteristics might be reflected in each of the above rhythmicinterpretations.

AS INDIVIDUALS IN A GROUP:

• Class plays the rhythm without stopping for two minutes. Various individuals may play the rhythm atany tempo.

• Play the rhythm once every ten to fifteen seconds for two minutes. You can begin with silence. Allrhythms should be about the same tempo.

• Ask the class what emotions or human characteristics might be reflected in each of the above rhythmicinterpretations? How are they different from the full group performances?

• As a class, create a three to four minute performance of the same rhythm. Use the techniques you’velearned or create some of your own. The performance may use more than one musical technique andthere may be more than one technique happening at the same time.

• Use the questions below to extend the experience for your students.

• In small groups, create longer rhythmic phrases of your own and perform them for the class with specific emotions in mind. Ask what emotions or characteristics the class associates with your performance.

• Write a short essay, poem or story. Incorporate the musical techniques you’ve learned in the way yourwork is performed. Try more than one approach to the reading.

• Visit the Bang on a Can website. www.bangonacan.org

• Search the Internet for more information on modern musicians or musical groups that share similarmusical and/or social philosophies with Bang on a Can. (Louis Andriessen, John Zorn, Bjork, GlennBranca, California E.A.R. Unit, Icebreaker, Kronos Quartet)

VOCABULARY: rhythm, intent, instrument, interpretation, technique


DESCRIBE: Describe the darker qualities of human beings and what makes looking at them so difficult.

DISCUSS: Discuss why it is easier to see the flaws and blemishes of others rather than ourselves.

ANALYZE: Analyze how altering various elements of music gave the same rhythmic patterns a differentfeel or emotion.

CONNECT: Discuss how you use music in your daily life to express, complement or contrast how youare feeling.

11

Artsource ®

A Project of the

Music Center

The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts

135 North Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

www.musiccenter.org

© 1995 - 2012, The Music Center of Los Angeles County. All rights reserved.

Artsource® written units, audio, video and slides/photographic materials are subject to the provisions of copyrightlaw, and are to be used for educational purposes only. Individuals or institutions are prohibited from broadcastingover the air, charging admission or receiving direct compensation for the exhibition of the video, audio or photographic materials accompanying the Artsource® units.

The Music Center does not sanction the illegal use or unauthorized duplication of someone else’s work in any form.Individuals who willfully violate the Music Center’s policy do so at their own risk and are liable to the Music Centerin the event of a loss resulting from litigation.

ARTSOURCE®: THE MUSIC CENTER’S STUDY GUIDE TO THE PERFORMING ARTS

Artsource® highlights works of art and artists of stature from diverse cultures.

It represents early to contemporary art forms in the disciplines of

dance, music and theatre

and complements the programs and performances

of the Music Center’s resident companies and artist roster.

The arts are ancient, enduring and universal forms of communication.

Artists present their perceptions, reflections, and points of view which

influence, and are influenced by, the culture and period of time in which they exist.

I n t r o d u c t i o n

Project Director Melinda Williams

Project Coordinator Susan Cambigue-Tracey

Writers:Dance Susan Cambigue-Tracey

Diana Cummins, Carole Valleskey, Madeleine Dahm, Deborah Greenfield,Barbara Leonard, Melinda Williams

Music Rosemarie Cook-GloverEd Barguiarena, Susan Cambigue-Tracey, Barbara Leonard,

Connie Hood, Annette Simons, Marilyn Wulliger, Diana Zaslove, John Zeretzke

Theatre Barbara LeonardKathryn Johnson

Technical Production donated by Paul Tracey

Layout and Logo* Design Maureen Erbe Design*Received the LULU AWARD for excellence in graphic design and advertising,

sponsored by the Los Angeles Advertising Women (LAAW)

Additional Artwork & Artsource® Logo Graphic H. P. Law & Partners

The Music Center of Los Angeles County wishes to thank the artists featured in this publication for their outstanding artistry and

their generosity in allowing us to share their creative spirit in the classroom.

Sincere appreciation is also extended to the members of the Center’s Board of Directors and Education Council for their guidance in developing

these resource materials, Music Center volunteers for their help in organizing, proofing and editing

Artsource® units; the professionals who provided field review; and the dedicated teachers who tested the

Artsource® units in their classrooms.

Mark SlavkinVice President for Education

Melinda WilliamsDirector of Education

Artsource® Contributors

music artsource · european harmonies in his maple leaf rag, composed in 1899. aaron copland...

Documents