Teachers` Activity Guide - Kitchener

What Can Music Do?
Activity Guide
KWS School Concerts
Grades 1 - 3
October 12/13, 2011
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Evan Mitchell, KWS Assistant Conductor
Season Sponsor
Education Programs Sponsor
Dear Teachers
We are so pleased that your students will be involved in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony’s
School Concerts Program!
This concert, What Can Music Do?, will introduce grade 1—3 students to some important concepts from the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum through music. Not only will the students see and hear our wonderful 60-piece orchestra in the acoustically superb Centre in the
Square, they will also make connections to their classroom studies and learn new ideas.
To enhance the concert experience the KWS sends some of its musicians into the schools to
meet the students, give instrument demonstrations, talk about the concert and answer questions from the students. Please encourage your students to be inquisitive—we love answering
questions about what we do and the music we perform!
The materials in this booklet are assembled by a team that includes our KWS Educator in
Residence, Nancy Kidd, and our Education Department staff. Please contact me with any
feedback.
Thank you, and enjoy the program!
Christopher Sharpe
Director of Education and Community Programs
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
csharpe@kwsymphony.on.ca
519.745.4711 ext. 276
KWS Education Concerts
What Can Music Do?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 10:30 AM— Centre In The Square
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 10:30 AM— Centre In The Square
Leonard Bernstein (1918 1990)
"Mambo" from Overture to West Side Story
Track 1
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 1847)
Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream, op.61
Track 2
Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990) /
Hoe Down (string orchestra version), from Rodeo
Track 3
Wade Hemsworth (1916 - 2002)
Log Driver's Waltz
Track 4
Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
Suite No.2 from L'Arlésienne, Farandole
Track 5
John Philip Sousa (1854 - 1932)
Washington Post March
Track 6
Franz von Suppé (1819 - 1895)
Overture to Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry)
Track 7
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 1893)
Excerpt fromOverture 1812 (Ouverture solennelle), op.49
Track 8
Evan Mitchell, KWS Resident Conductor
Evan Mitchell is proving to be one of Canada's most innovative young conductors. He has recently finished his residency as
the Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony, where he led
the Vancouver Symphony in more than one hundred concerts over
a three year period. During this time he acted as a Canadian ambassador during an historic two week tour of China, Korea and
Macau, served as an official consultant to the Vancouver Olympic
Committee and Assistant Producer for the recording of the medal
ceremony national anthems, and brought symphonic music to over
one hundred and seventy five thousand audience members, many
of them children experiencing this music for the first time.
The winner of the Jean-Marie Beaudet award for orchestral
conducting, Mr. Mitchell is comfortable with a wide variety of musical styles. Equally at home with symphonic masterworks, opera,
contemporary repertoire and pops, Evan has drawn significant and
consistent praise with his attention to detail, musical vision and innovative programming.
As an educator, Evan has taught extensively with student musicians ranging from elementary to undergraduate level.
He is often called upon as an adjudicator and coach, and has been the guest principal conductor of the BC Music
Educator's Conference Honour Ensemble, comprised of the brightest young musicians in the province. He has guest
lectured to hundreds of undergraduates, and has enjoyed repeat engagements as guest speaker for elementary and
high school students.
In addition to his conducting endeavors, Evan is an award-winning percussionist both home and abroad. The 2005
winner of the Pioneer Leading Edge performance award, Evan has also won First Prize at the Werlde Musik Kontest
in Kerkrade, Netherlands and was a top prizewinner in the 2008 TD Canada Trust Elora Music Festival Young Performers competition. His performance has been described as "awe-inspiring" and "wizardly," and he is the second
person in history to have won the soloist competition with the Wilfrid Laurier Symphony two years in a row.
Evan studied conducting with Maestro Raffi Armenian, earning his Masters degree at the University of Toronto on full
scholarship. He has also studied with Helmuth Rilling in the inaugural Toronto Bach Festival, and has a continued
partnership of over seven years with the National Academy Orchestra, Canada's largest Orchestral Music festival,
where he holds the title of "Associate Mentor" to the orchestral conducting and percussive apprentices.
A popular collaborator, Evan has also performed with such artists as Judy Collins, Pink Martini and Colin James, and
has been a guest conductor at the Vancouver International Jazz festival. His immediate upcoming engagements include perfromances with the Vancouver Symphony, the Pacific SWE, the International Symphony and the Guelph
Symphony. He is deeply grateful to Bramwell Tovey, the Vancouver Symphony and the Canada Council for the Arts
for their unwavering support of his career.
At Last, Students Learn Some Sound Sense...
"What are the sounds you love - what sounds would you miss, if you couldn't hear them any more?"
The elementary students respond to the facilitator with the same answer given by thousands of other Canadian
students receiving the Sound Sense presentation - music! After a brief discussion about why they love music (the
beat, the words, perks them up, calms them down), the children volunteer other favourites: outdoor sounds such
as rain on the roof and leaves crunching beneath their feet, their pets' voices, talking with their friends - and their
parents saying "I love you."
Sound Sense / Oui à l'ouïe is The Hearing Foundation's signature public education program, which we deliver to
students in Grades 4 to 6 in many areas across Canada. Its interactive and fun format packs a powerful message: practice safe listening now to prevent permanent noise-induced hearing loss for the rest of your life!
The need for the hearing health program is urgent. Recent studies show an explosive increase in the number of
personal listening devices sold in Canada. Even more alarming - one in five teenagers has some degree of hearing loss, 30% more than the previous decade; noise damage is considered to be a leading cause of the increased
incidence. The studies also show that the majority of youth had never heard the prevention message, but would
respond positively to a prevention education program.
Despite the growing evidence that noise-induced hearing loss is on the rise, and that education programs do
make a difference in effectively promoting safe listening practices, elementary healthy living curricula do not yet
include hearing loss prevention. However, the program is s perfect complement to the Grade 4 Light & Sound
curriculum. To help us reach the youth whose listening practices put them at risk for permanent hearing loss, we
deliver Sound Sense with the generous financial support of a wide variety of corporations, foundations and private
donors,
The Sound Sense / Oui à l'ouïe classroom presentation is delivered by a trained facilitator who might be a postsecondary communications student, a supply teacher and/or a person with hearing loss. At the end of the presentation, the children understand the following key messages:
.
My sense of hearing is precious and connects me to people and the world around me.
.
My hearing can be damaged by listening to sounds that are too loud, and for too long!
.
Having a hearing loss will affect my quality of life and how I communicate with others.
.
I know how to protect my hearing from noise damage so I can enjoy music for a long time!
In addition to the interactive discussion, the students watch a partially-animated DVD and engage in a sound meter exercise that demonstrates just how loudly they are listing to their own MP3 players. They receive a takehome package of earplugs and a parent information sheet, and the teacher receives a poster and resource material.
Sound Sense has won several awards including the Promotions Award from the Canadian Association of Speech
Language Pathologists and Audiologists, and has been recognized by the Government of Canada as a Youth
Audiology Best Practice program.
At the end of the lively Sound Sense presentation, the facilitator points to the favourite sounds written on the
blackboard:
"These are the wonderful sounds you love; to enjoy them for all of your life, take care of your hearing. It's precious."
Note: in the 2011-2012 school year, Sound Sense is scheduled to be delivered to a limited number of schools
with Grade Four in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. For more information, contact ghannan@hearingfoundation.ca.
A Brief History of Symphony Orchestras
The history of the modern orchestra that we are familiar with today goes all the way back to
Ancient Egypt. The first orchestras were made up of small groups of musicians that gathered
for festivals, holidays or funerals. During the time of the Roman Empire, the government suppressed the musicians and informal ensembles were banned, but they reappeared after the
collapse of the Empire. It was not until the 11th century that families of instruments started to
appear with differences in tones and octaves.
True modern orchestras started in the late 16th century when composers started writing music
for instrumental groups. In the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy the households of nobles had
musicians to provide music for dancing and the court, however with the emergence of the
theatre, particularly opera, in the early 17th century, music was increasingly written for groups
of players in combination, which is the origin of orchestral playing. Opera originated in Italy,
and Germany eagerly followed. Dresden, Munich and Hamburg successively built opera
houses. At the end of the 17th century opera flourished in England under Henry Purcell, and in
France under Lully, who with the collaboration of Molière also greatly raised the status of the
entertainments known as ballets, interspersed with instrumental and vocal music.
In the 17th century and early 18th century, instrumental groups were taken from all of the available talent. A composer such as Johann Sebastian Bach had control over almost all of the musical resources of a town, whereas Handel would hire the best musicians available. This
placed a premium on being able to rewrite music for whichever singers or musicians were best
suited for a performance—Handel produced different versions of the Messiah oratorio almost
every year.
As nobility began to build retreats away from towns, they began to hire musicians to form permanent ensembles. A composer would then have a fixed body of instrumentalists to work with.
At the same time, travelling virtuoso performers would write concerti that showed off their
skills, and they would travel from town to town, arranging concerts along the way. The aristocratic orchestras worked together over long periods, making it possible for ensemble playing to
improve with practice.
The invention of the piston and rotary valve led to improvements in woodwind and brass instruments. The orchestra expanded as more of these instruments were added to orchestras and
composers wrote for the increasing number of musicians. The orchestra size reached a peak
around the time of Wagner, who’s operas sometimes required 6 harps in the orchestra.
As the early 20th century dawned, symphony orchestras were larger, better funded, and better
trained than ever before; consequently, composers could compose larger and more ambitious
works. With the recording era beginning, the standard of performance reached a pinnacle. As
sound was added to silent film, the virtuoso orchestra became a key component of the establishment of motion pictures as mass-market entertainment.
The late 20th century saw a crisis of funding and support for orchestras. However, many orchestras flourish today and a large percentage of all music mp3 downloads are classical music.
The Instruments of the Orchestra
String family
Violin
Viola [vee-OH-lah]
Cello (violoncello) [CHEL-low]
Bass (double bass, contra bass) [rhymes
with “face’]
Woodwind family
Flute, Piccolo
Oboe, English horn
Clarinet, Bass clarinet
Bassoon, Contrabassoon
Saxophones
Brass family
Trumpet
Horn (French horn)
Trombone
Tuba
Keyboards and Harp
Celesta [cheh-LESS-tah]
Piano
Harpsichord
Organ
Synthesizer
Harp
Percussion family
Timpani (kettledrums) [TIM-pa-nee]
Snare drum
Bass drum
Cymbals
Tambourine
Triangle
Xylophone
Glockenspiel
Chimes
Marimba
Vibraphone (vibes)
plus other things to hit, scrape, and shake
Source: Naxos.ca
How to Listen to a Concert
There are lots of things to enjoy at a concert, lots of things to pay attention to. Your job is to be
affected by the music, but you can be affected by whatever most appeals to you, or by whatever grabs your interest. Here are a few choices for what to listen to. Choose whatever you
like, switch as often as you want, and feel free to add to the list.
Some things to enjoy in classical music
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
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
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Loudness and softness
Changes and transformations
Recognition of something heard earlier
Different speeds
Instrument sounds
Melodies
Rhythms
Patterns
Terrific performing
Ebb and flow of energy
Musical conversation
Moods and feelings
Memories that get triggered
Visual images that come to mind
What to Watch
A concert is an event for the ears, but there is plenty for the eyes, too. Watch the players and
feel their energy and intensity; watch what they do to make their instruments sound in different
ways. Watch as the music moves between players, or between groups of players. Watch the
way the conductor controls events, or how he or she gives control to the musicians.
Source: Naxos.ca
History of Classical Music
Medieval (c.1150 - c.1400)
This is the first period where we can begin to be fairly
certain as to how a great deal of the music which has
survived actually sounded. The earliest written secular
music dates from the 12th century troubadours (in the
form of virelais, estampies, ballades, etc.), but most notated manuscripts emanate from places of learning usually connected with the church, and therefore inevitably
have a religious basis.
Gregorian chant and plainsong which are monodic (i.e.
written as one musical line) gradually developed during
the 11th to 13th centuries into organum (i.e. two or
three lines moving simultaneously but independently,
therefore almost inadvertently representing the beginnings of harmony). Organum was, however, initially
rather stifled by rigid rules governing melody and
rhythm, which led ultimately to the so-called Ars Nova
period of the 14th century, principally represented by
the composers de Vitry, Machaut, and Landini.
History of Classical Music
Renaissance (c.1400 - c.1600)
The fifteenth century witnessed vastly increased freedoms, most particularly in terms of what is actually
perceived as 'harmony' and 'polyphony' (the simultaneous movement of two or three interrelated parts). Composers (although they were barely perceived as such)
were still almost entirely devoted to choral writing, and
the few instrumental compositions which have survived
often create the impression (in many cases entirely accurately) of being vocal works in disguise, but minus the
words.
There is obvious new delight in textural variety and
contrast, so that, for example, a particular section of
text might be enhanced by a vocal part dropping out
momentarily, only to return again at a special moment
of emphasis. The four most influential composers of the
fifteenth century were Dunstable, Ockeghem, Despres
and Dufay.
The second half of the 16th century witnessed the beginnings of the tradition which many music lovers readily associate with the normal feel of 'classical' music.
Gradually, composers moved away from the modal system of harmony which had predominated for over 300
years (and still sounds somewhat archaic to some modern ears), towards the organisation of their work into
major and minor scales, thereby imparting the strong
sensation of each piece having a definite tonal centre or 'key'.
This was also something of a golden period for choral composition as a seemingly
endless flow of a capella (unaccompanied) masses, motets, anthems, psalms and
madrigals flowed from the pens of the masters of the age. In addition, instrumental
music came into its own for the first time, especially keyboard music in the form of
fantasias, variations, and dance movements (galliards, pavanes etc.). Composers of
particular note include Dowland, Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, Frescobaldi, Palestrina, Victoria, Lassus, Alonso Lobo, Duarte Lobo, Cardoso and Gesualdo.
History of Classical Music
Baroque (c.1600 - c.1750)
During the Baroque period, the foundations were laid
for the following 300 or so years of musical expression:
the idea of the modern orchestra was born, along with
opera (including the overture, prelude, aria, recitative
and chorus), the concerto, sonata, and modern cantata.
The rather soft-grained viol string family of the Renaissance was gradually replaced by the bolder violin, viola
and cello, the harpsichord was invented, and important
advances were made in all instrumental groups.
Until about 1700, the old modes still exerted themselves
from time to time by colouring certain melodic lines or
chord progressions, but from the beginning of the 18th
century the modern harmonic system based upon the
major and minor scales was effectively pan-European.
Choral music no longer dominated, and as composers
turned more and more to writing idiomatic instrumental
works for ensembles of increasing colour and variety, so
'classical' music (as opposed to 'popular') gradually began to work its way into the very fabric of society, being
played outdoors at dinner parties or special functions
(e.g. Handel's Water Music), or as a spectacle in the form
of opera. On a purely domestic level, every wealthy lady
would have a spinet to play, and at meal-times the large
and rich houses would employ musicians to play what
was popularly called Tafelmusik in Germany, of which
Telemann was perhaps the most famous composer.
Of the many 17th century composers who paved the way for this popular explosion
of 'classical' music, the following were outstanding: Monteverdi, Corelli, Alessandro
Scarlatti, Schutz, Buxtehude, Purcell and Lully. Yet, the most popular composers of
the period, indeed those who seem to define by their very names the sound of Baroque music at its most colourful and sophisticated are Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel, Telemann, Rameau, François Couperin, Domenico Scarlatti, and Vivaldi, all of
them at their creative peak during the first half of the 18th century.
History of Classical Music
Classical (c.1750 - c.1830)
The Baroque era witnessed the creation of a number of
musical genres which would maintain a hold on composition for years to come, yet it was the Classical period
which saw the introduction of a form which has dominated instrumental composition to the present day: sonata form. With it came the development of the modern
concerto, symphony, sonata, trio and quartet to a new
peak of structural and expressive refinement. If Baroque
music is notable for its textural intricacy, then the Classical period is characterised by a near-obsession with
structural clarity.
The seeds of the Classical age were sown by a number
of composers whose names are now largely forgotten
such as Schobert and Honnauer (both Germans largely
active in Paris), as well as more historically respected
names, including Gluck, Boccherini and at least three of
Johann Sebastian Bach's sons: Carl Phillip Emmanuel,
Wilhelm Friedmann and Johann Christian (the so-called
'London' Bach). They were representative of a period
which is variously described as rococo or galante, the
former implying a gradual move away from the artifice
of the High Baroque, the latter an entirely novel style
based on symmetry and sensibility, which came to
dominate the music of the latter half of the 18th century through two composers of extraordinary significance: Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
History of Classical Music
Early Romantic (c.1830 - c.1860)
As the Classical period reached its zenith, it was becoming increasing clear (especially with the late works
of Beethoven and Schubert) that the amount and intensity of expression composers were seeking to achieve
was beginning to go beyond that which a Classically
sized/designed orchestra/piano could possibly encompass. The next period in musical history therefore found
composers attempting to balance the expressive and the
formal in music with a variety of approaches which
would have left composers of any previous age utterly
bewildered. As the musical map opened up, with nationalist schools beginning to emerge, it was the search
for originality and individuality of expression which began here that was to become such an over-riding obsession in the present century.
The Romantic era was the golden age of the virtuoso,
where the most fiendishly difficult music would be performed with nonchalant ease, and the most innocuous
theme in a composition would be developed at great
length for the enjoyment of the adoring audience. The
emotional range of music during this period was considerably widened, as was its harmonic vocabulary and
the range and number of instruments which might be
called upon to play it. Music often had a 'programme' or
story-line attached to it, sometimes of a tragic or despairing nature, occasionally representing such natural
phenomena as rivers or galloping horses. The next hundred years would find composers either embracing whole-heartedly the ideals of Romanticism, or in some way
reacting against them.
Of the early Romantic composers, two Nationalists deserve special mention, the Russian Glinka (of Russlan and Ludmilla fame) and the Bohemian Smetana (composer of
the popular symphonic poem Vltava or 'The Moldau'). However, the six leading composers of the age were undoubtedly Berlioz, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt
and Verdi.
History of Classical Music
Late Romantic (c.1860 - c.1920)
With the honourable exceptions of Brahms and Bruckner, composers of this period shared a general tendency
towards allowing their natural inspiration free rein, often pacing their compositions more in terms of their
emotional content and dramatic continuity rather than
organic structural growth. This was an era highlighted
by the extraordinarily rapid appearance of the national
schools, and the operatic supremacy of Verdi and Wagner. The eventual end of Romanticism came with the
fragmentation of this basic style, composers joining
'schools' of composition, each with a style that was in
vogue for a short period of time.
History of Classical Music
Post 'Great War' Years (c.1920 - Present)
The period since the Great War is undoubtedly the most
bewildering of all, as composers have pulled in various
apparently contradictory and opposing directions. Typical of the dilemma during the inter-war years, for example, were the Austrians, Webern and Lehar, the former was experimenting with the highly compressed and
advanced form known as 'serial structure', while simultaneously Lehar was still indulging in an operetta style
which would not have seemed out of place over half a
century beforehand.
So diverse are the styles adopted throughout the greater
part of the present century that only by experimentation
can listeners discover for themselves whether certain
composers are to their particular taste or not. However,
the following recordings serve as an excellent introduction and will certainly repay investigation:
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
“Mambo” From West Side Story
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #1
Mambo
“West Side Story” is
set in New York City
in the mid-1950s, the
musical explores the
rivalry between the
Jets and the Sharks,
two teenage street
gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The
members of the Sharks
from Puerto Rico are
taunted by the Jets, a
white working-class
group.
'Mambo' is one of the
most famous sections
from Bernstein’s musical, “West Side Story”,
which was inspired by
William Shakespeare's
play, Romeo and
Juliet.
COMPOSER
Leonard Bernstein
1918-1990
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein was an
author, a conductor, composer and as well as a concert pianist. Through the
recommendation of his music
teacher he was mentored to
being an assistant conductor
with the New York Philharmonic . On short notice he
was asked to substitute in for
an ailing Bruno Walter and
conduct the Philharmonic
Orchestra. The audience and
orchestra’s reaction made
him an instant success. Over
his long life he was a guest
conductor in every major
orchestra around the world.
According to The New York
Times, he was "one of the
most prodigiously talented
and successful musicians in
American history."
Terms:
Mambo:
Mambo from West Side Story
a rhythmic musical
form, of Caribbean
origin, in 4/4 syncopated time and
with a heavy accent on the second and fourth
beats.
References:
YouTube:
From the movie,
West Side Story,
here is Mambo.
Activity
1. Listen to “Mambo” (a dance) to feel the beat of the piece.
Is it a fast or slow dance? (fast)
Which part of the world do you think this dance might come from? (Cuba, Mexico)
Why? (syncopated; fast; energetic rhythms; lots of percussion; brass)
2. Place a steady beat (on your thighs) while listening.
3. Find the strongest beat, keep it on your thighs and snap the other beats.
Beat 1 is strong / beats 2 -3- 4 are softer.
4 thigh snap snap snap
thigh snap snap snap
4 b b b b
b b b b
X
x
4. Have half the class keep the above pattern while the other half claps this syncopated
rhythm. Switch!
Try it with percussion instruments (even homemade ones!)
l l l l l
Do this while listening to “Mambo.”
5. Watch the “Mambo” scene from West Side Story on YouTube. How is this dance the
same or different from the dances you do? Why?
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
Wedding March
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #2
Wedding March
Mendelssohn
wrote this section
of his music for “A
Midsummer
Night’s Dream”
just a few years
before his death.
The Overture he
wrote when he
was just 17 years
old.
Terms:
"Wedding March" in C major,
written in 1842, is one of the
best known of the pieces
from his suite of incidental
music to Shakespeare's play
“A Midsummer Night's
Dream”. It is one of the most
frequently used wedding
marches today. However, it
did not become popular at
weddings until it was selected by Victoria, The Princess Royal for her marriage
to Prince Frederick William
of Prussia on 25 January
1858.
The bride was the daughter
of Queen Victoria, who loved
Mendelssohn's music and
for whom Mendelssohn often
played while on his visits to
Britain.
COMPOSER
Felix Mendelssohn
1809-1847
Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn was a
German composer, pianist,
organist and conductor of
the early Romantic period
(see page 13). He was recognized early as a musical
prodigy, but his parents
were cautious and did not
seek to capitalize on his
abilities.
His creative originality has
now been recognized and
re-evaluated. He is now
among the most popular
composers of the Romantic
era.
Activity
Incidental Music:
Music composed to
accompany a play.
The practice dates
back to ritualistic
Greek drama, and it
is thus connected to
the use of music in
other kinds of ritual.
References:
YouTube:
“Mendelssohn’s
Wedding March”
brings up several
video performances of this famous piece,
1. Many brides and grooms use this famous wedding march as a recessional
after they have been married. Listen to this piece and see if you can discover
why.
2. A march is usually in 4/4 time. Find the beat with your hands on your thighs.
Now put the strongest beat (beat1) on your thighs and the other 3 beats (beats
2,3,4) on your shoulders.
4/4 x x x x │ x x x x
<
<
3. Try to march to the beat!
4. Can you conduct this march while you listen?? It is quite fast, so practice your
pattern.
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
Hoedown
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #3
Hoedown
Agnes de Mille,
world famous choreographer in the
1940’s, was given
considerable control for a new ballet about American
cowboy life. She
chose Aaron Copland as the composer after being
impressed by his
previous ballet,
Billy the Kid.
“Hoedown” is one of the
sections from the ballet,Rodeo, for which
Aaron Copland wrote the
music score. The ballet
was choreographed by
Agnes de Mille and premiered in 1942. The ballet consists of five sections: "Buckaroo Holiday", "Ranch House
Party", "Corral Nocturne", "Saturday Night
Waltz", and "HoeDown".
COMPOSER
Aaron Copland
1900-1990
Hoedown from Rodeo
Copland incorporated
several traditional folk
tunes, including
"Bonaparte’s Retreat",
"McLeod's Reel" and
"Gilderoy".
Aaron Copland was an
American classical composer, composition teacher,
writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own
and other American music.
He was instrumental in
forging a distinctly American style of composition,
and is often referred to as
"the Dean of American
Composers".
He is best known to the
public for his music to the
ballets Appalachian Spring,
Billy the Kid, Rodeo and his
Fanfare for the Common
Man.
Terms:
Hoedown:
a community
dancing party typically featuring folk
and square
dances accompanied by lively hillbilly tunes played
on the fiddle .
References:
YouTube:
“Copland’s Rodeo”
brings up several
video performances of this famous piece, many
with the ballet.
Activity
1. A “hoedown” is a jig-like folk dance. Listen to Copeland’s, “Hoedown” and imagine what action might be happening in this piece?
2. Choose and colour one of the pictures that you think best reflects the music.
(see next pages) Listen to “Hoedown” while you colour.
Why did you choose your picture?
3. Circle the words that best describe the music that you hear in “Hoedown.”
FAST
SOFT
VIOLINS
SMOOTH MELODY
BOUNCY
LOUD
NO PERCUSSION
JAGGED MELODY
TRUMPETS
ACCENTS
LOTS OF COLOURS
LOTS OF PERCUSSION
SLOW
Chorus
Chorus
Chorus
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
Log Driver’s Waltz
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #4
Log Driver’s Waltz
A famous Canadian folk song
made even more
famous by an NFB
cartoon from 1979
Many of Canada’s pioneers
worked as lumberjacks and
loggers. One way to transport the logs to sawmills
was to float them down a
body of water while staying
on top of a floating log
while "rolling" the log by
walking. Spiked boots
known as “caulks” or
“corks” were used for log
rolling and often worn by
lumberjacks.
Calixa lavallee
COMPOSER
Wade Hemsworth
1916-2002
Wade was a draftsman,
singer-songwriter, guitarist,
born in Brantford, Ont. He
graduated from the Ontario
College of Art in 1939.
Though he was introduced
to folk music as a boy in
Brantford, his interest was
stimulated by exposure to
the folksongs of Newfoundland
Activity
Terms:
Waltz:
A dance in triple
time performed by
a couple who as a
pair turn rhythmically around and
around as they
progress around
the dance floor
References:
National Film
Board:
One of the most
popular Canadian
film shorts by the
NFB is this one,
found HERE
1. Close you eyes and listen to “Log Driver’s Waltz.” Imagine that you are a lumberjack and you must balance yourself on the logs to guide them down the river. How
would you walk / balance?
2. Listen again and stand. Try and walk the first beat of every 3 while you “balance”
yourself on the logs.
This music is in 3 time like a “waltz” but it feels like it is in 1.
3. Lumberjacks developed their own work songs to coordinate the timing of the log rolling. Can you hear the fiddle?
Now listen again:
During the verses, step on only the first beat.
Sing the chorus and try to quickly step every beat while you roll the logs.
Don’t fall off!!
│
│
│ │
│
Step step step
Step
│
│
step step
4. Teach your students the chorus for the song so they can sing along in the concert.
The music is on the next page:
Chorus
For he goes birling down a-down the white water
That's where the log driver learns to step lightly
It's birling down, a-down white water
A log driver's waltz pleases girls completely.
Log Driver’s Waltz
Have your students learn the Chorus (between the 2 stars) so they can sing along!
Chorus
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
Farandole
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #5
Farandole
The music begins
quietly and builds
to a climax as one
of the characters
in the play,
Frédéri, goes into
a jealous rage.
Terms:
Farandole:
A Farandole is a
jig-like dance
popular in France.
The farandole bears
similarities to the
gavotte, jig, and tarantella.
COMPOSER
Georges Bizet
1838-1875
Farandole was specifically
written for the play L'Arlesienne (The Woman From
Arles). This magnificent
piece has a national folk
song sound to it. Bizet
wrote several folk-like
themes for the music but
also incorporated three existing tunes from a folkmusic collection published
in 1864.
Bizet’s music received poor
reviews after its premiere
but it has survived and
flourished in a newer version he created.
Bizet was a French composer in the Romantic Period (see page 15) as well
as a wonderful pianist. He
was born in Paris and had a
music history through his
family as his father excelled
in voice and was a composer, as well as his mother
was a pianist.
Georges Bizet
Activity
1. As you listen to the beginning of Bizet’s work, try to listen for the 2 contrasting themes.
(melodies)
2. Using the accompanying work sheet, draw or paint 2 pictures, each depicting characters,
colours or actions that are represented in these 2 themes. Share your drawings with a friend
and explain what you heard.
3. One theme is a MARCH : (can you sing it with the recording?)
References:
YouTube:
“Farandole” brings
up several video
performance of
this famous piece.
Bizet was said to be Mozart's clone as he could
play and read music at the
age of four. At age seventeen, he composed many
famous songs and his musical dream took off from
there.
the other theme a FARANDOLE (dance):
On chart paper, CHOOSE from the following words what you hear in the music and write them
in the appropriate columns. (WORDS CAN BE REPEATED MORE THAN ONCE) Can you hear
when both themes come together?
SLOW, ACCENTED, MINOR (sad,) MAJOR( happy), FAST, ACCENTED, FLUTE, PICCOLO, LIGHT, CRESCENDO, BASS DRUM, BRASS, STRONG, CANON, STRINGS,
CYMBALS, FULL ORCHESTRA, STACCATO
MARCH THEME
BOTH THEMES
FARANDOLE THEME
MARCH
FARANDOLE
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
Washington Post March
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #6
Washington Post
March
In 1889 owners of
The Washington
Post newspaper
requested that John
Philip Sousa, the
leader of the United
States Marine
Corps Band, compose a march for
the newspaper's
essay contest
awards ceremony.
"The Washington Post" is
a march composed by
John Philip Sousa in 1889.
Since then, it has remained
as one of his most popular
marches throughout the
United States and many
countries abroad.
"The Washington Post
March" was introduced at a
ceremony on June 15,
1889, and immediately became quite popular. It led
to a British journalist dubbing Sousa "The March
King." Sousa is honored in
The Washington Post
building for his contribution
to the newspaper and his
country.
COMPOSER
John Philip Sousa
1854-1932
John Philip Sousa was an
American composer and
conductor of the late Romantic era of the Victorian
era and Edwardian era (see
page 14).
John Philip Sousa
He was known particularly
for American military and
patriotic marches. Because
of his mastery of march
composition, he is known
as "The March King" or the
"American March King"
Terms:
Activity
March:
a piece of music
with a strong regular rhythm which in
origin was expressly written for
marching to and
most frequently
performed by a military band
References:
YouTube: Washington Post March
brings up several
video performances
by marching bands
and orchestras.
1. Listen to The Washington Post March.
Patsch the beat on your thighs.
Now put the strongest beat on your thighs and the weaker one on your shoulders.
X x
│ X
x
>
>
2. Where have you heard marches like this played? parades, sports games
March around the room to the music, keeping a steady beat.
Try to keep the first beat stronger than the second.
How does this march make you feel? proud, happy, strong, energetic
Which instruments are important? Why?
Can you conduct this march? Try a 2 beat pattern.
Loud = big pattern
Soft = small pattern
Accents = strong pattern Legato = smooth pattern
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
Light Calvary Overture
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #7
Light Cavalry
Overture by von
Suppé
Opening with a
solo trumpet call,
Suppé's overture
immediately suggests a military
tale.
The Light Cavalry Overture is the overture to
Franz von Suppé’s operetta Light Cavalry.
COMPOSER
Franz von Suppé
1819-1895
Franz von Suppé or Francesco Suppé Demelli was
an Austrian composer of
‘light operas’ who was born
in what is now Croatia.
Although the opera is
rarely performed or recorded, the overture is one
of Suppé's most popular
compositions.
Many orchestras regularly
perform the overture and
its main theme has been
quoted numerous times by
musicians, cartoons, TV
and film.
A composer and conductor
of the Romantic period (see
page 14), he is notable for
his four dozen operettas.
Franz von Suppé
Terms:
Light Opera:
a short, amusing
musical play; also
referred to as an
operetta
References:
YouTube: “Light
Cavalry Overture”
brings up several
video performance
of this famous
piece.
Activity
1. Close your eyes and listen to the “Light Calvary Overture.” Music can
often tell a story. Write a short story while you listen to this music. Share it
with a friend.
2. There are different moods in this music. What tools does von Suppe use
to create different moods in this music? On chart paper, list the techniques
that are used:
variety of instruments (TIMBRE)
louds and softs
(DYNAMICS)
variety of speeds
(TEMPO)
(ARTICULATION)
smooth and jumpy
3. Using the pictures provided (on the next page) as a guide to the
“chapters” in this music, list the instruments and techniques that are used to
make each section come alive!
1.
2.
_
3.
4.
5.
KWS School Concerts
What Can Music Do?
KWS, Evan Mitchell
1812 Overture
Evan Mitchell
CD Track #8
The overture is best
known for its climactic volley of cannon
fire, ringing chimes,
and brass fanfare
finale.
Tchaikovsky got inspiration
for his 1812 Overture when
he slipped and hit his head
on some ice in New York.
He stated that "the melody
just came to him after the
blackout."
COMPOSER
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1840-1893
Tchaikovsky was a Russian
composer of the Romantic
era. (see page 14)
He wrote the piece to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against
Napoleon's advancing
Grande Armée at the Battle
of Borodino in 1812 .
His wide-ranging output
includes symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental,
chamber music and songs.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Terms:
Overture:
(from the French
ouverture, meaning
opening) in music is
the instrumental introduction to a dramatic, choral or, occasionally, instrumental composition
He wrote some of the most
popular concert and theatrical music in the classical
repertoire, including the
ballets Swan Lake, The
Sleeping Beauty and The
Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, his last three numbered symphonies, and the
opera Eugene Onegin.
Napolean leads the
retreat out of
Russia, 1812
Activity
References:
YouTube: “1812
Overture” brings up
several video performance of this famous piece.
1. Music is often composed for celebrations. The 1812 Overture was composed
to celebrate a war victory. Listen to this piece and discuss why it is appropriate
for victorious celebrations.
(energetic; colourful instrumentation (full orchestra); lots of percussion; strong accents)
2. The 1812 Overture uses instruments from every FAMILY OF INSTRUMENTS in the orchestra. See if you can match the instrument to its family while
you listen to the 1812 Overture. (see next page for worksheet)
Name __________________________________________________________
Date __________________________
Families of Instruments
KWS Education and Community Programs
Cornerstone KWS Education Programs
Pathways
STAFF
Chris Sharpe
Barbara Kaplanek
Evan Mitchell
Nancy Kidd
YOP Conductors:
Evan Mitchell
Youth Orchestra
Julie Baumgartel,
Youth Sinfonia
Angela Cox-Daly,
Youth Strings
Allene Chomyn,
Preludium Strings
Trevor Wagler,
Valhalla Brass
PATHWAYS
This program, based on a
model from Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood,
adds a music component
to the successful Pathways
to Education after-school
program. The KWS will
offer several components
to the participating high
school students: guest
passes to select KWS concerts; music appreciation
workshops; and music instrument and vocal lessons
– all offered free of charge.
This is an interest-based
mentoring program offered
to high school students in 2
underserved Kitchener
neighbourhoods.
YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Music students ages 5
through 23 can participate
in the Kitchener-Waterloo
Symphony Youth Orchestra
Program which is now comprised of five ensembles:
Preludium Strings, Youth
Strings, Youth Sinfonia,
Valhalla Brass and the senior Youth Orchestra.
This nationally acclaimed
program provides a training
ground for future generations of musicians.
Through its programs, students develop their instrument technique, communication, team work, leadership and performance skills.
SCHOOLS CONCERTS
Each season, students in
grades 1 – 3 and 4 – 6
come to the Centre in the
Square to see an hour-long,
full orchestra educational
concert, free of charge. The
content of each concert has
been developed to tie into
the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum. A set of
6 unique concerts are now
offered on a 3-year cycle so
that students have an opportunity to see a unique
concert each year. The
KWS provides supplementary materials for teachers
as well as in-classroom visits by musicians before and
after they attend the concert.
Quote:
There's a clear correlation between
mathematics performance and
music – spatial
skills, verbal skills,
reading skills.
Every study you
read indicates
strong, strong connections between
music and one's
performance in life.
Jeff Melanson
A Week in the Life of Barb, Education Coordinator
Barbara Kaplanek coordinates
the following KWS programs:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Youth Orchestra
Schools Concert Program
Symphony@Work
Family Concerts
Kinderconcerts
Music in the community
KWS Education Programs—What We Do
Kinderconcert Series
These programs for children ages 3 months to 4 years are developed and presented by KWS musicians at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts. New this season: Music For Young Children offers pre-concert classes. This series is repeated at River Run Centre in Guelph.
School Concerts
Each season, elementary school students in grades 1 – 3 and 4 – 6 come to the Centre in the Square to see an hour-long, full orchestra educational concert, free of charge. The content of each concert has been developed by our Educator in Residence to tie into the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum. A set of 6 unique concerts are now offered on a 3-year cycle for grades 1 to 3 and grades 4 to 6 so that students have an opportunity to see a unique concert each year. The KWS provides supplementary materials for teachers as well as inclassroom visits by musicians before and after the concert experience.
Youth Orchestra Program (YOP)
Music students ages 5 up through 23 can participate in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra Program which is now comprised
of five ensembles: Preludium Strings, Youth Strings, Youth Sinfonia, Valhalla Brass and the senior Youth Orchestra. Each ensemble is led
by a professional musician/conductor. This nationally acclaimed program provides a training ground for future generations of musicians.
Through its programs, students develop their instrument technique, communication, team work, leadership and performance skills. There
are four YOP concerts at the Centre in the Square and Conrad Centre per season, side by side opportunities with the KWS and Wilfrid
Laurier University Symphony Orchestra, and a range of outreach and education concerts around the Region. Touring and exchange opportunities are offered as they arise.
Family Series
The Family Series is an engaging concert experience designed for ages 4 – 12. Conductor and host, John Morris Russell, has designed this
set of 3 concerts to entertain and illuminate. Each concert includes a wide range of activities and explorations in the KW Art Gallery and Centre in the Square lobbies prior to the start of each concert.
Generations
The Generations Series tells the story behind the music, as Music Director Edwin Outwater leads the orchestra on an exploration of the masterpieces of classical music. This series targets ages 10 and up in four Sunday afternoon concerts.
Symphony @ Work
This program is offered to students in grades in 7 & 8. Students attend a brief portion of a KWS rehearsal and then go on a guided tour to
meet the people behind the scenes. From learning about the conductor, the marketing director to learning what a stage crew does, this program gives students a glimpse of the wide range of distinct careers under one roof.
Design a Concert
This program gives selected high school students an opportunity to work under the mentorship of KWS staff to develop and run their own
KWS concert. Students gain an understanding of all aspects of programming, marketing, sponsorship and stage production, with lots of
hands-on practical experience. This teaches general project management as well as specific skills required to launch any event.
Unlocking the Music (Preludes)
The KWS provides informative presentations that tie into the music on KWS concerts and classical music appreciation in general. These
presentations will be in a variety of formats and take place in various locations in the region.
High School Music Programs Partnership
Edwin Outwater and Evan Mitchell make a point of visiting area high schools to work with music students and their teachers. KWS musicians
also participate in mentoring programs by rehearsing with high school and university orchestras.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Pathways to Education
This program, based on a model from Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood, adds a music component to the successful Pathways to Education after-school program. The KWS will offer several components to the participating high school students: guest passes to select KWS
concerts; music appreciation workshops; and music instrument and vocal lessons – all offered free of charge. This is an interest-based mentoring program offered to high school students in 2 underserved Kitchener neighbourhoods.
Sunnydale Community Centre
The Sunnydale Community Association has provided programs to an underserved neighbourhood in Waterloo since 1997. The KWS has
been invited to send small groups of musicians to perform outdoors during food distribution, or larger concerts in a nearby school. In addition,
groups from this community will be invited to see selected KWS concerts and take guided tours of the Conrad Centre during the season.