Teacher’s Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert Series
“Sounds Like Art: Painting, Poetry and Performance”
Materials created by
The Center for Excellence in Music Education
University of Southern Maine, School of Music
©January 2010
The Center for Excellence in Music Education was
established within the School of Music at the
University of Southern Maine in 2009. Under
the leadership of Dr. Michele Kaschub and Dr.
Douglas Owens, the Center draws together
pre-service and in-service music educators for
the creation of teaching materials and
resources for PK-12 classroom and ensemble
instruction. The Center for Excellence in Music Education is
delighted to enter into partnership with the
Portland Symphony Orchestra and to
contribute to the creation of the Teacher’s
Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s
2010 Youth Concert Series “Sounds Like Art:
Painting, Poetry and Performance”
For additional information about CEME, contact Dr.
Michele Kaschub at [email protected]
or phone 207-780-5587
EXPANDING MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT
The activities of the lesson are designed to develop the three capacities
foundational in all listening: attention, impressivity and aural craftsmanship.
1. All listeners must chose to pay “attention” to the music. The questions that
teachers use to guide children before they are asked to listen help students
focus their attention of particular aspects of the music.
2. All listeners are impacted by the music that they hear. This impact is called
“impressivity”. The music presses inward as we hear and feel sound.
Questions that ask students to think about how music “feels” and why
composers shape music as they do help children develop their awareness of
how music impacts their lives.
3. While all listeners hear music, attentive listeners also pay attention to
particular features of the music. The brain then uses such observations to
make connections and attribute meaning to the way the music is heard and
felt. The process of hearing features and recognizing relationships between
features is called “aural craftsmanship”. Teacher can help students develop
control over this natural process by asking questions that require students to
focus their attention particular musical events or on the ways that a
composer crafts sounds.
Teacher’s Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert Series
“Sounds Like Art: Painting, Poetry and Performance”
Materials created by
The Center for Excellence in Music Education
University of Southern Maine, School of Music
©January 2010
PURPOSE
This lesson is designed for classroom instruction with students who are able to
identify the instruments of the orchestra and who can verbally describe the
evolving music textures that they hear.
MATERIALS
Teachers and students will need audio recording of “March” from Superman as
scored by John Williams. Students will need a comic book listening map
(included in this packet) and colored pencils or markers.
LEARNING GOAL
At the completion of this lesson students will be able to identify how composers
can use layers of musical sounds to represent different types of motion.
Notes:
Layer one – ground
Layer two – character (thing that is flying – Superman!)
Layer three – height (air)
Teacher’s Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert Series
“Sounds Like Art: Painting, Poetry and Performance”
Materials created by
The Center for Excellence in Music Education
University of Southern Maine, School of Music
©January 2010
EARS-ON LISTENING: TEACHER PREPARATION
The Williams’ “March” from Superman can be divided into eight musical events:
0:00-0:24 – This is a short fanfare built on a simple “do-sol” call
representing Superman’s heroic nature.
0:24-0:44 – Establishes both the concept of the physical ground as well as
the expectation of flight. Superman’s first musical leap into the air
occurs at 0:34.
0:45-1:17 – This section begins with Superman’s motive and the character
in flight. Melodies representing flight begin to emerge
1:18-2:08 - Trumpet, french horns and upper strings play smooth melodies
suggesting that Superman is gliding. We also hear short swirling
figures from the upper woodwinds along with high, bright
percussion. These instruments and musical figures are used to
suggest both the air and the “magic” of flying.
2:08-2:23 – Superman’s motive repeats (same as 0:45-1:17)
2:23-2:60 – The Lois Lane theme, a.k.a. “Can You Read My Mind” theme
is presented. This theme has the same layers (ground, character, and
height) as the flying theme. Lois’s theme represents Superman’s
emotional connection to Clark Kent.
2:60-3:52 – Superman’s motive repeats (similar to 0:45-1:17, but this time
with more percussion, more insistent and with more forward motion
which propels us to…)
3:52-end – Coda. We hear the different sections of the orchestra
present snippets of ideas drawn from various points in the March.
The orchestra builds, quiets, and builds to strong and heroic finish.
Teacher’s Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert Series
“Sounds Like Art: Painting, Poetry and Performance”
Materials created by
The Center for Excellence in Music Education
University of Southern Maine, School of Music
©January 2010
EARS-ON LISTENING: STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Step 1: Focus attention on music (goal: identification). What instruments are
playing at the beginning of this piece? Are they playing mostly high notes
of mostly low notes? Play 0:00-0:44. Collect responses verbally. Note
exception at 0:34 when trumpets enter with a bright, upward figure.
Distribute comic strip-styled listening maps. Ask the students to draw “how
the music moves” in the box captioned “Will a hero come?”. See teacher
model for recording time/box relationship.
Step 2: Narrowing focus (goal: identification). Let’s listen to a little more of this
piece. Does anyone recognize the theme? Play 0:44-1:01. Collect responses
verbally.
Step 3: Seeking details (goal: comparison). Let’s listen to that section again. We
described the first section we listened to as being mostly “low pitched”. Is
the Superman melody that we just heard high pitched or low pitched? Play
0:44-0:52. Take a show of hands. How many listeners think the melody is
most low pitched? High pitched?
Ask the students to draw a picture of Superman leaping into the air and the
instrument that signals his leap (trumpet) in the “I think I can fly” box.
Teacher’s Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert Series
“Sounds Like Art: Painting, Poetry and Performance”
Materials created by
The Center for Excellence in Music Education
University of Southern Maine, School of Music
©January 2010
EARS-ON LISTENING: STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Step 4: Specific details (goals: identification and comparison). As we listen to
that section of music, we can clearly hear the Superman theme, but I think
there lower and higher sounds also being played. Let’s listen again and try
to figure out what is happening. If you think that you can hear a higher or
lower part being played with the Superman theme, try to remember the
name of one or two instruments that play that part. Play 0:44-2:08. Collect
response verbally.
Ask students to draw “how the music moves” in the “It’s a bird. It’s a plane”
box in the center of the comic strip.
Step 5: Synthesis (goals: understanding craftsmanship and making meaning).
Through discussion lead the students to consider that Superman begins on
the ground, leaps, takes flight, and then soars around exploring his new
ability. Introduce the idea that lower instruments represent the ground
(passing slowly by as Superman flies overhead), the middle instruments
playing smooth melodies represent Superman as he flies, and that the higher
woodwinds, strings and percussions playing quick, swirling figures are like
the air passing by. They represent height – being up in the clouds.
Step 6: Mini-assessment: Lois Lane theme “Can You Read My Mind” unfolds
from 2:23-2:60. Ask students to identify the low, medium and upper layers
of musical ideas. Ask the students to draw in the “Oh Lois” box one lowpitched instrument, one medium-pitched instrument and one high-pitched
instrument heard in this section. *Note: This could lead to a lesson focused
on the Lois Lane theme, or you may wish to simply play that song (which is
readily available on iTunes/YouTube) for your students.
Teacher’s Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert Series
“Sounds Like Art: Painting, Poetry and Performance”
Materials created by
The Center for Excellence in Music Education
University of Southern Maine, School of Music
©January 2010
EARS-ON LISTENING: STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Step 7: Synthesis and application: Listen to the final section of the work. Ask the
students to draw a picture that represents what they hear. (They may need to
hear the excerpt more than once to have sufficient time to listen/draw.) Ask
the students to describe what they heard and what they drew. Have they
heard any of these musical ideas before? How does this piece end – fade
out or big finish? Why?
Teacher’s Guide for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concert Series
“Sounds Like Art: Painting, Poetry and Performance”
Materials created by
The Center for Excellence in Music Education
University of Southern Maine, School of Music
©January 2010
Will a hero come?
I think I
can fly..
It's a
bird.
It's a
plane.
Oh
Lois!
It's superman!!!