“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy;
but most importantly music, for in the patterns of music
and all the arts are the keys to learning.”
PLATO
“Training attention is the start of all education.”
PETER F. DRUCKER
Educator, author, management consultant
& Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
2015 - 2016
Teacher’s Guide and Lesson Plans:
Music in the Schools/
Young People’s Concerts,
Grades 3 - 8
TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S
EDUCATION PROGRAMS, PROUD RECIPIENTS OF
2014
Tucson Pima Arts Council (TPAC) Arts Education Program “Lumie” Award
for demonstrating outstanding leadership, innovation, and creativity in
arts education programing.
2007
“Best Practice” recognition by Carnegie Mellon University and Americans for
the Arts Study. TSO’s Education Programs were chosen as one of the ten
arts and education institutions from across the nation to be given this honor.
2006
National Governor’s Association Distinguished Service to State
Government Award Nomination for the TSO’s Education Programs.
2004
Arizona Governor’s Arts Award in recognition of TSO’s significant
community impact. The organization’s 75 year history, service to
rural communities, and strong commitment to education were cited
in letters of nomination from state, local, and national leaders.
2003
American Symphony Orchestra League Award for Excellence in
Orchestra Education funded by Bank of America, signifying
the highest standards, depth of purpose, and remarkable
accomplishment in both artistic and educational areas.
“MAKING MUSIC MINE” was developed by Shawn Campbell,
Tucson Symphony Orchestra Vice President of Artistic Engagement & Education.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TEACHER’S GUIDE
What is “Making Music Mine?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Let’s Get Started! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
What We Hear from Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Classroom Tools & Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
General Teaching Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
“Making Music Mine” Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Components of “Making Music Mine” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Open-Ended Questioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LESSON PLANS: MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS &
YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERTS, GRADES 3 – 8
This Year’s Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Composers & Their Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35-38
Arizona Arts Standards (Music) Articulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39-40
Young People’s Concert Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Preparing for the Ensemble Visits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lesson Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-33
WHAT IS “MAKING MUSIC MINE?”
“MAKING MUSIC MINE” is primarily designed for the general classroom teacher,
although music educators will also find many useful tools and activities in this packet.
The “Making Music Mine” curriculum uses a non-technical music vocabulary, which when
combined with ensemble and/or orchestra concerts creates a multi-faceted education
program. These combined activities are designed for use throughout the year, infusing
music learning into the classroom and teaching students life-long skills with the aid of
classical music.
“MAKING MUSIC MINE” IS:
• a critical thinking approach to learning.
• inquiry based.
• open ended.
• sequential.
• a tool for promoting active learning.
• accessible to all teachers and students.
• a connection to other areas of the academic curriculum.
• a curriculum that uses imaginative questions, enjoyable activities, and specific
guided projects to engage and focus the learner.
• an enrichment curriculum encouraging development of the whole child.
And…there are NO wrong answers, provided students explain what they think and why.
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
LET’S GET STARTED!
Included in this Education Programs Packet are a Teacher’s Guide and this year’s Lesson
Plans. In addition to this packet, your curriculum folder includes an Activity Card Booklet,
a music preview CD, and “Meet the Instruments of the Orchestra” packet.
• Use the instrument cards, CD, Musicians Packet and the “Preparing for the
Ensemble Visits” page to get ready for both the ensemble visits and the orchestra
concert performance in the spring.
• Use the Lesson Plans, preview CD, and Activity Card Booklet for preparation and
follow-up (reflections) for the Young People’s Concert.
• “Making Music Mine” is designed to engage three ways of thinking, shown in the
color-coded activity cards, which address learning through multiple intelligences.
• When the Activity Card Booklet is open, you will notice that the “top” card contains the activity description and lists the standards addressed by the
activity as well as the tools needed for the activity; the “bottom” card contains the
instructions for the activity.
• The “MMM” curriculum is based on repeated listenings to the individual pieces
of music so that students can internalize the music and discover deeper layers of
meaning; this also allows students to develop a sense of ownership of the music.
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
2
WHAT WE HEAR FROM TEACHERS
“What an awesome experience. The ‘pre-teach’ materials were great and totally age
appropriate. Thank you for your time and energy!”
“I think this is great for our entire student population, especially ELL students. They can
take risks and not be afraid to participate. I can also see this fitting in with our balanced
literacy. Your inquiry based learning fits in well with our reading program.”
“Making Music Mine...”
• improves students’ ability to focus.
• improves students’ self-confidence.
• develops ownership of music in students (music recognition, creating opinions
about the piece, knowing the piece years later, etc.)
• helps connect students to other areas of curriculum.
• develops social constructivism (e.g. “Yeah! That’s what I meant!”).
• encourages and allows risk taking for all, by inviting students to talk about their
own thoughts and creations.
• develops gross motor skills through movement.
• develops fine motor skills through drawing.
• works well with students who have English as their second language.
• transforms the classroom!
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
CLASSROOM TOOLS & MATERIALS
• Activity Card Booklet
• Lesson Plans
• Music in the Schools/Young People’s Concerts Preview CD and a CD player
• A website like www.wordle.net to create word clouds
• White paper
• One set of crayons or markers of the same variety of colors for each student
• Crepe paper streamers, cloth ribbon or cloth streamers (1 yard long x 2” wide) in
same colors as markers/crayons – one set for each student
o ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS: colored construction paper strips or other
colored props
• Any one of the following:
o Tennis ball
o Large rubber ball
o 2 wooden craft sticks
o 2 paper plates
• Classroom instruments (optional)
GENERAL TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
• Look for opportunities to connect these activities to the other subjects you
are studying. For example: connect colors in music to colors in paintings,
architecture, poetry, nature, literature, etc.
• As the teacher, we recognize you are the expert in judging the appropriate
difficulty of lessons for your students. We encourage you to modify a lesson
accordingly.
• When the activity calls for movement, remember that in addition to body
movement, you may use tennis balls, large rubber balls, streamers, and other
props such as wooden craft sticks or paper plates.
o Members of your class will respond differently to these different tools. Some
students may feel more comfortable with movement if they are holding a
prop rather than just moving their bodies. The prop gives them a “cushion”
between movement and their “self.”
o We recognize that colored streamers take extra effort to create, but the benefit
gained from streamers is the ability to combine movement with color and
emotion.
We invite you to share with us your own ideas and alternatives.
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
4
“MAKING MUSIC MINE” OBJECTIVES
“Making Music Mine” addresses the State of Arizona Arts Standards, specifically
music, as well as many other curricular state standards. See pages 35-36 for
examples of the state standards met by using Making Music Mine.
General Education Objectives
To promote the following life skills:
• development of literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and
viewing.
• ability to explain one’s own opinion.
• ability to think “outside the box.”
• kinesthetic, aural, and visual learning and expression.
• development of problem-solving skills.
• discovery through open-ended discussions.
• cooperative learning (working well with others) and socialization.
• acceptance and tolerance of others’ thoughts and ideas.
General Music Objectives
To promote music learning through the development of:
• musical understandings unique to each child.
• creativity and self-expression.
• familiarity with classical music.
• original, artistic products.
• connections between music and other areas of the curriculum.
• an understanding of the building blocks of music.
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
COMPONENTS OF
“MAKING MUSIC MINE”
By addressing the curriculum through three different intelligences, or ways of thinking,
students with varied learning styles can all succeed. Therefore, “Making Music Mine” is
built with three strands.
Building the Framework
GOAL: to engage students in active (music) listening to explore and develop:
• fundamental thinking.
• an understanding of sounds and patterns, lines and shapes, colors, movement,
energy, and focus in music.
• connections between music and other subjects.
• insight into the value of structure and organization.
• strong listening and observation skills.
• an understanding of complex subjects using music.
Communicating the Message
GOAL: to engage students in active (music) listening to explore and develop:
• original thinking.
• communication skills by writing, speaking, and creating art through the
examination of music.
• an understanding of ideas, images, stories, and personal perspective through
music.
• connections between music and other areas of study.
Experiencing Emotion in Music
GOAL: to engage students in active (music) listening to explore and develop:
• emotional thinking.
• how emotion can be used constructively.
• abstract, complex elements.
• introspective thinking.
• a willingness to accept the emotions and feelings of others.
• the ability to verbalize emotions.
• connections between music and other subjects of study.
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
6
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONING
In order to make these lessons lively and productive, use open-ended questioning to engage
students and encourage discussions throughout the year. Open-ended questioning will also
encourage critical thinking and reflection on the part of your students. So:
• give students time to come up with the answers.
• use wait-time (some silence is fine).
• model an attitude of acceptance and tolerance.
Try to encourage students to think “below the surface” and share more information by using
the following phrases:
• What did you hear in the music that made you think that?
• Tell me more about why you said/think (etc.) ___________.
• Great! Interesting! Can you tell me/us more about that?
• Can you add more details about ___________________?
• What do you mean by ___________________________?
• Does that connect to ____________________________?
• What do you think the composer or musicians did to give you that idea?
Rephrasing a student’s response/answer is a great way to validate a student’s comments and
confirm your own understanding of what s/he said.
Example: “I heard Brad say that this music reminds him of _____________.
Brad, is that what you said/meant?”
A dialogue between teacher and student using open-ended questions might sound something
like this:
Teacher: What in the music inspired you to draw your line or shape drawing as you did?
Student: The music was high and kind of squiggly and exciting.
Teacher: Can you use more descriptive words for the music in addition to high, squiggly,
and exciting?
Student: It was strong/light/lively.
Teacher: What would be strong/light/lively that the music might be representing?
Student: A king/sunshine/a band.
Teacher: If you could put this music any place in your life, where would you put it?
Student: In class before a math test/on a gloomy day/at the breakfast table.
Teacher: Tell us what made you decide to put the music there.
Student: It would give me courage! / It would brighten my mood. / It would wake me up
in the morning.
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
TABLE OF CONTENTS: LESSON PLANS
Music in the Schools & Young People’s Concerts: Grades 3-8
This Year’s Theme.......................................................................................................9
Young People’s Concert Program..............................................................................10
Preparing for the Ensemble Visits...............................................................................11
Getting Started Lesson
Opening Up Your Ears!.........................................................................................12
Building the Framework Lessons
Introduction to Finding Structure in Music..........................................................13
Music Map for “The Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells....................................14
Distinctive Musical Patterns.................................................................................15
Finding Structure in Music...................................................................................16
Finding the Musical Glue......................................................................................17
Exploring Musical Energy....................................................................................18
Music Tool Box Worksheet..................................................................................20
Can You Hear a Color?.........................................................................................21
Communicating the Message Lessons
Focus on Character...............................................................................................22
Focus on Action ...................................................................................................23
Musical Conversation...........................................................................................24
Inspired by Our Natural Environment..................................................................25
Music Paints a Picture..........................................................................................27
Meet the Young Composer...................................................................................28
Experiencing Emotion in Music Lessons
Musical Persuasion...............................................................................................29
Reflect Yourself! Creating Playlists......................................................................30
Playlist Templates.................................................................................................32
Transforming the Lives of Others.........................................................................33
Composers & Their Works..........................................................................................35
Arizona Arts Standards (Music) Articulation.............................................................39
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE 8
YEAR’S THEME
“Music Speaks…Without Saying a Word”
General Classroom Teachers: In the lessons and activity cards,
you will find ways to connect with and explore areas of your daily
curriculum, enhancing your classroom work while preparing
everyone for the concerts!
The TSO’s 2015-2016 Music in the Schools and Young People’s Concerts explore the
communicative and narrative qualities of music. We know that music accompanies words in
a song, but it also has the ability to communicate ideas, messages and entire stories without
using any words at all. Composers and musicians use their instruments and musical sound
to tell stories, making music one of the most popular and powerful elements in the world.
How does sound communicate without words? These lessons and activities will take you
and your students step by step through activities, focusing on music elements and different
pieces of music, to uncover how music creates a message, sense of place, mood or emotion,
character, development and action. When you look “inside” that music, you can learn much
about how it works.
These activities will help you and your students discover the framework of music, the
ability music has to communicate ideas, and the power music has to touch, change, and
create emotion in the listener.
AND, the lessons tie to other areas of the general curriculum, all the while addressing
ARIZONA’S COLLEGE & CAREER READY and STATE ARTS STANDARDS. In
each lesson plan, each piece of music is a text. Through repeated listening, students will
become close listeners. As they work through different activities, they will develop the
skill of finding facts and details about the music. This will help them interpret meaning and
develop opinions to support their communication while discussing and writing about the
music.
Join the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and its ensembles in this exploration of “Music
Speaks…Without Saying a Word.”
We look forward to performing for you!
If you have any questions about the use of these lessons or materials, please contact Shawn
Campbell at 620-9166 or Lourdes De Leon at 620-9167 at the TSO offices.
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERT PROGRAM
John Williams
(1932-present)
Benjamin Britten
(1913-1976)
Gioachino Rossini
(1792-1868)
Connor Batey
(b. 1998)
Suite from Star Wars: “The Imperial March”
“Storm” from Four Sea Interludes
Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers
As the Lightning Flashes from the East unto the West
Bedřich Smetana
(1824-1884)
The Moldau from Má vlast
Charles Ives
(1874-1954)
The Unanswered Question
Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov
(1844-1908)
Alberto Ginastera
(1916-1983)
Scheherazade
“Malambo” from Estancia
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
10
GETTING STARTED
PREPARING FOR THE ENSEMBLE VISITS
(Music in the Schools program)
Through Music in the Schools, three different ensembles will visit your school over the
course of the year. This year each ensemble will explore the theme “Music Speaks...
Without Saying a Word” while demonstrating their instruments and answering questions.
1. One or two days before each TSO ensemble visit:
• Use the “Meet the Instruments of the Orchestra” instrument card packet to learn
fun facts about the specific instruments that will visit you.
• Use the CD (tracks 1-17) to play the sound of the specific instruments that will be
played in that visit.
• Use the “Meet the Musicians” pages to learn fun facts about the TSO musicians!
• Ask students to come up with two or three questions, generated from the above
activities and written on a card, to be given to the musicians when they arrive. The
musicians will choose from these questions and will also take new questions from
the audience.
2. After each ensemble visits your school, use these suggestions for a guided reflection
session with your students.
• Ask students to write about how the musicians addressed the theme “Music
Speaks...Without Saying a Word”
• What new things did students learn from each different performance?
• Ask students to draw a picture of something they remember from the ensemble visit.
TSO invites the submission of drawings and articles for our Kids Website.
Classes or individuals are invited to write or draw about an ensemble visit or
trip to a TSO concert, then submit it for consideration for the site. We may
choose to use it on the cover of the next year’s registration packet.
If you wish, send any pictures, articles, or letters to the ensemble that inspired them to:
Tucson Symphony Center
Education Department
2175 N. Sixth Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85705
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
OPENING UP YOUR EARS!
Using instrument samples on tracks 1-17
This is a great place to start!
Overview
These activities will open up students’ ears and establish a foundation for doing the rest of
the activities.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-8.SL.1
• AZCCRS 3-8.L.6
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
1-17
Title
Instrument Samples
Lesson Goals
• Strengthen listening abilities.
• Expand vocabulary.
• Develop an accessible vocabulary to use when
discussing music.
Composer
Various
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Listening Activity: Listening begins by opening up our ears to the world around us.
○ Ask students to write down all the sounds they hear in the classroom for a period of
one minute. Create a list of observed sounds, making sure the sounds were those
that occurred inside the room.
○ Discuss and categorize the kinds of sounds they heard. Were they loud? Soft?
Raspy? Smooth? Which were continuous? Which were occasional? Ask them to
listen a second time, focusing on sounds they didn’t notice during the first listening.
Can they hear more sounds? Quieter sounds? Their own breathing or heartbeat?
○ Ask them to do the same exercise listening for sounds happening outside the
classroom. Does opening the window or door change what they hear? Are they
aware of more sound(s) now that they have done this activity?
Step 2. Use the following Lesson Plan Activity Cards. The cards will explain the rest!
○ Green Activity 2: Building a Sound Vocabulary (use tracks 1-17)
Challenge students to come up with complex, descriptive words while listening to
each instrument’s musical excerpt. Suggest that students imagine they are describing
the sound of the instrument to someone who has never heard it.
○ Green Activity 1: Louder/Softer, Higher/Lower Game
Use this card as a resource if your students need extra practice to differentiate
between loud and high, or low and soft sounds. Listen to tracks belonging to
contrasting orchestral instruments. Younger students may also benefit from this
activity.
Assessment
• What are some of the words your students used to describe this music?
• Can your students differentiate between loud and high, low and soft?
• Have your students displayed a greater comfort in discussing music? How have they
grown?
• How have your students developed in their ability to listen closely?
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
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STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
INTRODUCTION TO FINDING STRUCTURE IN
MUSIC
Using the “Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells” and Music
Mapping
Overview
This lesson will help students develop their ability to focus and listen closely while finding
layers of detail, organization, and structure.
•
•
•
•
•
Standards Addressed
AZCCRS 3-8.RL.1
AZCCRS 4-7.RL.5
AZCCRS MP.1
AZCCRS MP.7
See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
18
Lesson Goals
• Discover components and structure using music
as a tool.
• Cite specific structural or pattern elements.
• Use a musical map to guide understanding of
structure.
• Express personal opinions about music.
• Stay open to different interpretations and ideas.
Title
Composer
“Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells”
Modest Mussorgsky
from Pictures at an Exhibition
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Begin by discussing structure and what it means:
○ Everything has a structure, whether it is physical, like the construction of a building,
or something intangible, like the structure of a school day. Discuss as a class what
other things have structures and what guides those structures.
○ Ask students what kinds of patterns (visual, audible, or intangible) they experience
daily. Examples might include:
A pattern they see on someone’s shirt
The pattern of a car alarm
A pattern to how they get ready in the morning
Step 2. Music also often contains patterns. Use Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells (track
18) with Green Activity Cards 3 and 4 in sequential order to guide your exploration of
structure and patterns in music.
○ First, ask students to trace the music in the air while they listen.
○ Next, listen and draw the lines and shapes they hear on a piece of paper.
Step 3. Going Deeper: See videos, at Student Created Musical Maps to view examples of
maps to “Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells.” Using the example of students tracing
their maps to the music, try the same activity with the map on the following page, or one(s)
made by your students. After a student has traced a map while the music is playing, ask
him/her to point out hi-points or main events on the map and describe what was happening
in the music.
Assessment
• How many patterns could your students name in the music?
• Were your students able to identify a steady beat in the music?
• How did your students connect the musical map to their listening experience?
• Were your students able to cite and connect specific visual and aural details?
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
14
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
DISTINCTIVE MUSICAL PATTERNS
Using The Moldau to Create Your Own Musical Map
Overview
Students will build on skills used in the previous lesson to create a musical map independently.
●
●
●
●
●
Standards Addressed
AZCCRS 3-8.RL.1
AZCCRS 4-7.RL.5
AZCCRS MP.1
AZCCRS MP.7
See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
23
•
•
•
•
•
Title
The Moldau from Má vlast
Lesson Goals
Discover components and structure using music as
a tool.
Cite specific structural or pattern elements.
Create a musical map to express understanding of
structure graphically.
Express personal opinions about music.
Stay open to different interpretations and ideas.
Composer
Bedřich Smetana
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Begin by reviewing how music contains patterns, like you find in your classroom,
school, writing, a math problem, etc. Point out that patterns in one piece can be very
different from another.
○ Prepare students to independently create maps by using Green Activity Cards 3, 4,
8 and 11 as needed, while listening to The Moldau (track 23). Listen until 2:05.
○ Students create a personal map to this new piece of music. Distribute appropriate
paper (a strip of butcher paper or a piece of cashier tape will work). Remind students
that they should record these drawings in a linear manner. You may suggest students
work lightly in pencil for this listening. When complete, tell students to look over
their map. Do they see a pattern? A common symbol, line, or shape? Instances of
repetition? Listen again, filling in gaps, or adjusting the map as needed.
Step 2. With partners or in small groups, students share their maps with each other.
○ Tell them to compare and contrast the musical maps with that of other class
members, and discuss what they specifically heard in the music that prompted them
to create their map.
Step 3. Take out the maps made for the “Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells” and compare
them to the maps made to The Moldau.
○ Put the maps in two groups. Do the maps for the two different pieces look very
different from each other? Discuss the differences and similarities. What elements
in the two pieces of music led to those visual differences?
Step 4. Going Deeper: Connect the idea of patterns in music to patterns within poetry (the
line, meter, stanzas), drama (scenes, acts, stage directions), or novels (chapters, scenes)
using a specific poem, play or novel. Or, connect this lesson with a number or shaped-based
pattern activity in math.
Assessment
• Were your students more comfortable in creating maps to this second piece of music?
• Were students able to identify different patterns in the two different maps?
• Were they able to cite what happened in the music that led to these different visual
representations?
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
FINDING STRUCTURE IN MUSIC
Using “The Imperial March”
Overview
In this lesson, students will build on their understanding of lines and shapes found in music,
by adding an exploration of organization in music, finding components, sections, and points
of focus.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-8.SL.1
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
19
Lesson Goals
• Review key music components.
• Develop critical listening skills by identifying
nuance and layers in rhythm, melody and
harmony.
Title
Suite from Star Wars: “The Imperial
March”
Composer
John Williams
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Use Green Activity 6 and “The Imperial March” (track 19) to identify rhythm,
melody and harmony in this piece of music. Ask students to imitate the rhythm, melody and
harmony by clapping, singing, humming or drawing. Ask whether any of the three elements
are more or less present than the other(s)?
Step 2. Using Yellow Activity 5, discuss the structural elements listed on the card, and
pick several that were used in “The Imperial March.” Drawing a music map with these
elements in mind may help the following discussion:
○ Were there examples of repetition in this music? Can they be sung or demonstrated?
○ Were there examples of symmetry in this piece of music? Can they be sung or
demonstrated?
○ What patterns provided organization to the piece?
○ Are there distinct sections in the piece of music? If so, how can they be
characterized?
○ What changes in rhythm, line, or pattern were found that helped to create these
sections?
○ Is there a high-point or ending?
Assessment
• How comfortable are your students with the concept of “the beat” and rhythm?
• Were they able to demonstrate the different beats and rhythms in “The Imperial
March”?”
• Were your students able to separate the melody from the harmony?
• Were students able to choose elements from Yellow 5 that were used in this music?
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
16
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
FINDING THE MUSICAL GLUE
Using Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers
Overview
What holds a piece of music together? What is the difference between a piece of music, or
a language, and random noise? This lesson explores the musical glue that holds a piece of
music together, and helps us understand the language of music.
Standards Addressed
● AZCCRS 3-8.RL.2
● See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
21
Lesson Goals
• Identify and describe musical elements that hold a
piece together.
• Compare structural organization to writing.
• Explore concepts of repetition, symmetry, balance,
etc.
• Determine the central idea of this piece of music.
Title
Composer
Gioachino Rossini
Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Use the activity on Green Activity Card 11 to explore the concept of a focal point.
Step 2. Listen to Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers (track 21), and have students
notate patterns, lines and shapes that they hear in this excerpt. Activities from Green
Activity Cards 3 and 4 or musical maps are ways to graphically represent what they hear.
Consider having students keep track of what they hear in the melody by drawing arrows.
When do they hear the melody going up? When does it go down? Students will need
repeated listening to form ideas precisely. What are the primary shapes represented in
sound?
Step 3. Remind students of the balancing exercise (Green Activity Card 11). Ask students
what their ears and minds “held on to” in this excerpt of the overture. These are the
elements that provide structure and organization to the music. Sometimes a work will have
one key focal point, sometimes it will have several. Also ask: Are these elements reflected
in your drawing or map? How many times did you hear that element repeated?
Extension: Apply this concept to artwork, stories, or other texts, as outlined at the bottom
of Green Card 11. Look at a focal point or “glue” in building design, photography, or
nature.
Assessment
• How would you assess the ease with which your students are now talking about what
they discover in a piece of music?
• Have students’ understandings of the structural elements of a piece of music become
more complex?
• Were students able to apply the idea of the “glue” holding a piece of music together to
other subject areas?
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
EXPLORING MUSICAL ENERGY
Comparing Rossini and Ginastera
Overview
In this lesson, students will discover energy in music by comparing different pieces.
Through this activity, students will learn about techniques that can change a work’s effect,
and find links to making similar distinctions in visual art, speaking, and writing.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-5.RL.7
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
21
28
20
Lesson Goals
• Develop close listening skills by identifying
nuanced differences in music.
• Create a visual reflection or response to music.
• Compare and contrast different responses to the
music, provide explanations or descriptions of
one’s own work, and gain understanding of the
work of others.
Title
Composer
Gioachino Rossini
Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers
Alberto Ginastera
“Malambo” from Estancia
Benjamin Britten
“Storm” from Four Sea Interludes
Suggested Activity Progression (A variation on Green Activity Card 10)
DAY ONE
Step 1. Start by discussing how sounds, patterns, lines, shapes, colors and movement
make energy in music. Discuss how different pieces of music give the listener different
feelings and provide their own unique energy; for example, some pieces relax you, while
others make you want to dance. You can use any of the selections on the CD to support this
discussion.
Step 2. Listen to Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers (track 21) and have students paint
or draw what they hear in the music. Return for additional listenings until students have
completed their work. Post these pieces of art on one side of the room.
Step 3. Listen to “Malambo” from Estancia (track 28), while students create works of art
reflecting this new piece.
Step 4. Post these pieces of art on opposite sides of the room. Hold a compare and contrast
discussion about the work created to two different pieces of music. Use the following
questions to prompt the discussion:
○ What similarities and differences do you see in each group?
○ Although both pieces of music were lively, how would you describe the ENERGY
of the two different pieces of music? Do those differences show up in the drawings?
○ Using the Music Tool Box Worksheet (on page 20), what TOOLS did each
composer use that resulted in the different energy, personality and feelings of the
two pieces of music?
○ Ask your students to cite examples of different energy in stories or texts they have
read in class, architecture in their neighborhood, people they know, etc.
DAY TWO - Going Deeper:
Step 1. Now that students are attuned to interpreting the energy in music, they will compare
“Malambo” by Ginastera to “Storm” by Britten. The differences here are more nuanced.
If you decide your students will benefit most by explaining the energy visually, you can
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
18
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
proceed by listening to “Storm” from Four Sea Interludes (track 20) and repeat the
drawing activity. If you prefer using a new medium, have students write a poem for each
piece.
Step 2. With the help of the Music Tool Box, identify the musical tools that Britten used in
“Storm”. Compare this to Ginastera’s choices for “Malambo”.
Step 3. Connect the composer’s process to a writer’s in this next activity. Either brainstorm
tools that writers use to create energy or share the following:
Tools that writers use:
◊ Vivid verbs
◊ Sentence variety
◊ Similes and metaphors/figurative language
◊ Transition words
◊ Senses
◊ Voice
◊ Descriptive language/vivid imagery
◊ Repetition
◊ Precise language
◊ Punctuation
Step 4. Read the following poem about a powerful storm or hurricane. Have students
identify the tools Emily Dickenson uses to portray the energy and elements of a storm.
“There Came a Wind like a Bugle”
By Emily Dickinson
There came a Wind like a BugleIt quivered through the Grass
And a Green Chill upon the Heat
So ominous did pass
We barred the Windows and the Doors
As from an Emerald GhostThe Doom’s electric Moccasin
That very instant passedOn a strange Mob of panting Trees
And Fences fled away
And Rivers where the Houses ran
Those looked that lived-that DayThe Bell within the steeple wild
The flying tidings toldHow much can come
And much can go,
And yet abide the World!
Extension: Experience how this poem was set to music by Aaron Copeland.
“There Came a Wind Like a Bugle”
Assessment
Were your students able to describe the different types of energy present in different pieces
of music?
Have students been able to cite specific points in a piece of music when expressing their
ideas?
Did students identify the musical tools that each composer used to create energy?
Were you students able to identify similarities and differences in the student artwork?
19
MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
MUSIC TOOL BOX WORKSHEET
Circle each tool that you hear being used in this piece of music. Be prepared
to talk about where each tool was used in the music and what effect it had.
character
quick tempo (speed)
energy
loud volume
changes in the music
soft volume
sound effects
syncopation (jazzy rhythms)
strings
smooth lines
percussion
accents
brass
heavy sounds
woodwinds
light sounds
rhythm
surprises
long notes
repeated patterns
short notes
crescendo (growing louder)
melody
decrescendo (growing softer)
low notes
tessitura (use of high or low notes)
high notes
overall shape
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
20
STRAND: BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK
CAN YOU HEAR A COLOR?
Using “The Imperial March” and The Moldau
Overview
In this lesson, students will challenge themselves with an abstract exercise and create nonrepresentational art pieces that reflect the texture and color they hear in two different pieces.
They will compare and contrast while discussing the different choices composers make
when choosing and combining instruments.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-5.RL.7
• AZCCRS 3-8.W.1
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
19
23
Lesson Goals
• Develop close listening skills by identifying
nuanced differences in music.
• Identify how composers create color through
orchestration.
• Create a visual reflection or response to an
abstract question.
• Compare and contrast different responses to the
music, provide explanations of one’s own work,
and gain understanding of the work of others.
Title
Composer
John Williams
Suite from Star Wars:“The Imperial March”
Bedřich Smetana
The Moldau
Step 1. Ask students to think of situations where they combine different elements for
different effects. In cooking, it could be creating a soup with different ingredients. In visual
art, it can be blending colors in a painting or textures in a collage. Explain that composers
make similar decisions when creating a piece. For this exercise, explain that you would like
the students to focus on the colors they imagine while listening to each piece.
Step 2. Listen to “The Imperial March.” Tell students that you want them to identify
different instruments and what type of sounds each is making. After the first listening, have
students share their observations with a partner or group.
Step 3. Distribute a sheet of white paper (11x17 is best) and drawing materials. Have them
fold it in half, one section for each piece. Tell students that while listening a second time,
now that they have already listened for different instrument sounds, they should focus on
the colors they imagine while hearing this blending of instruments. They will record them
on one half of their paper.
Step 4. Call on a few volunteers to share their work. Have them describe their color
choices. See if they can identify which instruments contributed to creating those colors.
Can they connect the color to a particular mood or action? Why did the composer decide to
use these instruments?
Step 5. Repeat the procedure for“The Moldau”. Instead of discussing their work, have students respond to Step 4’s questions in a paragraph. A second paragraph should address how
different instruments, orchestrations and other music tools or techniques from the Tool Box
List result in different colors and moods.
Assessment
• Are your students becoming more comfortable with identifying instruments and families
of instruments?
• Were your students able to communicate the color choices they made in relation to orchestration?
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE
FOCUS ON CHARACTER
Using Scheherazade
Overview
In this lesson, students will listen to a piece of music that strongly portrays a character.
They will examine the tools a composer uses to depict a character.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-8.RL.3
• AZCCRS 3-8.W.3
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
26
Lesson Goals
• Discover the narrative capabilities of music.
• Discover the music elements used to create
messages.
• Compare story elements with elements in music.
• Create a story and/or artwork in response to a
specific piece of music.
Title
Composer
Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov
Scheherazade, Mvt. 3 excerpt
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. You may choose to use Yellow Activity Cards 1, 2, 4, or 5. In addition to exploring
the ideas on the Activity Cards, ask students these questions:
○ What kind of personality does the character have? What in the music gave you that
idea?
○ Which instrument(s) portrayed certain characters?
○ Let your imagination go! What story is the character telling?
○ Does anything in the music show an action?
○ Does the music suggest a setting?
Step 2. Pick a story studied in class that describes a similar character or characters. Can
words and music convey the same thing? In what ways were music and words the same in
creating a character, action or setting? In what ways are they different?
Going Deeper: Try Pink Activity Card 8 so student can explore another layer of the music.
Assessment
• What have your students learned about the components of music?
• What have your students learned about how a character can be portrayed in music?
• How have your students developed as close listeners?
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
22
STRAND: COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE
FOCUS ON ACTION
Using Scheherazade
Overview
In this lesson, students will listen to different excerpts from a piece while focusing on musical energy. They will first describe the energy with the idea of musical structure. Next, they
will imagine the events that the energy could be portraying.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-8.RL.3
• AZCCRS 3-8.W.3
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
25
Lesson Goals
• Discover the narrative capabilities of music.
• Discover the music elements used to create
messages.
• Compare story elements with elements in music.
• Create a story and/or artwork in response to a
specific piece of music.
Title
Composer
Nikolai Rimsky
Scheherazade, Mvt. 1 excerpt
Korsakov
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Use the procedure on Green Activity Card 10 to guide students’ participation while
listening to each excerpt. Depending on the amount of time available, they may simply
draw the energy in the air, list descriptive words, sketch a picture, or create a musical map.
During this first hearing, students should be listening closely to energy as it relates to the
structure of the music. Ask, what kinds of action movements do you think of? What makes
you think that? What tools did the composer use to help you imagine action to the music?
Step 2. Use Yellow Activity Card 5 as a framework for the next close listening. This time
students will interpret how that energy translates into an action or narrative in each excerpt.
Depending on the needs of your students, they could quickly sketch a scene or write a short
narrative.
Assessment
• How did your students show their understanding of the narrative qualities of music?
• How comfortable are your students becoming about talking about musical discoveries?
• Have student interpretations of a piece of music become more complex?
• Have students been able to cite specific points in a piece of music when expressing their
ideas?
23
MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE
MUSICAL CONVERSATION
Using The Unanswered Question
Overview
In this lesson, students will closely listen to a piece to identify story elements and analyze
plot development.
Standards Addressed
Lesson Goals
• AZCCRS 3-8.RL.2
• Describe the setting portrayed by the music.
• AZCCRS 3-8.RL.5
• Compare story elements with elements of music.
• AZCCRS 3-8.RL.6
• Determine the central idea of this piece of music.
• AZCCRS 3-8.SL.1
• Describe the conversation that students imagine
• See Activity Cards for Arts
from this music.
Standards
Track
Title
Composer
24
Charles Ives
The Unanswered Question
*Do not share the title of this piece until students have completed initial activities.
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Use ideas from Pink Activity Card 1 as a guide for discussion and analysis.
○ Listen to the first 35 seconds of this excerpt. The beginning has a very soft dynamic, so adjust your volume so it is easily audible. The main goal is to discover a
setting or atmosphere in this segment of the piece.
○ Have students share their impressions with a partner, then have a few partners share
with the class.
Step 2. Listen again, this time until 2:07.
○ During this listening, students should look for voices (or characters) played by the
trumpet and winds. Before discussing the instrumentation, see what students can
discover independently.
○ Have students consider this question with partners: what are the voices saying?
Make a class list of ideas.
Step 3. The goal of the final listening is for students to focus on the narrative structure of
the musical conversation. Before beginning, tell students to reflect on the ideas about the
content of the conversation that the class generated. What is the action? What is happening? Is there a climax and resolution? Concepts from Yellow Activity Card 5 can help
guide the structure of your discussion. Listen to the entire excerpt. Since it is the longest
example, if needed, allow students to sketch, map, or describe the action and conversation
as they listen.
Step 4. Use Yellow Activity Card 4, Finding Names that Fit. Reveal Ives’ title for the
work and compare it to the students’ titles.
Extension: Read What Charlie Heard by Mordicai Gerstein to learn more about what inspired the highly original voice of this great American composer. It is available at the Pima
County Public Library.
Assessment
• How did students show their understanding of the narrative qualities of music?
• Were students able to connect the voices of the trumpets and woodwinds to a conversation reflecting meaning and tension?
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
24
STRAND: COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE
INSPIRED BY OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Using The Moldau and “Storm” from Four Sea Interludes
Overview
Britten and Smetana wrote powerful pieces tied to their environment that also connected to
their personal identity. In this lesson, students will consider how nature and a sense of place
inspire artists. They will choose a natural element from their environment and create an
artistic response.
•
•
•
•
Standards Addressed
AZCCRS3-8.RL.2
AZCCRS 3-8.RL.6
AZCCRS 3-8.W.3
See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
20
23
Lesson Goals
• Listen closely to determine what a piece
communicates.
• Use evidence from the music to back up opinions.
• Use critical thinking skills to generate and explain
possible motivations for a composer’s creative
choices.
• Examine how local artists are inspired by our
desert environment.
Title
Composer
Benjamin Britten
“Storm” from Four Sea Interludes
Bedřich Smetana
The Moldau
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Tell students to close their eyes and imagine they are taking a hike in the desert,
playing at the park, or walking through their neighborhood.
○ Ask, what natural features of the landscape they see as they imagine this place. Give
them a moment to think, then with eyes open, make a quick list of what they saw
(focusing on natural features like mountains, cactus, trees, hills, washes).
○ Artists, writers, and composers are often inspired to create by elements of the
natural world. Explain that our environment is part of who we are, and that as desert
dwellers, we have a particular identity. Tucsonans often don’t think of water features
as part of our everyday world. Share the reading of a poem by Tucson writer, Alison
Hawthorne Deming titled “Rillito”. Ask students what images were inspired by this
poem. What mood was created? How does the writer feel about the Rillito? How
does the rhythm of the poem connect to the landscape of the Rillito?
Step 2. Next, share brief biographical information about Britten and Smetana.
○ Benjamin Britten grew up in Lowestoft, on the Eastern coast of England. Living by
the sea, observing dramatic storms, shaped Britten’s young imagination and inspired
pieces like “Storm” from Four Sea Interludes.
○ Bedrich Smetana’s piece is about traveling down the Vlatava River (Moldau in
German), the longest river in the Czech Republic. While musically depicting this
natural feature, it also represented a symbol of Smetana’s homeland.
Step 3. Students listen to each piece. Tell students to:
○ Focus on how each composer expresses the way he felt about the sea and the river.
○ Notice actions, messages, and emotions that are being communicated without the use
of any words.
○ After listening, make a list of all the ideas and feelings that are being communicated
to you, across the years, and the globe, by the music of these composers.
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE
Step 4. Students create a response.
○ They reflect on their initial imags from step one, the poem, and each piece. What
natural element in their environment is important or loved?
○ Write a poem or story about it. OR, pick a piece of music from the TSO CD or
elsewhere that describes in sound how you feel about this natural landmark.
Assessment
• Have your students been able to tie their ideas to specific points in a piece of music?
• Were students able to determine a central theme in the music and to identify specific
details that point to the theme?
• Did students grow in their understanding of inspiration?
• How successful were students at making personal connections to their natural world
Alison Hawthorne Deming’s “Rillito” will appear in her upcoming poetry collection,
Stairways to Heaven (Penguin 2016).
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
26
STRAND: COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE
MUSIC PAINTS A PICTURE
Using As the Lightning Flashes from the East unto the
West
Overview: Students will identify the musical tools used to convey aspects of a thunderstorm.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-8.RI.3
• AZCCRS 3-8.W.2
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
22
Lesson Goals
• Listen closely to determine what a piece
communicates.
• Use evidence from the music to back up opinions.
• Use critical thinking skills to generate and explain
possible motivations for a composer’s creative
choices.
• Examine how local artists are inspired.
Title
Composer
As the Lightning Flashes from the East unto the West Connor Batey
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Have students do a quick write-up describing the progression of a thunderstorm they
have recently observed. If this is a current topic of study in science, ask them to use weather specific vocabulary. Make a class list of elements of a thunderstorm.
Step 2. Listen to As the Lightning Flashes from the East unto the West. Students should
note parts of the piece that sound like different elements of a storm. What musical tools
does Batey use?
Step 3. Have students choose a different weather element. What instruments would they
use? How would they use different musical tools to represent the weather?
Step 4. Share Connor Batey’s biographical information with your students, including information about the TSO’s Young Composer’s Project. What are their thoughts about someone
almost their age, composing for a symphony?
Step 4. Going Deeper: Consider that words can serve as musical sounds, like the sounds of
an orchestra. Using weather as the topic, have students write a short poem, haiku or paragraph about a weather event, using the SOUND of words; alliteration, length, consonants
and vowels, etc, to help create the image of the weather.
Assessment
• How would you assess the ease with which your students are now talking about what
they discover in a piece of music?
• Are students becoming more confident with identifying different tools used by composers?
• What are students’ perceptions about who writes orchestral music? Did working with
this piece change those perceptions?
The TSO’s Young Composers Project is the only program of its kind in the country in
which elementary through high school students participate in a year-long course learning
to compose for orchestra. The TSO serves as a living laboratory for the young composers,
providing the opportunity for students and professional orchestra musicians to interact and
explore the creative process of composition. For more information, contact the Education
Programs Manager at (520) 620-9167, or [email protected].
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MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MEET THE YOUNG COMPOSER: Connor Batey
When did you start composing?
I have dabbled in composition throughout my life. However, I have
only started composing seriously in the last two-three years.
What musical instruments do you play?
Piano is my main instrument. I have also experimented with trombone, baritone euphonium, trumpet, guitar, and violin.
Are you from a musical family?
To a certain extent, yes. My father pursued, for a short while, a degree in music. He later switched to engineering but has still a good
understanding of music. Other than that the rest of my direct family
has not had very much experience in the classical music field.
Describe your composing process. Where do you work? What tools do you use?
I work in a room I have dedicated specifically to music and books. I have a piano, keyboard, trumpet, violin, and guitars within reach at any time. I make a point of composing
on paper and at the piano, so that I can hear roughly what the musical ideas sound like. I
always have a sturdy desk and a large supply of pencils or pens.
What inspires you to compose?
I find that the thing that inspires me the most to compose is listening to musical works by other composers. I have listened to Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring many times, yet they still inspire me.
What is the Young Composers Project like?
The Young Composers Project is the most amazing project I have ever been involved with
or heard of. It provides an extremely encouraging atmosphere for composers and teaches
them many of the intricacies of writing music for instruments they are not familiar with.
What advice would you give to kids interested in composing?
If people are interested in composing the main thing is to write for yourself. Write the type
of music you love. Write what makes you excited and what you enjoy. Compose what
comes from your heart. Do not compose in order to sell or appeal to crowds. If you do that,
you are not composing what you truly want to compose.
How much time do you spend composing? Is it something you do every day?
I, unfortunately, do not compose every day. I normally wait until I get inspired by something and then write. However, I am going to try to compose more regularly.
What was it like when you first heard one of your pieces performed by TSO musicians?
It was stunning! To hear a piece, that you spent time and effort on, being performed by professional musicians is truly amazing.
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy gardening, reading books, and playing strategy games. None of these hobbies compares to playing and composing music.
Who are your favorite composers?
My all time favorite composer is Béla Bartók. I like all composers but my other favorites
are: Igor Stravinsky, Anton Webern, Modest Mussorgsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, and Sergei
Prokofiev. © 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MAKING MUSIC MINE
28
STRAND: EXPLORING EMOTION IN MUSIC
MUSICAL PERSUASION
Using Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers
Overview
This lesson will explore music’s power in influencing action. Students will determine a
piece’s mood, then decide on a way that music could be used persuasively.
•
•
•
•
Standards Addressed
AZCCRS 3-8.W.1
AZCCS 3-8.SL.2
AZCCS 3-8.SL.4
See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
21
8
17
Lesson Goals
• Explore how composers communicate emotion
through music.
• Discover music’s ability to influence emotions or
actions.
• Explore subjectivity and emotional connection:
everyone may have a different and valid reaction.
• Use music, movement, words, and drawings to
express different messages.
Title
Composer
Gioachino Rossini
Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers
“Promenade” excerpt from Pictures at an Exhibition Modest Mussorgsky
“Waltz of the Flowers” excerpt from The Nutcracker Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky
Suggested Activity Progression (Variation of Yellow Activity 7 and Pink Activity 5)
Step 1. Warm-up by viewing a TV commercial that uses classical music in a persuasive
manner. One iconic ad from recent history is “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” This ad campaign from the 90’s forever married a grilled steak and Aaron Copeland’s “Hoe Down” from
Rodeo.
○ Show students the ad, then hold a quick discussion about how the music’s mood and
energy affect the viewer. What message is the creator of the ad trying to send?
○ If you have the time to view another example, here is a recent Gatorade commercial
using Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which the TSO will perform this season.
Step 2. Listen to Rossini’s Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers (track 21).
○ Students may want to list ideas about the mood of the piece as they listen. Afterwards ask, “What type of message could this piece be sending?” “If you were creating a commercial with this musical accompaniment, what would you be trying to
sell?”
○ Repeat this procedure with Mussorgsky’s “Promendade” (track 8) and Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” (track 17).
○ Conclude the activity by discussing how important a soundtrack can be. If appropriate watch the commercials again, without sound.
Extension: Create an ad (print or video) for a product that includes one of the pieces of
music. Share your work with us! Education Programs Manager
Tucson Symphony Orchestra
2175 N. 6th Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85705
Assessment
• Were students able to identify emotion in each piece?
• What did students determine as the message each piece was sending?
• Did students make valid connections between each piece and a product? 29
MAKING MUSIC MINE
© 2015 TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
STRAND: EXPLORING EMOTION IN MUSIC
REFLECT YOURSELF! CREATING PLAYLISTS
Using: Music of Your Choice
Overview
This lesson will help your students discover how music can communicate emotions or create a
particular mood. Students will discover how their current musical life can grow to include classical music while also exploring how music can serve as an emotional outlet.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-8.W.1
• AZCCRS 3-8.SL.1
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
1-28
Lesson Goals
• Discover music’s ability to influence emotions or
actions.
• Explore how composers communicate emotion
through music.
• Make connections between music and its impact
on students’ lives.
• Discover music and the arts as a safe vehicle for
the expression of emotion.
Title
Composer
All genres
Teacher and student favorites
Various
Several pieces from this year’s program
Suggested Activity Progression
Prepare: Make a copy of Playlist Templates for each student and yourself. Before presenting
this lesson to students, decide on personal examples of songs or pieces that you would place in
each category—Joy and Anger. The genre does not matter. You want to model music that fits
well with each emotion while inspiring students to share music they love. Record your choices
as the first tracks on your personal playlist.
DAY 1
Step 1. Use Pink Activity Card 1 to introduce the idea of music’s ability to convey emotion
and influence actions. If you completed the previous lesson, reflect on that experience.
Step 2. Before sharing the two emotion categories that will organize your playlists, play each
teacher example for the class. Have students draw or write notes while listening to the music,
recording the emotion the music conveys at the beginning of the piece or song, in the middle,
and at the end.
Step 3. Ask students:
○ What does the music make you feel? Did this feeling change throughout the piece?
○ What tools does the musician/composer use to communicate his ideas and emotions in
the piece?
○ Why do you think the piece sounds _________ (fill in the blank with an emotion)?
○ How would you describe the mood of this piece? Is it peaceful or troubling? Simple or
complex?
○ If you played this piece for a group, how could you influence them? Would it change
their mood?
○ What sort of actions could this piece motivate? Why do you think so?
Step 4. Project the beginnings of your “Joy” and “Anger” playlists. Discuss whether students’
observations fit your opinions. Pass out a set of playlists to each student and assign homework.
They will identify one song or piece that they already know and love that fits each category.
They should write a short explanation of why each song matches the emotion and include a link
to the music if possible.
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STRAND: EXPLORING EMOTION IN MUSIC
DAY 2
Note: You may want to preview student responses and pick a few to share with the entire
class. Students could also report their choices to each other in small groups.
Step 1. Quickly discuss the examples that students shared in a forum that best fits your
class.
Step 2. Students will now work to include classical music on their playlists. Use the “drop
the needle” method to give students a chance to listen to several of the Young People’s Concert pieces and instrument tracks. They will then choose at least one joyful and one angry
piece. Discuss students’ observations. Students should back up their opinions with evidence
from the piece. Did different composers use similar musical tools to create similar emotions? This may require a second listening. Note how many students made similar choices.
Step 3. Present students with the questions, “Have you ever used music to deal with anger
or sadness? Have you ever felt so excited or happy that you turned on your favorite song
and began to dance in celebration?” Discuss whether music can be used as a healthy way of
expressing emotion, positive and negative.
Step 4. Where to take this activity next is up to you. Students can build their playlists for
the remainder of the school year, adding new emotions that can be expressed by music,
and by adding new works, perhaps from music/band/orchestra class. They could check in
once a week and report discoveries to the class. Although the goal is to incorporate classical music, encourage listening across genres. Students that build a diverse list could write a
reflection at the end of the year about how they grew as listeners.
Extension: While reading fiction, students can create playlists for a character in a book,
reflecting personality or emotional states that the character experiences.
Assessment
• Were students able to explain how different musical tools used by the composer made
them feel a certain way?
• Were students able to classify music by emotions and across genres?
• Were students able to apply the concept of mood to other mediums such as literature?
• Did students discover how their choices in music could reflect their identity?
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STRAND: EXPLORING EMOTION IN MUSIC
TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF OTHERS
Using: The Unanswered Question and The Moldau
Overview
In this lesson, students will look outward, and explore ways they can impact the lives of
others through music.
Standards Addressed
• AZCCRS 3-8.W.1
• AZCCS 3-8.SL.1
• See Activity Cards for Arts
Standards
Track
4
15
27
Lesson Goals
• Discover music’s ability to influence emotions or
actions.
• Discover music and the arts as a safe vehicle for
the expression of emotion.
• While exploring music’s ability to impact people,
discuss real-world opportunities for using music to
affect lives.
Title
Composer
2nd Mvt., Symphony No. 9 in E minor
Antonín Dvořák
Gigue from Suite No. 1
J.S. Bach
Scheherazade, Mvt. 4
Nikolai Rimsky
Korsakov
Examples from Students’ Playlists
Various
Suggested Activity Progression
Step 1. Repeat the procedure for analyzing emotion and mood in music while listing to
tracks 4, 15, and 27.
○ What does this music make you feel?
○ What tools does the composer use to communicate his ideas and emotions in the
piece? Why do you think the piece expresses a particular emotion?
○ If you played this piece for a group, how could you influence them? Would it change
their mood?
○ Could this piece motivate a feeling or action (running around, looking at clouds,
calming down, hugging a family member, etc.?)
○ Can you create a similar impact with your tone of voice, body language, or choice of
words?
While discussing, have a student document reactions for each piece on the board or on an
anchor chart.
Step 2. Refer back to the playlist lesson. This time students will consider how they can
help another person in their lives by sharing music. Break into small groups and assign
each group a different piece (there will be repeats). Have them discuss situations in real
life where there piece would be useful in affecting someone. They should make a list with
explanations of why it would work, drawing on notes recorded in Step 1.
Step 3. A spokesperson from each group will report their ideas to the class. Students can
write about how they would use music from their playlist to affect another person.
Step 4. Students can research real world applications of music as medicine or therapy.
These resources can get them started:
How does Music Therapy Work: PBS News Hour, The Healing Power of Music
Careers in Music Therapy: Berklee College of Music
Music as Pain Relief: NPR, Sutures With A Soundtrack: Music Can Ease Pain, Anxiety Of
Surgery
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STRAND: EXPLORING EMOTION IN MUSIC
Extension: Ask students to imagine a Public Service Announcement for Ben’s Bells What
piece from the Young People’s Program, instrument tracks or students’ playlists would they
choose to accompany it? Students can write an accompanying script with story board, or
even create a video.
Assessment
• What have your students learned about how music conveys emotion with and without
the use of words?
• Were students able to point to specific elements in the music that the composer used to
convey emotion?
• Have your students connected the emotional content of music to situations requiring
empathy?
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COMPOSERS
COMPOSERS & THEIR WORKS
Connor Batey, age 17, has lived in Illinois most of his life, moving to Tucson two years
ago. Since then, he has been a member of the TSO’s Young Composers Project. Please see
the interview on page 28 to learn more about Connor.
Connor composed As the Lightning Flashes from the East unto the West during his first
year in the YCP. The title is based on a verse from the Bible. Connor states, “the general
character of my piece is somewhat influenced both by lightning and by the destruction
described in the Bible and in the “Dies Irae” (Day of Wrath) movements in many
requiems.” It took Connor a month to complete the rough draft. He began with several
scattered melodic ideas, composed the middle section, then the first and last sections. The
greatest challenge, Connor shared, was “probably revising it. In the revision process I had
to cut some parts that tended to be long-winded, rework some parts that were impossible
to play, add some articulations and notes on how certain sections were to be played, and
change some harmonies, all of which were quite difficult to accomplish.”
Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft, England, in 1913. The
youngest of four children, he began composing at age six. Britten
also studied piano and viola. His father was a dentist and his
mother was an amateur musician who provided loving support
for her talented son. By the time he was fifteen, he had started
studying with composer Frank Bridge. He wrote his first symphony,
Simple Symphony, when he was 21, including melodies that he had
composed as a young boy. Britten composed many different types of
music—operas, ballets, vocal music, and symphonies. His life spans
most of the twentieth century, and he is one of the most performed
British composers in the world.
One of Britten’s most famous works, the opera Peter Grimes, was composed in 1941. It
tells the story of a fisherman who lives in a village on a rocky English seacoast. Britten
describes his connection to this setting, “For most of my life I have lived closely in touch
with the sea. My parent’s house in Lowestoft directly faced the sea, and my life as a child
was coloured by the fierce storms that sometimes drove ships on to our coast and ate away
whole stretches of the neighbouring cliffs.” The Four Sea Interludes were composed to
connect scene changes in the opera. “Storm” depicts the powerful thunderstorms that
Britten experienced as a child while also reflecting the dramatic content of the opera.
Alberto Ginastera (JEE’-nah-STEH-rah) was born in 1916 in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
to a Catalan father and Italian mother. He showed early
musical talent and began studying the piano at age seven. He
studied at the conservatory (music school) in Buenos Aires,
and his early successes were scores for ballets. His style
was influenced by Argentine folk melodies and rhythms.
Ginastera is considered one of the most important Latin
American classical composers.
Estancia is an orchestral suite made up of music that Ginastera originally wrote for a ballet
in 1941. The suite is comprised of four dances, and the last is “Malambo”. Estancia
refers to the Argentine ranches on the Pampas where gauchos (nomadic cowboys) lived and
worked. The “Malambo” is a fast moving folk dance that serves as a competition for men.
In the ballet, the protagonist, a city boy, competes with the gauchos for the love of a ranch
girl. This piece depicts the action of this frenetic event.
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COMPOSERS
Charles Ives was born in Danbury, Connecticut in 1874. His father had been a bandmaster
for the U.S. Army during the Civil War and was Ives’ first music
teacher. He encouraged his son’s experimental originality while
exposing him to traditional American music. At the age of 14, he
worked as a church organist, which would also influence his musical
style. Ives studied composition at Yale, and upon graduating, moved
to New York City to work in the insurance business. He had a
highly successful career and composed in his spare time. Because
of the unconventional nature of his music, much of his work was not
appreciated during his lifetime.
Ives began composing one of his most famous pieces, The Unanswered Question in 1906,
completing the score in 1908. It was not performed until 1946. The strings, representing the
infinite universe, begin the piece, setting the atmosphere with peaceful harmonies. About
a minute later, a solo trumpet, plays a melodic line that expresses the question, “Why are
we here?” This is answered by four woodwinds who seem to be arguing as they respond.
As the trumpet and woodwinds converse, tension builds, but the piece ends with one final
question and then the unchanging strings fading away.
Modest Mussorgsky (moo-sawrg-skee) was known as one of Russia’s
top five composers, known as “The Mighty Handful.” Born to a
wealthy land-owning family, Mussorgsky started playing piano and
gaining an appreciation for music from his mother when he was just
six years old. He continued his piano studies at school, and at age
12, he published his first piece. He enrolled in the Cadet School at
age 13, eventually to graduate and join the military service. Music
remained important to him and during his military service, and he
eventually resigned his military commission to focus solely on music
and composition. Mussorgsky had difficulty finishing works in large formats, which is why
many of his pieces were finished and/or arranged by other composers. Yet his small body
of work exhibited daring, raw individuality and unique sounds that were full of engaging
harmonies, disturbing colors and grim celebrations of Russian nationalism.
“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” is the 5th of ten movements in Mussorgsky’s Pictures
at an Exhibition suite. The suite was originally composed for piano but has been arranged
for full orchestra by several composers. The most famous arrangement, and most widely
played version, was done by French composer Maurice Ravel. The suite, as a whole,
was written in remembrance of an artist and dear friend. Mussorgsky composed the
movements based on pictures painted by his friend that went on display to the public in a
memorial exhibition. The “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” is written in ternary form (a
composition that has a middle contrasting section sandwiched between initial and ending
sections that are the same; A-B-A form) with the woodwinds providing the “pecking”
sounds of the chicks and the rest of the orchestra imitating the pitter-patter of the chicks’
feet as they explore their new world.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born in 1844 in Russia and studied the
piano as a child. He continued his piano lessons even after joining the
navy as an adult. While at sea for two and a half years, Nikolai devoted
his free time to composition. When he came home to St. Petersburg,
he continued to compose symphonic works, operas (a dramatic stage
production set to music in which most of the text is sung), chamber
works and songs throughout the rest of his life. Many of his operas
recreated the rich world of Russian myths and legends.
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COMPOSERS
Scheherazade is one of Rimsky-Korsokov’s most famous works and exemplifies his talent
with orchestration. Composed in 1888, it was inspired by Scheherazade, the storyteller in
One Thousand and One Nights Arabian Nights. The piece is constructed like a symphony
with four movements, each featuring a different tale. The four stories are: The Sea and
Sinbad’s Ship, The Legend of the Kalendar Prince, The Young Prince and the Young
Princess, and The Festival at Baghdad/The Sea and the Shipwreck.
Gioachino Rossini was born in Bologna, Italy, to musician
parents. He studied music at home and learned to sing and play the
harpsichord, piano, cello and horn. At the age of 12, Rossini began
composing string sonatas, and at age 13 he wrote his first opera. He
soon joined a conservatory and continued his education in operatic
composition. Rossini is most loved for his operas. He wrote about
40 of them, the last one being William Tell in 1829. Towards the end
of Rossini’s life, he retired from composing and indulged another
life-long passion; being an amateur chef. Today there are a number
of dishes with the appendage “alla Rossini” to their names that were
either created by him or specifically for him. Towards the end of Rossini’s life, he retired
from composing and indulged another life-long passion; being an amateur chef. Today
there are a number of dishes with the appendage “alla Rossini” to their names that were
either created by him or specifically for him.
The Italian Girl in Algiers was composed in less than a month in 1813 and is one of
Rossini’s most popular comic operas. The distinctively energetic overtures to his operas
are often performed in orchestral concerts. A well-known characteristic of his writing is the
“Rossini crescendo”. The orchestra plays a short melodic fragment repeatedly while getting
louder, creating a feverish excitement. There is a joyful spirit in this overture which is
communicated by the fast moving string parts and confidently graceful oboe solo.
Bedrich Smetana (sme-tah-nah) was one of the greatest composers in Czechoslovakia’s
history. As a child, Smetana received lessons on the violin and
keyboard and in harmony and composition. Later, he founded
a successful piano school and also worked as a conductor. As
Smetana got older, he began hearing a whistling in his ear that
eventually caused him to go completely deaf. This did not deter
Smetana from composing, much like Beethoven. He wrote piano
works, chamber music (music for small ensemble), orchestral
music (music for full orchestra) and operas (a dramatic work set
to music in which all or most of the text is sung with instrumental
accompaniment, costumes and sets).
One of Smetana’s most famous orchestral works was Má Vlast (My Country). It is a
collection of six symphonic poems (an orchestral piece based on a non-music idea – a
tone picture). The Moldau, the most popular of the group, is a musical journey following
the longest river in Czechoslovakia. Smetana wrote in his notes about the piece, “The
composition depicts the course of the river, beginning from its two small sources, one cold
the other warm, the joining of both streams into one, then the flow of the Moldau through
forests and across meadows, through the countryside where merry feasts are celebrated,
water nymphs dance in the moonlight; on nearby rocks can be seen the outline of ruined
castles, proudly soaring into the sky.” Listen at the beginning as one stream, represented by
the flutes, meets the second, represented by the clarinets, building towards the river theme
played by the violins.
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COMPOSERS
John Williams is one of the world’s most famous film composers. He has received 45
Academy Award nominations for his film music; five went
on to win an Oscar. Some of his most famous film scores are
Star Wars, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the first three
Harry Potter films. Williams was born in 1932 outside New
York City. He studied piano, trombone, trumpet, and clarinet
as a child and later attended the famous Juilliard School. After
Williams moved to Los Angeles, he studied composition
privately and attended UCLA. Before he became well known,
Williams worked in the Air Force bands, conducting and
arranging music, and as a jazz pianist in Los Angeles and New York. In L.A., Williams
was first hired to orchestrate (rewrite for orchestra) film music of other composers. He
conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980-93 and has written many concertos (pieces
for solo instrument with orchestra).
Part of John Williams’ gift as a composer is his ability to write memorable musical themes.
“The Imperial March” from Williams’ score for the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back is
instantly recognizable. In the world of opera and film, a musical idea is called a leitmotif
(LIGHT-moe-TEEF). A leitmotif is a short musical phrase that is associated with a
specific object (the Death Star), character (Darth Vader), idea (heroism), place (the planet
Dahgobah), or other thing.
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ARIZONA ARTS STANDARDS
EXAMPLES OF HOW “MAKING MUSIC MINE”
INCORPORATES ARIZONA ARTS STANDARDS
(MUSIC): GRADES K – 8
“Making Music Mine” allows the teacher to address Arizona Arts Standards in music and
other disciplines, including visual arts, writing, social studies, history, and math.
Arts Standards addressed in the TSO “Making Music Mine” curriculum and the Music in
the Schools/Young People’s Concert programs are not limited to, but include the following.
Strand 1: Create
Concept 1: Singing, alone and with others, music from various genres and diverse cultures.
PO 1:
PO 2: grade: 2
PO 3:
PO 4: grades: 1 – 3
PO103: Band, Orchestra
Concept 2: Playing instruments, alone and with others, music from various genres and diverse cultures.
PO 1: grade: K
PO 2: grade: 4
PO 3: grade: K
PO 4: grades: 1 – 3
Concept 3: Improvising rhythms, melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
PO 1: grades: K – 4
Concept 4: Composing and arranging music.
PO 1: grades: 2 – 4
Concept 5: Reading and notating music.
PO 1:
PO 2: grade: K
PO 3:
PO 4:
PO 5:
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ARIZONA ARTS STANDARDS
Strand 2: Relate
Concept 1: Understanding the relationship among music, the arts, and other disciplines outside the arts.
PO 1: grades: K – 7
PO 2: grades: 5 – 8
PO 3: grades: 1 – 8
PO 4: grades: K – 8
Concept 2: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
PO 1: grades: K – 8
PO 2: grades: 4 – 6
PO 3: grades: 4 – 5
PO 4: grade: 3
Concept 3: Understanding music in relation to self and universal themes.
PO 1: grades: K – 8
PO 2: grades: K, 3 – 4
Strand 3: Evaluate
Concept 1: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
PO 1: grades: 1 – 4
PO 2: grades: 1 – 3, 6, 8
PO 3: grades: K – 1, 6 – 8
PO 4: grades: K – 3, 6, 8
Concept 2: Evaluating music and music performances.
PO 1: grades: K – 5
PO 2: grades: K – 8
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