HEAD IN THE CLOUDS WHAT IS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS ALL ABOUT?

Transcription

1 HEAD IN THE CLOUDS STUDY BOOKLET WHAT IS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS ALL ABOUT? It s the story of Annabelle, a young girl who not only loves to play the harp but who also loves to daydream. This is why everyone always tells her that she s got her head in the clouds. One day, on her way to school, something extraordinary happens to Annabelle: big wings suddenly start growing out of her back! With two flaps of her new wings whoosh! Annabelle finds herself up in the clouds. Up there in her dream world, Annabelle plays her harp and makes friends with several colourful birds: Debussy, Albeniz, Salzedo, Hasselmans, Andrès, and Lizotte. But even in the bluest of blue skies, a storm may suddenly arise 1

2 The Disconcerting Maestro explains the wonderful world of the harp THE HARP IS A PLUCKED STRING INSTRUMENT, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU PLAY IT BY PLUCKING THE STRINGS WITH YOUR FINGERS. Unlike a guitarist, who only uses his right hand to pluck the strings, harpists must use both hands. However, you only need 8 fingers to play the harp: the little fingers, which are too small, are never used. When plucked, the strings produce sound that is naturally amplified by the sound box, giving the harp its unforgettable sound. The harp has strings of different lengths: the shorter ones produce higher sounds and the longer ones produce lower sounds. Each note of the scale corresponds to a string. There is therefore a string for C, a string for D, a string for E, and so on. One of the most magical effects the harp can produce is the glissando. To do it, the harpist slides his fingers over the strings from one extreme to the other, thereby producing all of the instrument s notes, one after another. TUNING PINS SOUND BOX PEDALS FEET 2

3 THERE ARE VARIOUS SIZES AND TYPES OF HARPS. HERE ARE DESCRIPTIONS OF THOSE YOU WILL HEAR DURING THE CONCERT. 1. THE LARGE CONCERT HARP This is the largest of all the harps. In all, it has 47 strings and seven pedals. The pedals, which are directly connected to the strings, are used to tighten or slacken the strings. Therefore, by using the pedals, the harpist can make each string produce three different sounds, and thereby play sharps and flats. You may have noticed that certain strings on the large harp are different colours. This is simply a little visual trick to help harpists find the main strings more easily: all the C strings are red, and all the F strings are black. 2. THE ELECTRIC CELTIC HARP This is a modern version of the harp. Rather than using a sound box to amplify the sounds, the amplification is handled by an electrically powered amplifier. This is the same way guitars are amplified in a rock band. With 33 strings, the electric Celtic harp is smaller than the large concert harp. 3. THE PORTABLE HARP Lighter and smaller in size, the portable harp is much easier to carry! However, since it doesn't have any pedals, it cannot play sharps or flats. 3

4 Crafts Happy Cloud Stormy Cloud SHAPES IN THE CLOUDS MATERIAL: Scissors A pencil Cardboard Magazines A glue stick Fun DIRECTIONS: 1. Cut out the cloud shape on the last page of this study guide. 2. Trace the outline of the cloud shape on the sheet of cardboard, and then cut it out. 3. In the magazines, find pictures of things you like or that you dream about. Cut out and glue these pictures to one side of the cloud. This will be the "happy cloud" side. 4. Next, find pictures of things that you don't like or that make you cry. Glue these to the other side of the cloud. This will be the "stormy cloud" side. 5. Finally, don't forget to bring your cloud to the concert. Who knows, it might come in handy... On a beautiful day, when the sky is full of big, fluffy, white clouds, lie down on the grass and look up at them. Let your imagination run wild: who knows what you'll see! A train, a dragon, a face, a castle... maybe even a harp! Take turns describing what you see. and Games LEARN HOW TO WHISTLE LIKE A BIRD Why not take this opportunity to learn how to whistle? It may be hard at first but be sure to keep practicing all week long. For those who already know how to whistle, organize a competition: see who can whistle in the lowest pitch, who can whistle with a soda cracker in his mouth, etc. You can also listen to recordings of bird song and try to imitate them as closely as possible. 4

5 Annabelle's Birds THROUGH MUSIC, ANNABELLE IS ABLE TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH SEVERAL BIRDS, EACH OF WHOM SHE GIVES A SPECIFIC NAME. She names her new friends after famous harpists and composers who wrote music for this wonderful instrument. AMERICAN ROBIN / SALZEDO A tribute to accomplished French virtuoso Carlos Salzedo who revolutionized harp playing by introducing new techniques. His many compositions are very difficult to play. TUFTED TITMOUSE / HASSELMANS Alphonse Hasselmans, in addition to being a composer, was also a harp teacher in one of France's largest music schools: the Paris Conservatory. SNOWY OWL / ANDRÈS In honour of Bernard Andrès. Born in France, this harpist began composing at the age of 8! He is currently one of the most popular composers with European harpists. HUMMINGBIRD / DEBUSSY French composer Claude Debussy never played the harp but he loved the instrument and always reserved a special place for it in his compositions. CARDINAL / ALBENIZ A tribute to Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz who mainly wrote for the piano. However, his pianistic writing style makes his works perfectly suited to the harp. CROW / LIZOTTE Caroline Lizotte is one of our great harpists from Quebec. She is also a composer, and her works for the harp are performed in several countries, such as Canada, the United States, Switzerland, France, and Japan. Listen carefully! The music each bird gives to Annabelle corresponds to a piece by the composer for whom the bird is named. 5

6 Bird Puzzle USING ARROWS, HELP ANNABELLE MATCH UP THE TWO PARTS OF EACH BIRD. 1 A 2 B 3 C 4 D 6

7 Budding musicians Build a harp! MATERIAL: A branch from a tree (one end must be flexible) Elastic string Scissors DIRECTIONS: Tightly tie one end of the elastic string to one end of the branch. Gently bend the flexible end of the branch into an arc, as shown, and tie the other end of the elastic string to it, so that the branch stays curved and the string stays pulled tight. This will be your harp's main string. Pluck the string to hear its sound. Use the scissors to cut the string, leaving a bit on the end in case you have to retie the knot. Next, tie additional lengths of string to the branch at regularly spaced intervals. The shorter the length of string, the higher pitched the sound will be. To tune your harp, adjust the tension of the strings by re-doing the knots, or by moving the strings slightly along the arc. And there you have it! Just like Annabelle, you now have your own harp. Fun and Games SILENT CHALLENGE When you attend a concert, you must remain silent. The story may make you laugh, or the musicians may ask you to make certain sounds, but the rest of the time, silence is required so that the artists can concentrate and put on a good show for you. Why not have a little contest? How long can you stay completely silent, without laughing? Try to do it several times, trying to beat the previous record each time. 7

8 Attract birds to your schoolyard (Group project) You don't need to play the harp to draw birds to your schoolyard. You simply need to create an environment that birds like and in which they'll feel comfortable. STEP 1: CREATE A GREEN SPACE It's a fact, birds love green spaces. Plants not only provide them with nectar and seeds to fill their bellies but they also attract small insects that birds love to eat. You don't really need to spend much in order to plant a few flowers that will attract birds. Organize a Plant-o-thon: invite teachers, relatives, and members of the community to donate a plant from their garden. To your shovels... get digging! STEP 2: INSTALL A BIRDFEEDER Though birds are quite able to find everything they need to feed themselves, a birdfeeder provides a well-appreciated complement to their usual food, especially during the winter season. WHEN BIRDWATCHING, REMEMBER THAT BIRDS ARE MORE ACTIVE IN THE MORNING THAN IN THE AFTERNOON. YOU SHOULD ALSO REMAIN CALM AND QUIET, SO AS NOT TO SCARE THEM AWAY. STEP 3: INSTALL A BIRD BATH Sources of water can be very difficult to find in the city. This is why birds appreciate them so much. Install a small basin where birds can have a drink or even take a bath. You'll soon see an increase in the number of visitors in your yard. 8

9 To your instruments... Ready? Play! LOVELY MOON Annabelle Renzo LITTLE CROW Annabelle Renzo 9

10 Let's talk about the concert A FEW SUGGESTED QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR STUDENTS Did you enjoy attending this concert? What was your favourite part? Annabelle really enjoys daydreaming. Do you sometimes have your head in the clouds? If yes, what do you like to dream about? What do you imagine life is like in the clouds? Is it hot or cold? What do we eat up there? Lizotte the crow was rejected by the other birds. Have you ever been rejected by others? How did it make you feel? What should you do when you're snubbed or when you see someone being snubbed? A few suggestions READING For the very young TIBO, Gilles, Les musiques du Petit Bonhomme Éditions Québec Amérique. For older students PROFESSEUR GÉNIUS, Mon album de la musique, Éditions Québec Amérique Jeunesse. RECORDINGS Jennifer Swartz et Lori Gemmell, Le jardin des paons Atma Classique, Valérie Milot, Révélation : récital de harpe, Analekta, solutions 1-B, 2-C, 3-D, 4-A HEAD IN THE CLOUDS IS CO-PRODUCED BY AND HARPIST ANNABELLE RENZO, WHO PERFORMS THE SHOW. CONCEPT + STAGE DIRECTION MARILYN PERREAULT, FROM AN ORIGINAL IDEA BY ANNABELLE RENZO. SETS + COSTUMES CYNTHIA ST-GELAIS AND MÉLANIE OUELLET LIGHTING SIMON GAUTHIER LUMIN-ART PRODUCTIONS STUDY GUIDE TEXT CLAUDINE ROUX ILLUS- TRATIONS KARINE ALLIE + LORRAINE BEAUDOIN (COVER) GRAPHIC DESIGN + LAYOUT KARINE ALLIE ARTISTIC COORDINATION JUDITH PELLETIER 10

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