THE SEASON OF SPRING. Paul Klee s Young Tree. COPYRIGHT 2007 by Judy Spitzberg

Transcription

1 THE SEASON OF SPRING Discipline: Music, Dance, Drama, Language Arts Grade Level: 4-8 Materials Needed: Play and music of Persephone, percussion instruments, projector and slides of pictures from books on Greek mythology Goal: Students will dramatize a story from Greek mythology of how spring came to be with music, dance, instruments, and song. Concepts: orchestration, percussion technique, part-singing, phrasing, and improvisation Paul Klee s Young Tree

2 A typical song for this time of year is the Japanese song Sakura Cherry Blossoms There is a festival in Japan each year at this time to celebrate the blossoming trees. The Koto instrument that is played with this song. The koto is plucked with the thumb and the index and middle fingers. It is also played by pressing, scraping and striking the strings. As the children sing this music, they can improvise patterns on the xylophones set in C pentatonic. The children can also dance to the music with streamers. The song can be performed in a rondo form. A-all sing B-improvise on the xylophones the length of the song A-sing- C-play a recording of the song and move with streamers A-sing D-play the melody on the recorder with xylophone improvisation A-all sing E-read a Japanese Haiku about Spring A-All sing THE STORY OF SPRING in Greek Mythology Persephone, is a young girl in Greek mythology who is lured to the underworld by Hades. She can only come back from the underworld to her mother half the year, and at that

3 time, nature is in bloom. But the other half of the year she must return as Hades wife and everything in nature dies and it is winter. The following is a play describing why we have spring and winter. The script includes original lyrics, dance, recorder music and Orff orchestration. Enclosed are photos of the play being performed by a fourth grade class which studied Greek mythology as part of their social studies curriculum. Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. Persephone accompanied her mother to gather flowers in the field and accidentally strayed far away. Hades, who was visiting earth, fell in love with Persephone, seized her, and took her in his chariot back to the underworld. He decked her with precious jewels and robes, but Persephone was sad, and longed for the sunlit world. She ate nothing but pomegranates, the fruit of the dead. On earth, everything turned cold, and bitter, and all nature grieved with Demeter. The trees and flowers began to die, and the soil became icy and barren. The first cold winter in the world came. People and animals starved. Zeus did not want mankind to perish, so he ordered Hades to release Persephone. For six months he allowed Persephone to return to earth. Demeter was so happy, that she blessed the land and it blossomed anew. Red poppies appear among the golden wheat and the tress bear apples, pears and figs. It was the first springtime in the world and everyone was happy. Demeter with her daughter Kore Children can act out the play holding masks made from paper plates held with a ruler. Study faces of Greek characters and copy their images onto the plates. Crays pas are good for blending skin tones and accenting lips, eyes, cheeks. Use yarn for beards and use ornaments to decorate the hair. Simply belted white sheets can be draped as togas. Head wreaths can be made with silk flowers for the girls and a strings of green paper leaves for the boys.

4 Grade four students in a dance for Persephone. Notice the wreaths and laurels. Assign parts to each student, and use groups to read the chorus in unison. Masks and a chorus were used in Greek plays at the theatres on the Acropolis. Hades can wear a black cape. Props of a chariot and a throne are helpful. For background scenery, project the images from the disk enclosed of Greek scenes on a wall behind the actors. Flowering plants can be placed on the stage front to show a garden.

5 THE MOTHER WHO LOST HER DAUGHTER Chorus: Demeter was the goddess of green and growing things. She was good and kind and beautiful,and she had a young daughter named Kore. Kore No mother ever loved a child as much as Demeter loved her Kore Chorus In those day, it was always summertime, and people on earth were never cold or hungry. But they did not know how to plant seeds. Only Demeter could make things grow Demeter Without me, people would have no fruit to eat or flowers to smell. I make the wheat and barley grow so people can make their bread. Chorus One day, Demeter s daughter was picking flowers in a meadow. (Kore dances and sings as she picks flowers) Kore Ohhh, how beautiful. I ve never seen such a strange flower before. (Kore runs over to pick it, singing and dancing as she adds it to her bouquet) Chorus Far down below in the chilly, dark underworld, Hades, the god who ruled the land of the dead, heard Kore s sweet singing and sound of her dancing feet. All sing

6 Sing now Kore, Here is the music and the orff instrumentation sing now Kore and sing for me sing now Kore in the morning sing now Kore and sing for me, sing now Kore in the morning Now is the time to sing, lift up your voice Lift up your voice now in song (repeat) This melody is in the Greek mode of the DORIAN scale This accompaniment should be layered adding each xylophone after two measures. Use this as an introduction to the song, then continue playing as the class sings the song. Use this music as an background for when the class enters the stage.

7 Hades Who s singing up there? It s not fair. I am so lonely in this dark and dismal kingdom with only the dead for company and she is so happy. I ll steal this girl away and make her my queen. Perhaps she will sing and dance for me. The earth cracks open. Hades rises up in his chariot and pulls Kore back down to the underworld. Children can play a variation of percussion instruments to create the opening earth-gongs, xylophones etc. Kore Mother, Mother, help me. Chorus But Kore had danced so far from where her mother was, that Demeter could not hear her calling. Day after day Kore sat, sad and silent, next to Hades on the throne he had given her in the land of the dead. Let children play this sad melody, an archaic Greek mode on the recorder

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9 She ate nothing until one day when she tasted a pomegranate and swallowed one of its tiny, blood-red seeds. Back on earth, Demeter searched everywhere for her daughter Kore. (Demeter travels around the world searching for Kore. In her grief, she forgets to tell the wheat and barley to grow, and the trees to bear fruit. Everything dies) Chorus The first cold winter in the world came All the people were hungry. Their children cried because they had no bread or fruit to eat and they were so very, very cold. All sing Zeus the King with instrumentation. Children can choreograph a dance to the phrases of the music. Alternate singing once with instruments, then dancing with instruments

10 ZEUS THE KING Verse I:

11 Zeus the king of all gods help us now, We have no food and are waiting for thou. Our crops and our stock have no life left to give Free Kore now so that people may live. Verse II: Zeus the king of all gods help us now, We have no heat and are waiting for thou. Our hands and our feet are too cold now to move, Free Kore now so that we can still groove. Verse III: Zeus the king of all gods help us now, We have no light and are waiting for thou. Our kids and our pets are too scared now to play, Free Kore now so that winter won t stay. CHORUS: Winter is ending, Spring is so near Hades is weak, so do not show fear. Demeter Has anyone seen my lovely child who is lost? Has anyone seen dear Kore with her golden braids and dancing feet?

12 (mask of Kore made by Whitney Baumiller) Chorus But everyone said no until at last the goddess met a boy called Triptolemus Triptolemus I have not seen her, but I know where she is. My brother, the swineherd saw the earth Crack open. He said he had never seen anything like it. Hades rose from the underworld and carried you daughter away. Demeter Zeus, Zeus, your wicked brother Hades has stolen my child. Make him give her back to me. Chorus So Zeus sent Hermes down to the underworld to command Hades to return Kore to her mother. Hades (to Kore) Urrr. All right. I ll let you go since Zeus commands me. But don t forget-you ate the blood-red pomegranate, the fruit of the dead. Anyone who tastes it must return to the underworld sooner or later. You will come back for part of the year to sit beside me as my wife and queen. And your new name will be Persephone. Kore is a name for a child, not a queen. Chorus So Kore, who was now called Persephone, returned to her mother. Demeter was so happy to see her daughter again. Demeter

13 My daughter has returned. I ve been so upset that I ve let everything turn cold and die. Now I fill fix that. Grow, wheat and barley, grow. Look at the trees. They will soon bear apples and pears and figs. I will provide everything that the people need again. Welcome the first springtime in the world. Chorus But after eight months, Persephone had to say goodbye to her mother and return to her throne beside her husband, Hades. Kore Oh, Mother, I hate to leave you. Four months is such a long time. I won t see you again till then. Demeter Then I will mourn for you these four months every year. Winter will come. Nothing will bear fruit and my tears will fall as cold rain and sleet until at last the happy day arrives when you return home to me and springtime begins. Kore But what will the people do? Everyone will be so cold and hungry again. Demeter Triptolemus will help the people. He is the only one who helped me find you, and will surely help us now. Triptolemus-Here is a chariot pulled by dragons, a bag of seeds, and A wooden plow. Come close, I ll whisper to you the secrets of how to make things grow and how to harvest them and save them so that people will have food to eat through the long winter months. Triptolemus Don t worry, Demeter, you can count on me. I ll travel all over the wold in my dragon chariot and teach any who will listen to me how to plant and how to harvest and preserve what they have grown. Chorus All over the world, people planted the seeds Triptolemus gave them-the gifts of Demeter The people had bread for the long winter When springtime comes, people on earth rejoice with Demeter Persephone returns to her mother and sings and dances through the fields Demeter is filled with joy, and all the green things sprout and grow again.

14 All dance to this music with instrumental accompaniment. DANCE OF SPRING Add percussion instruments of the vibraslap, tambourine, xylophones, triangle, drums

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16 -DANCE- SHIBBOLETH BASADEH

17 This is another great dance for any section of the play. It is a middle eastern song in the mode of this region, in Hebrew called Shibboleth Basadeh A recording of this music can be found on the CD collection Teaching Folk Dance Rhythmically Moving 5 by Phyllis Weikhart-High/Scope Press This is a song of the harvest of sheaves, heavy with ears of corn, bending in the wind. The sun rises over the hill villagers are called to work the world is born again. The choreography is two concentric circles of partners facing in to each other. Hands are held up palm to palm with the person on either side Part A: all slide right-r together L together- for the first phrase and turn half turn to face in and continue sliding right. On part B: measures skip toward the partner facing you in two beats and twirl partner around then skip back two beats and turn in place.: measures hop in place four times then jump up, pause, touch the floor and clap.on the last beat. This song can be played on the piano or the recorder with orchestration.

18 PLANTING SEEDS FOR SPRING Two great books on gardening for children are:

19 - Kids Gardening-a Kid s Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt by Kevin Raftery and Kim Gilbert Raftery-Klutz Press, Palo Alto, CA 1989 ISBN Busy Little Gardener by Helen Barden and Penny Dann Derrydale Books, NY-1990 ISBN Growing Seeds Indoors: You will need: Alfalfa seeds Watering can Margarine Tubs Cotton or potting soil l. Put some cotton in the bottom of the margarine tub. Soak the cotton with water. Make sure it is really wet 2. Shake some seeds on the cotton and spread them out. You can form letters in the cotton for fun. Put the cotton near the light of a window to help them grow. 3. Look at the seeds every day. Make sure the cotton stays wet. Your seeds need water to grow. 4. After about a week your sprouts will be ready to eat. They will have grown about two inches. Cut the sprouts off near the bottom of their stalks and add them to your sandwiches. 5. Other seeds that are fun to grow this way are bird seed, mustard and flower seeds. A Giant Sunflower Race You will need: Gardening fork, trowel, garden string, sunflower seeds, tape measure, garden stakes. Giant sunflowers grow very fast if you plant them in a sunny spot. In spring, have a race with a friend to see who can grow the tallest and biggest sunflower. l. Prepare a site near a fence or wall. Pull up any weeds and then dig and rake the soil with your fork. 2. Push the seeds into the soil. Leave about 12 inches between each one. 3. Shoots will appear in about ten days if you water the seeds every day. 4. When the seedling are about 2 inches tall, pull out the weak ones. Leave the strong ones to grow. Take any snails or slugs off the leaves. 5. Tie each sunflower to a garden stake to keep it from falling over. Measure your flower every day. It might grow 10-12feet high. Gardening Tips: If you save some seeds you will be able to plant them next year

20 THE SEASON OF SPRING

21 Discipline: Music, Dance, Drama, Language Arts Grade Level: 4-8 Materials Needed: Play and music of Persephone, percussion instruments, projector and slides of pictures from books on Greek mythology Goal: Students will dramatize a story from Greek mythology of how spring came to be with music, dance, instruments, and song. Concepts: orchestration, percussion technique, part-singing, phrasing, and improvisation Paul Klee s Young Tree

22 A typical song for this time of year is the Japanese song Sakura Cherry Blossoms There is a festival in Japan each year at this time to celebrate the blossoming trees. The Koto instrument that is played with this song. The koto is plucked with the thumb and the index and middle fingers. It is also played by pressing, scraping and striking the strings. As the children sing this music, they can improvise patterns on the xylophones set in C pentatonic. The children can also dance to the music with streamers. The song can be performed in a rondo form. A-all sing B-improvise on the xylophones the length of the song A-sing- C-play a recording of the song and move with streamers A-sing D-play the melody on the recorder with xylophone improvisation A-all sing E-read a Japanese Haiku about Spring A-All sing