Connecting the Arts Harry T. Burleigh A collection of educational lessons about his life, his work, and his ability to inspire.

Transcription

1 1 Connecting the Arts Harry T. Burleigh A collection of educational lessons about his life, his work, and his ability to inspire. Focus: 2 nd - 6 th grade classrooms

2 2 Foreward This packet is designed with educators in mind helping connect the dots between arts history and the classroom. There are several lessons to choose from including a guided reading piece about Burleigh, explorations of slavery and song, the Underground Railroad and secret messages, the spiritual and its roots, and the inspiration of African- American music in classical music. While the focus of the packet is to explore the music of Harry T. Burleigh, it is important to note that there are some exploratory lessons about spirituals, plantation work songs and other songs of African- Americans during the time of slavery. These build a background for understanding the deep cultural roots of Burleigh, which shaped his contributions in making this music accessible to all ethnicities All lessons are 2 nd - 6 th grade friendly and can be taught by any classroom teacher as a way of enhancing your lessons about, through, with, and in the arts. Suggestions on when to use these lessons include: During social studies and National Black History Month As recognition of a local African- American, Harry T. Burleigh, making a difference. On Harry T. Burleigh s Birthday, December 2 nd, as a connecting to this day in history.

3 3 Table of Contents Lesson 1 Grade 2 Secret messages. Following the Drinking Gourd Using the story Follow the Drinking Gourd, students explore how music played an important role in communicating secret messages during the time of slavery. This is a general lesson about music of this era and the Underground Railroad. Lesson 2 Grade 3 Henry s Freedom Box: Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child The loneliness of a slave child as captured in Harry T Burleigh s song, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, and how one boy mailed himself to freedom. Lesson 3 Grades 3 and 4 Harry T. Burleigh, His Life, His Work, His Legacy. This is a guided reading exercise for 3 rd and 4th grade about Harry s life and contributions to society. Deep River will be used as an example of his work. Lesson 4 Grade 4 Who Is This Moses? Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad: Go Down Moses Conductor on the underground railroad, Harriet Tubman, was know as Moses How did she get that name and what connections can be made to Harry T. Burleigh s song. Lesson 5 Grade 5 Music Sets the Body to Work Historically music has been used to keep a body moving in times of work. Explore three very different kinds of work songs and how they compare and contrast. Featured are: plantation cotton field songs, sea chanteys, and military sound- offs.

4 4 Lesson 6 Grade 6 Inspiration: Letting the Music Move You When Harry T. Burleigh sang the music of his roots, it became an inspiration to Antonin Dvorak. The haunting melodies moved Dvorak and some say he composed his New World Symphony playing with themes of those great spirituals. What music inspires you. This lesson explores the student s ability to connect and by inspired by music. Appendix Appendix A Likenesses and Differences Appendix B Follow the Drinking Gourd Appendix C Lesson 1 Word Cards Appendix D Follow the Drinking Gourd Secret Messages Appendix E Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child Appendix F Harry T. Burleigh Guided Reading Appendix G Word Cards for Lesson 3 Appendix H Go Down Moses Appendix I Deep River Lyrics Appendix J Letting the Music Move You Appendix K Harry T. Burleigh Fact Sheet Appendix L Antonin Dvorak Fact Sheet/ Spiritual Fact Sheet

5 5 Lesson 1 Suggested Level Grade 2 Secret Messages Following the Drinking Gourd Exploring the Underground Railroad How to use this lesson: - Use this piece as a shared reading lesson to fit into you Best Practices classroom - Use this piece as a connected lesson to science with a focus on constellations in the sky - Use this lesson to introduce the Underground Railroad. - Use this lesson to make a connection to the music of the slave and secret messages. Background for teachers: The Underground Railroad was a secret passageway to the north. It was a series of railway stations that were African- American friendly homes which harbored slaves while they traveled north. Most slaves could not read or write, nor would they want to carry papers revealing the locations or routes they would take to freedom. Music became a form of communication filled with hidden messages on instructions that would help them along the way. Follow the Drinking Gourd was one of those songs. Materials: - Train whistle sound. You can use a wooden train whistle or the sound provided here - T- chart comparing a railroad and The Underground Railroad (Appendix A) - Book: The Drinking Gourd, a Story of the Underground Railroad by F.N. Monjo, pictures by Fred Brenner ISBN: Songsheet: Follow the Drinking Gourd (Appendix B) - Word cards (Appendix C) - Follow the Drinking Gourd s Secret Messages T- chart reproducible (Appendix D) - Suggested meaning of the lyrics sheet from, (also Appendix D) Words To Know Underground Railroad- A network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves to escape north to freedom. conductor- A person who would help guide the slaves along the correct route to freedom. stations- Safe houses along the way where slaves could find a friendly face and refuel with clothing, water, and food for the next leg of the journey on the Underground Railroad. drinking gourd- Also known as the big dipper, is the constellation in the sky that locates Polaris, the North Star, and helped guide slaves to freedom.

6 6 Pre- reading Activity To begin the lesson, play the sample train whistle at. What images come to mind when you hear this sound? Have the students conjure a graphic image in their minds. This image may include a big passenger train, an engineer, a conductor and railway stations. After building these images, switch directions and talk about the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad has many of these parts and yet they are hidden to the eye. Make a large T- chart or use the one provided (Appendix A). The first part of the chart should be filled in before the story and the second column filled in after the story. Read the story. Post- reading Activity 1 Take out the T- chart and see how the Underground Railroad compares with those images that students picture during the pre- reading activity and finish the chart. Post- reading Activity 2 Now turn to the song. Pass out copies of the lyric sheet (Appendix B). Music plays such and important role during this time in history. African- Americans sang songs of prayer, songs filled with hope, songs filled with sorrow, songs to work by and songs to carry secret messages of a pathway to freedom. Listen to the song Follow the Drinking Gourd. Find the phrases in the song that helped slaves remember the road to freedom. First give them a few moments to listen again and work independently. You may suggest students use a highlighter to identify these words or phrases. Now come back to the group and identify a few of those words or phrases and their hidden meanings. Finally, have the students break up into partners. Let them complete the T- chart called, Follow the Drinking Gourd s Secret Messages (Appendix D) Extensions: You will find many students become very interested in the Underground Railroad. In lesson #3, another song arranged by Harry T. Burleigh is used as a secret code as well. Here are a few more resources as well: Reading Rainbow Follow the Drink Gourd program bnvcsd8 Beautiful rendition sung in the style of Harry T. Burleigh

7 7 Lesson 2 Suggested level Grade 3 Henry s Freedom Box: Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child How to use this lesson: - Use this piece as a shared reading lesson to fit into you Best Practices classroom - Use this piece as a connected lesson to social studies and the life of a slave - Use this lesson to connect to National Black History Month - Use this lesson to make a connection to the music of the slave and the emotion it can evoke Background for teachers: The life of a slave was difficult. Remaining connected to your family was impossible. Slave masters often sold members of the family to other plantations. When family members were separated, it could be without notice. Most never had a chance to say goodbye, and in most cases, they did not know the location of where they were going. Children were left parentless. Music carries strong emotion and was often a form of expression. Harry T. Burleigh s arrangement of Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, captures the feeling of those abandoned children. This song is partnered with an award winning true story about a boy who was orphaned as a young slave in this lesson. Perhaps he sang this song to comfort his heart as he made a plan that no one could even imagine trying. But will he mail his way to freedom? Materials: - Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, by Ellen Levine. ISBN: Copies of Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Child songsheet (Appendix E) Pre- reading Activity Explore with the children the following questions: 1. How many of you this evening have plans to see your parents tonight? Will they pick you up from school? Will you eat dinner together? Will someone help you with your homework? Now imagine you got home from school today and without any warning, your parents were taken away from you. You don t know where they are and you will never see them again. How would you feel? 2. In the time of slavery, this happened often in families of slaves. Members were sent to another plantation without notice! There is a spiritual that captures the feeling of being motherless and alone. Watch the following performance of the song. It includes excerpts of a young slave girl s account of families torn apart Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Child umyvy NOTE: You will notice this song is performed as an art song as Harry T. Burleigh intended. He himself was an accomplished vocalist and arranged his songs to be sung in a more formal setting treating the piece with the dignity it so richly deserved, legitimizing these African- American cultural melodies. It might be helpful to explain to the students this information so their listening experience can reach its highest potential. Ask the question, Why do you think the words are repeated over and over again?

8 8 Responses may include, they feel really emotional about it, they don t know what else to say, they are using the words to show pain. 3. So, what would you do? Today we are going to read a true story about a young slave boy who was motherless. And won t you be surprised at what he does! READ THE STORY 1. What are some of the reasons Henry ended up mailing himself north? 2. Can you think of something negative that you turned into something positive? 3. Think of the best birthday you every had. Now decide whose birthday was better, Henry s or yours and why? Share your answer with someone near you. Post- reading Activity Finish the lesson with another listen to of Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child This version is sung by a famous African- American female vocalist named Odetta. Take a moment to discuss the difference between the two versions you played and let the students choose which they like and why. Follow- up: Here is a brief film about Harry T. Burleigh and his life.

9 9 Lesson 3 Suggested level Grade 3 and 4 Harry T. Burleigh, His Life, His Work, His Legacy. A Guided Reading Exercise for Third and Fourth grade. How to use this lesson: - Use this piece as a special guided reading lesson to fit into your Best Practices classroom. - Use it as a small group lesson as well as a whole class experience. - Use it if you are celebrating important contributions made by people from Erie, Pennsylvania. - Use it if you are studying National Black History Month - Use it if you are simply making an arts connection to slavery and the spiritual. - Use it as a mini lesson celebrating Harry T. Burleigh s Birthday as a trivia piece Background for teachers: Harry T. Burleigh made it possible for the world to share some of the most beautiful music every sung, The Spiritual. Spirituals were born in a the time of slavery. These haunting melodies were songs from the African- American soul who prayed for freedom. At times, secret messages of traveling north were often hidden in the lyrics of the song. Harry T. Burleigh took these songs and wrote them down for the world to sing and share. Words to know: spiritual- A spiritual is a religious song, in this case originating from the slaves, thus often called Negro spiritual. conservatory- A conservatory is a school that specializes in the arts, in this case, music. copyist- A copyist is a person who makes copies. Music copyists, are employed to produce neat copies from a composer or arranger's manuscript Materials needed: - copies of the guided reading selection Harry T. Burleigh, His Life, His Work, His Legacy (a\appendix F) - vocabulary word cards. (Appendix G) - Lyric sheet for Deep River (Appendix I) Pre- reading Activity: Play the telephone game. Have the students sit in a circle. Whisper in one person s ear Harry T. Burleigh was one of the first men to take the songs sung by slaves on plantations, and write the melodies on paper so that everyone could play, sing, and enjoy them. Now have each student take turns trying to repeat this simple fact, by whispering it into their neighbor s ear. When

10 10 you come to the end of the circle, chances are you are going to have a very different version from when you began. Outcome: By playing a quick round of the telephone game, students can see how things change quite quickly in their meanings. Using this game, a connection can be made to the importance of Harry T. Burleigh s scribing the melodies so that everyone can sing them all over the world. And now they are recorded on paper for historical value. Read the story. A reproducible of the story is provided. (Appendix F) Post- reading Activity. Recall questions these questions can be used to assess gained knowledge but can also be used as a pre- reading piece to stimulate reading with intent. - Who taught Harry spirituals and where did they come from? - Pick one person that taught or helped Harry along the way and why they were important? - Why would becoming a copyist be a good thing for Harry to do? - What were some of the musical things Harry did throughout his career? - Why is important to have spirituals written down? Listening - Harry T. Burleigh s song Deep River is one of the most famous spirituals he wrote down. Listen to the song as you follow the lyric sheet (Appendix I). Words like deep river and I want to cross over into campground have two different meanings, one is the idea of wading through our life to get to heaven, but the slaves gave it a different meaning. What could that be? Extension: Listen again to the lyrics of Deep River and draw your interpretation of what the song is saying to you. Continued reading for Harry T. Burleigh: This is a story based on the lives and facts of Harry T. Burleigh written in story form. It tells more about his relationship with his grandfather and about how he was raised with the spiritual as part of his everyday life. It would make an excellent extension of this activity. knows- forgotten- story- harry- t- burleigh

11 11 Lesson 4 Suggested level Grade 4 Who Is This Moses? Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad: Go Down Moses How to use this lesson: - Use this piece as a social studies lesson about Harriet Tubman. It could very well be a 2- day lesson. - Use this piece to connect to the musical arrangements of negro spirituals by Harry T. Burleigh - Use it if you are studying National Black History Month - Use it if you are simply making an arts connection to slavery, the spiritual and the underground railroad Background for teachers: During the time of slavery, negro spirituals were heart- felt songs that told stories of great figures in the Bible. Often times, they served another purpose as well. They revealed secret messages that would give the slaves a hope and promise of a better life. The spiritual Go Down Moses is an example of one of those spirituals. While it speaks of the Biblical figure, Moses, it also refers to Harriet Tubman conductor on the Underground railroad who became know among slaves as the one they call Moses. In this lesson students will learn about the first Moses and the one called Moses during the time of slavery among African- Americans. They will use Harry T. Burleigh s arrangement of the spiritual Go Down Moses to reveal the secret meanings behind the beautiful melody. In biblical times, a man named Moses freed the Jewish people from the oppression of the Pharoah in Egypt by leading them through a long difficult journey through the desert. In 1849 Harriet Tubman, a slave, ran away to freedom. After making that journey, she promised not to rest until she led others to freedom. She made over a dozen trips leading her people to freedom, earning the nickname Moses. Materials: - Moses: The Long Road to Freedom by Ann Keay Beneduce. ISBN: Wanted Dead Or Alive: The True Story Of Harriet Tubman by Ann Mcgovern. ISBN: Go Down Moses lyric sheet (Appendix H) Day 1 Pre- reading Activity 1. Introduce a listening experience for the class to enjoy. Talk a bit about Harry T. Burleigh, native of Erie, PA. Make sure to highlight these facts: - Burleigh grew up listening to the music of the African- American slave as his grandfather, a slave himself, sang countless melodies to him. - Burleigh had a talent for music and went to a music conservatory. - Burleigh never forgot his roots and spent years arranging and scribing the melodies he had been taught as a child. Many of these melodies had never been written down before. - His work allowed people of all cultures to sing, play and learn from the songs he arranged for all.

12 12 2. Listen to an ORIGINAL recording of the vocalist/composer, Harry T. Burleigh as he sings his arrangement of Go Down Moses Ask Who is Moses? You may get both the Biblical and Tubman answers. Introduce and Read the Story Moses: The Long Road to Freedom by Ann Keay Beneduce. Post- reading Activity Use the five- finger method of story plot to re- tell the story Thumb = characters = Moses, Pharoah, Jewish slaves Index Finger = setting (where or when it took place) = in Egypt and the desert BC Middle Finger= problem= the Jewish people were unfairly enslaved Ring Finger= events= plagues, Moses leading the people through the parted sea, Moses leading the people through the desert Pinky Finger= ending= The Jewish people were led to freedom. Pass out lyric sheets (Appendix H) to the students and find examples where the Moses in this story could be the subject of the song. Extend the lesson until day 2 for the next reading. Pre- reading Activity 1. Listen to another version of the song Go Down Moses and compare. This version is performed Louis Armstrong and has a wonderful contrast. (many more lyrics not listed on sheet) Introduce the Story Wanted Dead Or Alive: The True Story Of Harriet Tubman by Ann Mcgovern. Post-reading Activity Use the five- finger method of story plot to re- tell the story Thumb = characters = Master Brody, Harriet Tubman, slaves Index Finger = setting (where or when it took place) = in 1850 s on a Plantation and traveling north on the Underground Railroad Middle Finger= problem= African- American people were unfairly enslaved Ring Finger= events= Harriet found out members of her family would be sent further south, she escaped, Harriet came back to make many more trips Pinky Finger= ending= She brought many slaves north to freedom and lived out the rest of her days in freedom. Again pass out lyric sheets to the students and find examples where the Moses in this story could be the subject of the song. Extension: For more interesting information about Harriet Tubman, read this biography online: tubman #later- life

13 13 Lesson 5 Suggested level Grade 5 Music Sets the Body to Work This lesson explores three of the types of work songs found in history: the work songs of the slaves in the plantation fields, sea chanteys, and the military sound- offs. Background for teacher: Throughout history, people have used music at work. The rhythms help keep a steady beat, generate a sense of cooperation, and can help pass the time. These songs could ease the pain of difficult work and could help give them something to look forward to. The melodies of the songs often reflected the mood of the worker. Materials: - Video music clips: Blow the Man Down Every Where We Go I Be So Glad When the Sun Goes Down zlsq4mwie&index=1&list=pl5gesrehgwvw6actl1vdbuvjhzswzy0cd Procedures: 1. Tell the students you want them to listen to a song you have ready for them and to pay attention to the lyrics of the song. Play I Be So Glad When the Sun Goes Down. 2. Ask the students if they have any thoughts on the song, its meaning, its purpose. 3. Ask the question, how many of you play music when you are doing your homework? How about when you clean your room? Think about the times that you are working on something, does music ever creep in? Do you hum or whistle? 4. Well, you just listened to a song from the south that the slaves use to sing out in the fields. 5. Throughout history, music has been a part of work. Why do you think that is? 6. How do you think this song might have helped the slaves? 7. We are going to listen to some music today that has been used throughout history to help groups of people work. While they are all used for different purposes they do have some things in common. 8. Next, listen to a boatman s song as sailors hit the high seas. Play Blow the Man Down. 9. What do you think the sailors use the music for? (hoisting sails, keeping a steady rhythm, keeping them focused, even helping them forget how hard the task at hand may be) 10. Finally, here is a different work song commonly used in all forms of military service. Play Every Where We Go. 11. Have you heard this song before? You may have seen drill sergeants chanting with their squads as they run together. What is the purpose of this song?

14 So we have listened to three work songs. All three have their own purposes and yet they all have something in common. 13. Break the students into groups of three and have them make and complete a comparison chart. It might be helpful to let each of the three students represent one of the three types of songs so that each student gets an opportunity to have a voice. 14. Come together as a group and share what some of the responses on the chart may be. 15. Explain that one of the things each of these songs has in common is that they are all a form of call and response. Each song begins with a person or group of leaders that call out a phrase and the entire group responds, sometimes by echoing the leader, sometimes by singing a common response. 16. As closure, challenge the students to write their own call and response song using the format of a military sound- off, Every Where We Go. It could be a song that rallies the students in the morning to start working: Hello Everybody (hello everybody) Time to get to work now (time to get to work now) or it could be a spirit song: We are room 6A (we are room 6A) The smart and crazy 6A (the smart and crazy 6A) Extension: Songs of plantation life of the slave are plentiful. Harry T. Burleigh not only arranged several spirituals, he scribed many work songs of the slave as well. Swing Low Sweet Chariot was originally not only a spiritual, but could be heard in the fields as well. Listen to this version (just a reminder, this is Harry T. Bureligh s arrangement and is presented as an art form) and have the students describe why this could be considered both a spiritual and a work song. Here is another version which is sung by Johnny Cash it has a great introduction.

15 15 Lesson 6 Suggested level Grade 6 Inspiration: Letting the Music Move You Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil In which the spirit lives, thinks and invents - Ludwig van Beethoven When Harry T. Burleigh sang the music of his roots, it became an inspiration to Antonin Dvorak. The haunting melodies moved Dvorak and some say he composed his New World Symphony playing with themes of those great spirituals. What music inspires you? This lesson explores the student s ability to connect and by inspired by music. Background for Teachers: When Harry T. Burleigh attended the National Conservatory of music in New York City, he had a job as an assistant and copyist for the orchestra conducted by the famous Antonin Dvorak (a person who copies and adds parts for full orchestra to assist a composer with their work.) Often times, late after the musicians left, Burleigh would be finishing up and Dvorak would be unwinding from his intense rehearsals. Burleigh would sing the soulful tunes his grandfather taught him, melodies of the slaves on plantations. They were spiritual songs, soulful and deliberate. Dvorak was comforted by these melodies. He would make it a habit to ask Burleigh to sing them when he needed inspiration as he wrote. At the time, he was composing a new piece, his New World Symphony. He has been quoted as saying, "In the negro melodies of America I discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music." It has been concluded that Burleigh was a great inspiration for this and many other pieces of music. In particular, Dvorak s fourth movement in The New World Symphony. Out of this movement sings a melody that later became a new spiritual, Going Home. People argue as to the direct melody sharing that happen between these two musicians, but two facts remain. Both men inspired one another, Burleigh with his haunting melodies of a spiritually driven people, and Dvorak with his encouragement as he suggested to Harry to begin to scribe the melodies of these could be forgotten tunes so they and their cultural gifts would not be lost to the world. Materials: - Lyric sheet for Deep River (Appendix I) - Music clips from Deep River Start at 1:10 Second Movement New World Symphony composed by Antonin Dvorak ENf4VEhI40 Going Home (Harry T. Burleigh s Arrangement) ttps:// (sung using Dvorak s actual score from The New World Symphony. )

16 16 - Songs for the group activity Rocky Theme Song Superman Theme Thus Spake Zarathustra composed by Richard Strauss, used in Space Odyssey QFj59PON4 Flight of the Bumblebee composed by Rimsky- Korsakov - Website/recording sheet for the project (Appendix J) - Posterboard,,,1 for each group Words: inspiration- something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone (Webster dictionary) Procedures: 1. Write the word inspiration on the board. Can anyone tell me something about this word, its meaning? 2. Have you ever been inspired by someone or something? Share some of those answers. 3. Today we are going to talk about two men who inspired each other. Then go into some of the background listed in the teacher section. 4. So as Antonin Dvorak is sitting at his desk over a sheet of unfinished music paper, Harry T. Burleigh may have sung something like this. Pass out the lyric sheet (Appendix I), and play Deep River as referenced in the materials section. 5. What are some reasons that Dvorak might be inspired by this song? 6. What did Dvorak mean in this quote, "In the negro melodies of America I discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music.? 7. Now we are going to listen to the second movement of that very symphony Dvorak was working on. As you listen, think about the melody and notice any feelings, emotions or tensions you may feel that could have been inspired by Burleigh s song. Play the second movement as referenced under Materials. Note that the important melody begins around 46 seconds. 8. Share some of those thoughts. 9. Now listen to the inspirational piece that was born from this work (which came first is still disputed today!) Play Harry T. Burleigh s arrangement of the song as found under Going Home. Then play the second Going Home, which is an amazing inspirational rendition with some tremendous improvisation. 10. Do you feel the lyrics fit Dvorak original emotion of the piece, explain.

17 The second Going Home example included the soloist singing over Dvorak s melody. What are your thoughts about this? 12. Everyone can be inspired by music. You may have your own sad songs, happy songs, songs you use to motivate you. Let s take a look at four songs that have melodies which could inspire someone in various ways 13. Break the room into groups (a size that can work on a posterboard together.) Give them the hand- out (Appendix J) with websites for them to explore. On their own tablets, computers, instruct the students as a group pick one of the 4 songs, listen to the piece and then EACH come up with three ways this song could inspire. Use the recording section at the bottom of the website page for each person to record their own ideas. 14. As a group, discuss their inspirational thoughts. 15. Finally, hand out a piece of posterboard and have the students create a poster which will include their names, the name of the piece, and some form of artistic expression that shows how the piece could be inspirational. 16. Share the posters and hang them up for all to enjoy!