Objective: Students identify the structure of the orchestra including the seating, arrangement, and four instrument families.

Transcription

1 Lesson: The Orchestra Objective: Students identify the structure of the orchestra including the seating, arrangement, and four instrument families. TEKS: , 15, 18 (B) 1A, 1B MENC: standards 9 Materials: Orchestra worksheet treasure hunt (included in this packet) LESSON Like a ship, the symphony orchestra is a large vessel made up of many small parts. Each part has its own special and important purpose, and it took more than three centuries for the symphony to finally take on its current shape. There are four families of instruments in the symphony orchestra: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion. These families of instruments are very different from one another, in the way that they sound and the way that they are played, making seating arrangements very important! EXERCISE 1: Can you name the instruments in each family? Students decide which instruments belong to a particular family. Have students name off each family to review: A) Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Harp B) Woodwinds: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon (Saxophone is a woodwind, but not typically found in the orchestra) C) Brass: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba (Baritone is brass, but also not typically found in the orchestra) D) Percussion: Cymbals, Timpani, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Xylophone, Piano (anything that makes a sound when struck, scraped, or shaken) A Special Thanks to our Young People s Concert Sponsors

2 EXERCISE 2: Treasure Hunt Young Mozart has lost his favorite conducting baton and cannot seem to find it anywhere. He has been given a clue that says that the baton can be found, stuck in the tuba. But where does the tuba sit? Help Mozart figure out where members of the orchestra sit so he can get his baton back. Teachers: This handout is available at the end of this packet in multiple forms for you to print! TRUMPET SECOND VIOLINS TUBA VIOLAS BASS FIRST VIOLINS CELLOS HARP Using the clues, write down where each section of the orchestra sits, then you can find out where Mozart s baton is! 1) The Percussion section plays the biggest instruments so they always sit in the back. 2) The Bass section has it easy, they stand next to the brass and percussion, but sometimes they can t see the conductor over The Cellos who sit in front of them 3) The Brass section gets angry when the percussion section plays too loud because they sit right in front of them. 4) The Harp likes to be as far away from the bass section as possible. Nobody really knows why. 5) The First Violins like to be seen by people so they sit up front on the opposite side of the cellos. 6) Woodwinds always complain that their ears hurt because of the loud brass that sit right behind them. 7) The lowest brass instrument, The Tuba, sits closest to the brass section, and next to the tuba sits The Trombone Section. Need a hint? What family is the Tuba in? This is also the section where you will find the Tuba! 8) Second Violins are hidden between the Violas and the first violins. 9) The lowest woodwind instrument, The Bassoon, sits in front of both the tuba and the trombones, while The Clarinet, another woodwind, sits just to the left of the bassoon. 10) Of the strings, The Viola section takes up the least room. 11) The Flutes sit right in front of the clarinets, while The French Horns sit right behind the clarinets. 12)...and just in front of the bassoons sit The Oboes, while behind the bassoons sit The Trumpets.

3 LESSON: The Conductor OBJECTIVE: Students demonstrate understanding of the roles and duties of an orchestra conductor, and practice conducting by utilizing their right and left hands. Cannot access YouTube? Click here for an interview with renown conductor Andris Nelsons TEKS: , 15, 18 (B) 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C MENC: standard 8 MATERIALS: Writing utensil, optional conducting worksheet REFERENCE: Krzystof Urbanski, Chief conductor of Trondheim Symphony Orchestra Interview and glimpse of his job If a chorus of pirates began singing: Sixteen men on a dead man s chest, Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum Wouldn t it be helpful if someone were to lead them? Well, that s exactly what a conductor does! Just like a pirate captain leads his crew on adventures, the conductor leads the orchestra to make beautiful music! A conductor stands on a small platform called a podium in front of the orchestra. Using a baton to control the tempo (how fast or how slow) and the dynamics (how soft or loud), the conductor guides the orchestra through a piece of music in the style and fashion that the composer originally intended.

4 Robert Carter Austin A native of Tennessee, Maestro Austin has an unusually diverse educational background for a classical musician, including a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Diploma (with Distinction) in Computer Science from Cambridge University, and a Master of Musical Arts degree from Stanford University. Maestro Austin s first professional appointment was as Artistic Director of the Chattanooga Opera in He added the post of Artistic Director of the Southern Regional Opera in Birmingham, Alabama in Shifting his focus to symphonic music in 1981, he became Music Director of the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra in Wyoming, before coming to Texas in 1985 as Music Director of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra in Tyler. He has served as Music Director of the Garland Symphony Orchestra since 1988, of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra since 1991, and of Symphony Arlington since In frequent demand as a guest conductor, Maestro Austin has led performances with opera companies and symphony orchestras in eleven states in the U.S. His international credits include performances with the Chursächische Philharmonie, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie, and Orchester des Nordharzer Städtebundtheaters in Germany; the Florence Sinfonietta, Orchestra Sinfonica Regionale del Molise, Milano Classico, and L Offerta Musicale in Italy; the National Orchestras of Ukraine, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines; and orchestras in France, Spain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, and China. Upcoming engagements for Maestro Austin include the Orchestra Sinfonica Città di Grosseto in Italy and the Amazonas Filarmonica in Brazil. Off the podium, Maestro Austin describes himself as an avid skier, a closet country music fan, and a notorious oenophile. His wife, Dr. Kathryn Gamble, is the Director of Veterinary Medicine at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois.

5 EXERCISE 1 Let s See You Do It! Begin by having the class sing Happy Birthday together, but without any help from the teacher. Do you notice how difficult it is to begin without someone leading? That s the roll of the conductor! A) The conductor stands in front of the orchestra, on top of a podium, and conducts with a baton. B) The conductor controls how fast and slow or soft and loud the orchestra plays with their hands and body. C) The conductor holds a baton with the right hand. With the baton, the conductor controls tempo, or speed. D) The conductor uses left hand motions to control dynamics, or volume. Time Signature: While we will learn more about time signature when we cover rhythm, it is important to note that there are three common patterns of time in music: 2, 3, and 4. Time is something almost everyone can naturally feel. If there are an odd number of beats, chances are the music is in 3 and you feel the pulse of the rhythm as strong-weak-weak. Even easier to recognize in music in 2 or 4 (4 is just a doubled variation of 2). You feel 2 or 4 as strong-weak, strong-weak. EXERCISE 2 The Right Hand, Using a Baton With the baton, the conductor controls tempo, or speed, Have each student use a writing utensil as a baton, holding it in the right hand. 2 Try to match these patterns with only the baton in your right hand: 2 2) Conducting in 2 is very easy, it s a simple up and down motion. See if you can conduct London Bridge in 2. 3) Conducting in 3 is like drawing a triangle. Happy Birthday is in 3, try to conduct it by starting on beat 3, the up swing. This is called a pickup note ) Conducting in 4 is a little more confusing. With your right hand, think: DOWN (1), LEFT (2), RIGHT (3), UP (4). Now try, For He s a Jolly Good Fellow, which is in 4, and also starts on the pickup, or beat

6 EXERCISE 3 The Left Hand With the left hand, a conductor can control volume, also known as dynamics. A) To increase volume, raise your left hand towards the ceiling with your palm facing up. B) To decrease volume, drop your left hand to the floor, palm down. C) The faster you raise or lower your left hand, the faster the dynamics increase or decrease. Have everyone sing a note, any note, and practice dynamics by raising and lowering your left hand. Choose one student to lead at a time. EXERCISE 4 Right and Left Hand Together Above: Maestro Robert Carter Austin demonstrates how to increase dynamics. A) Practice conducting a 2 pattern with a baton in the right hand while slowly raising and lowering the left hand. B) Use the same practice technique for the 3 and 4 patterns in the right hand. C) Once everyone is comfortable using both hands at the same time, choose one student at a time to conduct the class in Happy Birthday. Remember: Happy Birthday is in 3, and begins on the pickup, or beat 3. D) Have a student try different tempos (right hand) and dynamics (left hand). E) Try a different, familiar song like The Alphabet Song Above: Maestro Robert Carter Austin demonstrates how to decrease dynamics while playing with out principle cellist. EXERCISE 5 It s All In The Hips Conductors have gotten pretty creative over the years, realizing that their whole body can be used to lead the orchestra. Facial expressions, jumping, squatting, breathing, and a number of other useful functions help conductors get the most musicality out of the orchestra. A) See what different movements, breaths, and facial expressions from the conductor can do to the class performance of Happy Birthday. B) Watch the video of Jacob Chi, the conductor of Pueblo Symphony to see how physical and expressive some conductors are! C) Here is another Maestro who uses his whole body to communicate. Maestro Guido Mancusi is conducting the orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper during a ballet. This means that not only must the Maestro conduct the orchestra but he must also make sure that the music is a tempo where the dancers can perform at their best as well! Ravel s piece, Bolero, is a very famous ballet and the Maestro has the opportunity to have fun with a piece he knows well!

7 Name Date Mozart s Treasure Hunt Young Mozart has lost his favorite conducting baton and cannot seem to find it anywhere. He has been given a clue that says that the baton can be found, stuck in the tuba. But where does the tuba sit? Help Mozart figure out where members of the orchestra sit so he can get his baton back. Directions Listen to the clues your teacher reads and place orchestra instruments where you think they belong based on her clues. Be sure to use your word bank! Word Bank HARP OBOE BASSOON TUBA FLUTE PERCUSSION TRUMPET VIOLA CLARINET TROMBONE BASS FIRST VIOLIN FRENCH HORN CELLO SECOND VIOLIN

8 Name Date Mozart s Treasure Hunt Young Mozart has lost his favorite conducting baton and cannot seem to find it anywhere. He has been given a clue that says that the baton can be found, stuck in the tuba. But where does the tuba sit? Help Mozart figure out where members of the orchestra sit so he can get his baton back. Directions Read the clues below and place the instruments where you think they go in the empty orchestra set below. Be sure to use your word bank! Using the clues, write down where each section of the orchestra sits, then you can find out where Mozart s baton is! 1) The Percussion section plays the biggest instruments so they always sit in the back. 2) The Bass section has it easy, they stand next to the brass and percussion, but sometimes they can t see the conductor over The Cello s who sit in front of them 3) The Brass section gets angry when the percussion section plays too loud because they sit right in front of them. 4) The Harp likes to be as far away from the bass section as possible. Nobody really knows why. 5) The First Violins like to be seen by people so they sit up front on the opposite side of the cellos. 6) Woodwinds always complain that their ears hurt because of the loud brass that sit right behind them. 7) The lowest brass instrument, The Tuba, sits closest to the brass section, and next to the tuba sits The Trombone Section. 8) Second Violins are hidden between the Violas and the first violins. 9) The lowest woodwind instrument, The Bassoon, sits in front of both the tuba and the trombones, while The Clarinet, another woodwind, sits just to the left of the bassoon. 10) Of the strings, The Viola section takes up the least room. 11) The Flutes sit right in front of the clarinets, while The French Horns sit right behind the clarinets. 12)...and just in front of the bassoons sit The Oboes, while behind the bassoons sit The Trumpets. Word Bank HARP TUBA TRUMPET TROMBONE FIRST VIOLIN CELLO OBOE FLUTE VIOLA BASS FRENCH HORN SECOND VIOLIN BASSOON PERCUSSION CLARINET