Musical Artifacts Uncovering the music in your curriculum Cr ys ta l Ha ll, Fi ft h Ho us e En se m ble 1
Samiotissa Chorus: Sa-mio-tis-sa sa-mio-tis-sa, When will you go to Sa-a-mos? Sa-mio-tis-sa, sa-mio-tis-sa When will you go to Sa-a-mos? Verse: I will spread roses on the shore, Sa-mio-tis-sa And bright carnations on the sand I will spread roses on the shore, Sa-mio-tis-sa And bright carnations on the sand. 2
What is a musical artifact? A musical example that relates directly or concretely to the subject being studied 3
Examples 4
Academic subject: Impressionist Art by Claude Monet Musical artifact: music by French impressionist composer Claude Debussy (La Mer) 5
Academic subject: Russian Literature Musical Artifact: Symphony no. 4 by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky Academic subject: U.S. History at the turn of the 20th century Musical Artifact: The Entertainer by Scott Joplin 6
Activity One: Characters in Music 7
Academic subject: Fairy tales/ Musical artifact: Beauty and the Beast from Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel This song was written based on the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Who are our main two characters in the story? Brainstorm character traits based on the story. Play a recording of Beauty and the Beast (from Mother Goose Suite) by Maurice Ravel: this is his musical idea of Beauty and the Beast. Listen for the two characters, and imagine what they look like. Divide into two groups. Each group is assigned one of the main characters. Listen again, and each group should think about what movements they can do to create their character. Each group works with one teacher to create their character movements. Class comes back together and performs their movement with the music. 8
Extensions Have students write their own fairy tale to another movement of Mother Goose Suite Have students draw pictures of their characters Play Name that Fairy Tale with the other movements of Mother Goose Suite 9
Activity 2: A Scale of Fractions 10
Academic subject: fractions and ratios Musical artifact: origin of the Greek scale, (basis for the Western scale) 11
Constructing the Ancient Greek Pentatonic (5-tone) Scale Listen to the pitch the sounds as you pull the string taut Now find 4/5 on your string and hold it at that mark, then pluck the other side (the long side). This is your second pitch Now find the 3/4 point on your string, hold it, and pluck the long side. This is your third pitch. Repeat for 2/3. This is your fourth pitch. Repeat for 3/5. This is your fifth pitch. Finally, repeat for 1/2. This is your last pitch, which should be approximately the same as your first pitch, but higher. Ancient Greek Pentatonic Scale 12
Extension: Creating a song in Fraction Notation Now take a familiar tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star See if you can pluck out the first few notes (the first line) Figure out the approximate fractions to allow you to achieve your desired pitches. Record your fraction notation and without telling them the song, have another group see if they can follow it enough to guess the song. 13
More Extensions Have students investigate other uses of fractions and ratios by the ancient Greeks in music Have students create a visual representation of their fraction notation. Have students write an original song using fractions. Challenge students to find more notes (expressed as fractions). Have students express fractions as ratios. 14
Recipe for Success! Finding your own musical artifacts Using the template Looking ahead to August! 15
Activity 3: Follow the Drinking Gourd 16
Academic subject: American history OR Astronomy/ Musical artifact: folk song Story behind the song (academic connections), learn it and sing it! www.followthedrinkinggourd.org Create your own song map! 17
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Extensions Have students research other slave and American folk songs Have students make up words to the song using another constellation Have students write a journal entry from the perspective of a slave traveling north and tell how they used this song Encourage students to research the authenticity of the song, have students debate whether the song was really used as a map. 19
Get inspired! Resources: www.fifthhouse.com/artifacts Assignment for next meeting Contact me! crystal@fifth-house.com 20