In the late 1970s and early 80s, a deejay in the Bronx named Kook Herc noticed that dancers liked the breaks in the music, or the percussion solos. He began experimenting with making the breaks in the music longer, which allowed the dancers more time to create new moves, like dropping to the floor and popping up again. The dance was called break dancing and dancers were called b-boys and b-girls. Deejays continued to innovate. Some began “scratching” the needle on the record; some played one record over the sound of another, and others cut back and forth between records. Deejays created a new electronic form of music by combining elements from different recordings and by manipulating sounds rhythmically.
Meet Mr. Bach During the performance, you will hear Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Black Violin took the original piece of classical music and blended it with a more modern style of hip hop.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education Additional support for Performances for Young Audiences is provided in part by The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Macy’s Foundation; The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; the Park Foundation, Inc.; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; an endowment from the Ryna and Melvin Cohen Family Foundation; the U.S. Department of Education; the Verizon Foundation; Washington Gas; and by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.
Black Violin Performed by Kev Marcus and Wil-B
Cuesheet
Before people listened to music on compact discs, they used record albums, played on a record player, or turntable. Someone who played records for others was called a disc jockey, or deejay.
PERFORMANCE GUIDE
What Does a DJ Do?
Take two violinists, a DJ, a drummer, and a handful of hip hop, and you’ve got Black Violin. Their goal? To inspire a new generation of musicians and teach them that classical music is cool!
Major support for the Kennedy Center’s educational programs is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
J.S. Bach (1685–1750) is considered a giant in the world of Baroque music.
Mix It Up Part of what makes Black Violin so special is the way it combines two separate styles of music: classical and hip hop. Now it’s your turn. Can you turn the traditional version of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” into a rap song? What about performing “Frosty the Snowman” as a jazz number? Choose your favorite song and mix it up!
Be a Part of the Performance Black Violin wants to involve you, the audience, in their show. Listen carefully to their instructions and…
Keep Moving Put Your Hands Up Nod Your Head to the Beat and Clap!
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Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center. ARTSEDGE is a part of Verizon Thinkfinity, a consortium of free educational Web sites for K-12 teaching and learning. Learn more about Education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement from the Federal Government. © 2012 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Please recycle this Cuesheet by sharing it with friends!
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