National Symphony Orchestra Music for Young Audiences: Follow That Fiddle

For Teachers and Parents

Wait! There’s More

Dear Grownups:

More Fun with Music

Welcome to the NSO Music for Young Audiences, designed to introduce children in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 to the basics of music and musical instruments.

Please help your young concertgoers read and understand the information in this Cuesheet. The information and activity ideas on this page are designed to help you further the children’s concert experience.

Here are some additional activities for children.

Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo”

The Concert Program At the concert, the audience will hear excerpts from the musical selections below.

Before or after the concert, you may want to have the children listen to some or all of these musical selections if you have access to them in the library or online. Ask children whether they can recognize the music when they hear it the second time.

“The Arkansas Traveler”

by Colonel Sanford C. Faulkner Movement 1 from Eine kleine Nachtmusik (EYE-nah KLEYE-nah Nahcht-moo-ZEEK)

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (MO-tzart) “Boil Them Cabbage Down” (an American folk song) “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Fiddle with It During the performance, Glenn will demonstrate how fiddlers improvise or add on to a piece they already know. Afterward, have children explore this concept by asking them to take a familiar song, like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” and add on to it. Suggest new words, claps, or patterns.

Before the concert, enjoy hands-on fun with the instruments that Glenn will play on stage in the Hall of States. A project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.

CUESHEET PERFORMANCE GUIDE

“Preview” the Concert Hall We hope you have so much fun at the concert that you’ll come back soon to hear a performance of the full National Symphony Orchestra—that’s 100 musicians! When they all play together, they perform on the big stage in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Get a sneak peek at the Hall (and even go backstage) in the playful online tour led by former NSO Associate Conductor Emil de Cou at: artsedge.kennedy-center.org/nsoed.

Upcoming Family Concerts

Made for Dancing

Please build on your Music for Young Audiences experience by joining us at the next National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert, performed by the full NSO:

Many fiddle tunes were created for dancing.

During the performance, Glenn will show different dance movements to different fiddle tunes. Ask children to think about how the music makes them want to move—tap, kick, jump, or something else? Ask them to share their movement ideas after the performance.

May 21, 2017— Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood The NSO also presents full orchestra Young People’s Concerts for school groups in the Concert Hall each season during the school day for grades 3 through 6.

A Fine Fiddle Story During the performance, Glenn will share the story he created to explain how the fiddle was discovered. Afterward, ask the children to list three things they learned about fiddles, and use what they know to create their own short story about the very first fiddle.

EXPLORE MORE! Go to KC Connections on ARTSEDGE artsedge.kennedy-center.org/students/kc-connections

“Sally Goodin” (an American Civil War folk song) “La Folia” by Antonio Vivaldi

Mapping the Fiddle Tunes

“The Irish Washerwoman” (an Irish folk song)

After the performance, help children locate on a world map all the places discussed in the performance: Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, Korea, China, West Africa, and the United States.

“Fanitullen” (a Norwegian folk song) “Arirang” (a Korean folk song) “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key Movement 1 from Symphony No. 5

by Ludwig van Beethoven

Additional support for NSO Music for Young Audiences is provided by The Clark Charitable Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Education.

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Deborah F. Rutter President

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President Education

The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Christoph Eschenbach Music Director National Symphony Orchestra

©2017 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

National Symphony Orchestra Music for Young Audiences

Follow That Fiddle Performed by NSO Musician Glenn Donnellan, violin (also known as the fiddle)

Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.

Fiddling Around Where in the world is the fiddle?

Lots of places!

Get ready for an amazing journey through history and around the world as we follow the fiddle’s musical trail. Musician Glenn Donnellan, who plays the violin (er, fiddle) with the National Symphony Orchestra, will guide you and explain how the fiddle makes its sound.

The Musician and The Fiddles

A Multi-Talented Star

You might notice that a fiddle and a violin look the same. The reason is because they are the same instrument. But you might be surprised at how different one instrument can sound.

And that’s where the two names come in.

When you use your ears, you can tell the difference between the two instruments.

Here are important clues:

The first violin, or fiddle, was made in Italy about 500 hundred years ago. People loved the range of notes that sounded similar to the human voice. They also liked how the small instrument could make a strong sound. That made the violin popular for dances way back before stereos and speakers, because everyone could hear it even in a big room. Oh, and that compact size? Perfect for a suitcase. As people moved to different countries to explore or live, they took their fiddles with them, spreading the sound and the music around the world.

You’ll hear tunes from some of the fiddle’s far-flung homes, including the United States, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, and Korea.

The Violin and the Fiddle

So, What Makes It a Fiddle?

Off and Running

The fiddle can do a lot of things. During the performance, listen for… u rhythms you want to dance to

The Type of Tune

u a strong sound

Musicians typically use a fiddle to play country/ western music or folk music (tunes that come from one specific area or group of people). A violin is commonly used to play composed music like you would hear an orchestra perform.

u a wide range of low and high notes

The Style of Playing Musicians can make almost any piece of music a fiddle tune by playing it in a fiddle style.

That includes: u U sing the bow to create a special rhythm. The rhythm is the element of a song that makes you want to tap your foot or clap your hands when you hear the music. It’s made up of strong and weak beats played in a repeating pattern. During the performance, you’ll hear the fiddle’s special rhythm. Its pulsating feel makes fiddle music very good for dancing. u I mprovising, or adding on, to a tune. Fiddle players use their imagination and playing skills to make up new ways to perform a melody while playing it. Listen to see how this is done. It’s one reason why fiddle players often look like they are having so much fun.

And don’t worry. Once you hear Glenn play, you’ll know when you’re hearing a fiddle tune.

u sound effects like lightning and galloping

Meet Glenn Here’s Glenn playing his handmade fiddle at a baseball game. He was able to make his own instrument from a baseball bat because he’s studied and practiced the violin for many years.

And he also plays violin a lot because it’s his job! He is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), which performs about 175 concerts in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and all around the world every year.

Meet the Fiddles

During the performance, Glenn will play the traditional classical violin as well as four different actual fiddles: u t he traditional four-string fiddle u a traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle (right), or “Hardingfele” (pronounced har-ding-FAY-luh) in Norwegian u an erhu (AIR-hu), a Chinese two-string fiddle (below)

A traditional American fiddle (or violin) is a four-stringed Neck instrument. Musicians play it Strings using a bow (a wooden stick Fingerboard Hair strung with a tight ribbon of horsehair) in their right hand and pressing the string with the fingers of their left hand.

The body is wooden with a F-Holes Stick hollow center. This center is called a resonating chamber, and it makes the sound of the strings loud Grip and strong. That sound comes out of the two Classical musicians often use the term f-shaped holes. “fiddle” as the nickname for the violin.

u t he Electric Slugger,™ the fiddle Glenn made from a Louisville Slugger™ brand baseball bat. Being solid wood, the bat does not have a resonating chamber.

During the performance, notice how that affects the instrument’s sound.

At the performance, be sure to look at the differences among these four fiddles. After the performance, compare the sounds of these instruments. Which one did you like best? Why? Photos by Eileen Brady (baseball game) and Glenn Donnellan (Hardingfele)

Fiddling Around Where in the world is the fiddle?

Lots of places!

Get ready for an amazing journey through history and around the world as we follow the fiddle’s musical trail. Musician Glenn Donnellan, who plays the violin (er, fiddle) with the National Symphony Orchestra, will guide you and explain how the fiddle makes its sound.

The Musician and The Fiddles

A Multi-Talented Star

You might notice that a fiddle and a violin look the same. The reason is because they are the same instrument. But you might be surprised at how different one instrument can sound.

And that’s where the two names come in.

When you use your ears, you can tell the difference between the two instruments.

Here are important clues:

The first violin, or fiddle, was made in Italy about 500 hundred years ago. People loved the range of notes that sounded similar to the human voice. They also liked how the small instrument could make a strong sound. That made the violin popular for dances way back before stereos and speakers, because everyone could hear it even in a big room. Oh, and that compact size? Perfect for a suitcase. As people moved to different countries to explore or live, they took their fiddles with them, spreading the sound and the music around the world.

You’ll hear tunes from some of the fiddle’s far-flung homes, including the United States, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, and Korea.

The Violin and the Fiddle

So, What Makes It a Fiddle?

Off and Running

The fiddle can do a lot of things. During the performance, listen for… u rhythms you want to dance to

The Type of Tune

u a strong sound

Musicians typically use a fiddle to play country/ western music or folk music (tunes that come from one specific area or group of people). A violin is commonly used to play composed music like you would hear an orchestra perform.

u a wide range of low and high notes

The Style of Playing Musicians can make almost any piece of music a fiddle tune by playing it in a fiddle style.

That includes: u U sing the bow to create a special rhythm. The rhythm is the element of a song that makes you want to tap your foot or clap your hands when you hear the music. It’s made up of strong and weak beats played in a repeating pattern. During the performance, you’ll hear the fiddle’s special rhythm. Its pulsating feel makes fiddle music very good for dancing. u I mprovising, or adding on, to a tune. Fiddle players use their imagination and playing skills to make up new ways to perform a melody while playing it. Listen to see how this is done. It’s one reason why fiddle players often look like they are having so much fun.

And don’t worry. Once you hear Glenn play, you’ll know when you’re hearing a fiddle tune.

u sound effects like lightning and galloping

Meet Glenn Here’s Glenn playing his handmade fiddle at a baseball game. He was able to make his own instrument from a baseball bat because he’s studied and practiced the violin for many years.

And he also plays violin a lot because it’s his job! He is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), which performs about 175 concerts in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and all around the world every year.

Meet the Fiddles

During the performance, Glenn will play the traditional classical violin as well as four different actual fiddles: u t he traditional four-string fiddle u a traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle (right), or “Hardingfele” (pronounced har-ding-FAY-luh) in Norwegian u an erhu (AIR-hu), a Chinese two-string fiddle (below)

A traditional American fiddle (or violin) is a four-stringed Neck instrument. Musicians play it Strings using a bow (a wooden stick Fingerboard Hair strung with a tight ribbon of horsehair) in their right hand and pressing the string with the fingers of their left hand.

The body is wooden with a F-Holes Stick hollow center. This center is called a resonating chamber, and it makes the sound of the strings loud Grip and strong. That sound comes out of the two Classical musicians often use the term f-shaped holes. “fiddle” as the nickname for the violin.

u t he Electric Slugger,™ the fiddle Glenn made from a Louisville Slugger™ brand baseball bat. Being solid wood, the bat does not have a resonating chamber.

During the performance, notice how that affects the instrument’s sound.

At the performance, be sure to look at the differences among these four fiddles. After the performance, compare the sounds of these instruments. Which one did you like best? Why? Photos by Eileen Brady (baseball game) and Glenn Donnellan (Hardingfele)

Fiddling Around Where in the world is the fiddle?

Lots of places!

Get ready for an amazing journey through history and around the world as we follow the fiddle’s musical trail. Musician Glenn Donnellan, who plays the violin (er, fiddle) with the National Symphony Orchestra, will guide you and explain how the fiddle makes its sound.

The Musician and The Fiddles

A Multi-Talented Star

You might notice that a fiddle and a violin look the same. The reason is because they are the same instrument. But you might be surprised at how different one instrument can sound.

And that’s where the two names come in.

When you use your ears, you can tell the difference between the two instruments.

Here are important clues:

The first violin, or fiddle, was made in Italy about 500 hundred years ago. People loved the range of notes that sounded similar to the human voice. They also liked how the small instrument could make a strong sound. That made the violin popular for dances way back before stereos and speakers, because everyone could hear it even in a big room. Oh, and that compact size? Perfect for a suitcase. As people moved to different countries to explore or live, they took their fiddles with them, spreading the sound and the music around the world.

You’ll hear tunes from some of the fiddle’s far-flung homes, including the United States, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, and Korea.

The Violin and the Fiddle

So, What Makes It a Fiddle?

Off and Running

The fiddle can do a lot of things. During the performance, listen for… u rhythms you want to dance to

The Type of Tune

u a strong sound

Musicians typically use a fiddle to play country/ western music or folk music (tunes that come from one specific area or group of people). A violin is commonly used to play composed music like you would hear an orchestra perform.

u a wide range of low and high notes

The Style of Playing Musicians can make almost any piece of music a fiddle tune by playing it in a fiddle style.

That includes: u U sing the bow to create a special rhythm. The rhythm is the element of a song that makes you want to tap your foot or clap your hands when you hear the music. It’s made up of strong and weak beats played in a repeating pattern. During the performance, you’ll hear the fiddle’s special rhythm. Its pulsating feel makes fiddle music very good for dancing. u I mprovising, or adding on, to a tune. Fiddle players use their imagination and playing skills to make up new ways to perform a melody while playing it. Listen to see how this is done. It’s one reason why fiddle players often look like they are having so much fun.

And don’t worry. Once you hear Glenn play, you’ll know when you’re hearing a fiddle tune.

u sound effects like lightning and galloping

Meet Glenn Here’s Glenn playing his handmade fiddle at a baseball game. He was able to make his own instrument from a baseball bat because he’s studied and practiced the violin for many years.

And he also plays violin a lot because it’s his job! He is a member of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), which performs about 175 concerts in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and all around the world every year.

Meet the Fiddles

During the performance, Glenn will play the traditional classical violin as well as four different actual fiddles: u t he traditional four-string fiddle u a traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle (right), or “Hardingfele” (pronounced har-ding-FAY-luh) in Norwegian u an erhu (AIR-hu), a Chinese two-string fiddle (below)

A traditional American fiddle (or violin) is a four-stringed Neck instrument. Musicians play it Strings using a bow (a wooden stick Fingerboard Hair strung with a tight ribbon of horsehair) in their right hand and pressing the string with the fingers of their left hand.

The body is wooden with a F-Holes Stick hollow center. This center is called a resonating chamber, and it makes the sound of the strings loud Grip and strong. That sound comes out of the two Classical musicians often use the term f-shaped holes. “fiddle” as the nickname for the violin.

u t he Electric Slugger,™ the fiddle Glenn made from a Louisville Slugger™ brand baseball bat. Being solid wood, the bat does not have a resonating chamber.

During the performance, notice how that affects the instrument’s sound.

At the performance, be sure to look at the differences among these four fiddles. After the performance, compare the sounds of these instruments. Which one did you like best? Why? Photos by Eileen Brady (baseball game) and Glenn Donnellan (Hardingfele)

For Teachers and Parents

Wait! There’s More

Dear Grownups:

More Fun with Music

Welcome to the NSO Music for Young Audiences, designed to introduce children in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 to the basics of music and musical instruments.

Please help your young concertgoers read and understand the information in this Cuesheet. The information and activity ideas on this page are designed to help you further the children’s concert experience.

Here are some additional activities for children.

Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo”

The Concert Program At the concert, the audience will hear excerpts from the musical selections below.

Before or after the concert, you may want to have the children listen to some or all of these musical selections if you have access to them in the library or online. Ask children whether they can recognize the music when they hear it the second time.

“The Arkansas Traveler”

by Colonel Sanford C. Faulkner Movement 1 from Eine kleine Nachtmusik (EYE-nah KLEYE-nah Nahcht-moo-ZEEK)

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (MO-tzart) “Boil Them Cabbage Down” (an American folk song) “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Fiddle with It During the performance, Glenn will demonstrate how fiddlers improvise or add on to a piece they already know. Afterward, have children explore this concept by asking them to take a familiar song, like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” and add on to it. Suggest new words, claps, or patterns.

Before the concert, enjoy hands-on fun with the instruments that Glenn will play on stage in the Hall of States. A project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.

CUESHEET PERFORMANCE GUIDE

“Preview” the Concert Hall We hope you have so much fun at the concert that you’ll come back soon to hear a performance of the full National Symphony Orchestra—that’s 100 musicians! When they all play together, they perform on the big stage in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Get a sneak peek at the Hall (and even go backstage) in the playful online tour led by former NSO Associate Conductor Emil de Cou at: artsedge.kennedy-center.org/nsoed.

Upcoming Family Concerts

Made for Dancing

Please build on your Music for Young Audiences experience by joining us at the next National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert, performed by the full NSO:

Many fiddle tunes were created for dancing.

During the performance, Glenn will show different dance movements to different fiddle tunes. Ask children to think about how the music makes them want to move—tap, kick, jump, or something else? Ask them to share their movement ideas after the performance.

May 21, 2017— Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood The NSO also presents full orchestra Young People’s Concerts for school groups in the Concert Hall each season during the school day for grades 3 through 6.

A Fine Fiddle Story During the performance, Glenn will share the story he created to explain how the fiddle was discovered. Afterward, ask the children to list three things they learned about fiddles, and use what they know to create their own short story about the very first fiddle.

EXPLORE MORE! Go to KC Connections on ARTSEDGE artsedge.kennedy-center.org/students/kc-connections

“Sally Goodin” (an American Civil War folk song) “La Folia” by Antonio Vivaldi

Mapping the Fiddle Tunes

“The Irish Washerwoman” (an Irish folk song)

After the performance, help children locate on a world map all the places discussed in the performance: Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, Korea, China, West Africa, and the United States.

“Fanitullen” (a Norwegian folk song) “Arirang” (a Korean folk song) “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key Movement 1 from Symphony No. 5

by Ludwig van Beethoven

Additional support for NSO Music for Young Audiences is provided by The Clark Charitable Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Education.

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Deborah F. Rutter President

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President Education

The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Christoph Eschenbach Music Director National Symphony Orchestra

©2017 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

National Symphony Orchestra Music for Young Audiences

Follow That Fiddle Performed by NSO Musician Glenn Donnellan, violin (also known as the fiddle)

Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.

For Teachers and Parents

Wait! There’s More

Dear Grownups:

More Fun with Music

Welcome to the NSO Music for Young Audiences, designed to introduce children in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 to the basics of music and musical instruments.

Please help your young concertgoers read and understand the information in this Cuesheet. The information and activity ideas on this page are designed to help you further the children’s concert experience.

Here are some additional activities for children.

Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo”

The Concert Program At the concert, the audience will hear excerpts from the musical selections below.

Before or after the concert, you may want to have the children listen to some or all of these musical selections if you have access to them in the library or online. Ask children whether they can recognize the music when they hear it the second time.

“The Arkansas Traveler”

by Colonel Sanford C. Faulkner Movement 1 from Eine kleine Nachtmusik (EYE-nah KLEYE-nah Nahcht-moo-ZEEK)

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (MO-tzart) “Boil Them Cabbage Down” (an American folk song) “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Fiddle with It During the performance, Glenn will demonstrate how fiddlers improvise or add on to a piece they already know. Afterward, have children explore this concept by asking them to take a familiar song, like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” and add on to it. Suggest new words, claps, or patterns.

Before the concert, enjoy hands-on fun with the instruments that Glenn will play on stage in the Hall of States. A project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.

CUESHEET PERFORMANCE GUIDE

“Preview” the Concert Hall We hope you have so much fun at the concert that you’ll come back soon to hear a performance of the full National Symphony Orchestra—that’s 100 musicians! When they all play together, they perform on the big stage in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Get a sneak peek at the Hall (and even go backstage) in the playful online tour led by former NSO Associate Conductor Emil de Cou at: artsedge.kennedy-center.org/nsoed.

Upcoming Family Concerts

Made for Dancing

Please build on your Music for Young Audiences experience by joining us at the next National Symphony Orchestra Family Concert, performed by the full NSO:

Many fiddle tunes were created for dancing.

During the performance, Glenn will show different dance movements to different fiddle tunes. Ask children to think about how the music makes them want to move—tap, kick, jump, or something else? Ask them to share their movement ideas after the performance.

May 21, 2017— Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood The NSO also presents full orchestra Young People’s Concerts for school groups in the Concert Hall each season during the school day for grades 3 through 6.

A Fine Fiddle Story During the performance, Glenn will share the story he created to explain how the fiddle was discovered. Afterward, ask the children to list three things they learned about fiddles, and use what they know to create their own short story about the very first fiddle.

EXPLORE MORE! Go to KC Connections on ARTSEDGE artsedge.kennedy-center.org/students/kc-connections

“Sally Goodin” (an American Civil War folk song) “La Folia” by Antonio Vivaldi

Mapping the Fiddle Tunes

“The Irish Washerwoman” (an Irish folk song)

After the performance, help children locate on a world map all the places discussed in the performance: Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Norway, Korea, China, West Africa, and the United States.

“Fanitullen” (a Norwegian folk song) “Arirang” (a Korean folk song) “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key Movement 1 from Symphony No. 5

by Ludwig van Beethoven

Additional support for NSO Music for Young Audiences is provided by The Clark Charitable Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Education.

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Deborah F. Rutter President

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President Education

The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Christoph Eschenbach Music Director National Symphony Orchestra

©2017 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

National Symphony Orchestra Music for Young Audiences

Follow That Fiddle Performed by NSO Musician Glenn Donnellan, violin (also known as the fiddle)

Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.