Cuesheet Performance Guide
Dear Grownups: Welcome to this NSO Music for Young Audiences performance, designed to introduce children in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 to the basics of music and musical instruments of the orchestra. Please help your young concert-goers read and understand the information in this Cuesheet. The information and activity ideas below are designed to help you further the children’s concert experience.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman Deborah F. Rutter President
NSO Music for Young Audiences
Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President, Education
The Concert Program The musicians will perform repertoire that includes 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. Point out that the music was not originally written to be performed by flute and marimba, so the performers changed it a little to work with their instruments. Children will notice a difference between recorded versions and what they hear on stage. Ask children whether they can recognize the music when they hear it the second time.
Prelude No. 1, by George Gershwin Prelude No. 2, Op. 34, by Dmitri Shostakovich (duh-MEE-tree Shah-stuh-KOH-vitch) Valse-Soufflé by Arnold Black “Take Five” composed by Paul Desmond and originally recorded by Dave Brubeck
Gianandrea Noseda Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra
Wait! There’s More!
Additional support for NSO Music for Young Audiences is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Education.
Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo”
Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Starting one hour before each concert, stop by the musical instrument “petting zoo” for hands-on activities that let you get up close with the instruments played on stage. A project of the Volunteer Council for the NSO.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
Creative Conversation Following all performances, stick around to ask questions and hear stories in an up-close-and-personal talk with the musicians.
Here are some activities for children. Name That Tune During the performance, you’ll learn to hear the difference between rhythm and melody. After the performance, choose a song that you and your friends both know. Try clapping the rhythm of the song and see whether your friends can guess it. If they can’t, try humming the melody. Try this with a few different songs. Which part, rhythm or melody, was easier to guess?
During the performance, you’ll see how instruments can help tell stories. After the performance, try it yourself. Gather a few musical instruments. Mime (using face expression and movement but no talking!) an action using the instrument as another object (like pretending to write a letter using a flute as the pencil). See whether friends and family can guess your action. Or, do the opposite. Find objects that look like instruments, and mime playing them and have friends guess the instrument.
©2019 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
“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
Instrument Make-Believe
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.
Please plan to join us at next season’s National Symphony Orchestra Family Concerts:
Did you know that music is made up of parts?
Performed by
That’s right. Just like a building made of blocks, music is made with different parts. At the performance, two musicians will help you explore how music and even musical instruments break down and come together to make amazing music.
Lawler + Fadoul: Paul Fadoul, marimba, vibraphone, and drum set Zara Lawler, flute, piccolo, and alto flute
October 20, 2019 — Halloween Spooktacular David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of the NSO.
February 16, 2020 — Girl Power! April 19, 2020 — Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs with Ben Folds
Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences
5
6
Hello, teachers and pa
rents! Please see page 5 for d activities. information an
The Flute Breaking Down Music
Putting It All Together
When you hear music, it might sound like one whole piece. But if you listen closer, you’ll hear that most music has three important parts:
To put it all together and make great music, we just need to give the instruments something to play, like melody. In music, certain parts are usually played on certain types of instruments. For example, instruments with a lower sound (like the double bass) often play the harmonies and those instruments played by drumming or striking (like percussion) often play the rhythm.
Melody—the tune you hum or sing when listening to a favorite song
Breaking Down Instruments Harmony—the sound that occurs when several different notes are played or sung at the same time; these different notes can be played on the same instrument or by blending notes from many instruments
Musical instruments help us make music. But something else has to happen before many musical instruments can make their sounds. Can you guess? We have to put them together. Believe it or not, many of the woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments come apart into different pieces. That makes them easier to carry—some can even fit in your backpack—and also take care of. At the performance, you’ll get a good look at how a few instruments are assembled and how they work.
Rhythm—makes you want to tap your foot, snap your fingers, or clap your hands when you hear the music; it’s made up of strong and weak beats played in a repeating pattern
But there are a few surprises here, too. Some instruments (like the marimba, pronounced muh-RIM-buh) can play two roles at once— which can be challenging and fun for the musician. And sometimes composers (people who write music) and performers like to create different sounds by mixing up the parts. Do you think the flute can play rhythms normally played by the drums? At the performance, you’ll find out.
Your musician hosts at the performance are Lawler + Fadoul, featuring Paul Fadoul (percussion) and Zara Lawler (flutes). They both began playing music as kids. At age 9, Paul started playing his first “drum set”—a bunch of chopsticks and some books. Zara began playing the flute in fifth grade. Even though she was the last kid in the class to be able to make a sound on her instrument, she didn’t get discouraged. Look at her now!
To change the sounds, the musician can adjust the airflow and press different keys. Related instruments include the piccolo (which looks like a baby flute and plays higher sounds) and the alto flute (a longer flute with a curved end that plays lower sounds).
As grownup musicians, Paul and Zara are a musical team. When you play on a team, you work together to do more than you can by yourselves, right? It’s the same with musicians and music. They play different parts that work together to make music.
The Marimba The marimba belongs to the percussion family. These instruments make sound when you cause them to vibrate (move very quickly) by hitting, rubbing, shaking, or scraping. The marimba has a large set of wooden bars set up like a piano keyboard. The bars vibrate when you strike them with mallets. Resonators, or the metal tubes under each bar, make the sound stronger. To play this large instrument, players sometimes use four or more mallets—watch how Paul does this with only two hands.
Also watch out for the unexpected ways instruments can help tell stories.
The Drum Set The drum set is a group of percussion instruments that play both high and low sounds. These sets— played by one musician—usually include:
Lawler + Fadoul’s Zara Lawler and Paul Fadoul 2
The flute belongs to the woodwind family of instruments, even though it is made of metal, not wood. The important thing to remember is “wind,” because musicians play woodwind instruments by blowing into them. With the flute, the musician blows air across the opening.
3
n
a snare drum, a small cylinder with two heads and wires (or snares) that create a buzzing sound when the player hits the drum with drumsticks
n
a bass drum, a larger drum with deep sound played using a foot pedal
n
c ymbals, round metal plates with a high sound that the musician hits with drumsticks or clashes together with a foot pedal
4
The Flute Breaking Down Music
Putting It All Together
When you hear music, it might sound like one whole piece. But if you listen closer, you’ll hear that most music has three important parts:
To put it all together and make great music, we just need to give the instruments something to play, like melody. In music, certain parts are usually played on certain types of instruments. For example, instruments with a lower sound (like the double bass) often play the harmonies and those instruments played by drumming or striking (like percussion) often play the rhythm.
Melody—the tune you hum or sing when listening to a favorite song
Breaking Down Instruments Harmony—the sound that occurs when several different notes are played or sung at the same time; these different notes can be played on the same instrument or by blending notes from many instruments
Musical instruments help us make music. But something else has to happen before many musical instruments can make their sounds. Can you guess? We have to put them together. Believe it or not, many of the woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments come apart into different pieces. That makes them easier to carry—some can even fit in your backpack—and also take care of. At the performance, you’ll get a good look at how a few instruments are assembled and how they work.
Rhythm—makes you want to tap your foot, snap your fingers, or clap your hands when you hear the music; it’s made up of strong and weak beats played in a repeating pattern
But there are a few surprises here, too. Some instruments (like the marimba, pronounced muh-RIM-buh) can play two roles at once— which can be challenging and fun for the musician. And sometimes composers (people who write music) and performers like to create different sounds by mixing up the parts. Do you think the flute can play rhythms normally played by the drums? At the performance, you’ll find out.
Your musician hosts at the performance are Lawler + Fadoul, featuring Paul Fadoul (percussion) and Zara Lawler (flutes). They both began playing music as kids. At age 9, Paul started playing his first “drum set”—a bunch of chopsticks and some books. Zara began playing the flute in fifth grade. Even though she was the last kid in the class to be able to make a sound on her instrument, she didn’t get discouraged. Look at her now!
To change the sounds, the musician can adjust the airflow and press different keys. Related instruments include the piccolo (which looks like a baby flute and plays higher sounds) and the alto flute (a longer flute with a curved end that plays lower sounds).
As grownup musicians, Paul and Zara are a musical team. When you play on a team, you work together to do more than you can by yourselves, right? It’s the same with musicians and music. They play different parts that work together to make music.
The Marimba The marimba belongs to the percussion family. These instruments make sound when you cause them to vibrate (move very quickly) by hitting, rubbing, shaking, or scraping. The marimba has a large set of wooden bars set up like a piano keyboard. The bars vibrate when you strike them with mallets. Resonators, or the metal tubes under each bar, make the sound stronger. To play this large instrument, players sometimes use four or more mallets—watch how Paul does this with only two hands.
Also watch out for the unexpected ways instruments can help tell stories.
The Drum Set The drum set is a group of percussion instruments that play both high and low sounds. These sets— played by one musician—usually include:
Lawler + Fadoul’s Zara Lawler and Paul Fadoul 2
The flute belongs to the woodwind family of instruments, even though it is made of metal, not wood. The important thing to remember is “wind,” because musicians play woodwind instruments by blowing into them. With the flute, the musician blows air across the opening.
3
n
a snare drum, a small cylinder with two heads and wires (or snares) that create a buzzing sound when the player hits the drum with drumsticks
n
a bass drum, a larger drum with deep sound played using a foot pedal
n
c ymbals, round metal plates with a high sound that the musician hits with drumsticks or clashes together with a foot pedal
4
The Flute Breaking Down Music
Putting It All Together
When you hear music, it might sound like one whole piece. But if you listen closer, you’ll hear that most music has three important parts:
To put it all together and make great music, we just need to give the instruments something to play, like melody. In music, certain parts are usually played on certain types of instruments. For example, instruments with a lower sound (like the double bass) often play the harmonies and those instruments played by drumming or striking (like percussion) often play the rhythm.
Melody—the tune you hum or sing when listening to a favorite song
Breaking Down Instruments Harmony—the sound that occurs when several different notes are played or sung at the same time; these different notes can be played on the same instrument or by blending notes from many instruments
Musical instruments help us make music. But something else has to happen before many musical instruments can make their sounds. Can you guess? We have to put them together. Believe it or not, many of the woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments come apart into different pieces. That makes them easier to carry—some can even fit in your backpack—and also take care of. At the performance, you’ll get a good look at how a few instruments are assembled and how they work.
Rhythm—makes you want to tap your foot, snap your fingers, or clap your hands when you hear the music; it’s made up of strong and weak beats played in a repeating pattern
But there are a few surprises here, too. Some instruments (like the marimba, pronounced muh-RIM-buh) can play two roles at once— which can be challenging and fun for the musician. And sometimes composers (people who write music) and performers like to create different sounds by mixing up the parts. Do you think the flute can play rhythms normally played by the drums? At the performance, you’ll find out.
Your musician hosts at the performance are Lawler + Fadoul, featuring Paul Fadoul (percussion) and Zara Lawler (flutes). They both began playing music as kids. At age 9, Paul started playing his first “drum set”—a bunch of chopsticks and some books. Zara began playing the flute in fifth grade. Even though she was the last kid in the class to be able to make a sound on her instrument, she didn’t get discouraged. Look at her now!
To change the sounds, the musician can adjust the airflow and press different keys. Related instruments include the piccolo (which looks like a baby flute and plays higher sounds) and the alto flute (a longer flute with a curved end that plays lower sounds).
As grownup musicians, Paul and Zara are a musical team. When you play on a team, you work together to do more than you can by yourselves, right? It’s the same with musicians and music. They play different parts that work together to make music.
The Marimba The marimba belongs to the percussion family. These instruments make sound when you cause them to vibrate (move very quickly) by hitting, rubbing, shaking, or scraping. The marimba has a large set of wooden bars set up like a piano keyboard. The bars vibrate when you strike them with mallets. Resonators, or the metal tubes under each bar, make the sound stronger. To play this large instrument, players sometimes use four or more mallets—watch how Paul does this with only two hands.
Also watch out for the unexpected ways instruments can help tell stories.
The Drum Set The drum set is a group of percussion instruments that play both high and low sounds. These sets— played by one musician—usually include:
Lawler + Fadoul’s Zara Lawler and Paul Fadoul 2
The flute belongs to the woodwind family of instruments, even though it is made of metal, not wood. The important thing to remember is “wind,” because musicians play woodwind instruments by blowing into them. With the flute, the musician blows air across the opening.
3
n
a snare drum, a small cylinder with two heads and wires (or snares) that create a buzzing sound when the player hits the drum with drumsticks
n
a bass drum, a larger drum with deep sound played using a foot pedal
n
c ymbals, round metal plates with a high sound that the musician hits with drumsticks or clashes together with a foot pedal
4
Cuesheet Performance Guide
Dear Grownups: Welcome to this NSO Music for Young Audiences performance, designed to introduce children in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 to the basics of music and musical instruments of the orchestra. Please help your young concert-goers read and understand the information in this Cuesheet. The information and activity ideas below are designed to help you further the children’s concert experience.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman Deborah F. Rutter President
NSO Music for Young Audiences
Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President, Education
The Concert Program The musicians will perform repertoire that includes 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. Point out that the music was not originally written to be performed by flute and marimba, so the performers changed it a little to work with their instruments. Children will notice a difference between recorded versions and what they hear on stage. Ask children whether they can recognize the music when they hear it the second time.
Prelude No. 1, by George Gershwin Prelude No. 2, Op. 34, by Dmitri Shostakovich (duh-MEE-tree Shah-stuh-KOH-vitch) Valse-Soufflé by Arnold Black “Take Five” composed by Paul Desmond and originally recorded by Dave Brubeck
Gianandrea Noseda Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra
Wait! There’s More!
Additional support for NSO Music for Young Audiences is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Education.
Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo”
Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Starting one hour before each concert, stop by the musical instrument “petting zoo” for hands-on activities that let you get up close with the instruments played on stage. A project of the Volunteer Council for the NSO.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
Creative Conversation Following all performances, stick around to ask questions and hear stories in an up-close-and-personal talk with the musicians.
Here are some activities for children. Name That Tune During the performance, you’ll learn to hear the difference between rhythm and melody. After the performance, choose a song that you and your friends both know. Try clapping the rhythm of the song and see whether your friends can guess it. If they can’t, try humming the melody. Try this with a few different songs. Which part, rhythm or melody, was easier to guess?
During the performance, you’ll see how instruments can help tell stories. After the performance, try it yourself. Gather a few musical instruments. Mime (using face expression and movement but no talking!) an action using the instrument as another object (like pretending to write a letter using a flute as the pencil). See whether friends and family can guess your action. Or, do the opposite. Find objects that look like instruments, and mime playing them and have friends guess the instrument.
©2019 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
“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
Instrument Make-Believe
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.
Please plan to join us at next season’s National Symphony Orchestra Family Concerts:
Did you know that music is made up of parts?
Performed by
That’s right. Just like a building made of blocks, music is made with different parts. At the performance, two musicians will help you explore how music and even musical instruments break down and come together to make amazing music.
Lawler + Fadoul: Paul Fadoul, marimba, vibraphone, and drum set Zara Lawler, flute, piccolo, and alto flute
October 20, 2019 — Halloween Spooktacular David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of the NSO.
February 16, 2020 — Girl Power! April 19, 2020 — Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs with Ben Folds
Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences
5
6
Hello, teachers and pa
rents! Please see page 5 for d activities. information an
Cuesheet Performance Guide
Dear Grownups: Welcome to this NSO Music for Young Audiences performance, designed to introduce children in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 to the basics of music and musical instruments of the orchestra. Please help your young concert-goers read and understand the information in this Cuesheet. The information and activity ideas below are designed to help you further the children’s concert experience.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman Deborah F. Rutter President
NSO Music for Young Audiences
Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President, Education
The Concert Program The musicians will perform repertoire that includes 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. Point out that the music was not originally written to be performed by flute and marimba, so the performers changed it a little to work with their instruments. Children will notice a difference between recorded versions and what they hear on stage. Ask children whether they can recognize the music when they hear it the second time.
Prelude No. 1, by George Gershwin Prelude No. 2, Op. 34, by Dmitri Shostakovich (duh-MEE-tree Shah-stuh-KOH-vitch) Valse-Soufflé by Arnold Black “Take Five” composed by Paul Desmond and originally recorded by Dave Brubeck
Gianandrea Noseda Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra
Wait! There’s More!
Additional support for NSO Music for Young Audiences is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Education.
Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo”
Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Starting one hour before each concert, stop by the musical instrument “petting zoo” for hands-on activities that let you get up close with the instruments played on stage. A project of the Volunteer Council for the NSO.
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
Creative Conversation Following all performances, stick around to ask questions and hear stories in an up-close-and-personal talk with the musicians.
Here are some activities for children. Name That Tune During the performance, you’ll learn to hear the difference between rhythm and melody. After the performance, choose a song that you and your friends both know. Try clapping the rhythm of the song and see whether your friends can guess it. If they can’t, try humming the melody. Try this with a few different songs. Which part, rhythm or melody, was easier to guess?
During the performance, you’ll see how instruments can help tell stories. After the performance, try it yourself. Gather a few musical instruments. Mime (using face expression and movement but no talking!) an action using the instrument as another object (like pretending to write a letter using a flute as the pencil). See whether friends and family can guess your action. Or, do the opposite. Find objects that look like instruments, and mime playing them and have friends guess the instrument.
©2019 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
“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
Instrument Make-Believe
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.
Please plan to join us at next season’s National Symphony Orchestra Family Concerts:
Did you know that music is made up of parts?
Performed by
That’s right. Just like a building made of blocks, music is made with different parts. At the performance, two musicians will help you explore how music and even musical instruments break down and come together to make amazing music.
Lawler + Fadoul: Paul Fadoul, marimba, vibraphone, and drum set Zara Lawler, flute, piccolo, and alto flute
October 20, 2019 — Halloween Spooktacular David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of the NSO.
February 16, 2020 — Girl Power! April 19, 2020 — Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs with Ben Folds
Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences
5
6
Hello, teachers and pa
rents! Please see page 5 for d activities. information an