Teacher’s Guide
National Symphony Orchestra Young People’s Concert 2019-20 The NSO Young People’s Concerts are sponsored by The Volgenau Foundation.
Michelle Merrill, Guest Conductor Marissa Regni, NSO Principal Second Violinist Alina Collins Maldonado, Special Guest Written by Miriam Gonzales
WELCOME Welcome to Girl Power! Celebrating Women in Music. To mark the 100th anniversary of women securing the right to vote, this NSO Young People’s Concert explores and celebrates the accomplishments of some trailblazing female composers. Our online Teacher’s Guide serves as an extension to the printed student Cuesheet Performance Guide (bit.ly/NSOYPCGirlPower) and offers a range of ideas and suggestions for helping you enrich and expand your young concertgoers’ performance experiences. We invite you to review the Cuesheet and this guide, and choose and adapt what works for your students, based on your curriculum goals and schedule. Here are a few main themes of the performance to guide your planning:
❖T railblazing female composers have created and continue to produce amazing classical music.
❖T heir music, like all music, offers powerful expressiveness in a wide variety of styles and reflects different historic and cultural influences.
❖O rchestral music, whether it be a small ensemble or the full orchestra, produces a rich tapestry of sound that creates emotions, paints pictures, tells stories, and moves listeners in new ways.
❖L istening to orchestral music can be a powerful experience.
BEFORE THE CONCERT If time is short: Cue Up the Cuesheet. The printed Cuesheet Performance Guide prepares students to enjoy and get the most out of the concert. Discuss it together with your concertgoers. Point out the “listen for” items in the Cuesheet, but also encourage students to notice additional characteristics of each piece as they listen. If you have more time: Bolster the Basics. Need to introduce concertgoers to, or refresh their memory on, the basics, such as orchestras, classical music, instruments of the orchestra, or composers’ tools (for example, melody, rhythm, and tempo)? Our kid-friendly online Field Guide to the Orchestra (bit.ly/NSOYPCGirlPower) can help with all that and more. Preview it and share relevant sections with concertgoers or encourage them to check it out on their own. Getting Ready to Go. If students are attending a classical music concert or visiting the Kennedy Center for the first time, help them get in the concert mindset and feel more confident and comfortable with the upcoming experience (like knowing where to go, what to bring, and when to clap) with these resources:
❖K ennedy Center Concert Hall Video Tour: https://www.youtube.com watch?v=tg4EDZFOcmk
❖H ow to Be an Awesome Audience Member: bit.ly/NSOYPCGirlPower
Below you’ll find suggestions for what to cover before and after the concert; an “Exploring the Program” section featuring adaptable discussion and activity ideas; and additional resources at the end.
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Preview the Music. You can hear each musical piece on the program in our YPC Playlist: bit.ly/1920NSOYPC “Meet” the Orchestra. Encourage concertgoers to “meet” the NSO musicians (and librarians!): kennedy-center.org/nso/home/about/ “Meet” the Conductor. Help students learn more about Michelle Merrill by sharing excerpts of this article about her and the world of conducting: fordfund.org/our-stories-category/148conducting-energy-dso-s-michelle-merrill Curriculum Connections. Relate historical ideas on the program—such as women’s rights, voting rights, and segregation—to your students’ studies of history and government.
AFTER THE CONCERT Use some or all of these questions (from page 8 of the Cuesheet) to explore your students’ first impressions. Also invite concertgoers to raise their own questions to discuss or research after the performance.
❖W hat was your favorite music, and why? ❖W hat ideas do you think your favorite pieces of music expressed?
❖W hat stories did you imagine as you listened to the different music? Draw or describe them.
❖W hat differences did you notice between older and newer musical works?
❖W hich composers would you like to learn more about and hear more music from? Why? What questions would you ask them?
❖H ow did history and the composers’ own lives affect the music they wrote?
❖H ow can talent, hard work, and a passion for music break down barriers?
❖H ow would you like to make music in your own life? Play it? Sing it? Write it? Conduct it? Why?
EXPLORING THE PEFORMANCE On the following pages are some ideas for helping your concertgoers explore the music, composers, and themes of the concert more deeply before or after the performance. Please remember to review with your students pages 4–7 of the Cuesheet Performance Guide for brief introductions to each composer and her music, along with some specific elements to “listen for” (recapped here). Use the YPC Playlist—bit.ly/1920NSOYPC—or your own preferred streaming service to share the music again as needed.
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Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (part 1) by Joan Tower During the concert, listen for the…
Think Like a Composer.
❖g alloping rhythm that gives a sense of
Ask concertgoers: If someone asked you to write a fanfare, who would you write it for? Why? What message would you want the music to convey? Try writing down, humming, or playing on a musical instrument your main opening melody. (Standards Connection: MU:Cr1.1)
adventure and urgency.
❖b old, strong brass tones and patterns with occasional unusual or odd notes.
❖ f orceful beginning and end with snare drum and timpani. After the concert, go deeper… An Uncommon Composer. Discuss how Joan Tower wrote this fanfare for the “uncommon woman,” someone who she described as adventurous and risk-taking. How does that idea describe Tower and the other composers in the program? How did they each blaze a new trail in their own way?
Learn More :
“At 80, Joan Tower Says Great Music Comes ‘in the Risks’” nytimes.com/2018/11/09/arts/music/ joan-tower-national-sawdust.html
Fans of Fanfare. Explain that Tower took inspiration for her fanfare from American composer Aaron Copland’s 1943 music Fanfare for the Common Man (youtube.com/watch?v=9dljTJ9qJ4U). Note that these two composers wrote during different times in history and with different purposes in mind. Copland wrote his fanfare to rally Americans during World War II and honor the sacrifices of ordinary people. Tower’s 1986 fanfare celebrated the bold, daring uncommon woman. Have your young concertgoers listen to both pieces and compare and contrast them. What are three musical differences? How do you think the composers’ different lives, historical circumstances, and purposes in writing come through in their music? (Standards Connections: MU:Cn11.0; MU:Re7.2)
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Violin Sonata no. 1 in D Minor, the seventh movement by Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre During the concert, listen for the…
Hearing the Harpsicord.
❖ detailed structure and fancy ornamentation
Introduce the harpsicord, which accompanies the violin in the performance, as an especially popular instrument of the time. For a detailed look at the instrument’s workings, see youtube. com/watch?v=Z7jWYiQz1cA. Ask: How would you describe the sound? (It might be helpful to compare it with other instruments, like the piano or harp.) Share that although the keyboard instrument seems strongly associated with Baroque music, more modern musicians such as The Beatles and Eminem have also found a unique place for its distinctive, almost electronic sound in new popular music. For an overview and some song samples you might share, see theguardian.com/music/2009/ dec/14/whats-that-sound-harpsichord. Discuss what sound qualities the instrument brings to pop and other music. Why do you think the artists added it?
that marked the Baroque musical style of the time.
❖ very fast tempo (speed of playing), described as presto.
❖ dancing, sparkling sounds of the violin solo. After the concert, go deeper… Go for Baroque. Discuss that French composer Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre wrote in the Baroque style of the time period, but also broke new ground with her compositions. Baroque music, created from about 1600 to 1750, influenced classical music in lasting ways. Composers of the time introduced ideas such as a single melody and solo instrument in a composition (the violin in the violin sonata). Composers also focused on expressiveness and used contrast (such as loud and soft) as a dramatic element (for more about Baroque and other musical time periods, see our Field Guide to the Orchestra bit.ly/NSOYPCGirlPower). Discuss what elements of Baroque style young concertgoers hear in the music. Then have them compare this style to the more modern style of another small ensemble piece on the program, Jennifer Higdon’s “Amazing Grace,” describing the different melodies, patterns, styles, and so forth. (Standards Connection: MU:Re7.2)
Learn More :
“Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre” psaudio.com/article/elisabeth-jacquetde-la-guerre/
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Symphony no. 1, the third movement by Florence Price During the concert, listen for the…
Explore the Juba Influence.
❖ dancing and skipping sounds of the melody.
Discuss how Price draws on elements of the Juba style of dance, including African drums and syncopation (accents on weak or unexpected beats, see youtube.com/ watch?v=NQPcup4sbAE). The dance originated in West Africa and moved in various forms with slaves through the Caribbean and to plantations in the American South. A Juba dance typically features slapping and patting of the legs, thighs, arms, and chest, and sometimes stomping to create percussive patterns. African slaves relied on using the body as an instrument because slave owners often forbade the use of drums or other instruments. How did concertgoers hear these energetic rhythmic elements in Price’s allegro (fast-paced and lively) movement? Students might find it interesting that other musicians also took inspiration from these rhythms, including Bo Diddley, considered a pioneer of rock and roll (here is what became known as the “Bo Diddley Beat” youtube.com/watch?v=yeZHB3ozglQ). (Standards Connection: MU:Cn11.0)
❖A frican drums. ❖p layful slide whistle effect. After the concert, go deeper… Facing Challenges. Florence Price once wrote of the challenges she faced: “I am a woman; and I have some Negro blood in my veins.” Discuss why that would have made it hard for her to pursue her love of music in the early 1900s. You could ask students to research what life would have been like for Price growing up in Arkansas, and discuss the segregation and discrimination she faced. (Standards Connection: MU:Cn11.0)
Consider Cultural Connections. Invite young concertgoers to compare the ways Florence Price and Gabriela Lena Frank celebrate their heritages in the musical selections at the concert. What elements, such as rhythms, patterns, playing styles, song structures, and so forth, express different cultures? (Standards Connections: MU:Cn11.0; MU:Re7.2)
Learn More :
“The Rediscovery of Florence Price” newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/05/ the-rediscovery-of-florence-price
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D’un matin de printemps by Lili Boulanger During the concert, listen for the…
Compare Day and Night.
❖ shimmering, sparkling sounds suggesting
Share that Boulanger wrote a companion piece to D’un matin de printemps (French for “of a spring morning”) called D’un soir triste (“of a sad evening”). Ask young concertgoers to brainstorm—keeping in mind Boulanger’s style—what her musical expression of a sad evening might sound like. Then share part or all of this music and ask students to compare and contrast the two pieces (youtube.com/ watch?v=x3XxnypXJRk). What tones, styles, patterns, and effects evoke “spring morning” and “night”? How is the music impressionistic? (Standards Connections: MU:Re7.2; MU:Re8.1)
the sunrise.
❖ strong, playful rising and falling sounds of the full orchestra.
❖ tingling triangle at the end. After the concert, go deeper… Sound Scenes. Discuss what students imagined during the music. If they have drawings, share and discuss them. Also discuss: What kind of creatures (such as butterflies) or happenings (such as a sunrise) did the musical instruments remind them of? What tools—such as dynamics, pitch, or tempo—were used to create those effects? Explore Impressionism. Remind concertgoers of the French impressionist paintings shared on stage. Discuss how impressionist music was actually named for its similarities to the genre of painting known as impressionism that featured scenes from everyday life and nature. These painters captured life as if someone caught a quick glimpse of it. This “snapshot in time” was created with quick blurry strokes (instead of broad ones), lots of vibrant colors, and natural lighting. And just like their artist friends, impressionistic composers like Lili Boulanger set out to convey emotion and mood in a bold way. Ask: What aspects of her music sounded impressionistic? (For an overview of French impressionist art and music, see britannica.com/art/Impressionism-art; and for a kid-friendly introduction to impressionist art, see tate.org.uk/kids/explore/what-is/ impressionism). (Standards Connection: MU:Cn11.0)
That’s Italian! The concert featured an image of one of Boulanger’s musical scores and a look at some of the Italian words that composers use to tell how the music should be played. To explore Italian musical words further with your students, see “That’s Italian” in our Field Guide to the Orchestra (bit.ly/NSOYPCGirlPower)
Learn More :
“This Great French Composer Died Exactly 100 Years Ago…But You Probably Haven’t Heard of Her” classicfm.com/discover-music/lili-boulanger/
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“Amazing Grace” by Jennifer Higdon During the concert, listen for the…
Expressing Emotion.
❖ rich layers of sounds created by the
Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral is one of the most performed modern orchestral pieces by a living American composer today. Share the piece with young concertgoers. In this video (youtu.be/v_uFd83ExMg) the conductor discusses Higdon’s intention and imagery and how the piece is an elegy (musical lament) for her late brother. Invite students to share what they imagine as they listen. What musical tools did Higdon use to create images and emotions? (Standards Connection: MU:Re8.1)
string quartet.
❖ beginning that follows the basic theme of the original song.
❖ tempo and key changes, flourishes, and other variations to the main theme. After the concert, go deeper… Music’s Role. Discuss this comment from Jennifer Higdon: “But if my music is not communicating, I feel it’s not doing its job.” What did Higdon’s music communicate to you? Vary a Theme. Remind concertgoers how Higdon’s music started with a main theme, the traditional hymn “Amazing Grace,” and then added changes called variations. They can think of the theme as the melody that is repeated, and the variation as the theme with a few changes (like adding various toppings to ice cream sundaes). Listen again closely to a more traditional rendition (such as this one after the short intro youtube. com/watch?v=Ao_LMQN3Rxw) and Higdon’s (youtube.com/watch?v=hPyIR-8YfRo). What tools did she use (such as tempo, dynamics, ornamentation, and so forth) to vary the theme? (For more on the composer’s toolbox, see our Field Guide to the Orchestra bit.ly/NSOYPCGirlPower.)
Learn More :
“Jennifer Higdon: Carefully Composed” articulateshow.org/articulate/jennifer-higdoncarefully-composed
Have Students Try It. Starting with the melody of “Amazing Grace,” “America the Beautiful,” or another well-known song, have students brainstorm three variations and hum or sing them. Ask: Why did you choose the changes you did? What do you hope they communicate? (Standards Connections: MU:Pr4.3; MU:Cr1.1)
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“Mestizo Waltz” from Three Latin American Dances by Gabriela Lena Frank During the concert, listen for the…
A Living, Evolving Art Form.
❖ t rumpets in the style of Spanish singers.
As Frank, Higdon, Tower, and Toprak show, classical music not only features diverse artistic voices, it is constantly evolving as living composers write new, beloved music every day. Young concertgoers might enjoy learning about another new groundbreaking female composer and child prodigy—14-year-old Alma Deutscher. The English pianist, violinist, and composer has already written more than 15 works, including an opera! Learn more: nytimes.com/2019/06/14/world/europe/ alma-deutscher-prodigy-mozart.html; and see Deutscher’s performing her own violin concerto at Carnegie Hall: youtube.com/ watch?v=Os8fFmEmRZE
❖ s trumming of violins and pizzicato (plucking the strings) of cellos creating guitar-like sounds.
❖w ide range of percussion instruments, including castanets, conga drums, shekere (an African gourd and bead shaker), and rainsticks. After the concert, go deeper… A Determined Prodigy. Share with young concertgoers this video of Gabriela Lena Frank: youtube.com/ watch?v=oPXcACR0Jkk. Discuss how she was a child prodigy (someone with extraordinary talent at a young age) who had perfect pitch (the ability to identify or recreate a musical note or tone without any assistance). How did Frank’s hearing loss affect how she first approached music? How does she reflect her “mestizo” heritage in her music? (Standards Connection: MU:Cn11.0)
Learn More :
“Life Outside the Golden Cage: Composer Gabriela Lena Frank in Profile” michigandaily.com/section/arts/lifeoutside-golden-cage-composer-gabrielalena-frank-profile
A Global Heritage. Have students find all the places of Frank’s heritage (Peru, China, Lithuania, and California, United States) on a globe or world map. Then identify their own family’s heritage on the map. Ask them to discuss or write the ways they celebrate their heritage through art, music, food, or other cultural traditions. Have them brainstorm and demonstrate aspects of their music traditions (such as rhythms, specific instruments, etc.) they could combine to create new music. (Standards Connections: MU:Cn11.0; MU:Cr1.1)
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“Captain Marvel” (main theme) by Pinar Toprak During the concert, listen for the…
Perseverance.
❖o pening ostinato (os-tin-NAH-to), a
In an interview, Toprak pointed to one aspect of the main character that resonated with her: “Every time [Captain Marvel] falls, she gets up.” She added, “I’ve had a lot of falling moments in my life as well, then getting up and learning to get up faster and going even farther the next time.” Discuss: Why is being able to get up and go faster a good quality for a groundbreaking composer? How have other composers in the program done the same?
repeated rhythmic pattern.
❖b old, strong French horn melody that begins with a dramatic rise in pitch (highness or lowness of sound) and conveys the heroine’s physical strengths.
❖ s ofter string passages, suggesting Captain Marvel’s sensitive side. After the concert, go deeper… Making Movie Music. Discuss how this music differs from others in the program in that it was written as a musical score for a film. In movies, how does music communicate ideas and emotions about the story, characters, places, and events?
Creating a Signature Sound. Share that one of the challenges for Toprak in writing the theme for the film’s superhero was creating a bold opening musical pattern. She chose strong horn notes in a music interval spanning seven staff positions (a minor seventh; hear it as the horns enter about five seconds in: youtu.be/93fawyhfMAI). Discuss what this pattern communicates about the heroine. Then invite young concertgoers to imagine their own 10-second music pattern for a favorite superhero, and hum, sing, or play it for friends. (Standards Connections: MU:Cn11.0; MU:Cr1.1)
Learn More :
“Inside the Inspiring Journey of ‘Captain Marvel’ Composer Pinar Toprak” businessinsider.com/captain-marvel composerpinar-toprak-first-female-composer-of-marvelmovie-2019-3
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Gaelic Symphony in E Minor, the fourth movement by Amy Beach During the concert, listen for the…
in A Minor, VIII. Gavotte youtu.be/wI7xNtYzyH4 (Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre)
❖ s trong, bold start and triumphant finish. ❖e nergetic, leaping musical patterns contrasted with softer, flowing passages.
❖ s oaring melodies in both strong and
After the concert, go deeper… Discuss how Amy Beach became not only the dean of female American composers, but also a symbol of women’s rights because of her professional success and leadership. How have opportunities for female composers changed since then? What do you think Beach would say about that? Taking Inspiration. Point out that Beach was a child prodigy who taught herself how to compose, partly by studying the work of other composers. She took inspiration from Antonín Dvor̆ák’s New World Symphony—particularly its soaring climaxes and energy—for her Gaelic Symphony, while developing her own unique American style. Invite concertgoers to reflect on which music from the concert most inspired them. What expressive qualities, structures, or patterns would they like to adopt in creating their own new music, and why? Have them describe and demonstrate their choices. (Standards Connections: MU:Cr1.1; MU:Pr4.3)
❖F anfare for the Uncommon Woman #3 youtube.com/watch?v=hnlVKC7rxdg&fe ature=youtu.be (Joan Tower)
gentle sections.
Madame Dean.
❖H arpsicord Suite No. 3
❖ Gaelic Symphony in E Minor, first movement youtu.be/59vpSxakMeo (Amy Beach)
❖A pu: A Tone Poem for Orchestra youtu.be/ldkjcqd3ctg (Gabriela Lena Frank)
Learn More :
“Amy Beach, a Pioneering American Composer, Turns 150” nytimes.com/2017/09/01/arts/music/amybeach-women-american-composer.html
Test Your Ears. Encourage concertgoers to try to identify the composers’ styles in different works. Play a few minutes of each of the pieces below or other works without giving the titles or composers, and see whether students can guess. Have them describe the tools the composers use to explain their guesses. (Standards Connections: MU:Pr4.3; MU:Pr4.2) 11
MORE RESOURCES
Books
These resources might help you create your own lessons or activities or compile more information to share with your students.
Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music by Anna Beer (a look at the lives and musical legacies of eight classical women composers, including Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Lili Boulanger): amazon.com/Sounds-Sweet-Airs-ForgottenClassical-ebook/dp/B01C9O35UG/ref=tmm_ kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1561596 616&sr=8-1
Websites Classics for Kids classicsforkids.com Articles “Teaching Kids to Compose” (a short article with general strategies for introducing children to music composition): classicalmpr.org/blog/classical notes/ 2016/02/12/teaching-kids-to-compose “The Sound of Silence: Female Composers at the Symphony” (an article examining the challenges female composers still face in having their music performed by major orchestras): npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/ 2018/06/19/617136805/the-sound-of-silencefemale-composers-at-the-symphony “The NPR Classical 50: 50 Recordings a Fanatic or First-Timer Should Not Be Without” (a list that might provide a jumping-off point for exploring and evaluating other classical works): npr.org/series/99866406/the-npr-classical-50 “The 13 Most Important Composers of the 21st Century So Far” (a list—featuring all women—with music clips from Soundfly): flypaper.soundfly.com/write/the-13-mostimportant-composers-of-the-21st-century/
Videos “Class Notes: What Does a Conductor Do?” (conductor Sarah Hicks discusses and demonstrates what conductors need to know and do to lead the orchestra): youtube.com/watch?v=x_6cTbyWP88 “George Meets the Orchestra: An Introduction to the Orchestra for Children” (a very young Australian boy’s playful exploration of the Sydney Youth Orchestra and its instruments): binged.it/2PbpNnL
Standards C onnections The NSO Yo un
g People’s C oncert conn to the 2014 ects Music Stand a rd s, including: General Musi c—Connecti ng (MU.Cn.10 MU:Cn11.0); .0, Responding (MU:Re7.1, MU:Re7.2, M U:Re8.1, MU:R e9.1); Creatin (MU:Cr1.1); P g erforming (M U:Pr4.2, MU:P r4.3) and other su bject areas su ch as Langu Arts, specific age ally: English Language A Reading: Lit rt s— erature (RL.7 , RL.9) Standards a re based on Common Co State Standa re rds, Nationa l Core Arts Standards, a nd Next Gen eration Scien Standards. F ce or correspon ding Virginia Standards, v State isit: doe.virg inia.gov/test sol/standard ing/ s_docs/eng lish/index.sh tml
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David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Deborah F. Rutter President
Jordan LaSalle
Interim Senior Vice President Education
Gianandrea Noseda
Music Director National Symphony Orchestra
NSO Young People’s Concerts are made possible in part by the generous support of the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; U.S. Department of Education and Wells Fargo. Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education. NSO Young People’s Concerts are made possible by the generous support of Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather. Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program. Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts. The contents of this Guide 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. © 2020 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts