TEACHER GUIDE
E D U CAT I O N P R O G RA M S O F T H E CO LO RA D O SY M P H O N Y
TEACHER GUIDE
W E LCO M E TO T H E CO LO R A D O S YM P H O NY M U S I C U R I O U S YO U T H CO N C E R T -
MYTH AND LEGEND The Colorado Symphony knows you value the Musicurious Youth Concert experience for your students and that you want it to be positive and inspirational for them. Your students will hear music from some of the greatest composers of the past and present. Critical listening, investigative, and analytical skills will come into play during the time you prepare your students, and at Boettcher Concert Hall, as well. These materials and the youth concert experience support the Colorado Department of Education’s Common Core outcomes for 21st century skills. Do as much as you can, and feel free to alter or build on them to suit your classroom needs!
❶ Begin by touring the Get to Know the INSTRUMENT FAMILIES of the symphony orchestra page.
Teacher Packet: Pages 3-4 Student Packet: Pages 3-4
❷ Transition into LESSON 1, listening and discussing the musical selections that your students will hear at
Teacher Packet: Pages 5-6 Student Packet: Pages 5-6
❸ Continue with LESSONS 2 AND 3, exploring innovations composers made as the orchestra
Teacher Packet: Page 7-8 Student Packet: Pages ???
❹ The post-concert JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT following these lessons is a reflective exercise for
Teacher Packet: Page 10 Student Packet: Page 9
the concert, found on the About The Composers page.
grew over time.
after the field trip.
❺ Finally, there is a FEEDBACK PAGE for students to share about their experience. We love hearing their ideas and yours!
Teacher Packet: Page 10 Student Packet: Page 10
P R E PA R I N G F O R YO U R
MUSICURIOUS CONCERT EXPERIENCE: Students will get the most out of their concert experience if they engage in Active Listening activities prior to attending. These materials provide you with some suggestions. The most important thing to do is listen freely and often to symphonic music and especially the selections on this year’s concert. Students may have a more personalized experience by learning facts about the composers, the Colorado Symphony, and Boettcher Concert Hall. Students, especially those who are attending a concert for the first time, will engage more successfully when they understand the behavior expectations of the concert hall experience and are given a chance to practice these at school.
❶ B efore you enter the concert hall, turn off cell phones, pocket games, and other electronic devices. ❷ L isten attentively so you can hear and remember every note. We want you to talk about the concert on the trip back to school and at home later! ❸ F eel free to clap and show your appreciation for the performance when the conductor has lowered his arms. The musicians love your enthusiastic clapping when the music is finished!
Students may wear their regular school clothes or special occasion clothes if they’d like. Enjoying and engaging in a shared concert experience with the Colorado Symphony is always more important than what they wear to the concert.
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TEACHER GUIDE
CO LO R A D O S YM P H O NY
CONDUCTORS
Music Director Brett Mitchell
Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop
Photo: Carol Friedman
Photo: Kym Thompson
Photo: Lock+Land.com
The conductor is one of the most important musicians in the orchestra because they get all of the instruments to play together as one big instrument. The Colorado Symphony has five conductors: Music Director Brett Mitchell, Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop, Associate Conductor Christopher Dragon, Chorus Director Duain Wolfe, and Assistant Conductor Bertie Baigent.
Associate Conductor Christopher Dragon
Chorus Director Duain Wolfe
Photo: Ben Durrant
BERTIE BAIGENT British-born Bertie Baigent is rapidly building an international reputation as an exciting and dynamic conductorcomposer. He is the musical director of the Waterperry Opera Festival, the London Young Sinfonia, and in various contexts has conducted the WDR Sinfonieorchester, the Gürzenich-Orchester, the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, the Britten Sinfonia, the London Sinfonietta, the Orchestre National de Lille, and the Orchestre de Picardie. Bertie has assisted conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardner, and Jac van Steen, and has participated in masterclasses with Martyn Brabbins, Pierre-André Valade, Harald Jers, and others. In 2017 he was awarded the Royal Academy of Music’s Sir Henry Wood Scholarship and Ernest Read Conducting Prize, and participated in the Deutscher Dirigentenpreis. Also at home in the world of opera, recent engagements have included Così fan tutte at the Bedford Park Festival and the world premiere of Nero Monologues for
Opera in the City; Bertie has also worked with Shadwell Opera, Helios Opera, OperaUpClose, and will conduct at Hampstead Garden Opera and Waterperry Opera Festival in the 2018/19 season. New music is particularly important to Bertie, with past and forthcoming collaborations including those with the London Sinfonietta, the Phaedra Ensemble, and 4|12 Collective. Bertie’s compositions have been widely performed by artists such as the Aurora Orchestra, the Bath Philharmonia, the Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, and the viol consort Fretwork, and have been heard in venues such as the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Royal Festival Hall. He has been awarded prizes and commissions by organizations including the Royal Philharmonic Society, the BBC, and the National Centre for Early Music. His works have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, and other European radio stations, and are published by Stainer & Bell. Bertie is a prize-winning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and trained as a cellist and pianist before focusing on conducting and composition. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a double first in 2016, and completed an MA in conducting with Sian Edwards at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
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TEACHER GUIDE
G E T TO K N O W T H E T H E S YM P H O NY O R C H E S T R A
INSTRUMENT FAMILIES Your Colorado Symphony Orchestra is made up of 80 musicians playing instruments from one of four groups, or families, of instruments. Here are some facts about each instrument family.
The Brass Family Brass - Tuba, Trombone, French Horn, Trumpet
French Horn
Tuba
Trombone Trumpet
Brass family instruments are all made of metal. Brass players buzz their lips inside a round mouthpiece to produce the sound. If you look closely you’ll see that all of the brass instruments are one long tube that curves around becoming wider and bell shaped at the end. Brass players change pitches, or notes, by changing the pressure of their buzzing lips. Modern brass instruments help with these pitch changes by using valves or a slide which tricks the instrument into thinking its tube is longer or shorter than it is. The trumpet has the smallest length of tube and therefore plays the highest pitches. French horn’s tube is longer and can play lower notes. Next is trombone, and finally the tuba which plays the lowest notes in the brass family. All that vibrating air on a metal surface causes the sound to project in a direct and loud way. For this reason they are often used to signal something important that demands your immediate attention.
The String Family Strings - Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin Bass Violin
Cello
Viola
String family instruments are all made of wood and produce their sound by moving a stick with horse hair on it called a bow back and forth across the strings. String instruments of the orchestra each have only 4 strings, so to get additional pitches the players press their fingers down in various different spots on the string to trick it into thinking it’s longer or shorter. Just like the brass instruments’ tubes, the shorter the string is the higher the pitch, and the longer the string is the lower the pitch. The bass has the longest strings and therefore makes the lowest pitches. Much smaller than the bass but still played in an upright way is the cello, which makes the second lowest pitches in the string section. The viola looks almost exactly like the violin and is played on the shoulder, but because it’s bigger and has longer strings than the violin it plays medium high notes. The violin plays the highest notes because it is the very smallest and has the shortest strings. Wood is a porous material which makes the sound warm, rich, and not as directed or loud as the brass instruments can be. Because the bow can make very long, sustained sounds (and also because the player doesn’t need to take breaths to produce the sound), string instruments are often used to create long luscious melodies and lots of never ending fast notes.
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TEACHER GUIDE G E T TO K N O W T H E T H E S YM P H O NY O R C H E S T R A
INSTRUMENT FAMILIES The Percussion Family Percussion - Timpani, Bass Drum, Piano, Harp, Snare Drum, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Cymbals, Tambourine, Triangle
Timpani
Piano
Percussion instruments are those instruments which produce their sound by shaking, scraping, striking, or plucking. There are more percussion instruments than can possibly be listed and they are made from nearly any kind of material you can imagine! Percussion is the most versatile family of instruments when it comes to colors of sound. From the low timpani to the martial snare drum, the splashy cymbal to the shimmering triangle, the precise xylophone to the restless tambourine, the percussion section provides rhythm, color, punctuation and points of interest to the sound of of the orchestra. Triangle
Harp
Cymbals
Xylophone
Snare Drum
The Woodwind Family Woodwinds - Bassoon, Clarinet, Oboe, Flute Bassoon
Oboe
Clarinet
Flute
Woodwind instruments are made of a combination of wood and metal. Like the brass instruments they are constructed from a tube, but unlike the brass instruments there are holes in the tube which can be covered or left open by keys or the player’s fingertips. Covering and uncovering the holes tricks the tube into thinking it’s longer or shorter which produces lower or higher pitches. To make a sound on the flute the player must blow air across an opening near the top of the flute, just like getting a sound from blowing across the top of a bottle. The clarinet uses a single flat piece of wood called a reed which vibrates against a mouthpiece as the player blows through it. Unlike the brass mouthpiece this one is used inside the players mouth. The bassoon and oboe use a double reed, which is a long, narrow piece of wood that has been specially shaped, folded in half, tied together, and then cut at the tip. These two pieces of reed vibrate against one another when the player blows air through it. Each of the woodwind instruments sounds different mostly due to the way the sound is produced. The bassoon is large and gets a lively and sometimes buzzy sound to its low notes. The clarinet, a medium sized instrument, can sound very smooth and play extremely softly. The oboe has a directed and clear quality similar to the trumpet but in a more plaintive and searching way. The flute has a beautiful light and airy sound which helps its high pitches float right into our ears. Because the woodwind family instruments sound so different from one another they are often used as individual soloists in the orchestra and to provide interesting color combinations with other instruments.
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TEACHER GUIDE
LESSON 1
A B O U T T H E CO M P O S E R S: L I S T E N A N D L E A R N
About the Myth and Legend musicurious Colorado Symphony youth concert composers: Ludwig van Beethoven
December 16, 1770 - March 26, 1827
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist of the Classical and Romantic eras. He played his first public performance on the piano at age seven and had his first published composition at age 13. Beethoven was known to be hard working and innovative. He began to lose his hearing and eventually became almost completely deaf, but never stopped composing music and pushing the boundaries of the symphony orchestra. His Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus was composed in 1801 and marked Beethoven’s introduction to the Viennese stage. This symbolic ballet is based on the myth of Prometheus, a Greek god who gave fire to the people on Earth. LISTEN! to Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus as part of Lesson 2.
Edvard Grieg
June 15, 1843 - September 4, 1907
Edvard Grieg was a Norwegian composer who grew up in a musical family. At the age of 15 he began studying music at the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. After that, Grieg performed as a pianist all over Europe, returning home every summer to compose. Grieg used Norwegian folk music melodies and rhythms in the music he wrote. Grieg composed music in the Romantic style, mainly for the orchestra and the piano. He is best known for composing the music set to Henrik Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt, a tale of Peer Gynt’s epic journey to the four corners of the globe. Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” describes the character’s adventure in the underground Kingdom of the Trolls. LISTEN! to “In the Hall of the Mountain King” as part of Lesson 2
Richard Wagner
May 22, 1813 - February 13, 1883
Richard Wagner was a German composer and is considered to be a musical genius and one of the world’s most influential composers. Both Beethoven and Mozart heavily influenced Wagner's style. Wagner was a musical innovator and developed the leitmotif, or leading theme — pronounced “lite moteef”— which is a recurring melody that is associated with a person, place or an idea. The leitmotif provides thematic unity in a musical composition. To this day, film composers widely use this technique in the scores of their music. Wagner is best known for his Ring Cycle, a series of four full-length operas, which took twenty-six years to write, and four nights to perform the complete Cycle. Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyries” is from the second of the four Ring operas and is widely used in films and television. LISTEN! to “The Ride of the Valkyries” as a part of Lesson 2
Ask your students to listen to “The Ride of the Valkyries” and ask them where they might have heard this before. Ask them to listen to the notes being played and find a passage in the music that represents a leitmotif. A leitmotif (or leading theme) is a recurring melody that is associated with a person, place or an idea which provides thematic unity in a musical composition. Then ask them to describe what the leitmotif is representing. TIPS: In this piece, the brass play the exciting central theme and the woodwinds and strings play a series of ascending and
descending notes representing the flying Valkyries.
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Gustav Holst
September 21, 1874 – May 25, 1934
Gustav Holst was an English composer and also grew up in a musical family. As a young child, Holst played the piano, organ, and trombone. At the age of 12, Holst began composing music and knew he wanted to become a composer. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London. In addition to composing, Holst dedicated much of his life to teaching music as the Director of Music at the St. Paul's Girls’ School. It was during this time where Holst composed his most notable and famous work, The Planets, a seven-piece movement composition representing different planets that took two years to complete. In “Mercury” and “Mars”, Holst composes a musical picture of these two planets which vividly describes their characteristics. LISTEN! to “Mercury” and “Mars” from The Planets as part of Lesson 2
Igor Stravinsky
June 17, 1882 - April 6, 1971
Igor Stravinsky grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia and studied composition with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Even though he immigrated to the United States in 1939, became a citizen in 1945, and lived in Los Angeles most of his life, he was considered to be a Russian style composer, pianist, and conductor. Stravinsky was one of the most important and influential composers of the entire 20th century. Early in his career, between 1910 and 1913 he collaborated with a ballet company and wrote 3 major works for them. One of these, The Rite of Spring, caused a riot at its first performance but became very popular and was later used in the Disney movie Fantasia. His ballet The Firebird, in which “Berceuse and Finale” is the glorious ending, was composed in 1910 and was Stravinsky’s breakthrough composition. This composition is inspired by a Russian folk story about a magical firebird that helps Prince Ivan defeat an evil king and restore peace to the world. LISTEN! to “Berceuse and Finale” from the Firebird as part of Lesson 2
Traditional La Llorona La llorona is a myth from Mexico. The story is about a woman who is happily married and has two children, but one day her husband leaves her and never returns. Years later, she sees her husband again by a river, and she is so angry that she throws her children into the water! Then she realizes what she has done, and jumps in to save them, but it is too late. Ever since, her spirit has been wandering the river crying out painfully in search for her children. LISTEN! to La Llorona as part of Lesson 2
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TEACHER GUIDE
LESSON 2 MYTH AND LEGEND MUSIC Every country and culture around the world, from every period in history, has stories of myths and legends. Use the following lesson to explore the world of myth and legend through symphonic music, created by composers inspired by these ancient tales from multiple cultures across the globe.
E X P LO R E M Y T H A N D L E G E N D M U S I C
❶ A sk your students what musical elements they think are necessary to make the orchestra sound adventurous, heroic, and magical.
Is there a particular instrument or group of instruments that your students think might be necessary to convey the sound and feeling of either of these characteristics? Does the music need to have a particular tempo, rhythm, or dynamic range, and if so what might it be? List their answers so everyone can see.
❷ L isten to each of the pieces to continue comparing the sound of those instrument lists. Assign individuals or groups of students
to listen for a particular instrument and report their observations about its use in each piece. For example, in which piece do the instruments seem to be used only some of the time and in which do they seem to be used more periodically throughout? How does that make the music feel or sound different to your students? Why do they think the composers might have chosen to construct their music that way? Ludwig van Beethoven Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus Edvard Grieg “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt Richard Wagner "The Ride of the Valkyries" from The Ring of the Nibelung Gustav Holst “Mercury” from The Planets Gustav Holst “Mars” from The Planets Traditional La Llorona Stravinsky "Berceuse and Finale" from The Firebird
❸ W hat surprising or unexpected elements did they hear? What do your students think is particularly effective in the musical representation of these ancient tales? How might they have composed the music differently?
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TEACHER GUIDE
LESSON 3 D I S CO V E R H O W T H E O R C H E S T R A S U P P O R T S A S TO RY Edvard Greig’s composition titled “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is based on Henrik Ibsen’s play, Peer Gynt. The play is a tale of Peer Gynt’s epic journey to the four corners of the world. Grieg’s composition tells the story of Peer Gynt through music. Your students will hear “In the Hall of the Mountain King" performed by the Colorado Symphony. This composition will spark your students’ imagination as the music takes you on Peer’s journey.
❶ G rieg created music for the play that conveyed character, setting, and action. Ask your students to consider what the journey might
be like for Peer as he ventures into the underground Kingdom of the Trolls. Brainstorm together what kinds of feeling and thoughts they might have as they journey with Peer. Next ask your students to think of some ways the instruments of the orchestra might be used to define the different characters such as Peer, the Trolls, and the Troll King. Also ask your students to think of some ways the instruments of the orchestra might be used to create a feeling of venturing into the underground, and Peer being chased by the Trolls of the underground. Write their answers on the board.
❷ N ext listen to Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and ask them to listen to the notes being played and find a passage in the music that describes Peer’s adventure into the underground Kingdom of the Trolls. Ask them as they listen where might they hear in the composition where the trolls might be sneaking up on Peer and then chasing him. Write some of their answers on the board.
❸ N ow, ask your students: How did the composer make the sound of the trolls chasing Peer? What did the composer do to the speed
of the music to make the story come alive? What were the instruments that were played to create the scene? Was there anything surprising or unexpected about Grieg’s choices? What might your students have done differently if they had orchestrated it? Write their answers on the board.
❹ R eflection: Now that your students have had some experience dissecting Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” composition, engage them in a conversation about where they might have heard music that has supported a story. Have them reflect on current movies, television, or even cartoons where music like Grieg’s composition has elevated the story’s theme. Write some of their answers on the board. Next ask students to think about a song or musical piece that might be the theme for their own story. What kinds of instruments would they include? What would be the tempo, rhythm, or dynamic range? Pick individual students who want to share their song or musical piece that is the theme to their own story.
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TEACHER GUIDE
ORCHESTRA SEATING MAP
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TEACHER GUIDE
REFLECTIONS
P O S T - CO N C E R T J O U R N A L A S S I G N M E N T
❶ A fter your students have experienced the Myth & Legend Musicurious Colorado Symphony Youth Concert, engage them in the journal activity on page 8 of their packet.
❷ N ow that you have experienced the Myth & Legend concert with your Colorado Symphony, it’s time to review and reflect! Use this space to write
about your observations. What were some surprises? What did you enjoy the most about the concert? How did the music sound different live in Boettcher Concert Hall? Write about anything that you remember! Finally, think about how you would innovate and develop the symphony orchestra. What new or different instruments would you add? How would you want them used? What sorts of new or different sounds would you want the orchestra to make?
S T U D E N T F E E D B AC K PAG E: Student feedback is very important to us. Your students have a page in their printables packet that they can use to write to us about their experience. Please send these by scanning and emailing to: smyers@coloradosymphony.org Mail them to: Colorado Symphony, 1000 14th St #15, Denver, CO 80202.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TIME AT YOUR COLORADO SYMPHONY!
What I really liked about the symphony was the emotion in the music because I could really feel the music. Sabrene, Green Mountain Elementary
Going to see the symphony was a delight. The music played there is not something you hear everyday. Ella Park Hill Elementary
I love the music. It’s like a piece of ice cream cake with lots of layers. And chocolate on top. Kylie, Cherokee Trail Elementary
I love the way the symphony plays together. It takes a lot of practice. Adaleigh, South Lakewood Elementary
The brass section really caught my eye. I thought the trombones made me feel snazzy. Liam, Park Hill Elementary
I loved all of the instruments. Nadia, Adams City Middle School
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TEACHER GUIDE
TIME LINE O F H I S TO R I C A L E V E N T S
Origin of symphony orchestra
1607
Colorado Symphony is formed
1922
United States becomes independent nation
1776
Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic
1932
Beethoven composes The Creatures of Prometheus
1800
First Superman comic issued
1938
First African American newspaper published
1827
World War II
First Braille book published
1829
Rosa Parks’ arrest sparks Civil Rights Movement
1955
First bicycle “Velocipede”
1839
Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech
1963
Baseball rules defined for the first time
1845
First men on the moon
1969
Wagner composes “Ride of the Valkyries”
1854
Apple Computer Company created
1976
Peak of Underground Railroad
1865
John Williams writes "Imperial March” from Star Wars
1980
Grieg wrote Peer Gynt
1874
Sally Ride, first woman in space
1983
Colorado becomes a state
1876
Shakespeare’s Globe Theater discovered by archaeologists 1988
1910
Internet becomes available for personal use
1991 1997
Stravinsky composes The Firebird
Holst composes The Planets
1914-1916
First Harry Potter book published
World War 1
1914-1918
Your field trip!
19th Amendment giving women right to vote
1935-1945
2018-2019
1920
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The Colorado Symphony offers
FREE to community partners TO LEARN MORE
coloradosymphony.org
Students & Teachers Receive
$10
with valid school I.D.! *
coloradosymphony.org BOX OFFICE 1000 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202 mon-fri: 10 am - 6 pm :: sat 12 pm - 6 pm Boettcher Concert Hall at the Denver Performing Arts Complex *Fees and limitations apply
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TEACHER GUIDE
Held in the Lobby spaces of Boettcher Concert Hall, these pre-concert activities take place prior to both Family and “family friendly’ Concerts. Activities are individually curated for each concert and will feature rotating activities like a composition station and an instrument petting zoo!
Disney in Concert: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
Symphonic Tribute to Comic Con — V
Christopher Dragon, conductor
Christopher Dragon, conductor
MPAA RATING: PG Presentation licensed by Disney Music Publishing and Buena Vista Concerts, a division of ABC Inc. © All rights reserved.
Peter and the Wolf Featuring Magic Circle Mime Co.
OCT 24-25 WED-THU 7:00
Halloween Spooktacular!
MAR 10 SUN 2:30
Christopher Dragon, conductor Magic Circle Mime Co.
OCT 28 SUN 2:30
Bertie Baigent, conductor
Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY
Presented by Macy’s, Inc.
Movie at the Symphony: Home Alone in Concert
FEB 8 FRI 7:30
MAY 2-3 THU-FRI 7:30
MPAA RATING: PG
NOV 23 FRI 7:30
Brett Mitchell, conductor Colorado Symphony Chorus, Taylor Martin, assistant director
Arnie Roth, conductor Colorado Symphony Chorus Recommended for children 7+
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta para la Familia MAY 5 SUN 2:30
Drums of the World
Christopher Dragon, conductor Presented in collaboration with the Mexican Cultural Center
NOV 25 SUN 2:30
Colorado Symphony Percussionists Presented by Macy’s, Inc.
A Colorado Christmas
DEC 14-16 FRI 7:30 ■ SAT 2:30 & 6:00 ■ SUN 1:00
Christopher Dragon, conductor Devin DeSantis, vocalist Colorado Symphony Chorus, Duain Wolfe, director Colorado Children’s Chorale, Deborah DeSantis, artistic director
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert JAN 4-6 FRI-SAT 7:30 ■ SUN 1:00
MPAA RATING: PG13 HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING`S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18)
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