VIRTUAL RESOURCE GUIDE
Get ready to dive into the deep blue sea with our orchestra! During our ocean adventure, young ones will pretend to be ocean creatures, rock like waves, and enjoy performances from our musicians and special guests. This virtual activity guide will help you find ways to explore the music and themes with the little one(s) in your life. In this packet, you'll find: In the Performance: This section will tell you more about each piece of music and the composers. In bold text at the end of each section, you'll see how children will be prompted to engage with the music during the performance. Have Fun With the Music: This section includes an activity to help your child engage with the theme for each piece. Listen to the music as you complete some of these activities. We are thrilled to have you join us as we explore the musical seas. We hope you enjoy the adventure! Musically,
Sara Hare Program Manager
SOBRE LAS OLAS JUVENTINO ROSAS
IN THE PERFORMANCE
Juventino Rosas was an indigenous composer from Mexico who began his career as a child as a street musician. He died when he was just 26 years old, but in his short life he became an important composer of salon music, short pieces of music with a lot of character that are meant to be played for small audiences. Sobre las Olas, or Over the Waves, is one of his most famous pieces and quickly become known all around the world. It is a waltz that has three beats per measure. To this day, it is still used regularly in movies and television and has become a part of popular culture around the world. Rock your body back and forth like you’re on a boat rocking in the waves.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Musical Math Waltzes are pieces of music that have three beats per measure. As you listen to the piece, count along to 3 with each measure. Then check out our activity post featuring a fun musical and mathematic children’s story and activities for children from toddlers through elementary to get them hands-on, making music and math connections.
THE OLD CASTLE MODEST MUSSORGSKY IN THE PERFORMANCE
Modest Mussorgsky originally wrote Pictures at an Exhibition for the piano, but it has become better known as a piece for orchestra. Pictures at an Exhibition is based on actual artwork by a friend of the composer and each short movement is about a specific picture. The Old Castle is a about a troubadour singing in front of an old castle. Listen to some low instruments from the orchestra and swim slowly like giant whales.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Music High and Low During the performance, you’ll hear the lowest instruments of our orchestra. Learn more about the highs and lows of the orchestra with this activity post, featuring videos from our musicians and experiments that explore how sound is made.
LA CUMPARSITA GERARDO MATOS RODRIGUEZ
IN THE PERFORMANCE
Gerardo Matos Rodriguez was a composer from Uruguay who is best-known for his tangos. A tango is a partner dance that comes from from Argentina and Uruguay. La Cumparsita is the first-known piece he composed as a student and has become his most famous work as well. There are many versions of this piece, as different arrangers and lyricists have put their own spin on the song. Watch Flotsam the Lobster snap his claws along with the music and turn your hands into pincer claws and snap with him.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Time to Tango Listen to this playlist of famous tangos to hear more of this great musical style.
TRIO FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA, AND CELLO MANUEL PONCE IN THE PERFORMANCE
Ponce was a Mexican composer and many of his compositions are inspired by traditional Mexican folk music. He is sometimes called the “Creator of the Modern Mexican Song” and his compositions helped bring popular Mexican music to audiences around the world for the first time. He is particularly wellknown for his music for guitar, though he also wrote music for piano, orchestra, and other ensembles. His Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello was composed in 1943. Pretend to be a fish swimming around through a sea of other fish. Bring your fish puppet out to swim if you made one.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC School of Fish DIY Make your own handprint fish puppet (from Freutcake) to use during this piece. Decorate your puppets any way you’d like and if you don’t have popsicle sticks for handles, take a short nature walk and find small sticks from around your neighborhood. Make just one or make many so that you have a whole school of fish!
MOLDAU BEDŘICH SMETANA
IN THE PERFORMANCE
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who began composing and performing at a very young age. He is famous for his compositions of symphonic poems, pieces of music that illustrate the contents of a story, poem, painting, or other work of art. Má Vlast is one of Smetana’s most famous pieces of music and portrays the sights and sounds of Smetana’s homeland. Moldau is a movement about the Moldau River (also known is the Vltava River) that runs through the Czech Republic. Make pretend ocean waves using a piece of flowy fabric or your arms as you dance to this piece.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Science and Sound Explore this underwater sound experiment from Still Playing School to experiment with how sound travels underwater.
NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN MODEST MUSSORGSKY IN THE PERFORMANCE
Modest Mussorgsky was a very important Russian composer who helped shaped Russian orchestral music. Much of his music was inspired by Russian history and folklore. Night on Bald Mountain is another example of a symphonic poem, like Má Vlast. It is based on a story of witches who gathered on Bald Mountain, both an actual place as well as the mythical scene of many tales about witches. Pretend to swim away from scary sharks.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Sharks! Color a shark picture or print and create your own shark book full of fun facts and pictures from The Keele Deal as you listen to Night on Bald Mountain.
BARCAROLLE SAMUEL COLERIDGE TAYLOR
IN THE PERFORMANCE
Samuel Coleridge Taylor was a composer and conductor born in London, England who gained much success as a young composer and toured the United States presenting his music. His mother’s family was full of musicians and they helped nurture his musical talents. He is best known for his piece “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast,” which features voice and instruments. Barcarolle comes from his Suite for Violin and Piano, written in 1893. A barcarolle is a traditional Italian folk song sung by gondoliers as they gently row their boats. Turn your body into a jellyfish and bounce along to this gentle piece.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Learn About Jellyfish Little ones can learn more about jellyfish with this children’s learning video from Kids Learning Videos. Then, use old paper towel or toilet paper rolls to create your own colorful jellyfish. Decorate with paint, markers, stickers, etc. and hang them to float in the air like they do in the ocean.
JAMAICA FAREWELL IRVING BURGIE IN THE PERFORMANCE
Jamaica Farewell is a Jamaican-style folk song with lyrics composed by Irving Burgie. Burgie was one of the best-known composers of Caribbean music, composed many hit popular songs, and even wrote the lyrics for the National Anthem of Barbados. The original tune is said to have been popular in the West Indies before it was arranged and performed by Burgie and singer Harry Belafonte. It is a mento, a style of Jamaican folk music that blends West African rhythms and music and European elements. Listen to seven (!) percussion instruments played by our percussionist Peter Cooper and a special steel drum solo performed by Sterling C. Sample.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Time to Drum Have fun with the percussion family with our Time to Drum activity post. Watch fun demonstration videos from our percussionist about some of his favorite instruments, find percussion-themed activities for babies through elementary-school-aged children, and listen to an exciting percussion family playlist.
JUPITER GUSTAV HOLST
IN THE PERFORMANCE
Gustav Holst was an English composer, teacher, and arranger, a person who reimagines existing music with different instruments or in different musical styles. He is best known for his suite The Planets. Each movement is about a planet and its astrological character. Jupiter is known as “The Bringer of Jollity.” We’re performing just the slow middle portion from the piece that portrays its beauty and size. Pretend to swim like a giant, slow moving sea turtle as you listen along.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Learn About Turtles Watch a reading of One Tiny Turtle by Rebekah Wall. This is a children’s story about a Loggerhead turtle. You’ll learn interesting facts as you get to follow the turtle on its life’s journey.
L'ONDINE CÉCILE CHAMINADE IN THE PERFORMANCE
Cécile Chaminade was a composer and pianist and was the first female composer to win the Légion d'Honneur, the highest award given to French citizens. She mostly composed piano pieces and had success in both Europe and the United States during her life. L’Ondine was originally composed for piano and is a character piece about a water sprite. Wiggle your bodies like mermaids along with the music.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Interactive Orchestra Platform In our Tiny Tots performance, this piece features the woodwind family of the orchestra: the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. Listen to the sounds and learn interesting facts about the instruments of the orchestra and the woodwind family in particular on this interactive platform.
AQUARIUM CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
IN THE PERFORMANCE
Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, conductor and organist who composed many different types of music. Each movement of Carnival of the Animals features a different character or scene, with most of them being different types of animals. In the Aquarium movement, listen to the sounds of flowing water, swimming fish, and deep-sea divers. Watch a shadow puppet show from puppeteer Katy Williams that illustrates the sounds of the music.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Shadow Puppets After watching the shadow puppet show during Aquarium in the Tiny Tots program, create your own shadow puppet theater. Check out this tutorial by Domestic Bliss NZ or simply turn off all the lights and project your shadow puppet shapes on to a wall using your hands and flashlight to make shadows on the wall. Use the shadow puppet cutouts in the last page of the activity book that was mailed to you or print out more copies here.
ANIMALS IN THE OCEAN IN THE PERFORMANCE
Based on the Wheels on the Bus melody, listen to new lyrics about all the animals in the ocean. You’ll sing about: fish swimming, octopus wiggling, jellyfish going blub, crabs snapping, and dolphins going up and down. Sing and do the animal movements along with the music.
HAVE FUN WITH THE MUSIC Twinkle Together During this piece in the Tiny Tots performance, children are encouraged to sing and dance along with the music. If your little ones enjoy interactive music moments like this, check out this song and movement video from our friends at Twinkle Together. Follow along with the movements as you watch and listen.
info@insidetheorchestra.org (303) 355-7855