Lesson 2: Rhythm by northcarolinasymphony

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LESSON 2

RHYTHM

TEACHER WORKBOOK

NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY EDUCATION SUPPORTERS

Our Education Concert is created in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and is made possible by a generous grant-in-aid from the State of North Carolina, the Honorable Roy Cooper, Governor; the Honorable Susi H. Hamilton, Secretary for Natural and Cultural Resources. We express our gratitude to our Boards of Trustees: The Symphony’s mission to achieve the highest level of artistic quality and performance standards, and embrace the dual legacies of statewide service and music education, is led by the North Carolina Symphony Society, Inc., and the Symphony’s endowed funds are held by the North Carolina Symphony Foundation, Inc. EDUCATION SUSTAINERS

Anonymous Trust / Simple Gifts Fund EDUCATION BENEFACTORS

The Bastian Family Charitable Foundation

EDUCATION PATRONS

Anonymous; Robert P. Holding Foundation, Inc.; Samuel P. Mandell Foundation; Youths’ Friends Association Inc. EDUCATION PARTNERS

Gipson Family Foundation

Swearingen Foundation

Alamance County Government

Granville County Community Foundation

The Titmus Foundation

Arts Council of Carteret County

Gregory Poole Equipment

Vance County Community Foundation

The Harold H. Bate Foundation

The Hellendall Family Foundation of North Carolina

Yadkin County Community Foundation

Iredell County Community Foundation

MUSIC EDUCATION ENDOWMENT FUNDS

Beane Wright Foundation Bell Family Foundation Bertsch Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. The Borden Fund, Inc. Carteret Community Foundation Cherbec Advancement Foundation The Cole Foundation

Jacksonville-Onslow Council for the Arts Kinston Community Council for the Arts The Landfall Foundation The Noël Foundation Onslow Caring Communities Foundation Outer Banks Community Foundation

The Joseph C. and Diane E. Bastian Fund for Music Education The Ruby and Raymond A. Bryan Foundation Fund The Mary Whiting Ewing Charitable Foundation Fund

Corning Incorporated Foundation

Poole Family Foundation

The Hulka Ensemble and Chamber Music Programs Fund

Edna Williams Curl and Myron R. Curl Charitable Fund

Prescott Family Charitable Trust

The Janirve Foundation Fund

The Florence Rogers Charitable Trust

The Elaine Tayloe Kirkland Fund

Emily Monk Davidson Foundation

E.T. Rollins, Jr. and Frances P. Rollins Foundation

The Dickson Foundation, Inc.

The Norman and Rose S. Shamberg Foundation

The Ina Mae and Rex G. Powell Wake County Music Education Fund

The William C. Ethridge Foundation, Inc.

The Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation, Inc.

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey A. Corbett

The Lundy Fetterman Family Foundation Trust George Foundation, Inc.

Southern Bank Foundation

Authors: Barina Bailey, Zadda Bazzy, Emily Cannady, Laura Martin, Andrea, Perrone, Susan Reynolds Designer: Kimberly Ridge Editors: Sarah Baron, Jason Spencer, Layla Dougani, Erin Lunsford North Carolina Symphony, 3700 Glenwood Ave., Suite 130, Raleigh, NC 27612, 919.733.2750 ncsymphony.org/education North Carolina Symphony Student and Teacher Handbook © 2017, 2020 by North Carolina Symphony Society, Inc. Reproduction of this book in its entirety is strictly prohibited.

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RHYTHM A PATTERN OF NOTES OF VARIED LENGTHS AND ACCENTS . . . THE BEAT OR THE PULSE OF THE MUSIC

TEACHER WORKBOOK

featured work

WILLIAM GRANT STILL

Symphony No. 1, Afro-American Symphony, Mvt. III. Scherzo

BORN May 11, 1895, Woodville, MS DIED December 3, 1978, Los Angeles, CA

Biography William Grant Still was born in Woodville, Mississippi, but was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, by his mother and grandmother. He studied composition at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Later, he went to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and studied under George W. Chadwick. After his time in Boston he began studying with a composer of the avant-garde, Edgard Varèse. In the 1920s, he began working in jazz music. He was a jazz arranger for Paul Whiteman, a dance-band leader of the time, and the blues composer W.C. Handy. In 1939, he moved to Los Angeles after getting married to pianist Verna Arvey. After moving, he began composing works for chamber orchestra; two of his early works are Darker America and From the Black Belt. Still’s concern with the treatment of African-Americans in the U.S. can be seen in many of his works. This can especially be seen in the Afro-American Symphony, his ballet Sahdji, and his operas Troubled Island and Highway No. 1 U.S.A. These pieces were composed after Still’s extensive study and research on African music. His eclectic musical style, which included many different musical influences, was enjoyed by audience members of every race and ethnicity. Still is remembered as one of America’s greatest composers and his music is still widely performed today.

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Fun Facts He studied medicine at Wilberforce University before he went to Oberlin to study music. He was known as “The Dean of African-American Classical Composers.”

STILL’S LIFE • While he was studying medicine at Wilberforce University, he spent most of his free time conducting the university band. This is where he learned to play different instruments and began his first attempts at composing. • He was the first African-American to conduct a professional symphony orchestra in the United States. • After attending Oberlin, he began working in popular music and playing in orchestras. • He made his first appearance as a serious composer in New York, and this is where he met Dr. Howard Hanson, a composer and educator from Rochester. • He was awarded the Extended Guggenheim and Rosenwald Fellowships in the 1920s. • In 1999, Still was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.

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FEATURED WORK: Symphony No. 1, Afro-American Symphony, Mvt. III. Scherzo

This is the first symphony composed by an African-American that was performed by a professional orchestra. The Afro-American Symphony is Still’s most famous work and was premiered by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 1931, the year after it was composed. The symphony has influences from the jazz and blues genres. Still’s goal was to raise the blues’ musical standing, since it was considered the music of the lower class. The symphony has four movements; each is packed with musical influences and colors. Classroom activities provided by Laura Martin, Fuquay-Varina Elementary, Wake County

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY #1: Rhythm Review – Chopstick Style (Live and Recorded) North Carolina Essential Standards in Music:

4.ML.2.1 - Interpret rhythm patterns, including whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 meter signatures. 4.ML.2.4 - Use standard symbols to notate rhythm, meter, and dynamics in simple patterns.

Objective: Students will review names of notes and rhythm syllables from simple rhythm patterns. Materials:

• North Carolina Symphony Education video • Accompanying slides

• Plastic bowl and chopsticks (or hands) • Whiteboard and expo marker • VIRTUAL OPTION: Access to screen sharing (if recorded) and Quizizz

Process:

1. Use the provided slides to review simple rhythms in 4/4 time. For each rhythm slide, the teacher should have a student unmute and speak the rhythm out loud, then mute while all students play aloud on their bowls. 2. At slide 26, have students write a quarter note, quarter rest, and a pair of eighth notes on the top of their whiteboard. Call out various rhythms from the provided slides for students to dictate. Make sure students show their work all together and that you check their work! 3. Check for understanding: Quizizz can be assigned and students can complete on a certain day or during a particular time frame. See example.

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITY #2: Rhythm in Action (Live and Recorded) North Carolina Essential Standards in Music:

4.ML.2.1- Interpret rhythm patterns, including whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 meter signatures.

Objective:  Students will read and play rhythm patterns from William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony. Materials:

• North Carolina Symphony Education video • Accompanying slides

• Plastic bowl and chopsticks (or hands) • VIRTUAL OPTION: Access to screen sharing (if recorded)

Process:

1. Briefly introduce William Grant Still and his Afro-American Symphony. If you’d like to use my introduction video, click the picture of William Grant Still provided in the slideshow. 2. Review names of rhythms and rhythm syllables. 3. Rhythms in Still’s music (slides 3-8) - Show and speak out loud with kids. Have a few model if you believe they will be solidly rhythmic. 4. Slide 7 introduces syncopation. Have your students play along on their bowls until 1:32, then continue to slide 8. Discuss differences between the video and the rhythm from Still’s music. (Starts with a rest, etc.) 5. Play through Afro-American Symphony and have students raise their hand when they hear the practiced pattern, even if it’s just a small chunk. This will keep them engaged throughout the listening process. 6. Play on bowl with Afro-American Symphony playing. Lead students in playing the practiced rhythm throughout the duration of the piece.

TEACHER WORKBOOK

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY #3: Digging Deeper: Rhythm and Math North Carolina Essential Standards in Music:

4.ML.2.1- Interpret rhythm patterns, including whole, half, dotted half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 meter signatures.

North Carolina Standard Course of Study in Math:

NC.3.NF.1- Interpret unit fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 as quantities formed when a whole is partitioned into equal parts. (Third Grade) NC.4.NF.2- Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, using the denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 100. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with symbols >, =, or

Objective: Students will review notes and their values and compare/show those values in one measure

of 4/4 time.

Materials:

• North Carolina Symphony Education video • Accompanying slides • Lesson exit ticket (Sample)

Process:

1. Show the rhythm tree and review notes and values. (Slides 2-3) 2. Look at rhythm tree again and show how the notes equal one measure in certain combinations, or alone (one whole note). 3. Work through slides 5-12 with the students to see if they are grasping the concept. 4. Assign exit ticket and explain how you’d like it turned in.

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