Artsource
MUSIC ®
The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts
TRANSFORMATION
ENDURING VALUES
ARTISTIC PROCESSES
TRADITIONAL CLASSICAL
1. CREATING (Cr)
CONTEMPORARY
2. PERFORMING, PRESENTING, PRODUCING (Pr)
EXPERIMENTAL
3. RESPONDING (Re)
MULTI-MEDIA
4. CONNECTING (Cn)
FREEDOM & OPPRESSION
THE POWER OF NATURE
THE HUMAN FAMILY
Title of Work:
About the Artwork:
Shapes! (1999) Performed by members of The California
Shapes! is an improvisational piece of music based on graphic notation. This style of writing music uses lines, shapes, letters, words, blotches, or any kind of symbol a composer would like to use in place of standard musical notes. The performer is asked to interpret these symbols as she feels is appropriate. If the image on the page moves upward, the performer might play louder or a higher note. The composer might also include some guidelines on how the music should be played. The main idea is to free the performer and provide an opportunity for him to improvise and use his imagination.
E.A.R. Unit: Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, Arthur Jarvinen, Amy Knoles, Robin Lorentz, Vicky Ray, James Rohrig, Rand Steiger, Dorothy Stone.
Creator: The California E.A.R. Unit Background Information: The California E.A.R. Unit has been performing, promoting and creating new music since 1981. Performing all around the world, they are recognized as one of America’s finest chamber ensembles. They enjoy the challenges of playing innovative musical pieces and developing new instrumental techniques. Their performances highlight the music of modern composers who create complex works. This demanding written music may also require them to improvise, making up sections of the music. Performing innovative, new music, as well as the more traditional music of composers like Mozart and Rossini, The California E.A.R. Unit has an incredible talent for moving between these two extremes. Their performances include traditional instruments, such as the flute, clarinet, keyboards, percussion, violin and cello, as well as non-traditional ones that include pots and pans, plastic tubes, duck calls, blow dryers and even a cello played with a carrot. The California E.A.R. Unit performers let their personalities shine through the music they play. They also teach how the basic elements of music, which include rhythm, tempo, harmony and melody, are the foundation of many musical styles, whether they be serious or comedic. Part of the mission of The California E.A.R. Unit is to remind us that music is for everyone, and it can have many different faces and sounds.
Creative Process of the Artist or Culture: Music created through graphic notation and improvisation also requires the imagination of the listener. She participates by reacting to the sound of the music in the same way the performer reacts to the written page – freely. The listener can choose to interpret the music literally by giving it a story or meaning, or abstractly, by letting it simply exist as sound. The magic of this music allows everyone in the concert and hall, performers listeners, to experience new and unrehearsed moments. Photo: Richard Hines
“It’s always gratifying to see young people’s faces light up as they listen to music.“ Amy Knoles, percussionist California
Discussion Questions: After the video has been viewed: • Discuss any emotions that you experienced during the music. Did a story come to mind? • How is listening required to perform this music? • Why is it important to listen to the music of living composers? • Are there any artists you wish you could have seen perform when they were alive? (Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, Vladimir Horowitz, etc.) • What most surprised you about this music?
Make your list as long as possible. Take the entire day to compile your list. In the next few days create an essay or poem using the sounds on your list. • Go on a scavenger hunt of objects that can make interesting sounds. (5-gallon water bottles, bags of rice, bouncing tennis balls, hairdryer, clocks, lawnmowers, etc.)
Audio-Visual Materials: • Artsource® video excerpt of Shapes!. Composed and performed by members of The California E.A.R. Unit. • Musical scores:
Shapes!, 4 Systems, Random Choices.
Courtesy of The California E.A.R. Unit.
Summary of the Music Scenario:
Additional References:
Improvising music and creating music have many
• William Duckworth. Talking Music: Conversations with
things in common. They both involve inventiveness.
American Composers. Music Sales Ltd. 1995.
Early musical experiences were improvised, meaning
• I Have Nothing to Say and I’m Saying It. (Video) The life,
they were not written or predetermined in any way.
work and philosophy of John Cage
By creating a sound, in the moment, in an organized
• ZILVER: The California E.A.R. Unit performs Louis Andriessen
fashion, you are improvising. The creation of music
(CD) New Albion Records. Website: www.earunit.org
notation did not discourage improvisation, but
Sample Experiences: Level I
merely provided musicians with a common written language they could read, write and play. The musi-
* • Create your own musical piece using a variety of shapes.
cians of the Baroque period of Johann Sebastian
Draw, paint or color to an abstract piece of music and
Bach were very skilled improvisers. Today, jazz music
create a story that goes with your drawing.
is based on the combination of improvisation and
• Visit The California E.A.R Unit website. www.earunit.org
composition, although unlike classical music, the
• Make a Web of words that come to mind after hearing
emphasis is on improvisation. Louis Armstrong,
Shapes! Arrange them in a random order.
Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk
Level II
all created a distinct, personal voice on their instruments
* • Create and perform a structured improvisation. Make a
and in the style of their improvisations. Jazz has cre-
list of things you would like to accomplish in class in a
ated a new kind of musician, one that can create
single day and create a structured improvisation for your
phrases of complex, beautiful music. Around 1950,
day. Use Graphic Notation symbols to diagram the score.
modern composers were looking to find new ideas
• Create a collage using symbols or pictures from a magazine
and sounds that included improvisation. This new
to express something about yourself. First lay the pieces out
music used a new written language -- graphic notation.
in a random way, then organize them to your liking.
One of the most famous pieces that uses graphic
Level III
notation is Fontana Mix by American composer John
* • Interpret and perform an abstract piece of music using
Cage. This is one of the types of music being
different styles of graphic notation. This process will reveal
performed by The California E.A.R. Unit.
some of the complexities and challenge of playing
Multidisciplinary Options: • Become an investigative reporter. Discover how many sounds happen around you each day (buzzing, creaking, honking, banging, barking, talking, etc.)
experimental music. • Watch the video, Shapes! Take the point of view of a music critic and write a review about the performance. Highlight the strengths and also give some suggestions.
* Indicates sample lessons
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MUSIC
SQUARES, CIRCLES AND TRIANGLES THE HUMAN FAMILY
LEVEL I Sample Lesson
INTRODUCTION: Listening to music often creates mental images of memories, far away places, pictures and shapes. Musicians and composers have also used other pieces of art to inspire the music they create; paintings, drawings, sculpture, dance, etc. There seems to be a natural connection between music and visual art, one invoking the other. By using symbols and shapes in place of standard music notation we can give ourselves more freedom in the music we make. Shapes start to become sounds; we interpret the symbols that we see and translate them into music. OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to: • Create a piece of visual art with symbols that have musical meanings. (Creating & Connecting & Presenting) • Perform a structured improvisation using graphic notation. (Creating & Performing & Connecting) • Demonstrate an understanding of the connection between visual art and music. (Connecting) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting) MATERIALS: • Artsource® video: Shapes!, composed and performed by members of The California E.A.R. Unit. • Music Score: Shapes! PROGRESSION: • Give some background information on The California E.A.R. Unit. • View the video, Shapes! • Have your students give their impressions of the performance. • Show your students the graphic notation of Shapes! • Give a description of how graphic notation is used in a musical performance. 3
• Have your students describe what the symbols of each piece might represent. • Have each student draw a series of squares, circles and triangles on a piece of paper. Make sure the shapes are in a straight line, include various amounts of space between each shape. Example:
• Each shape will be given a musical meaning (what to play, how loud to play, what speed to play, special sounds effects, etc.) The space between each symbol represents silence or rests. The greater the distance between symbols equals a longer pause of silence. • The definitions for each shape are: Square = Play Fast Circle = Play Slow
Triangle = Scratch, Rub or Shake
• For the square and circle use a constant rhythmic pattern. The fast version of this pattern (square) will be
the slow version (Circle) will be
Notice that both patterns contain three beats. • Each player can interpret the music with the following variables: a) Volume - How loud or soft, how often the volume changes b) Duration of each shape - how long each rhythm will be played. c) Relative silence between shapes d) Tempo • Practice the rhythms for the square and circles, as well as, the possibilities for the triangle (not all variations may be available on every instrument). • Have each student play their own version of Shapes!. EXTENSIONS: • Incorporate more shapes and symbols in your music (rectangles, dots, dashes, etc.) Create definitions for the new shapes. • Have several students perform their music at the same time. 4
• Have the class perform the same version of shapes at the same time. • Visit The California E.A.R Unit website: www.earunit.org VOCABULARY: shape, variation, symbol, performance ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Connecting) DESCRIBE: Describe objects in your daily life that are made of shapes. DISCUSS: Discuss the kind of shapes that make up your body and its parts. ANALYZE: Analyze how each person in the class has slightly different shapes. Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking
California E.A.R. Unit Dorothy Stone (keyboard), Amy Knoles (percussion), Robin Lorentz (violin). Photo: Richard Hines
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MUSIC MUSIC
RANDOM CHOICES TRANSFORMATION
LEVEL II Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: Alternative methods of music notation, such as graphic notation, have been used to create a strong sense of freedom for musicians during performances. Many times the main objective is to give the player a set of choices that varies the way the music is performed, while maintaining the original concept of the composer. This type of music is also called a “structured improvisation,” meaning that the player is allowed to improvise while following some general rules or guidelines. This structure can be a very liberating experience because the player doesn’t have to invent every idea that is played but rather, interpret the intent of the music. OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to: • Demonstrate an understanding of a structured improvisation. (Responding & Performing) • Demonstrate an appreciation for abstract music and art. (Responding & Connecting) • Interpret and perform an abstract piece of music as individuals and in a group. (Creating & Performing) • Connect to the ideas of freedom and choice in a piece of music. (Responding & Connecting) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting) MATERIALS: • Artsource® video: Shapes! Composed and performed by members of The California E.A.R. Unit. • Music Scores: Random Choices, 4 Systems by Earl Brown and Shapes! (Pages 10-12) PROGRESSION: • Give some background information on The California E.A.R. Unit. • View the video - Shapes! • Have your students give their impressions of the performance. • Show your students the graphic notation examples, 4 Systems by Earl Brown and Shapes! • Give a description of how graphic notation is used in a musical performance. 6
• Have your students describe what the symbols of each piece might represent. • Handout Random Choices to your students. • Explain to your students that Random Choices can be performed by one or more people. • Discuss the instructions in each circle and oval. Most instructions are to be played on an instrument. Crescendo means from soft to loud. Decrescendo means from loud to soft. When you see an oval that reads Crescendo/Decrescendo you can play any combination of those terms. Questions are to be answered out loud. Improvise means ad-lib, play or say something. Heartbeat means to imitate the sound of your heart on your instrument. Each player performs at their own tempo. • The sound of this music is more of a sonic collage than a traditional song. • Start by having a few students perform Random Choices alone. • Next, perform Random Choices in small groups. • Now, have the entire class perform Random Choices. • The more people in a group the more of a collage effect you will get from the performance. • Have Fun! • Use the extensions and questions below to the broaden the experience for your students. EXTENSIONS: • Find other types of collages to experience, such as visual art, spoken word, soundscapes, etc. • Find a partner that you don’t know very well. Each of you create a visual symbol that reflects who you are. Exchange symbols and see if you can identify the qualities and ideas behind them. Discuss how accurate you were. • Research the mathematical uses of a graph. What types of technologies use graphs? • Visit The California E.A.R Unit website. www.earunit.org. Search the Internet for more information on the people who are a part of The California E.A.R. Unit. (Dorothy Stone, James Rohrig, Robin Lorentz, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, Amy Knoles, Arthur Jarvinen, Vicky Ray, Rand Steiger) What other projects are they involved with that are not related to The California E.A.R. Unit? 7
VOCABULARY: symbol, interpretation, creativity, collage, soundscape ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Connecting) DESCRIBE: Describe the experience of performing a structured improvisation. DISCUSS: Discuss areas in your life that might be considered a structured improvisation. ANALYZE: Analyze the similarities between a visual art collage and a sonic music collage. CONNECT: How is the world we live in similar to a collage? What makes it unique? Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking
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4 SYSTEMS for David Tudor on a birthday January 20, 1954
May be played in any sequence either side up, at any tempo. The continuous lines from far left to far right define the outer limits of the keyboard. Thickness may indicatae dynamics or clusters.
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DANCE MUSIC MUSIC
COMPOSED CHAOS TRANSFORMATION
LEVEL III Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: Music and art often draws inspiration from our everyday lives; nature, technology and human interaction. The American composer John Cage believed that the randomness of nature served as an example of beauty in its natural process. Much of his art, which included music, writing and visual art, was created by what he called “chance operations.” He looked at the ordinary things that surrounded him and used them in is work. He found beauty in the imperfections in the paper he used, the random joining of words and phrases cut out of a newspaper, and the patter, music and noise from a radio. He would take a selection of these random items and graphically notate them, focusing on timbre, loudness and duration of sound, rather than pitch and harmony. When a composer decides to use graphic notation as a way to create music, he or she is allowing the music to take many forms depending on the style and personality of each performer. Music that is composed in this way strives to create a limitless amount of possibilities, the amount of variation from performance to performance may be great or slight but it reflects and helps us appreciate those little details that make each one of us unique. Living in a world of sound with the potential for so many surprises can make this type of music exciting for performers and audience members. Although it takes more patience and introspection, in the end we can expand our understanding of ourselves and the unique sonic world that is music. OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to: • Interpret and perform an abstract piece of music as individuals and in a group. (Creating & Performing) • Demonstrate an understanding for the complexities of experimental music. Connecting)
(Responding &
• Create variations on the same piece of music. (Creating & Performing) • Demonstrate an understanding for how musicians work as a group. (Connecting) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting) 12
MATERIALS: • Artsource® video: Shapes! Composed and performed by members of The California E.A.R. Unit. • Music Scores: Random Choices, 4 Systems by Earl Brown and Shapes! PROGRESSION: • Give some background information on The California E.A.R. Unit. • View the video - Shapes! • Have your students give their impressions of the performance. • Show your students the graphic notation examples, Random Choices and 4 Systems, by Earl Brown, and Shapes! • Give a description of how graphic notation is used in a musical performance. • Have your students describe what the symbols of each piece might represent. • Ask your students to bring found objects that can be used as percussion instruments (coffee cans, water bottles, plastic buckets, plastic tubes, etc.). Ask them to experiment with the sounds and then select a variety to bring to class. • Give students the opportunity to explore the objects they’ve brought and make a list of five sounds they can create with each object. They can use sticks and other objects to strike their instrument, drop it on the floor or shake it, etc. • As a class, ask students to design their own music using graphic notation (lines, shapes, text, etc.) They can write it on an overhead projector or chalkboard for everyone to see. • Use the graphic notation examples that are a part of this unit for inspiration. • Have your music performed by a variety of different sized ensembles or groups. Solos can be performed as well. Make sure everyone in the class gets to perform at least once. • Have each student create a page of his or her own graphic notation. This music should be written for one person. You can request strange and unusual items that make sound (blow dryers, radios, pagers, alarm clocks, etc.) • Each composer should assign their part a unique number (part 1, part 2, etc.) 13
• You have just created a group composition with many parts. This music should be performed with a minimum of five players. • Each player should pay special attention to interacting with the other performers through visual cues and musical conversation. • Here’s the most difficult part... give your group composition a title. • Use the questions below to extend the experience for your students. EXTENSIONS: • Using a tape recorder, record a few performances and play them back for the class. Be sure to keep track of the parts that were used. • In groups of four to six people. Have each person tell an improvised story based on a topic chosen by the group. • Visit The California E.A.R Unit Web site, www.earunit.org • Visit www.livingroom.org, a home for experimental musicians, performance and multimedia artists, and all other persons interested in nurturing creative artistic endeavors. • Search the Internet for more information on modern musicians or musical groups that share similar musical and/or social philosophies with The California E.A.R Unit. (Louis Andriessen, John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Bang on a Can, Ensemble Intercontemporian, Icebreaker) VOCABULARY: rhythm, instrument, metaphor, interpretation, technique, concept, composition, collaboration ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Performing) DESCRIBE: Describe the feeling of having choices in your performances. DISCUSS: Discuss other areas in your life that you would like to make your own choices. ANALYZE: Analyze how having a few instructions or guidelines made your performance easier. CONNECT: What situations require you to improvise in your everyday life? Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; 14 Speaking