Teacher Guide
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SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY Concert Preparation Guide for the Berton Family Young People’s Concerts October 25 and 27, 2016 Jacobs Music Center/Copley Symphony Hall Thank you for attending the San Diego Symphony’s Berton Family Young People’s Concert entitled “Play Me a Story: The Firebird.” The concert will present music that depicts the elements of a story and connect to English Language Arts. This packet contains lesson plans and a composer biography that are designed to help you prepare your students to attend the San Diego Symphony’s concerts on either October 25 or 27, 2016. We hope the lessons will be useful to both music and classroom teachers. Feel free to adapt or change the lessons to suit the needs of your students depending on their age and ability. It is best to present the lessons in order so that your students can follow the story. Each lesson addresses the following California Visual and Performing Arts Content Stand- ards: 3.0 Understanding the historical and cultural contributions of music. 3.1 Explain the relationship between music and events in history. 4.0 Responding to, analyzing and making judgments about works of music. 4.2 Describe the characteristics that make a performance a work of art. 5.0 Connecting and applying what is learned in music to learning in other art forms and subject areas. If you have any questions regarding this packet please call Adrienne Valencia, Director of Youth Education at (619) 615-3911. We hope you enjoy the concert! Support for ticket underwriting is provided by the City of Encinitas/Mizel Family Foundation, Nordson Corporation Foundation, WD-40 Company Foundation at The San Diego Foundation, Ellen G. and Edward G. Wong Family Foundation, Advocates for Classical Music, County Employees’ Charitable Organization and the Community Ser- vice Association of San Diego City Schools. The Education & Outreach programs of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra are generously supported by: The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, County of San Diego, Ashford University, Bank of America, Barney & Barney Foundation, The Berton Family Foundation, Charles and Ruth Billingsley Foundation, David C. Copley Foundation, Samuel I. and John Henry Fox Foundation, Kinder Morgan Foundation, Dr. William and Evelyn Lamden, Mandell Weiss Charitable Trust, Menard Family Foundation, The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foun- dation, Linda and Shearn Platt, Pratt Memorial Fund, Qualcomm Foundation, ResMed Foundation, Ryan Family Charitable Foundation, Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation, SDG&E, Union Bank, US Bank, WD-40 Company Foundation at The San Diego Foundation, Western Alliance Community Foundation. 2 Meet Your Conductor Sameer Patel 4 Meet the Orchestra 5 San Diego Ballet 6 Let’s Learn About Folktales 7 Elements of a Story 8 Story Map 9 More Story Ideas 10 Let’s Talk About Music (learning basic vocabulary) 11 What is Ballet? 12 The Story of The Firebird 13 Biography of composer Igor Stravinsky 14 The Firebird Suite (1919) Lesson 1: Introduction 15 Lesson 2: The Firebird and Its Dance 17 Lesson 3: Dance of the Princesses 18 Lesson 4: Infernal Dance 19 Lesson 5: Berceuse (Lullaby) 21 Lesson 6: Finale 22 Concert Manners 24 3 Where did you grow up? I grew up in a town called Port Huron in the state of Michigan. It gets pretty cold there during the winter- time, so I’m definitely happy to be here in sunny San Diego! What were some of your early experiences with music? I started playing piano at the age of nine, and two years later I started playing the saxophone in band. Even though I didn’t care for practicing when I started, I became very interested in music in high school because I had really great teachers. I was lucky enough to have my first experiences conducting while in high school, and I have been doing it ever since! Did you study music in college? Yes! I went to the University of Michigan, and to this day I’m a big fan of its football team! Go Blue! What do you like about conducting? It’s incredible how so many people on stage can make such a grandiose sound, and I love the teamwork and creativity that goes into this. I also like that it allows me to get to know our audience members (like you!) through our concerts. What do you like to do when you’re not making music? I’m a very curious person and enjoy learning about a variety of things. I’m constantly reading a book, for instance! I also enjoy exploring San Diego and spending time with friends and family. Do you have a favorite food? I love all types of food, especially ethnic food. We’re lucky that here in San Diego we have so many great restaurants! Do you like to travel? Yes, I love it! I’ve been fortunate to travel extensively throughout Europe and have also been to Asia, Afri- ca, and South America! Do you like animals? You bet! I’m a San Diego Zoo member, and love going to see the different animals there. I also grew up with cats and a dog, and I even help foster an orphaned elephant in Kenya. What is your favorite place in San Diego? I love Balboa Park. I live pretty close to it, so I enjoy running through the park in the mornings or visiting the many museums. I also love being by the wa- ter. Growing up in Michigan, I lived right on Lake Huron, so I’ve always felt a sense of wonder when being near a large body of water. So because of that, I also really enjoy going to Coronado and Sunset Cliffs and being near the Pacific Ocean! 4 An orchestra is made up of many musicians (sometimes as many as 100!) who play different instruments that can be grouped together based on how they make sound. The San Diego Symphony consists of FOUR instrumental families. STRINGS WOODWINDS The instruments of the string family include the violin, The instruments of the woodwind family include the viola, cello and bass. They are played with a bow that flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. The woodwinds is made of wood and the hair from a horse’s tail. The have the most variety among their shapes and musicians make sound by drawing the bow across the sounds. But they all use the breath (or wind) from strings or by plucking the strings with their fingers. the musicians to make sound. Some of them have The harp is considered a member of the string family. single reeds and some have double reeds. BRASS PERCUSSION The instruments of the brass family include the trum- Members of the percussion family include instru- pet, French horn, trombone, and tuba. These instru- ments that make sound by being shaken, struck or ments are made of brass and they each have a cup- scraped (such as tambourine, triangle and guiro). shaped mouthpiece. The players buzz their lips Other percussion instruments have a tightly against the mouthpiece, and the instrument amplifies stretched membrane like the timpani, snare drum, the sound. By the time the sound reaches the audi- bass drum and bongos. ence, it is smooth and beautiful. 5 No other company in San Diego is quite like San Diego Ballet (SDB). Under the visionary leadership of Javier Velasco, you do not simply see an SDB performance, you feel it. Javier’s distinct choreography redefines what most people would expect from ballet to bring inspired, provocative and thrilling perfor- mances year after year. Javier Velasco has supplied dances for productions at the La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, and has a long-standing relationship with the San Diego Repertory Theatre, where he has staged productions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, CABA- RET, HAIRSPRAY, TOMMY, IN THE HEIGHTS, and many others. He has enjoyed many long creative relationships, having worked with: Luis Valdez on the 20th Anniversary production of ZOOT SUIT, BANDIDO, and CORRIDOS.; composer Steve Gunderson on the premieres of SUDS (NYC) DIXIE HIGH- WAY, BACK TO BACHARACH AND DAVID (NYC) and the dance/theatre piece THE BRONTES/SECRET PLEASURES,SECRET TEARS; and Douglas Jacobs and Sam Woodhouse, founding directors of the San Diego Rep. He currently serves as artistic director of the San Diego Ballet, having created over 70 original pieces for the company since its inception, including 10 pieces in collaboration with composer David Burge, to commissioned scores. His bal- let set to the poems of Kenneth Fearing, LOVE: 20 CENTS THE FIRST QUARTER MILE, was given the award for Best Choreography by the San Die- go Area Dance Alliance, the third time he was honored by the organization. Most recently, Mr. Velasco wrote and directed THE TOUGHEST GIRL ALIVE, which premiered at Moxie Theatre and had a success- ful run at the New York International Fringe Festival. Mr. Velasco was recently awarded a Creative Cata- lyst Fellowship by the San Diego Foundation to create new work. Touted as a “model in its field,” the San Diego Ballet’s educational outreach program works to reach stu- dents through in-school performances, lessons, curriculum guides for teachers, scholarships and benefit theater performances. http://sandiegoballet.org/ 6 A Folktale is a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth . They usually don’t have one specific author, are told for a long time by a group of people, and feature ordinary characters who have something extraordinary happen to them. Examples of Folktales that you might know are… Cinderella Hansel and Gretel The Pied Piper Goldilocks and the Three Bears Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Pecos Bill Brer Rabbit Davy Crockett 7 Setting: Time: Place: Includes place, weather conditions, social conditions, mood or atmosphere.