Arts Learning Teacher Resource Guide American Rhapsody e Gershwin Songbook February 22, 2018, 10:30 - 11:30 am @ e Vets 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 02903
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Te FirstWorks Arts Learning Program is a community engagement program providing live arts experi- ences for public, private, and home schools throughout Rhode Island. Tis exceptional program enriches school curricula while providing students with the cultural experience that comes from early exposure to professional live performance. Teacher Resource Guides, such as this one, relating to each artist are provided to teachers, giving them the opportunity to use the student lecture/demonstration matinee experience as educational tools in their classrooms. Question and answer sessions are frequently ofered after these student matinees, providing an opportunity for students to interact directly with the performers. Since 2009, FirstWorks Arts Learning programs have reached more than 30,000 students and teachers through live student-focused lecture/demonstration matinees, in-school workshops and Master Classes, access to main stage performances of world premieres and Rhode Island premieres, and, student-focused community engagement opportunities. Extended performance residencies allow students to participate in a layered learning experience over several months to motivate students to continue learning well beyond their workshop or performance experience. For many students, this is their frst introduction to live performance and performers who are recognized as foremost artists in their feld. Most performers are recipients of prestigious accolades of the highest artistic distinction such as the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, MacAr- thur Fellowships, Guggenheim Fellowships, and Grammy Awards. FirstWorks Arts Learning Programs commence along with the start of the school year and conclude with the PVDFest in June. Tese opportunities are generously made possible through the continuous support from businesses through our Adopt-A-School Program, local and national foundations, and community donors. FirstWorks Arts Learning is dedicated to honoring and raising community awareness about the strong commitment our sponsors make to the children across Rhode Island and surrounding areas who experi- ence artistic “frsts” through our programs. For more information about our Arts Learning Program please contact Kathleen McAreavey, Education and Community Outreach Manager at 401-868-1149, or by e- mail: [email protected]. To learn about our Adopt-A-School Program, or discuss support for our Arts Learning Program please contact Isabelle Tadmoury, Director of Development at 401-868-1071, or by e-mail: [email protected]. Tank you for connecting your students to these unforgettable powerful, live performance experiences. Enjoy the show!
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Table of Contents Theatre Etiquette...... 1 Meet George and Ira Gershwin...... 2 K-12 Lesson: The Emotional Response to Music ...... 8 K-12 Lesson: Exploring the Senses to Write Lyrics/Poetry ...... 9 Coloring Page: George at His Piano...... 10 Coloring Page: Gershwin Brothers by Al Hirschfeld ...... 11 Gershwin Word Search...... 12 Set List & Musicians ...... 13 Classroom Reading ...... 14 Book & Film Resources ...... 15 National Core Arts Standards ...... 17 Student Survey ...... 18 Teacher Survey ...... 19 WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
Composer George Gershwin, at the piano, and his lyricist older brother Ira, circa 1937. WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 1
Theatre Etiquette 1 Be prepared and arrive early. Ideally you should arrive at the theater 30 to 45 min- utes before the show. Allow for travel time and parking, and plan to be in your seats at least 15 minutes before the performance begins. Be aware and remain quiet. Te theater is a “live” space—you can hear the per- formers easily, but they can also hear you, and you can hear other audience members, too! Even the smallest sounds, like rustling papers and whispering, can be heard throughout the theater, so it’s best to stay quiet so that everyone can enjoy the performance without distractions. Te international sign for “Quiet Please” is to silently raise your index fnger to your lips. Show appreciation by applauding. Applause is the best way to show your enthusi- asm and appreciation. Performers return their appreciation for your attention by bowing to the audience at the end of the show. It is always appropriate to applaud at the end of a performance, and it is customary to continue clapping until the curtain comes down or the house lights come up. Participate by responding to the action onstage. Sometimes during a perfor- mance, you may respond by laughing, crying or sighing. By all means, feel free to do so! Appreciation can be shown in many diferent ways, depending upon the art form. For instance, an audience attending a string quartet performance will sit very quietly, while the audience at a gospel concert may be inspired to participate by clapping and shouting. Concentrate to help the performers. Tese artists use concentration to focus their energy while on stage. If the audience is focused while watching the performance, they feel supported and are able to do their best work. Tey can feel that you are with them!
***Please note: Recording devices of any kind, including cell phone cameras and video, cannot be used during performances. Please remember to turn of your cell phone.*** 2 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
Meet George & Ira Gershwin 2 “True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans and my time is today.”
-George Gershwin
“A song without music is a lot like H2 George Gershwin, at left, and his brother Ira in rehearsal for one of the many RKO Pictures they without the O.” worked on in 1937. -Ira Gershwin WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 3
Ira Gershwin was born Israel Gershowitz in New York City on December 6, 1896. He was the oldest of four children. His parents, Morris (Moishe) and Rose Gershowitz (née Rosa Bruskin) were Russian Jews born in St. Petersburg who had emigrated to the United States in 1891. Ira’s siblings were George ( Jacob, b. September 26, 1898), Arthur (b. 1900) and Frances (b. 1906). Morris changed the family name to “Gershwine”, or alternatively “Gershvin” many years before Ira and George became famous. Te name was spelled “Gershwin” much later. Shy in his youth, Ira spent much of his time at home reading, but from grammar school through college he honed his literary skills by writing for several school newspapers and magazines. George frst be- came interested in music at the age of ten when he attended his friend Maxie Rosenzweig’s violin re- cital on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. At this time, the Gershwin family was not particularly musically inclined, but, Morris and Rose purchased a piano so that Ira could learn to play. Much to everyone’s surprise, and Ira’s relief, George was the one who immediately sat down and started playing songs. He had been teaching himself to play by following the keys with his fngers on a neighbor’s player piano. After trying various piano teachers for his frst two years of study, George was introduced to Charles Hambitzer, the pianist with the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. Hambitzer mentored George’s musical development until his death in 1918. Mr. Ham- bitzer taught George traditional piano technique, introduced him to the classical music of European composers, and encouraged him to attend orchestral concerts to hear their music. All of the Gershwin children frequented the lo- cal Yiddish theaters since their childhood home, located on the second foor of 91 Second Avenue, between East 5th and East 6th Streets, was in the center of the Yiddish Teater District. As a child, A young George Gershwin, circa 1915, at Frances was the frst to perform on stage, bringing approximately age 17. home an income that helped support the family. Sometimes George appeared onstage as an extra. 4 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
Ira was graduated from Townsend Harris High School in 1914. He later went on to attend the City College of New York before dropping out. At the age of 15, George left school and found his frst job as a “song plugger” in Tin Pan Alley earning $15 a week from the Jerome H. Remick Company publishing house. (Tat’s approximately $375 a week in 2017 currency value.) Later, he worked for the T. B. Harms publishing house where he earned thirty-fve dollars ($838 value in 2017) a week writing songs on commission. By 17, George had published his frst song, “When You Want ‘Em, You Can’t Get ‘Em, When You’ve Got ‘Em, You Don’t Want ‘Em”. It earned him $5, that’s $106 in today’s currency. A “song plugger” is a profession that still exists today. In the early 20th century, pianists would be employed by music publishers to demonstrate sheet music to customers in music stores and department stores. Tis was a time before the internet existed and before quality recordings were available. Te song plugger played whatever sheet music a customer requested so that he or she could hear a preview before buying it. Today, while they can be found at any musically centered area, song pluggers are mostly found in Nashville, Tennessee, where the country music industry ofers the most opportunities to place songs that were not written or co-written by the artists and/or producer.
George’s frst visit to London came with the opportunity to write the score for “Te Rainbow”, a musical revue. It paired him with English lyricist Cliford Grey. In a letter to Ira from the Savoy Hotel, George wrote that he was very pleased by his reception, which included a customs ofcial who recognized him as the composer of “Swanee,” and a reporter who made him “feel like I was Kern or somebody.” George arrived in London just four days before rehearsals began; fortunately he brought with him a number of already-written songs that could be inserted into the production. Gershwin and Grey turned out many more. Tough successful during its London run, it never received an American production. George’s passport photo for this trip is shown at right. He used his legal name, Jacob Gershwine.
Ira did not become involved in the music business until 1921 at the age of 25. Broadway producer Alex Aarons signed him to write the songs for his next show, Two Little Girls in Blue. So as not to appear to trade of George’s growing reputation, Ira wrote under the pseudonym “Arthur Francis”, after his two youngest siblings. His lyrics were well received. Te May 4 review in Te New York Clipper stated: “Te lyrics written by Arthur Francis are the best, and seem to show that there are some lyricists who are still able to write a lyric that rhymes and also means something.” Tis success allowed Ira to easily enter the show-business world after just one show. Later that same year, George and Ira collaborated for the frst time on a score for A Dangerous Maid. Tis musical is remarkable in that it is one of the few Gershwin collaborations that never made it to Broadway. It premiered in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 21, 1921, touring until it closed on April 16, 1921 in Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania. WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 5
Ira and George continued to collaborate with all of their hard work being rewarded in 1924 with their frst Broadway hit Lady, Be Good. Teir combined talents became one of the most infuential forces in the history of American Musical Teatre, elevating the musical comedy to a sophisticated American art form. Together, they wrote the music for more than two dozen Broadway shows and Hollywood flms. Teir ambitious opera Porgy and Bess, continues to reveal and refect African American life through its nonstop revivals. Some of their more famous works include the songs “But Not for Me”, “Embraceable You”, “How Long Has Tis Been Going On?”, “I Got Rhythm”, “I’ve Got a Crush on You”, “Let’s Call the Whole Ting Of”, “Love Is Here To Stay”, “Te Man I Love”, “Nice Work If You Can Get It”, “’Swonderful”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “Strike Up the Band”, “Tey Can’t Take Tat Away from Me”, and “Fascinatin’ Rhythm”. In 1926, at the age of 30, Ira married Leonore Strunsky. Tey were married for ffty-seven years, until his death in 1983. Leonore passed away in 1991. In 1932, Ira, along with George S. Kaufman Te cover of the music to the song Just To Know You and Morrie Ryskind, won the Pulitzer Prize Are Mine from the musical A Dangerous Maid. for Drama for Of Tee I Sing. It was the frst musical comedy to be awarded this honor. Since the Pulitzer Prize was considered a box ofce success. It has been revived twice on literary award, George, being the composer, Broadway and in concert stagings in the United was not included in the original award. But, States and in London. in 1998, at the centennial of his birth, he was In addition to collaborating with his brother, posthumously awarded an honorary Pulitzer. George attained great success in the concert Te musical lampoons American politics where arena as a piano virtuoso, conductor, and com- the main character, John P. Wintergreen, runs poser of such celebrated works as Rhapsody In for President of the United States on the “love” Blue, An American In Paris, and the Concerto In platform. When he falls in love with the sen- F. It was his Rhapsody in Blue written in 1924 sible Mary Turner instead of Diana Devereaux, that truly made him a star. the beautiful pageant winner selected for him, he gets into political hot water. Te original Teir partnership continued until George’s Broadway production, directed by Kaufman, sudden death from a brain tumor on July 11, opened in 1931 at the Music Box Teatre and 1937 in Hollywood, California. He was only 38 ran for 441 performances, gaining critical and years old and had never married. 6 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
In 1937, George received his sole Academy Ira teamed with Harold Arlen for the Broad- Award nomination for Best Original Song for way musical Life Begins at 8:40 and the 1954 “Tey Can’t Take Tat Away from Me”, written flm remake of A Star Is Born starring Judy with Ira for the flm Shall We Dance. George’s Garland. Teir song “Te Man Tat Got Away” nomination was posthumous as he had died was so popular that it became a standard sung two months after the flm’s release. Tey did by Ms. Garland at all of her concerts. not win. Ira was nominated in 1944 for “Long Ago (and Far Away)” and again in 1954 for “Te Man Tat Got Away”. Again, neither won the award.
Te failure of Park Avenue in 1946, a “smart” show about divorce, co-written with composer Arthur Schwartz, was his farewell to Broadway. As he wrote at the time, “Am reading a couple of stories for possible musicalization (if there is such a word) but I hope I don’t like them as I think I deserve a long rest.” In 1947, Ira took eleven songs that George had composed but never used, provided them with new lyrics, and incorporated them into the Betty Grable flm Te Shocking Miss Pilgrim. 1937 movie poster for Shall We Dance. He later wrote comic lyrics for Billy Wilder’s 1964 movie Kiss Me, Stupid, although most critics believe his fnal major work was for the Following his brother’s death, Ira waited nearly 1954 version of A Star Is Born. three years before writing again. After this temporary retirement, he teamed up with ac- American singer, pianist and musical historian complished composers such as Jerome Kern Michael Feinstein worked for Gershwin in for the flm Cover Girl; Kurt Weill for the flm the lyricist’s fnal years, helping him catalogue Where Do We Go from Here? and the Broadway his archive and unearthing several lost musical musical Lady in the Dark. treasures in the process. WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 7
Ira died in Beverly Hills, California, on August 17, 1983 at the age of 86. He is interred, along with his siblings and parents, in the Gershwin mausoleum at Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hast- ings-on-Hudson, New York. In 1985, the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress, was awarded to George and Ira in recognition of “George and Ira Gershwin’s outstanding and invaluable contributions to American music, theatre and culture.” In 1987, Ira’s widow, Leonore, established the Ira Gershwin Literacy Center at University Settle- ment, a more than one hundred year old institution at 185 Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side, New York City. Te Center is designed to teach English as a second language to residents of the neighborhood, primarily Hispanic and Chinese Americans. As children, Ira, George, Arthur, and, Francis spent many after-school hours at the Settlement which was established in the early 1900s as “a physical, psychological and spiritual haven where people of all ages, from all countries and every walk of life could seek advice, assistance, education or a simple respite from the harsh realities of everyday life.”
Children at University Settlement, circa 1900.
In 1988 UCLA established Te George and Ira Gershwin Lifetime Musical Achievement Award in recognition of the brothers’ contribution to music, and, for their gift to UCLA of the fght song “Strike Up the Band for UCLA”. In 2007, the United States Library of Congress re-named its Prize for Popular Song Te Gersh- win Prize for Ira and George. Recognizing the profound and positive efect of American popular music on the world’s culture, the prize is annually presented to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwin brothers. In September 2013, a partnership between the estates of Ira and George Gershwin and the Uni- versity of Michigan was created to provide the university’s School of Music, Teatre, and Dance access to the Gershwins’ entire body of work. Tis includes all of the Gershwin papers, composi- tional drafts, and scores, providing opportunities for musicians, composers, and scholars to analyze and reinterpret their work with the goal of accurately refecting the composer’s and lyricist’s vi- sions in order to preserve their legacies. Te frst part of Te Gershwin Critical Edition covers the 1924 jazz band version of Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris and Porgy and Bess. 8 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
K-12 Lesson: The Emotional Response to Music
Te Gershwin brothers still inspire, if only through the sheer emotional response to Ira’s turn of a phrase and George’s energetic music. Teir uplifting songs truly move the listener at his/her emotional core. Choose a selection of about three songs from the list below. Play each, one at a time, asking the following 3questions:
1. When you listen to the song, what kind of music do you hear? 2. How does your mood change as you listen to it? 3. Describe the music and your reactions to it.
Ten, have the students compare all three songs using the same questions above.
I Got Rhythm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPRiM5JvYx8
A Foggy Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFWDfTkyTo8
Let’s Call the Whole Ting Of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gnYZ6xGuIo
Te Man I Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yLhzQnudME
Lady Be Good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myw0TiKkPIw
Summertime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixdJLXDT_QM
Slap Tat Bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsEpYYQCZQY
Rhapsody in Blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kIpr6nSvjI
Strike Up the Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3XwQqTAK3E
I’ve Got A Crush on You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bECkdZQMmSk WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 9
K-12 Lesson: Exploring The Senses to Write Lyrics/Poetry
We receive information through our senses - see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. Our senses are like windows to our experiences. People that have shared experiences may share sensory impressions. Te smell of wet wool, 4sparkling lights, and the feel of a warm bowl of soup in our hands may tell us that it is winter. Using the list below as a guide, write something about Spring that relates to each of the fve senses. Try to include at least one descriptive adjective to go with each, such as smooth yellow ribbon, or intoxicating pink lilacs. SPRING: ______(sight)
______(sound)
______(touch)
______(taste)
______(smell)
CONGRATULATIONS! You have just written a poem!
Your poem does not rhyme, but, all poetry does not have to rhyme. Rhyme and poetry do not have to be the same thing. Sometimes, when we focus so much on fnding a word that rhymes, we can overlook perfectly good words that will best express the feelings we are trying to convey.
Each season has its own character; smells, sounds, activities. On a blank piece of notebook paper, use the above lesson as a guide to write a poem about Summer, Fall, and Winter. Ten, without showing the title, ask two people, a family member and a friend, to read each poem. Ask them what their impression is? Did they guess the correct season? Do they have any suggestions? Once you are pleased with your poems, copy them onto good quality paper for display in the classroom. BONUS: Choose your favorite color. Using the sensory guide above, describe that color from all of the fve senses. Do these lines have a rhythm? Maybe a song will emerge from your favorite color! 10 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
Coloring Page: George at His Piano 5 WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 11
Coloring Page: Gershwin Brothers 6 by Al Hirschfeld 12 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
Gershwin Word Search
Find the following words in the chart below: COMPOSER, FASCINATING- 7RHYTHM, GEORGEGERSHWIN, IGOTRHYTHM, MUSIC, NEWYORK, PIANO, RHAPSODYINBLUE, SONGPLUGGER WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 13
Set List & Musicians
THE MUSICIANS: 8Some of these song titles are scheduled Michael Andrew - Bandleader/singer to be performed at the Gershwin student Michelle Amato - singer matinee: SAXOPHONES I GOT RHYTHM David MacKenzie A FOGGY DAY LET’S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF Brian Snapp THE MAN I LOVE Gabe Carson LADY BE GOOD Ceasar Martinez SUMMERTIME SLAP THAT BASS TRUMPETS RHAPSODY IN BLUE Frank Greene STRIKE UP THE BAND Bob Franklin I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU BLUES FROM AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Elaine Burt NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT John DePaula LOVE IS HERE TO STAY TROMBONES Scott Whitfeld Corey Paul Rob Stoneback Will Nestler
RHYTHM SECTION Tedd Kooshian - piano Kevin Palacky - guitar Charlie Sylva - bass Scott Neumann - drums 14 | Endox
Classroom Reading:
My First Gershwin Songbook: A Treasury of Favorite Songs to Play, Amazon Digital Services, 2016.
Celenza, Anna Howell, Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue, Charlesbridge, 2006.
Gerou, Tom, 5 Finger Gershwin Classics Book for Piano With Optonal Duet Accompaniments, Alfred Publishing, 2008.
Gershwin, George and Ira Gershwin, The Music and Lyrics of Gerge and Ira Gershwin: Piano, Vocals, Chords, (Sheet Music), Alfred Music, 1998.
Heyward, Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, et al., Summertme, Aladdin, 2002.
Kesh, Paul, An American Rhapsody: The Story of George Gershwin (Jewish Biography Series), E.P. Duton, 1988.
Mitchell, Barbara and Jan Hosking Smith, America I Hear You: A Story About George Gershwin, Carolrhoda Books, 1987.
Slade, Suzanne and Stacy Innerst, The Music in George’s Head: George Ger- shwin Creates Rhapsody in Blue, Calkins Creek, 2016.
Venezia, Mike, Getng to Know Gershwin (Getng to Know the Worls’s Greatest Composers), Children’s PR, 1995.
Whitng, Jim, The Life and Times of George Gershwin, Mitchell Lane Publish- ers, 2004. LOREM IPSUM | 15
Book & Film Resources: Biography: Feinstein, Michael, The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs, Simon and Schuster, 2012. Furia, Phillip, Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist, Oxford University Press, 1996. Gershwin, Ira and Robert Kimball, Ira Gershwin: Selected Lyrics (American Poets Project), Library of America, 2009. Jablonski, Edward, Gershwin: A Biography, Harper Collins, 1988. Pollack, Howard, George Gershwin: His Life and Work, University of California Press, 2007. Rimler, Walter, George Gershwin n ntmate Portrait ( usic in merican ife , Univer- sity of Illinois Press, 2015. Rosenberg, Deena Ruth, Fascinatng h thm he Colla oraton of George an ra Gersh- win, University of Michigan Press, 1997.
Music: George an ra Gershwin in oll woo oton Picture Soun track ntholog , Rhino, 1997. Gershwin Pla s Gershwin he Piano olls, CTS Digital, 1993. Gershwin hapso n Blue n merican n Paris, on n in on u tng h New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Sony Classical, 1987. Got h thm he Smithsonian George Gershwin Collecton, mi h oni n o ton, 1995. he ssental George Gershwin, Sony Classical/Legacy, 2003.
Some Films The Gershwins Composed Music For: A Damsel in Distress, 1937. A Star Is Born, 1954. An American in Paris, 1951. Girl Cra , Porgy and Bess, 1959. Shall We Dance, 1937. The Barkleys of Broadway, 1949. 16 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
BIG NEWS! THE NATIONAL CORE ARTS STANDARDS ARE NOW THE OFFICIAL K-12 ARTS STANDARDS FOR RHODE ISLAND h n o h u o o ommi ion o E u ton, D . nn h W gn , n h o o h ou o ion u o o i ton u i E u ton o i - ton, E u ton o i ton, D n i n , h E u ton o i ton h ton o n no h o i 1 n o ho n . h ton o n h g n ton n , - o o o t h n ton u o o i ton n h n h- ing t om o h oun . h oming h ommon n n ton , i h in u ing mon h ing o h m, n m n mo in h o ton i in . ho n i ion m o o ing u o h m m hi o h ou u o o i ton , i h o o u u DE o ou h h init u . h u o i i n i i in in o o h n n ton n . n o hi o i h m i i in u o h tm . Background on Natonal Core Arts Standards h ton n o n , m i , mu i , h , n i u n i ntng u ton m m o g ni ton . o h n , u o , hing t , n , u n n n o o u g ou o in u in ou n ton i h h h h n n . u o n gu o h D n i n in o in h i o m n . h P 1 g g n in n o gui u o ing o o i u i u ton o m i u n , n t t i , n u o 1 n u i n o g n in . u o h in t - i i h o ton o h n o h u o u omi n h n oo h m h h i u i u um n u n ning n . h init ton o n n ton n go o om h n i i ion n o o E D E no n ton E ton o ning in E u ton E E . h igh o u o ton E ton o ning in E u ton u n ning n , u i u um, m n h P t h ton o ion o m n E u ton hi Po i D o m n n ton , , o ommuni P n hi D o ton o i h n n o h n i go o .n ton n .o g WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 17
National Core Arts Standards
12CREATING - Concei ing an e eloping new artstc i eas an work n ho n 1. n n on u i t t i n o . n ho n . g ni n o t t i n o . n ho n . n n om t t o .
PERFORMING/PRESENTING/PRODUCING - Performing ( ance, music, theatre eali ing artstc i eas an work through interpretaton an presentaton Presentng ( isual arts nterpretng an sharing artstc work Pro ucing (me ia arts eali ing an presentng artstc i eas an work n ho n . n , in , n t t o o n ton. n ho n . D o n n t t o o n ton. n ho n . on m ning h ough h n ton o t t o .
RESPONDING - n erstan ing an e aluatng how the arts con e meaning n ho n . P i n n t t o . n ho n 8. n in n n m ning in t t o . n ho n 9. i i o u t t o .
CONNECTING - elatng artstc i eas an work with personal meaning an e ternal conte t n ho n 1 . n h i n no g n on i n o m . n ho n 11. t t i n o i h o i , u u n hi o i on o n un n ing. 18 | WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG
FirstWorks Presents American Rhapsody: The Gershwin Songbook Student Matinee Thursday, February 22, 10:30 – 11:30 am, The Vets
STUDENTS:
1) Have you ever heard of FirstWorks? ___ Yes ___ No If so, how? :
______
2) Before this, what was your knowledge of the Gershwin brothers music? Excellent Good Basic Not very strong
3) Before this, had you heard of Ira Gershwin or George Gershwin? ___ Yes ___ No If so, how? :
______
4) Now, has your understanding of an orchestra changed? A lot Not at all 1 2 3 4 How? _____
5) Did you enjoy this Student Matinee? A lot Not at all 1 2 3 4
Why?
6) Were you able to make connections between this art form and what you’re learning about in school? Please explain.
______
7) What do you remember most strongly from today’s Student Matinee?
______
8) On the back, please write/draw your impressions from today.
WWW.FIRST-WORKS.ORG | 19
FirstWorks Presents American Rhapsody: The Gershwin Songbook Thursday, February 22, 2018 To better serve you and your students, please complete this brief survey and contact information form and return with your students’ surveys to the FirstWorks office at your earliest convenience. Thank you! Name: School: Best Email: Best Phone #: 1. Were you able to introduce your students to some background information about George and Ira Gershwin prior to today’s Student Matinee? What resources did you find most helpful?
2. How did you incorporate this experience into your classroom teaching? Did it fit into a unit of study you were already working on?
3. Did this experience provide you with new teaching tools or different points of entry into familiar topics? Please explain.
4. I would estimate the impact on my students’ artistic and/or academic growth from today’s experience to be: Strong Good Basic Not very strong 5. Please describe your own and your students’ overall experience with the student matinee.
6. Information from these surveys helps us shape our programs. Very thoughtful quotes are included in grant applications that help support FirstWorks Arts Learning. Please encourage your students to think carefully about the following writing exercise: Using the back of the student survey, please ask students to write about their experience during today’s Student Matinee. (Please ask younger students; grades K – 3, to draw or write of today’s experience as opposed to filling out the Student Survey.) Some prompts may include: “Can you make connections between an orchestra and the instrument you play?” “Will this experience influence your work in other classes, or how you will approach your field of study?”
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FirstWorks Arts Learning programs help K-12 students ui onn ton n , h i mi u , and their lives. These school-based Arts Learning programs meet g n n mo h o h u u h ough o u o u u . FirstWorks Arts Learning n 1 ou h o in - i i h om o h mo in nt , t min o ou tm o ing u n hi m n n o ning o i i it .