Stories in Song

StoriesStories inin SongSong

The Sleeping Place of the Stars by Ralph Ford

***Teacher Notes in RED font.***

Lesson by Catherine Farley (NSCHS) and Terra Kaliszuk (AISI Instructional Coach)

Lesson Premise: Although this form is specific to The Sleeping Place of the Stars, it can easily be adapted to any piece and Aural Skill curricular focus.

The Sleeping Place of the Stars tells the story of the beauty and history of Shades Valley, located in the Appalachian mountain range.

The city of Homewood, Alabama is also located in Shades Valley, which is why Homewood Middle School commissioned Ralph Ford to write this piece.

YOUR TASK: Listen to a recording of The Sleeping Place of the Stars without reading the music. Identify when the composer switches to telling a different part of the Shades Valley story.

Where does the Piec composer switch to e this section of the Secti story? Story Background (ex. 1:36) on My Actual Prediction Switch o i t

c Purpose: u

d  Catches the audience’s attention o r t  Introduces the piece to the audience n I n selecting the best fit the fit mostimportantly,selecting and, best justifying the fits inWHY piece movie.with the ThinkingSkill Order Higher Connection theBEST which thismovie would be fit? If Why? was a soundtrack,

Depths of Green Eternal Green Corn Dance The Valley of Darkness Shades Valley and highand school bands. of varying acrossages North including America, marching bands, middle school Sleeping The Place of theStars Eternal stars. is in It ShadesValley... down,way downinto the EthelArmes. In the poem, Armessays: "I foundhave thesleeping placeof the The inspirationfor piece this from came poem a about ShadesValley written by Homewoodto this day. Becauseof this history, is still spring an roaring bonfirethat young girls dancedaround. spring theincluding Green Corn Dance,which to was ShadesValley where was the Nations First performedtheir became fevers settlerstraders and murdered In thepast Shades had Valley a reputationbad very – there were stories many of 1802,when the land added was to the stateof Mississippi. a As result, the First Nations people in the area did not encounterEuropeans until Becausethe forest so was thick, a itwas Nationspeople the in area. forestto First Nationspeople did not livein thevalley, but occasionally venturedinto the forest a was place. real Before people developed the land, thevalley a was itBefore re-named was “Homewood” and developed people, by ShadesValley withmany trees. ShadesValley largely was . The . Green Dance Corn an was exciting celebration thatincluded a The . forest so was dense thatFirst Nations guides and Europeantraders lost hunt ." in the in valley. . . As well, ShadeValley once was considered What is the History of Shades Valley? theHistory What isof Shades Shades Valley: Danger and DeathValley: Danger and Shades The Composer’s InspirationComposer’sThe Celebrating Spring Celebrating was published was 2002 in isand played by bands , , peopleand getting sick with exciting seasonexciting dangerous place dangerous – of show understanding the byStudents their– piece welcome the arrival of welcome unknown to unknown humans depths of Green spring spring rituals for for thecityof sacred for people to go. deadly by by theFirst thick thick , , . .