CBSE i English
Class VII
Unit- 8 Music
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. - Aldous Huxley
1 Contents
Section- A:
Introduction (Famous Musicians)
Section- B:
History of Music
Section- C
Music- My favourite place (poem)
Section- D
Therapeutic value of Music (article)
Section- E
Blind Opera (Story)
SCOPE OF THE UNIT 2 General Learning objectives of the Unit:
1. To give learners an insight into the vast and beautiful world of art and creativity with special emphasis on music
2. To give students a deeper knowledge of music
3. To encourage students to appreciate different skills of different people from different cultures
4. To help students learn about the origin of music
5. To help students learn about various kinds of music and their value
6. To enable learners to appreciate music beyond a leisure time activity
7. To help students learn that music is an integral part of our educational curriculum
Specific Learning objectives of the Unit:
At the end of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Learn about a variety of music like jazz, rock, pop, sufi, classical etc.
2. Understand the background of music from different parts of the world
3. Express their views on specific types of music in the form of a short story, article, paragraph, poem, debate, biography
4. Articulate their own views on music, its increasing relevance in today’s scenario and its scope as a healing therapy, a universal language and a stress reliever
5. Understand the importance of music as a necessary creative art to complement academic knowledge
THE MATERIALS
Why Should We Do This Unit
Music is an integral and vital part of art education. This unit will help us see the indispensable role music plays in our lives from childhood to old age. Through various sections of this unit, we will understand that humankind and art cannot function without one another.
As educators, it is our responsibility to nurture in our students the knowledge and abilities that they need in order to be productive members of society. While mastery of basic subjects such as languages, social science, science and mathematics is essential to work towards this goal, many co-curricular
3 subjects -- especially music – are also vital in this effort. Thus, music should be promoted as an essential component of elementary and secondary education.
There is a theory which states ‘reading music or playing an instrument is the one activity that when a brain is put under a scan, the entire thing lights up showing that music stimulates every part of the brain in some way’. New research shows that music has a positive influence on young children’s cognitive skills such as spatial reasoning and memory.
In this unit, students will read about famous musicians and those that left a mark despite all odds. This will bring home the lesson: ‘YOU can if YOU think YOU can ‘. It will not only be an interesting read for them but will also give them an insight into the history of early music.
Students will also learn the art of writing a biography, a poem and an article. They will see music as a beautiful way of life!
MATRIX
SECTION A: INTRODUCTION
ACTIVITIES LEARNING OBJECTIVES SKILLS SUB SKILLS
Activity 1 To help students see Reading and To appreciate the value others’ perspective about Writing of music music and help them develop their own To write a short paragraph in your own words
Activity 2 To help students know Reading To see the long lasting about singers and influence of artists in musicians of world fame their respective field
Activity 3 To help students write a Writing/Research To compile relevant biographical account data to write a biography
SECTION B: History of Music
ACTIVITY LEARNING OBJECTIVES SKILLS SUB SKILLS
Activity 1 To test students’ awareness Reading To identify specific words related about terms related to music music
To encourage them to learn new words
4 Activity 2 and To reinforce the basic Reading To understand the origin of 3 language skill of reading and different kinds of music comprehension To answer simple questions based on the text.
To think critically
To gather more information by extensive reading and research
Activity 4 To encourage students to Writing To find relevant information and carry out detailed research write an article in your own words on a topic
To work on the basis of the cues given
Activity 5 To watch a video, read a Listening, To critically analyze what they related excerpt and organize reading and listen and read a class debate speaking To think, reason and gather information for and against the topic
Activity 6 To draw students’ attention Reading and To choose the correct word based towards contextual use of writing on the context words
To make students aware about ‘English for special purposes’
Activity 7 To encourage students to Reading and To use the same word as a verb play with words writing and as a noun
SECTION C: MUSIC MY FAVOURITE PLACE (poem)
Activities Learning objectives Skills Sub skills
Activities 1 and 2 To appreciate and Reading To reflect upon the understand the art of positive effect of music poetry writing as a
5 medium of expression To reflect upon the kind of music that To interpret the ideas interests you the most given in the poem
Activity 3 To discuss and Reading and listening To infer and comprehend the poem understand the main theme To see the beauty of poetry
Activity 4-a,b,c,d,e,f,g To comprehend the Writing To understand the idea of the poet, see power of expression the hidden meaning, and the use of simple learn how to write a analogies to arrive at eulogy and paraphrase the deeper meaning poetic expression in your own words To appreciate poetic skills, imagery and rhyming scheme
To hone narrative skills
To use the same word in different parts of speech
Activity 5 To express a given Writing To analyse a statement point of view in the in relation to the given form of a descriptive text answer
Activity 6 To analyze the text and Reading and writing To express coherently view it from different what they feel about a perspectives particular point of view
Activity 7 To make students Listening and speaking To build a given point aware of the of view to bring home importance of staging a serious message a play as a device to bring home an To stage a play using important message voice modulation
Activity 8 To voice one’s opinion Speaking To reflect on the on the importance of benefits of music as a
6 music tool to overcome difficult situations
SECTION : D Therapeutic value of Music (Article)
Activities Learning objectives Skills Sub skills
Activity 1 To write a short note Writing To express ideas in your own words
Activity2 To familiarize students Reading and reasoning To comprehend and with the positive effects appreciate ideas given and benefits of music as in the article a therapy
To know about the soothing effect of music
Activity 3 To answer questions Writing and research To justify your point of based on the text view
Activity 4 To prepare a power Research, writing and To express your point of point presentation on speaking view with the help of a the given topic presentation
Activity 5 To organize a debate in Speaking To express your point of class view
Activity 6 To express ideas in the Reading and writing To develop creative form of a short story skills
To discuss elements of a short story
Activity 7 To express one’s views Writing To develop creative in the form of a poem skills
Activity 8 To teach the use of Writing To explain the rules to parts of speech change adjectives into adverbs
7 SECTION E: Blind Opera: Seeing the world in their own way (Descriptive account)
Activities Learning objectives Skills Sub skills
Activity 1 To provide a meaningful Discussion and speaking To arouse students’ prompt to know if curiosity students have heard about legendary and renowned artist Beethoven
Activity 2 To read and understand Reading To make students the concept of ‘Blind understand how people Opera’ desire to leave a mark for themselves despite all odds
Activity 3 To check the Reading and To express ideas in your comprehension of the comprehension own words students
Activity 4 To make students Writing To make students use understand the their imagination in difficulties and desires writing of people with special needs
Activity 5 To write a diary entry Writing To make students using an appropriate understand the power style, format and of experience and content after expression experiencing the world of visually challenging people
(This activity should be performed under the strict observation of the teacher)
Activity 6 To write a character Writing To pen down what you sketch based on your feel about a particular reading of the passage character
8 Activity 7 To summarize Research and speaking To read between the information lines
To compile facts in a logical manner
Activity 8 To describe a place in Speaking To express ideas using your own words visualization
Activity 9 Listening to music in Listening To express feelings and another language to ideas understand the mood and emotion portrayed
Section- A Introduction
1 (a) Read the lines given below: 9 Music is the rhythm of the soul
Every beat, every tone, every melody
Is in sync with the natural vibe of your body
Music is an outlet, from the everyday
It can take away the pain you feel
------Jessica Cole
1 (b) Now, write in your own words what Jessica Cole feels about music.
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
2. Over the past few decades, a number of musicians have come and gone but only a few have been able to leave their mark in the memories of people. They have swayed the audience with their songs. Let us study about some of these popular musicians/singers:
Top Musicians /Singers of World Fame
The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have achieved an iconic status in the music industry. Their numerous singles landed #1 in the music chart. People in the US and Europe, and in many other countries across the globe sing their songs even today. The Beatles is one of the most critically praised bands in the history of popular music who defined popular culture in the 1960s.
10
Elvis Presley: Four music Halls of Fame and dubbed as the ‘King of Rock and Roll’, Elvis Presley is another icon who influenced music industry and shaped the rock and roll music genre. Even though he met an untimely death, his popularity continued. Many people in the industry even today wish to be ‘just like Elvis’.
Michael Jackson: Known as the King of Pop, Michael Jackson won a number of accolades and awards. Some of these are Two music Halls of Fame, 13 Grammy Awards, and five best-selling records that topped the charts across the globe—Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and History (1995). His album Thriller broke a number of sales records. His impeccable musical performances and dance moves left the audience spellbound.
Madonna: Controversial and unstoppable, Madonna, known as the Queen of Pop, is one of the most popular female singers. She was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most successful female recording artist. She also joined the Rock 11 and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and was heralded as the best selling female artist of the 20th century by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Allah Rakha Rahman: He is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist. He is described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer. Rahman scored the film Slumdog Millionaire in 2008, for which he won a Golden Globe and two Academy Awards. He is first Asian to win these laurels. His songs "Jai Ho" and "O…Saya" from the soundtrack of this film are popular across the world.
Skilled in Carnatic music, Western classical, Hindustani music and the Qawwali style of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahman has been noted to write film songs that amalgamate elements of these music systems and other genres, composed in the manner of his own.
Lata Mangeshkar: She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Hindi. Mangeshkar was inducted in the Guinness Book of World Records between 1974 and 1991 for rendering voice in over 25,000 solo, duet and chorus tracks.
12 Activity
3. Prepare a visually appealing biographical account of any of the artists listed above with details of work, accolades and relevant pictures.
To write a biography you should:
Select a person to write on.
Find out the basic facts of the person's life.
Decide which parts of his/her life you want to write most about. Some questions you might want to ponder over include:
o What makes this person special or interesting?
o What kind of effect did he or she have on the world?
o What are the adjectives you would use to describe the person? What examples from his/her life illustrate those qualities?
o What events shaped or changed this person's life?
13 Section B
Warm up
1. How much do you know about music? Match the following:
Musical Meaning of these terms terms Accelerando The melody of a song that is repeated after each verse
Phrase A scale having five tones to the octave, usually avoiding half steps. Refrain A large group of instrumentalists consisting of woodwind, brass, string and percussion sections. Crescendo The speed of a composition
Orchestra A complete musical thought
Tempo Tempo gradually gets faster
Decrescendo Tempo gradually get louder Tempo gradually get softer
2. Read the passage given below to know about the history of music:
History of music
The history of the world music is, in a sense, the history of the world and its people. The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music at length. The Samaveda was derived from the Rigveda so that its hymns could be sung as Samagana; this style evolved into jatis and eventually into
14 ragas. Bharat's Natyashastra was the first treatise laying down fundamental principles of dance, music, and drama.
Indian classical music is both elaborate and expressive. Like Western classical music, it divides the octave into 12 semitones of which the 7 basic notes are Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa similar to Western music's Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do.
Unlike most modern Western classical music which uses the equal-temperament tuning system, Indian music uses just-intonation tuning. Also, unlike modern Western classical music, Indian classical music places great emphasis on improvisation.
Indian classical music is monophonic in nature and based around a single melody line, which is played over a fixed drone. The performance is based melodically on particular ragas and rhythmically on talas. Because of the focus on exploring the raga, performances have traditionally been solo endeavours, but duets are getting increasingly popular.
Instruments typically used in Hindustani music include the sitar, sarod, surbahar, tanpura, bansuri, shehnai, sarangi, santoor, and tabla. Instruments typically used in Carnatic music include venu, gottuvadyam, harmonium, veena, mridangam, kanjira.
The notable vocalists from Indian classical music, include Tansen, Kesarbai Kerkar, Roshan Ara Begum, M. S. Subbulakshmi, G. N. Balasubramaniam, Abdul Karim , Faiyaz Khan, Kumar Gandharva, Bhimsen Joshi, Basavaraj Rajguru, Mallikarjun Mansur, Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan, Jasraj to name a few.
While traditional music has a long and rich history in India, the most popular songs that come from the subcontinent are ‘the cine music’, mainly from the films. In fact, Bollywood as it is now known , the Indian film industry based in Mumbai now introduces twice as many films as the US film industry. Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar are the most well known female playback singers. Working in an industry that releases hundreds of movies a year, Lata Mangeshkar has sung over eighteen hundred films with 165 composers. Asha Bhonsle doesn’t lag behind in her talent. A Los Angeles Times review reveals why she is called ‘the golden voice of Bollywood’ as reporter Don Heckman writes.
Basics and history of Indian classical music or Arabic music is the music of the Arab World, including several genres and styles of music ranging from Arabic classical to Arabic pop music and secular sacred music.
Music Across the Globe
In many places such as Africa, America and the Middle East musicians sing about war, poverty, despotic governments and other emotions that influence their lives. 15 Arabic music, while independent and very alive, has a long history of interaction with many other regional musical styles and genres. It is an amalgamation of the music of the Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula and the music of all the peoples that make up the Arab World today. Arabs translated and developed Greek texts and works of music and mastered the musical theory of the Greeks (i.e. Systema ametabolon, enharmonium, chromatikon, diatonon).
Westernization of Arab Music
During the 1950s and 1960s, Arabic music began to take on a more Western tone with artists such as Abdel Halim Hafez paving the way. By the 1970s, several other singers had followed suit and that marked the beginning of Arabic Pop. Arabic pop usually consists of Western styled songs with Arabic instruments and lyrics. Melodies are a mix between Eastern and Western.
In 1996, Amr Diab - Habibi ya Nour El Ain was released, becoming a tremendous success not only in the Middle East but across the world. The title track, and its English version "Habibi", was an international phenomenon, becoming a huge hit. In this song Amr Diab mixed three music civilizations in one track. The Spanish music in flamenco music, French music by accordion solo and Arabic which showed in the playing of drums by Duff instrument and tamphits.
This song opened the flood gates of international acceptance for Arabic music to be popular all over the world.
Arabic rock
Rock music is popular all around the world, the Arab world is no exception. There have been many Arab rock bands along the years that fused rock, metal and alternative rock sounds with traditional Arab instruments. Arabic Rock has been gaining a lot of attention lately in the Middle East with bands like Jadal and Akher Zapheer of Jordan, Mashrou' Leila and Meen of Lebanon, Massar Egbari, Sahara, Wyvern and Cartoon Killerz of Egypt, Khalas and Chaos (band) of Palestine and Acrassicauda of Iraq. The band Hoba Hoba Spirit from Morocco is also gaining popularity, especially in the Maghrebi region. Rachid Taha, an Algerian musician, plays a fusion of rock and raï.
African music
The music and dance forms of the African diaspora, includes African-American music and many Caribbean genres like soca, calypso and zouk. Latin American music genres like the flamenco, samba, rumba, salsa and other clave (rhythm) based genres, were founded to varying degrees on the music of African slaves, which has in turn influenced African popular music.
16 Several are known to have influenced the tribal music of Africa. The important ones are: language, environment, a variety of cultures, politics, and population movement, all of which are basically intermingled. Each African tribe evolved in a different area of the continent, which means that they ate different foods, faced different weather conditions, and came in contact with different tribes than other societies did. Each tribe moved at different rates and to different places than others, and thus each was influenced by different people and circumstances. Moreover, each society did not necessarily operate under the same government, which also significantly influenced their music styles.
North American music
African music has been a major factor in the shaping of what we know today as blues and jazz. All of these styles have been borrowed from African rhythms and sounds, that were brought over the Atlantic ocean by slaves. An American folk musician Paul Simon, in his album Graceland, employs African bands, rhythms and melodies, especially Ladysmith Black Mambazo, as musical backdrop for his own lyrics.
The 1980s was the rediscovery time for the west. The folk music of Africa was rediscovered during this period. Afro-rock started working with commercial groups based in the west, such as OSIBISA. The cross-pollination took place in both directions: western popular music adopted elements of African music, while African music adopted elements (particularly the studio techniques) of western music.
“The curious beauty of African music is that it uplifts even as it tells a sad tale. You may be poor, you may have only a ramshackle house, you may have lost your job, but that song gives you hope...” - Nelson Mandela
Sufism has recently gained in popularity outside Muslim circles, particularly Sufi music. Sufi music is attracting attention internationally. Sufi music congregations are taking place in several western countries, particularly in USA. Maulana Rumi, a great Sufi saint has become tremendously popular in USA. Similarly, music evolved in many parts of the world.
Comprehension
3. Answer the questions given below:
a. What similarity do you see between Indian and Western music?
b. Find out more about Arab music and African music. What are the similarities and differences do you see between the two?
17 c. Research and write about the origin and doctrine of Sufism.
Class Activity: Research and writing
4. Read the cues given below:
Are Bagpipes Scottish? What are Fiddles? The Piano was invented in Italy and the Saxophone in France. Collect more information on these two instruments.
Do you know what ALPHORNS are? Where are they played? Find a picture and write about their history.
Europe is the home of Orchestra and Classical music as well as famous composers like MOZART .In the North of Europe there has been a tradition of telling stories through songs. What is that called?
Research and write an article using the cues given above.
Listening and speaking
5. Music is called the “universal language”. Given below is the link in which John Schaefer talks with musician Bobby McFerrin and neuroscientist Jamshed Bharucha in order to shed light on the nature of music, how our brain decodes it, and why we can all “speak” it. http://worldsciencefestival.com/videos/the_universal_language
After watching this video, read the excerpt given below:
A new study has shown that regardless of culture or previous exposure, people were accurately able to recognize three emotions in Western music - happiness, sadness and fear.
Thomas Fritz and his team conducted two experiments with a group of 21 Mafa, remote farmers in Cameroon, Africa who said they had had no previous exposure to Western music. They were exposed to 42 instrumental excerpts of Western music with different tempos, pitch ranges and rhythms including classical, jazz, rock and pop.
They were then asked whether they thought each piece of music expressed happiness, sadness, or fear and to point to photos of faces showing the relevant expressions. They are able to identify the right emotions 50 to 60 per cent.
Now, organize a class debate on the topic: Music is the universal language!
Vocabulary: Words and their contextual usage
6. Choose the correct words or phrases:
18 a. Often, special music has to be ______for a film. (composed/designed/hired) b. A play may be ______for several weeks before it is shown to the public. (shot/taken/rehearsed) c. Designing ______for actors to wear requires a lot of creativity. (scripts/sets/costumes) d. Newspapers are ______to stores after they are printed. (expanded/ distributed/reported) e. ______are added after the film has been put together. (Preparations/Sound effects/Takes) f. My phone didn’t work for a week. The phone company ______an apology and took Rs 500 off my bill. (accepted/denied/offered) g. A friend of mine really loves to ______compliments, but he never gives anyone else one. I don’t understand why he’s like that. (do/owe/receive) h. I need to ______a favour. Could you please give me a ride to school tomorrow? (ask for/ give/ turn down)
Grammar 7. Complete the noun-verb chart given below:
Noun Verb
Assassination assassinate
Discovery
Discrimination
Existence
Exploration
Explosion
Invention
19 Revolution
Transformation
Section C
Warm up
1. What is the first thought that music evokes in your mind?
2. What kind of music do you like?
3. Now, read the poem given below. It is a simple poem but tells a lot about music:
Music, my favorite place
By: Jackrabbit Krjs
Music comes to life When life is boring Music can tell a story That sounds like it’s for me Music can torture me With old memories Music can love me When there’s no love for me Music can save me When I am lost Music can cure me When I almost pay the final cost Music can yell at me Which keeps me awake Music can speak softly When I need a moment away Music can teach me That this world isn’t just hate Music, my favourite place
Comprehension
4. Answer the following questions briefly:
a. Name a few things that make the poet feel that he is indebted to music. 20 b. What does music do when the poet wants to keep awake?
c. Explain the meaning of the phrase ‘that this world isn’t just hate’.
d. Pick out the lines that show a negative emotion in the poet’s mind.
e. This is a poet’s eulogy for music. What is eulogy? Find another one by another poet on a different theme.
f. Paraphrase the poem in your own words.
g. The words, cure and torture, can be used as nouns and verbs. Find more words from the poem that can be used both as verbs and nouns. Make sentences to show their usage as nouns and verbs
Writing
5. Blessing Ekpe says, “Music is life to me and life is music to my soul”. Does the poet also feel the same? Justify your answer.
6. Berthold Auerbach says, “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” How do you think music helps a person wash away the dust of everyday life from his soul?
Speaking
Billy Joel says, “I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.”
7. Stage a play to show the importance of music in our life.
8. Narrate a real –life incident where music helped you overcome a difficult situation strongly.
21 Section D
Warm up
1. Have you heard of music therapy? Write a short note on this topic.
2. Now, read the article given below:
The Therapeutic Value of Music
Every parent wants their child to get excellent grades and go to college/university. But with all the focus on academic achievement, many parents and teens lose sight of the importance of pursuing extracurricular interests. Adolescents, especially those with behavioural or learning problems, need a creative outlet to express themselves and explore their potential and passion.
Not only is music enjoyable, it can be therapeutic, particularly for teens who are resistant to traditional talk therapies or activities in music and arts. Participating in
22 music, drama, dance, or other art programs helps teens release pent-up emotions, manage stress, improve mood, and resolve conflicts.
The Positive effect
Most people, even those with physical, cognitive, or emotional problems, have an innate responsiveness to music. ‘Whether you prefer humming along to classic rock in the car, singing opera in the shower, or playing jazz on an instrument, music has its own universal language that appeals to every age group and walk of life’. For many students, scoring high grades may not be simple. By taking time to learn about music, students fare better academically because musical training helps in developing the left side of the brain which is known to be involved with reasoning and language learning. It boosts spatial intelligence and promotes advanced mathematical skills.
In a 1997 study, a group of preschool children who received piano training performed 34 percent higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal ability than a second group who received computer training.
Brainwaves can be stimulated by the rhythm of a song. Faster songs help in concentration and alertness while slower songs provide calmness. These effects frequently last even after you've stopped listening. Music also impacts breathing and heart rate, reduces stress, boosts immunity and improves overall health. You don't have to play an instrument to reap the benefits of music. Positive effects have been noted from simply listening to a song, singing a tune, or clapping along with a beat.
Music has been used in medicine for thousands of years. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that music could heal body as well as soul. Native Americans used singing and chanting as part of their healing rituals for long. The more formal approach to music therapy began in World War II, when the US Veterans Administration hospitals began to use music to help treat soldiers suffering from shell shock. In 1944, Michigan State University established the first music therapy degree program in the world.
Music indeed is one of the simple joys in life. A catchy beat or soothing melody can provide a sense of control, release of negative feelings, and boost in mood, perception and outlook.
Scientific studies have shown the value of music therapy on body, mind, and spirit of children and adults. Other clinical trials have revealed a reduction in blood pressure, breathing rate, insomnia, depression, and anxiety with music therapy. Studies have shown that music can affect brain waves, brain circulation, and stress hormones. These effects are usually seen during and shortly after the music therapy.
Harp Therapy
23 Since ancient times, the harp has been used as an instrument of healing and comfort. The resonant sound of the harp is used as a tool to promote health and well-being of a person physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Now-a-days, many physicians use the value of music therapy and particularly the music of the harp. Harp music has been found to greatly assist in areas of anxiety, fear, pain, depression and stress.
Comprehension
3. Now, answer the questions given below:
a. How can music help students in their studies?
b. How does music affect brainwaves?
c. Can music be used for treatment purposes? How?
d. Surf the Internet and make a list of scientific studies that show the importance of music in everyday life and in treatment.
e. Write a short note on harp therapy.
Research and Speaking
4. After reading this article, choose one of the topics given below. Research and prepare a presentation supported by relevant pictures:
a. Music therapy in World war –II
24 b. Use of music as a medicine in Ancient Greece
c. Music: simple joy of life
5. Organize a classroom debate on the topic: ‘Music as a co curricular activity should be banned in schools’.
Writing
6. Using important points of the article, write a short story showing the therapeutic value of music.
Example: A Soul Searching Song Reaches Out: Return to the Heart By: Sang Le
A couple of years ago, I came to a lady's house to buy some vitamins. Upon entering the house, I noticed that there was an electronic keyboard on the stand, leaning against the wall. Being a piano music lover and player, I asked if the woman played. She said "Yes" and added that she had been taking lessons--at age 54! I told her that that was very impressive for her to pursue her passion to play the piano. Then she reciprocated the question. "I have been playing for 8 years now." I answered. "Then you must play a song for me before you leave." she requested. I thought she was kidding and I simply smiled. By the end of purchase of the vitamins, she reminded me of our musical "deal." She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room and asked me to play a song for her. I thought for a moment and decided to play David Lanz's "Return to the Heart", since she had much passion for music, and it's one of my soul-searching songs. I played the song with my best ability, with much emotions pouring into it as possible. She loved it. As I was about to step out of the door, I heard a weak voice calling out. "Young man!" I turned around. And there was an old lady taking one little step at a time with the help of another woman. "I wanted to come out to thank you for the beautiful song that you played. I have been very sick, and it's very hard for me to get off my bed, but I really wanted to thank you for the song. It made me feel good...", she said. With that, she turned around and walked slowly back to her room. I was deeply touched by her appreciation and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one's heart for peace and joy.
7. Write a poem on the soothing effect of music in people’s life.
Example: Music By: Blessing Ekpe Music is life to me and life is music to my soul. Music opens my eyes to a brand new me I wake up with you and I fall asleep with you Your warmth embrace keep me wanted You calm my burning tension and desire Music, you are my rhythm and melody in the storm of life You alone bring harmony to my world. Music is God Music is life after death Music is light that drives out the darkness Music is the invisible hands that lead the way Music is music in the sky Music shines brighter than the sun Music is a whistle 25 Music is my diet Music is drug to the body Music is fragrance Music is my private love garden Music is the root that holds humanity together Music is the colors in the cloud If only you could listen more aptly you will hear me speak to you.
Grammar: Formation of Adverbs
8. Most of the adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective. For example, loud: loudly and safe: safely. Adjectives that end in consonant + y change the "y" to "i" and add -ly to form adverbs. Example: lazy: lazily, angry: angrily. Adjectives that end in -ic add -ally for the adverb form. Example: pessimistic: pessimistically, optimistic: optimistically. Some adverbs are called irregular adverbs, that is, they have the same form as adjectives and adverb. Example: fast and hard.
Write the correct adverb form of these adjectives.
a. enthusiastic
b. fast
c. late
d. early
e. beautiful
f. hard
g. slow
h. specific
Section E
Warm up
1. Have you heard about Ludwig Van Beethoven? Why was he so popular?
2. Now, read the story given below:
26 Blind Opera: Seeing the World in Their Own Way
By: Ranjita Biswas
You go up a rickety stairwell, dark even in the daytime. The building on crowded Nilmoni Mitra Street in north Calcutta has seen better days, like many others in this older part of the city. You enter a small room. The red cement floor is cool to the bare feet, reminiscent of a past era. The center of the room is empty but the corners are stacked with bedrolls, utensils, water bottles. Musical instruments, drums, cymbals, gongs are piled in a corner.
Today, the room is filled with the laughter of men and women in colourful attire. Two garlands of sweet-smelling flowers and boxes of sweets are arranged on a stool. Two members of the group are getting married. They exchange the garlands, bonding as husband and wife.
Somebody breaks into a lilting Bengali song. Among the happy chorus of congratulations and laughter you notice one difference. Both bride Chumki Pal and groom Sandeep Chatterjee are blind, as are most of the people surrounding them. Pal lost her sight at the age of two due to wrong treatment for an ailment. She is wearing a bright turquoise blue sari with gold trimmings for this memorable day. “I know it’s blue because people have told me but I can’t imagine how it looks. But believe me, when I dream, I dream only in colours,” she says. Chatterjee is an undergraduate student majoring in music at Rabindra Bharati University. Their romance blossomed when they met as members of Blind Opera, a performing arts group of Calcutta and the only one of its kind in the country as well as in Asia that consistently puts on shows like professional groups.
The 36 spirited members of Blind Opera, most of whom are totally blind, demonstrate that physical disability is not an obstacle. They enact plays such as Raja (King of the Dark Chamber) or Raktakarabi (Red Oleander) by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, considered challenging even by veteran theater groups.
Since it was launched, in 1996, Blind Opera has performed not only in Calcutta but also in other cities. The Opera is the product of four theater aficionados— Ashok Pramanik, Debashish Choudhury, Subhashish Gangopadhyay and Prasanta Chatterjee—who took it as a challenge to get together the talents of these visually impaired men and women. Except Chatterjee, who is a social activist, all of them used to be members of well- known theater groups of the city but broke away to devote their time and energy to developing the Blind Opera concept.
27 Why the label “opera” for a drama repertoire? “Well, in older days our plays were all in opera style,” says director Gangopadhyay. “There was singing, dancing and dialogues accompanied by instrumental music. And that’s what we do.”
The idea of the Blind Opera germinated in 1994 when they conducted a workshop at the Calcutta Blind School at Behala in the southern fringe of the city to produce the play Jata Durei Jai (However Far WeTravel) for its centenary celebration. After the event, the participants wanted to continue their training in performing arts.
The challenge to present the cast on stage is immense since space management is a problem. To solve this, the directors used ropes to separate the stage and the wings. When the actors step on the rope they know that it is the entrance to the stage. Gangopadhyay says that even though the members cannot see, they can smell, hear and touch—three element inherent to any theater. “At Blind Opera we believe that the blind can see. That is, they see in their own way, if not in our way, with the help of these abilities.”
Gangopadhyay believes that, for the visually impaired, theater is the best medium for expression of their creative urges. “They respond instinctively; they cannot copy anyone else because they cannot see. Their body language tells the story and hence it is very spontaneous.” The cast of Blind Opera challenges the audience too—to judge them on their merits and not condescendingly. In the beginning there was apprehension even among the founders: were the productions going to be considered “artistic,” or remain just “productions”? To their credit, the members have earned kudos from Calcutta audiences. All the members take part in the productions, no one is left out and it is very democratic.
However, when they conceived the idea of such a group, the foursome did not visualize it as just a performing arts troupe. Though artistic qualities were given due importance, the focus was more on “drama therapy” through which they could communicate better with the world around them.
For the members of the troupe, discovering the language of the body is in a way also a journey of the persona. Coming from diverse backgrounds but bound together by the same disability, they have found an outlet for their creativity through the plays. They do not feel isolated anymore because they can relate to their fellow performers.
As Debashish Das, 18, a partially blind boy, says: “I had to leave my studies after the school finals. I was sitting around at home, doing nothing. Now I feel useful. I belong.” It also has a therapeutic effect because their confidence grows as they are able to reach out to the sighted audiences.
28 Marzina Khatun, mother of a young child, echoes the feelings of others when she says they build a bridge between the “seeing” world and the dark world of their own. They sing, they dance, and they experience joy. The joy of being able to communicate, both at the personal level and to the audience, is so great that they do not mind coming from afar to the venue in the evening, even traveling two to three hours in crowded buses and trains. Sometimes during rehearsals, they stay late.
Blind Opera does not stand isolated from other disabled groups, either. Since 2000, it has been organizing Pratibondhi o Prantik Natyotsav, a theater festival of the disabled and marginal. “By the marginal,” says Pramanik, “we mean those discarded or ignored by society, like street kids, children of sex workers, etc., who do not get an opportunity to perform on a common platform.”
One day of the festival is marked as a paan-supari utsav (betel nut festival). On this day, different groups exchange the traditional symbols of friendship, an effortat bridge- building within the community.
There is also a greater purpose behind it: to use theater to build a community and mainstream the huge number of disabled living in isolation. Together they can be a force to demand better facilities in public life. For instance, members of the group attended a December 2004 presentation at the American Center in which Elizabeth Kahn of Arts Access in Raleigh, North Carolina, demonstrated the technologies of audio description, a narrative service that attempts to describe images of theater, film, television and other art forms so that the visually impaired can enjoy them.
Without such help, a blind person can experience theater only through the whispered asides of a sighted companion. Pramanik also believes that blind children should enter the mainstream from the beginning and take part in as many physical activities as possible. “Often, parents hide away a child with a disability or don’t give as much attention. If you suddenly want a grown-up boy to play football, for example, he cannot because by that time his body is too sedentary and he cannot respond.”
Blind Opera members organize drama therapy workshops and teach in the blind schools in West Bengal, linking isolated groups or individuals. The Government of India’s education department supports this project. The second generation of directors is coming up, Gangopadhyay says proudly. Lead actor Subhas Dey, who is blind, has directed Aleek Dristi (Divine Vision). His next production is Waiting for Godot. “Together they will carry forward the movement, and we, the initiators, will be in the background,” Gangopadhyay says.
The big dream of the group is to establish a Natya Vidyalay, a drama school following the ideal of Tagore’s Santiniketan, offering a platform for creative expression of the
29 disabled and marginal—all those who are economically and socially forced to stay in the periphery. Like Chumki Pal, they all dream in colour.
Comprehension
3. Answer the questions given below:
a. Explain the phrase spoken by Chumki Pal, “when I dream, I dream only in colours”.
b. What is special about Blind Opera? Why is it called opera when though the group performs plays?
c. “At Blind Opera we believe that the blind can see. That is, they see in their own way, if not in our way, with the help of these abilities.” What do these lines tell you about Blind Opera?
d. How do blind performers have an edge over ‘normal’ performers in expressing their creative urges?
e. Debashish Das says: “I had to leave my studies after the school finals. I was sitting around at home, doing nothing. Now I feel useful. I belong.” What do these lines tell you about the attitude of society towards visually challenged people?
f. What do you understand by ‘drama therapy’?
g. “They build a bridge between the ‘seeing’ world and the dark world of their own.” What do these lines express about the talented people working in Blind Opera.
Writing
4. Do you think it is easy for blind people to perform plays on stage? If you were a director, how would you direct blind people in staging a play?
5. In pairs, try to perform some activities using blind folds under the strict supervision of your teacher. Write your experiences in the form of a diary entry.
6. Choose any character from the story and write a character sketch about him/her.
Speaking
7. Read about Beethoven and find out how he composed music even though he was deaf. Present your views on how many personalities fought against all odds to carve a niche for themselves. 30 8. Describe the place explained by the author in the beginning of the story, in your own words.
Listening
9. Play any three songs in the class from three different genres (neither English songs nor songs in students’ mother tongue). Ask your students to listen to these songs carefully and tell you the musical instruments used in these songs. Also, ask them to guess which emotions the songs are trying to portray.
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