Music Appreciation Materials Copies of Children's Stories About: Scott

Music Appreciation

Materials

Copies of children’s stories about: Scott Joplin-America’s King of Ragtime Frederic Chopin-Minute Waltz Ludwig Beethoven-Moonlight Sonata

CD with the following relevant tracks (Note the CHRONOLOGICAL order is not the numerical order due to the recording) The tracks for the lesson are noted: #1 Native American #3 Moonlight Sonata – Ludwig Van Beethoven; #6 Minute Waltz – Frederic Chopin ; #2 The Entertainer – Scott Joplin; #7 Little Birdie-Ralph Stanley #9 Blue on Green – Miles Davis; #6 Yellow Submarine – The Beatles; #7 Love Train – O’Jays #8 Happy – Pharrell Williams

CD player

Introduction / Beginning

The Teachers can select other music according to their knowledge and taste. The goal here is to have a variety, an historical perspective, diversity and fun! #1 and #2 is a must choose. #6 is suggested for a danceable ending.

PROCEDURE

Class begins with the quieting of the class to close their eyes and listen to a short piece of music. Teacher plays #1

America’s First Music = Native American Track #1

Instruct the children to sit and take a deep breath with their eyes closed and as they listen to the music to see, in their mind, pictures and words that the music makes them think of. After the first cut, Native American, they can continue

After listening to the piece hold a discussion on what type of music did they think it was.

Then ask them if they know if Native Americans lived here in Carlisle and the region? You can then relate to the Carlisle Indian School as well to make them aware. Also mention about the Historical Society in town. How many have been there? How many have seen the stone markers at the Army War College with the Indian names on them? Do you think the Native Americans who lived here had music?

FOR ALL PIECES PLAYED

OK, now that you listened to this music here is what we are going to do!

1. Write down the words that it made you think of. & OR (depending on age) 2. Write a small story that it made you think of. 3. Draw a picture based on what it made you think of. What does listening to music without words do for you? Allow students to come up with their own answers but eventually here are some for guidance:  It allows you to think your own thoughts.  The emptiness of just the notes is more relaxing, especially when I am troubled or need to be more focused on what I need to do like study.

Talk to the class about what music does to them and write on the board the words that came to their minds. At some point show that music can relax us, make us creative, makes us feel energized, is fun, etc… What can you learn from music? Music comes from different “genres”. Genres come from different: times, places and peoples. What does this music show us?

USE the same format above for other types of music. Also find out what type of music do they like? What have they heard?

With all of these pieces you, the teacher, can use the same formula of parts thereof for each piece. Let them be creative as well. If they want to dance IN PLACE that might be another possibility at times.

A few games that will get them up and moving and involved could be:

1. Musical Mats (standing) / Chairs (sitting) with the last one winning the prize. 2. Dance Freeze where they dance and when the music stops they “freeze” into position, also called Musical Statue

The music selected, on this cd, is to introduce them to variety of the experience of music. Most people are stuck in one genre. The goal is to at least expose them to a variety of musical styles. There are so many other possibilities and genres but this should provide some learning, exposure and fun for the kids. Select as you will but 1, 2 and 6 are highly recommended to include as essentials.

Classical Composers (Choose one or none)

#3 Ludwig Beethoven was a composer who lived over 200 years ago in Austria. He wrote many famous pieces of music that we hear today in movies and in concerts. When he was in his 20s he started to go deaf but he still wrote a lot of beautiful music. This piece is one of Beethoven's most popular compositions for the piano, and it was a popular favorite even in his own day.[3] Beethoven wrote the Moonlight Sonata (1802) in his early thirties.

#6 Frederic Chopin was from Poland but lived most of his life in France. He also wrote music for the piano. The piano can make many types of music. This piece is called the Minute Waltz (1847) . Why do you think he called it that? Many students, even today, learn to play piano pieces by Chopin.

#2 Ragtime – An American Original - 1917

Listen to another piece of piano music by Scott Joplin. This can be done without their eyes closed, their choice.

Ragtime composer Scott Joplin (ca. 1868–1917) became famous through the publication of the "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899) and a string of ragtime hits such as "The Entertainer" (1902). After ragtime Jazz was born.

#7 Country Traditional Bluegrass - Little Birdie-– 1925 and before

Ralph Stanley, born in Virginia, USA, in 1927, is an influential and celebrated figure in the history of bluegrass music. He created a unique style of banjo playing, sometimes called "Stanley Style," characterized by incredibly fast "forward rolls" (a technique in banjo playing) led by the index finger. Stanley often played with a capo to use the higher registers of the banjo. This 2003 performance by Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys demonstrates the instrumental solos and breakneck speed that characterize bluegrass music.

#9 Jazz – America’s Original Music - 1959

Miles Davis plays the trumpet. Kind of Blue has been regarded by many critics as jazz's greatest record, Davis's masterpiece, and one of the best albums of all time. Its influence on music, including jazz, rock, and classical genres, has led writers to also deem it one of the most influential albums ever recorded.

#10 The Beatles – British Rock-1966

The Beatles are a category of Rock music. They play Rock ‘n Roll but so much more. They were all from Liverpool, England. Here is one of the songs that is a lot of fun for kids that you can sing along to. It is called Yellow Submarine.

#11 Soul Music – 1972 -"Love Train" is a hit song by The O'Jays from 1972, it reached number one on both the R&B Singles and the Billboard Hot 100. Recorded at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios, the house band MFSB provided the backing. Besides its release as a single, "Love Train" was the last song on The O'Jays' album Back Stabbers. The O'Jays' "Love Train was a 2006 inductee into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [3]

#12 Pop Songs – 2013/14 HAPPY is just to be HAPPY ! Sing and Dance to end the lesson / activity

"Happy" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer and record producer Pharrell Williams, from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack album. "Happy" is a midtempo soul and neo soul song on which Williams's falsetto voice has been compared to Curtis Mayfield by critics. The song has been highly successful, peaking at No. 1 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and 19 other countries. It was the best-selling song of 2014 in the United States with 6.45 million copies sold for the year,[3] as well as in the United Kingdom with 1.5 million copies sold for the year.[4] It reached No. 1 in the UK on a record-setting three separate occasions and became the most downloaded song of all time in the UK in September 2014

Little Birdie Little birdie, little birdie Won’t you sing to me your song Got a short time to stay here And a long time to be gone

I'd rather be in some dark holler Where the sun don't never shine Than for you to be another man’s darling And to know you'll never be mine

Little birdie, little birdie What makes you fly so high When you know that my true lover Is waiting in the sky

Little birdie, little birdie Won’t you sing to me your song You’ve caused me lots of trouble What you’ve caused me too, too long

LOVE TRAIN

People all over the world (everybody) Join hands (join) Start a love train, love train People all over the world (all the world, now) Join hands (love ride) Start a love train (love ride), love train

The next stop that we make will be England Tell all the folks in Russia, and China, too Don't you know that it's time to get on board And let this train keep on riding, riding on through Well, well

People all over the world (you don't need no money) Join hands (come on) Start a love train, love train (don't need no ticket, come on) People all over the world (Join in, ride this train) Join in (Ride this train, y'all) Start a love train (Come on, train), love train

All of you brothers over in Africa Tell all the folks in Egypt, and Israel, too Please don't miss this train at the station 'Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you Well

People all over the world (Sisters and brothers) Join hands (join, come on) Start a love train (ride this train, y'all), love train (Come on) People all over the world (Don't need no tickets) Join hands (come on, ride) Start a love train, love train

Ride, let it ride Let it ride Let it ride People, ain't no war People all over the world (on this train) Join in (ride the train) Start a love train, love train (ride the train, y'all) People all over the world (come on) Join hands (you can ride or stand, yeah) Start a love train, love train (makin' love) People all over the world ('round the world, y'all) Join hands (come on) Start a love train, love train

YELLOW SUBMARINE – John Lennon & Paul McCartney In the town where I was born Lived a man who sailed to sea And he told us of his life In the land of submarines

So we sailed up to the sun Till we found a sea of green And we lived beneath the waves In our yellow submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

And our friends are all aboard Many more of them live next door And the band begins to play

We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

(Full speed ahead Mr. Boatswain, full speed ahead Full speed ahead it is, Sergeant. Cut the cable, drop the cable Aye, Sir, aye Captain, captain)… (Full speed ahead Mr. Boatswain, full speed ahead Full speed ahead it is, Sergeant. Cut the cable, drop the cable Aye, Sir, aye Captain, captain)

As we live a life of ease Every one of us has all we need Sky of blue and sea of green In our yellow submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

Happy – Pharrell Williams It might seem crazy what I am about to say Sunshine she's here, you can take a break I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space With the air, like I don't care, baby, by the way

Here come bad news, talking this and that (Yeah!) Well, give me all you got, don't hold it back (Yeah!) Well, I should probably warn ya, I'll be just fine (Yeah!) No offense to you, don’t waste your time Here's why...

(Happy) Bring me down… can't nothing… (Happy) Bring me down… my love is too high… (Happy) Bring me down… can't nothing… (Happy) Bring me down, I said

(Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down…can't nothing… (Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down… my love is too high… (Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down… can't nothing… (Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down, I said

(Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you know what happiness is to you (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do [x2] (Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down… can't nothing… (Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down… my love is too high… (Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down… can't nothing… (Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down, I said (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you know what happiness is to you (Because I'm happy) Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do [x2] Come on!

The Incredible Learning Power of Music

Pic by Steve Snodgrass

The Incredible Learning Power of Music

A great way to improve learning at every age is through the magic of music. You see, certain kinds of music can actually stimulate your child's higher cognitive functioning and help their development.

In a phenomenon known as the "Mozart effect", listening to music creates a positive emotional response which, in turn, improves cognitive functioning. Research tells us that listening to certain classics, like Mozart, helps to improve spatial-temporal reasoning in the short term. If Mozart isn't your cup of tea, you have many other options to choose from. Any kind of baroque music like Teleman or Vivaldi and ambient music that has a tempo of 60 beats per second will help.

Later studies showed that any music with an energetic beat or positive emotional qualities had the potential to stimulate the spatial-temporal functioning.

This is the part of the brain that helps you to understand complex concepts or solve difficult problems. For example, a study by Rauscher, Shaw and Ky (1993) discovered that those subjects who listened to Mozart prior to completing an IQ test scored higher than those who did not listen to music.

Another study in rats found that pregnant rats exposed to Mozart produced offspring that were better at maze learning.

While these changes are temporary, learning music from an early age can have tangible, long-lasting improvements in brain functioning: "It's very clear from a number of experiments that if you do musical training, you find changes in brain structures attributable to that training. There are experiments that show that changes are greater if you begin musical training by about the age of seven. They're still there if you begin later, but smaller in magnitude," says neuropsychologist Robert Zatorre from McGill University.

Neuroscientists from Boston Children's Hospital found a link between the introduction of musical instruments at an early age and improved cognitive functioning. "Since executive functioning is a strong predictor of academic achievement, even more than IQ, we think our findings have strong educational implications.While many schools are cutting music programs and spending more and more time on test preparation, our findings suggest that musical training may actually help to set up children for a better academic future," said head researcher, Nadine Gaab.

The greatest impact of music on cognitive functioning occurs when music is introduced before the child turns seven as it creates more extensive connectivity between different parts of the brain and also improves the ability to integrate sensory input.

If your child finds music distracting, try ambient sounds such as whale songs, waterfalls, ocean waves and other natural sounds. Eno's "Music for airports" is specifically designed to relax and calm tired travellers in airports. Eno's background music heightens your mood and occupies those parts of your brain that may cause distractions while you are studying.

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The Incredible Learning Power of Music

Pic by Steve Snodgrass

The Incredible Learning Power of Music A great way to improve learning at every age is through the magic of music. You see, certain kinds of music can actually stimulate your child's higher cognitive functioning and help their development.

Later studies showed that any music with an energetic beat or positive emotional qualities had the potential to stimulate the spatial-temporal functioning.

Another study in rats found that pregnant rats exposed to Mozart produced offspring that were better at maze learning.

Like us on Facebook : Tutor Doctor South Central PA

THE ARTS

Day 1: The Visual Arts

Materials:

“Baby Rattlesnake” by Te Ata/Lynn Morona

8 ½ x 11 or larger cardboard (neutral color), one sheet per student

White glue

Scotch tape

Scissors

Crayons, markers, colored pencils, paintbrushes

Collage materials:

Wallpaper book pages Sequins Shells Buttons Cotton balls Fabric scraps String Magazines Optional (adults): put materials gathered outside (see below: leaves, acorns, etc.) in cups and cover with boiling water – allow to steep till water cools so children can “paint” with it.

Introduction:

As the children arrive, ask them to look through the books available in the room and to pick the one they think has the best illustrations.

Once everyone has arrived, gather them into a circle on the floor or at tables. Ask for volunteers to show the illustrations they liked best, and talk about the importance of the illustrator in a children’s book: explain that sometimes the same person writes the story and another person draws the pictures, while sometimes it’s the same person.

Show pages from books with several different illustrators as well as pages from books with the same illustrator (Eric Carle, e.g) and get children’s reactions. Ask if illustrations can tell them what age child the story is written for. Encourage children to come forward individually to point at part of an illustration if they need to. Would anyone in the group want to be a children’s book illustrator?

Procedures:

Read “Baby Rattlesnake,” and ask children about times they wanted to do something they were too young or too little to do. What happened? What are they looking forward to being able to do when they’re bigger or older? Tell the children that this story comes from a Native American fable. Are any children in the group Native American? Do they know about Native Americans who lived here in Carlisle?

What does the story tell the children about Native American families and children (example: they are like us because we all want to do things that we aren’t old enough to do)?

Do they know that fables are usually very old stories? Ask them what sorts of materials they think people used to create art long ago. List their ideas on board, if available.

Take the children outside to collect materials they could use to make a collage of an imaginary snake. What might be used for the rattles? How about eyes or fangs?

Back inside, each child writes his/her name on a piece of cardboard and then draws a large snake (or two) on the other side. (They may also draw a snake on a piece of wallpaper with a good pattern, cut out the snake, glue it on the cardboard and then continue to decorate it. And, they may instead make a collage of their own story about doing something they were too small or young to do.) Taping or gluing the collage materials provided along with those collected outside, they decorate the snake or fill in their drawing. They may also use materials to include details of the landscape around the snake. Set the collages aside until the next day so the glue can dry.

Lunch:

During lunch, the children may be joined by a practicing visual artist who will tell them about what s/he does, how s/he first knew s/he would be an artist, and what are the best and hardest parts of being an artist. The artist can answer children’s questions. The children can also be asked during lunch “How does art help us to build a better world?”

Day 2: Music (provided by Joe Kloza)

Day 3: Theater and Performance

Materials:

“Diary of a Circus Performer” by Angela Royston

One playground or other medium-sized ball

Two tennis or other small-sized balls

Two plastic bowling pins

Jump rope or 6’ piece of regular rope

Paper plates, one per child

White glue

Hole punch

Scissors

Crayons, markers, colored pencils

Two pieces of sturdy yarn, each about an arm length long, for each child

Dress-up clothing (optional) -- adult-sized items or costumes

Mask decorating materials:

Feathers Sequins Pompons Buttons

Introduction:

Ask the children if they’ve ever seen a circus on TV or in person. What did they like best? Were there scary parts? If they were in a circus, what role would they play (ringmaster, acrobat, etc.)? What do they think circus performers do when the circus ends?

Procedures:

Read “Diary of a Circus Performer.” Ask the children if they’d like to try juggling two tennis balls or two plastic bowling pins. They could also stretch out a jump rope or use a piece of rope on the floor as a pretend high wire to see if they can walk from one end to the other without stepping off. How long do they think they’d have to practice to be confident? If the ringmaster wanted their act to “have a new look,” what might they change?

Tell the children that there’s a person like the ringmaster in plays on stage and in films. Does anyone know what that person is called (the director)? The director gets to tell everyone what to do -- but s/he’s also in charge of everything, so it’s a hard job. You (or an assistant teacher) will be the first director. Tell the children to line up, all facing you with space around each person and about ten feet away from you (you may have to do this outside, or you can have half the group perform while the other half is the audience and must applaud), and act out the following scene:

You are walking down the street in Carlisle, and you see your friend so you wave. The wind blows your hat off, so you jump to grab it. You miss it and it lands on the ground in front of you, so you run three steps and stamp on it to stop it from flying away.

Have them act out the scene two or three times. Then tell them they’re going to act out the same scene but doing it the way you tell them to. Use the following possible commands as director:

Slow motion Backwards Very nervous On one foot Laughing the whole time Crying the whole time

Have them settle down and go to their tables for a craft activity. Tell them that actors sometimes wear masks in the theater, so they are going to make a mask. Each child gets a paper plate. They hold the plate up to their face and mark where their eyes are with a crayon, then cut out holes for their eyes (have them bend the plate at the center point of each eye to make the first cut rather than stabbing through the plate with scissors). They may decorate the masks with the materials and crayons. As they are decorating, circulate with the hole punch and punch holes on either side of the eyes. Give each child two pieces of yarn to thread through the holes and knot, so the mask can be tied on. If costumes are available, they may be used as well.

The children sit in one large or several smaller circles with their masks on. The teacher and assistants sit in the circles and start the “story”: “Once upon a time, two friends from Carlisle, Molly and Jim, won a prize: the chance to perform in a play in New York City! They packed their suitcases and got in the car…” Toss the ball to a child who will continue the story and then toss the ball in turn to someone else until everyone has had a turn.

Lunch:

During lunch, the children may be joined by an actor or other performer who will tell them about what s/he does, how s/he first knew s/he would be a performer, and what are the best and hardest parts of being a performer. The performer can answer children’s questions. The children can also be asked during lunch “How do plays and movies and circuses help us to build a better world?”