Lesson: THE ORCHESTRA Objective: Students will identify the structure of the orchestra including the seating, arrangement, and four instrument families. Materials: Orchestra worksheet treasure hunt (included in this packet) LESSON Like a ship, the symphony orchestra is a large vessel made up of many small parts. Each part has its own special and important purpose, and it took more than three centuries for the symphony to finally take on its current shape. There are four families of instruments in the symphony orchestra: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion. These families of instruments are very different from one another in the way that they sound and the way that they are played. This makes seating arrangements very important! EXERCISE 1: “Can you name the instruments in each family?’’ Preface: Students decide which instruments belong to a particular family. Have students name off each family to review: A) Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Harp B) Woodwinds: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon (Saxophone is a woodwind, but not typically found in the orchestra) C) Brass: Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba (Baritone is brass, but also not typically found in the orchestra) D) Percussion: Cymbals, Timpani, Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Xylophone, Piano (anything that makes a sound when struck, scraped, or shaken) A Special Thanks to our Young People’s Concert Sponsors EXERCISE 2: Treasure Hunt Young Mozart has lost his favorite conducting baton and cannot seem to find it anywhere. He has been given a clue that says that the baton can be found, stuck in the tuba. But Teachers: This where does the tuba sit? Help Mozart figure out where members of the orchestra sit so he handout is available can get his baton back. at the end of this packet in multiple forms for you to print! TRUMPET TUBA SECOND VIOLINS VIOLAS BASS FIRST VIOLINS CELLOS HARP Using the clues, write down 7) The lowest brass instrument, where each section of the The Tuba, sits closest to the orchestra sits. Then you can brass section. Next to the find Mozart’s baton! tuba sits The Trombone Section. Need a hint? What family is the Tuba 1) The Percussion section in? This is also the section where you plays the biggest instruments 8) Second Violins are hidden will find the Tuba! so they always sit in the between the Violas and the back. first violins. 2) The Bass section has it 9) The lowest woodwind easy. They stand next to the instrument, The Bassoon, sits brass and percussion, but in front of both the tuba and sometimes they can’t see the the trombones, while The conductor over The Cellos Clarinet, another wood- who sit in front of them wind, sits just to the left of Word Bank the bassoon. 3) The Brass section gets HARP OBOE BASSOON angry when the percussion 10) Of the strings, The Viola TUBA FLUTE PERCUSSION section plays too loud section takes up the least TRUMPET VIOLA CLARINET because they sit just in front room. TROMBONE BASS of them. FIRST VIOLIN FRENCH HORN 11) The Flutes sit right in front CELLO SECOND VIOLIN 4) The Harp likes to be as far of the clarinets, while The away from the bass section French Horns sit behind the as possible. Nobody really clarinets. knows why. 12) ...and just in front of the 5) The First Violins like to be bassoons sit The Oboes, seen by people so they sit up while behind the bassoons sit front on the opposite side of The Trumpets. the cellos. 6) Woodwinds always complain that their ears hurt because of the loud brass that sit right behind them. Lesson: THE CONDUCTOR MATERIALS: Writing utensil, optional conducting worksheet Objective: Students will demonstrate understanding of the roles and duties of REFERENCE: Krzystof Urbanski, an orchestra conductor, and practice Chief conductor of Trondheim Symphony conducting by utilizing their right and left Orchestra hands. Click “Play” for an interview and glimpse of Mr. Urbanski’s job! Cannot access YouTube? Click here for an interview with renown conductor Andris Nelsons If a chorus of pirates began singing: PIRATES: (very loud) With cat-like tread, Upon our prey we steal; In silence dread, Our cautious way we feel. No sound at all! We never speak a word; A fly's foot-fall Would be distinctly heard-- Wouldn’t it be helpful if someone were to lead them? Well, that’s exactly what a “conductor” does! Just like a pirate captain leads his crew on adventures, the conductor leads the orchestra to make beautiful music! A conductor stands on a small platform called a “podium” in front of the orchestra. Using a “baton” to control the tempo (how fast or how slow) and the dynamics (how soft or loud), the conductor guides the orchestra through a piece of music in the style and fashion that the composer originally intended. Robert Carter Austin A native of Tennessee, Maestro Austin has an unusually diverse educational background for a classical musician, including a Bachelor of Science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Diploma (with Distinction) in Computer Science from Cambridge University, and a Master of Musical Arts degree from Stanford University. Maestro Austin’s first professional appointment was as Artistic Director of the Chattanooga Opera in 1974. He added the post of Artistic Director of the Southern Regional Opera in Birmingham, Alabama in 1978. Shifting his focus to symphonic music in 1981, he became Music Director of the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra in Wyoming, before coming to Texas in 1985 as Music Director of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra in Tyler. He has served as Music Director of the Garland Symphony Orchestra since 1988, of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra since 1991, and of Symphony Arlington since 2000. In frequent demand as a guest conductor, Maestro Austin has led performances with opera companies and symphony orchestras in eleven states in the U.S. His international credits include performances with the Chursächische Philharmonie, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie, and Orchester des Nordharzer Städtebundtheaters in Germany; the Florence Sinfonietta, Orchestra Sinfonica Regionale del Molise, Milano Classico, and L’Offerta Musicale in Italy; the National Orchestras of Ukraine, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines; and orchestras in France, Spain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, and China. Upcoming engagements for Maestro Austin include the Orchestra Sinfonica Città di Grosseto in Italy and the Amazonas Filarmonica in Brazil. Off the podium, Maestro Austin describes himself as an avid skier, a closet country music fan, and a notorious oenophile. His wife, Dr. Kathryn Gamble, is the Director of Veterinary Medicine at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois. EXERCISE 1: “Let’s See You Do It!” Preface: Begin by having the class sing “Happy Birthday” together, but without any help from the teacher. Do you notice how difficult it is to begin without someone leading? That’s the role of the conductor! A) The conductor stands on a podium in front of the orchestra, and conducts with a baton. B) The conductor controls how fast and slow or soft and loud the orchestra plays with their hands and body. C) The conductor holds a baton with the right hand. With the baton, the conductor controls tempo, or speed. D) The conductor uses left hand motions to control dynamics, or volume. Time Signature: While we will learn more about time signature when we cover rhythm, it is important to note that there are three common patterns of time in music: 2, 3, and 4. Time is something almost everyone can naturally “feel.” If there are an odd number of beats, chances are the music is in 3 and you feel the pulse of the rhythm as strong-weak-weak. Even easier to recognize in music is 2 or 4 (4 is just a doubled variation of 2). You feel 2 or 4 as strong-weak, strong-weak. EXERCISE 2” “The Right Hand, Using a Baton” Preface: With the baton, the conductor controls tempo, or speed. Have each student use a writing utensil as a baton, holding it in the right hand. 2 Try to match these patterns with only the baton in your right hand: 2 2) Conducting in 2 is very easy, it’s a simple up and down motion. See if you can conduct “London Bridge” in 2. 3 1 3 3) Conducting in 3 is like drawing a triangle. “Happy Birthday” is in 3. Try to conduct it by starting on beat 3, the up swing. This is called a ‘pickup note.’ 1 4 2 4 4) Conducting in 4 is a little more confusing. With your right hand, think: DOWN (1), LEFT (2), RIGHT (3), UP (4). Now try, “For He’s a Jolly Good 2 Fellow,” which is in 4, and also starts on the ‘pickup,’ or beat 4. 3 1 EXERCISE 3: “The Left Hand” Preface: With the left hand, a conductor can control volume, also known as dynamics. A) To increase volume, raise your left hand towards the ceiling with your palm facing up. B) To decrease volume, drop your left hand to the floor, palm down. C) The faster you raise or lower your left hand, the faster the dynamics increase or decrease. Have everyone sing any note and practice dynamics by raising and lowering your left hand. Choose one student to lead at a time. Above: Maestro Robert Carter EXERCISE 4: “Right and Left Hand Together” Austin demonstrates how to increase dynamics. A) Practice conducting a “2” pattern with a baton in the right hand while slowly raising and lowering the left hand. B) Use the same practice technique for the “3” and “4” patterns in the right hand.