Adventures in Music

Picture theMusic

Dear Teachers,

The musicians and staff of the Fort Worth Symphony are eager to share our love of symphonic music with you and your students this school year! Through this program – Picture the Music – we’ll learn how music can describe people, places, even animals and help create stories in our minds. Students will put their new skills to the test with a complete story told entirely through music: the Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel. The program includes the following works:

Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee Prokofiev: Selections from Peter and the Wolf Mendelssohn: Excerpt from The Hebrides Overture Falla: Fandango from The Three Cornered Hat Ravel: Suite of Five Pieces from Ma Mére l’Oye [Mother Goose] I. Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty II. Tom Thumb III. Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas IV. Conversations of Beauty and the Beast V. The Enchanted Garden

The materials in the study guide bring together many disciplines including reading, geography, and cultural studies. The materials meet multiple TEKS objectives, as listed on the next page.

Please contact me with any questions. We look forward to performing for you and your students!

Warm regards,Lindsey Stortz BranchDirector of Education & Community ProgramsFort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association817.665.6500, ext. 102LBranch@fwsymphony.org www.fwsymphony.org

These materials are for educational use only in connection with the Adventures in Music Program of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

Table of Contents

TEKS Objectives 4

Flight of the Bumblebee 5 Activity for Flight of the Bumblebee 6

Peter and the Wolf, The Story 7 ASL Signs 9 Topics and Themes 10

The Hebrides Overture 11 Fingal’s Cave 12 Draw what you think 13

The Three Cornered Hat 14 The Fandango 15

Mother Goose Suite 17 Tom Thumb 18 Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas 19 Conversations of Beauty and the Beast 21

The Orchestra Strings 23 Woodwinds 24 Brass 25 Percussion 26

Musical Terms Members of the Orchestra 27 Other Musical Terms 28

TEKS Objectives for Picture the MusicLate Elementary to Middle School (4-8)

Chapter 110, Language Arts and Reading:

15b.2, 16b.2, 18b.2, 19b.2, 20b.2 – Reading/Vocabulary Development. Student understands new vocabulary and uses it correctly when reading and writing.

15b.3, 16b.3, 18b.3, 19b.3, 20b.3 – Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Student analyzes, makes inferences and draws conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provides evidence from the text to support his/her understanding.

15b.6, 16b.6, 18b.6, 19b.6, 20b.6 – Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Student understands, makes inferences and draws conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provides evidence from text to support his/her understanding.

15b.10, 16b.10, 18b.9, 19b.9, 20b.9 – Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Student analyzes, makes inferences and draws conclusions about the author’s purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provides evidence from the text to support his/her understanding. 15b.11, 16b.11, 18b.10, 19b.10, 20b.10 – Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Student analyzes, makes inferences and draws conclusions about expository text, and provides evidence from text to support his/her understanding.

15b.14, 16b.14, 18b13, 19b.13, 20b.13 – Reading/Media Literacy. Student uses comprehen sion skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning.

15b.27, 16b.27, 18b.26, 19b.26, 20b.26 – Listening and Speaking/Listening. Student uses comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings.

Chapter 113, Social Studies:

15b.19, 16b.21, 16b.22, 18b.15, 18b.18, 20b.26 – Culture. Student understands: the contribu tions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to the United States; the relationship between the arts and the times during which they were created; the similarities and differences within and among cultures in various world societies; the relationship between the arts and the societies in which they are produced.

Chapter 117, Music:

115b.1, 118b.1, 208c.1 – Foundations: Music literacy. Student describes and analyzes musical sound.

115b.5, 118b.5, 208c.4 – Historical and cultural relevance. Student relates music to history, culture, and the world.

115b.6, 118b.6, 208c.5 – Critical evaluation and response. Student responds to and evaluates music and musical performance.

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These materials are for educational use only in connection with the Adventures in Music Program of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

Flight of the Bumblebee

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov — Composer(1844-1908)

- Both his parents were musical and were quick to perceive that their son was unusually gifted.- He had perfect pitch and excellent time and by the age of 6 was receiving music lessons. - For much of his life, Rimsky-Korsakov combined music composition and teaching with a career in the Russian military—at first as an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, then as the civilian Inspector of Naval Bands.

Special points of interest:

- Much of his musical knowledge was self-taught.

- Flight of the Bumblebee has been featured in numberous movies and TV shows.

This piece closes Act III, Tableau 1 of the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich (the Tsar's son) into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father.

The Swan-Bird sings to him:

“Well, now, my bumblebee, go on a spree, catch up with the ship on the sea, go down secretly, get deep into a crack. Good luck, Gvidon, fly, only do not stay long!”

The Music

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Activities for Flight of the Bumblebee

1. Play for the students the musical selection. (Do not share the title of the piece before listening.) After listening ask the students the following questions:

- What type of creature do you think the composer was trying to describe with this music? After they share have them create a title for the piece. Then tell the actual title. - What did the composer do to make the music sound like “the flight of a bumblebee?” (ex. use of instruments, fast tempo, high pitch, etc.)

2. Have students use a scarf or a flashlight and draw the contour of the melody in the air as they listen.

3. Have students draw a contour map of this piece as they listen to it on a large piece of construction paper or 11 x 17 copy paper, showing the bumblebee’s “flight”, the direction of the melody.

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him on her velvet paws.

-

eyes.

Peter and the WolfThe Story

Early one morning, Peter opened the gate and walked out into the big green meadow. On a branch of a big tree sat a little bird, Peter’s friend. “All is quiet”, chirped the bird happily.

Just then a duck came waddling round. She was glad that Peter had not closed the gate and decided to take a nice swim in the deep pond in the meadow.

Seeing the duck, the little bird flew down upon on the grass, settled next to her and shrugged his shoulders: “What kind of bird are you if you can’t fly?” said he. To this the duck replied: “What kind of bird are you if you can’t swim?” and dived into the pond.

They argued and argued, the duck swimming in the pond and the little bird hopping along the shore. Suddenly, something caught Peter’s attention. He noticed a cat crawling through the grass.The cat thought: “That little bird is busy arguing, I’ll just grab him.” Stealthily, the cat crept towardshim on her velvet paws.

“Look out!” shouted Peter and the bird immediately flew up into the tree, while the duck quacked angrily at the cat, from the middle of the pond. The cat walked around the tree and thought, “Is it worth climbing up so high? By the time I get there the bird will have flown away.”

Just then grandfather came out. He was upset because Peter had gone in the meadow. “It’s a dan-gerous place. If a wolf should come out of the forest, then what would you do?” But Peter paid no attention to his grandfather’s words. Boys like him are not afraid of wolves.

But grandfather took Peter by the hand, led him home and locked the gate.

No sooner had Peter gone, than a big grey wolf came out of the forest.

In a twinkling the cat climbed up the tree. The duck quacked, and in her excitement jumped out of the pond. But no matter how hard the duck tried to run, she couldn’t escape the wolf. He was getting nearer, nearer, catching up with her. Then he got her, and with one gulp, swallowed her.

And now, this is how things stood: the cat was sitting on one branch, the bird on another ... not too close to the cat. And the wolf walked around and around the tree, looking at them with greedy

In the meantime, Peter, without the slightest fear, stood behind the closed gate watching all that was going on. He ran home, got a strong rope, and climbed up the high stone wall.

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One of the branches of the tree, around which the wolf was walking, stretched out over the wall.

Grabbing hold of the branch, Peter lightly climbed over on to the tree. Peter said to the bird: “Fly down and circle over the wolf’s head. Only take care that he doesn’t catch you.”The bird almost touched the wolf’s head with his wings while the wolf snapped angrily at him, from this side and that.

How the bird worried the wolf! How he wanted to catch him! But the bird was clever, and the wolf simply couldn’t do anything about it.

Meanwhile, Peter made a lasso and, carefully letting it down, caught the wolf by the tail and pulled with all his might.

Feeling himself caught, the wolf began to jump wildly trying to get loose.

But Peter tied the other end of rope to the tree and the wolf’s jumping only made the rope around his tail tighter.

Just then, the hunters came out of the woods, following the wolf’s trail and shooting as they went.

But Peter, sitting in the tree, said: “Don’t shoot! The bird and I have already caught the wolf. Now help us take him to the zoo.”

And now, imagine the triumphant procession: Peter at the head; after him the hunters leading the wolf; and winding up the procession, Grandfather and the cat.

Grandfather shook his head discontentedly: “Well, and if Peter hadn’t caught the wolf? What then?”

Above them flew the bird chirping merrily. “My, what brave fellows we are, Peter and I! Look what we have caught!”

And if you listen very carefully, you can still hear the duck quacking inside the wolf’s belly because in all his excitement, he had swallowed her alive!

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Social Studies Classroom Activity

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Taken from: http://www.lessontutor.com/eesASLanimals.html, http://www.lessontutor.com/eesASLpets.html

Try saying the following animals in American Sign Language (ASL), following the sign pictures

below!

Place the right “G” hand at the right side of the mouth with

fingers pointing forward, as if to create a bird’s beak. Open

and close the finger and thumb once or twice to emulate

the movement of a bird’s beak.

Create the “duck” sign by adding one finger to the “bird” sign.

This emphasizes the flat beak of the duck.

Hold a right curved hand in front of the nose as if you are

about to grab it. Then move the hand outward and forward,

closing the fingers into an “and” sign. The sign should move

forward about the length of a wolf’s nose.

Index finger and thumb trace a cat’s whiskers from the cheek

outwards.

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Topics and Themes

Animals:

The animals in the story are: the cat, the bird, the duck and the wolf. Which of these animals are friendly? Which of these animals live in Texas? Have the students ever seen these animals in real life? What are some other stories about these animals?

The Country:

In the story, Peter lives in the country. What would it be like to live in the country? Have any of the students ever lived in the country?

Family:

Peter lives with his grandfather. Ask the students to talk about their grandparents. What names do they call them? Do they live far away or nearby?

Nature:

Hunting is common in nature. In the story, animals hunt. What are the different reasons they hunt (Cat — fun, wolf — food, hunters — the wolf is dangerous)? Have students create a food chain, collecting or drawing pictures.

The Hebrides Overture

“Fingal’s Cave”

Felix Mendelssohn—Composer(1809-1847)

- Born in Hamburg, Germany.- His father was a wealthy banker.- His sister, Fanny, was his first music teacher.- He was a prodigy from a young age and played both the piano and violin.

Special points of interest:

- Was an early Romantic-era composer.

- Influenced by Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven.

- Only lived to be 38 years old.

Fingal’s Cave is located on an uninhabited island off the coast of Scot-land, in the Hebrides archipelago. When Mendelssohn visited the cave he was so inspired by its beauty that he wrote this piece. Unlike an overture to an opera, the Hebrides Overture is a concert overture, a stand-alone musical selection. It does not tell a specific story, but depicts the crashing of the waves inside the cave.

About the Music

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Fingal’s Cave

During his grand musical tour of Scotland, Italy, France and English, which included a tour of the Hebrides Islands in 1829, Mendelssohn wrote his "Scottish" Symphony No. 3 and his Hebrides Overture. The latter piece is an instrumental concert overture and was particularly inspired by Fingal's Cave, a cave amongst the rock formations on the island of Staffa where, according to Mendelssohn, the theme for the overture came to his mind. The cave was named after Mendelssohn’s composition and comes from the Ossian cycle of poems. Some scholars claim that Mendelssohn purposely completed the overture on the only day of the year that Fingal's Cave is illuminated by sunlight (December 16, 1830).

The work is programmatic as it musically portrays the rugged and rural landscape of Scotland with swirling and soaring string lines depicting the sea waves. The work was premiered by the London Philharmonic Society under the title The Isles of Fingal. Mendelssohn's overture turned the cave into a popular tourist destination.

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Draw what you think!

1. Have the students listen to the piece without telling them what it is about.

2. Explain that the composer was looking at something in nature.

3. Brainstorm what the composer could be imitating with the music.

4. Have the students draw what they hear.

Fingal’s Cave is located on an uninhabited island off the coast of Scot-land, in the Hebrides archipelago. When Mendelssohn visited the cave he was so inspired by its beauty that he wrote this piece. Unlike an overture to an opera, the Hebrides Overture is a concert overture, a stand-alone musical selection. It does not tell a specific story, but depicts the crashing of the waves inside the cave.

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Manuel de Falla — Composer(1876-1946)

- Born in Cadiz on the southern coast of Spain.- Learned to play piano as a little boy.- Wrote music that sounds like the folk music of Spain.- Spent time living and working in Madrid, Paris, Granada, and Buenos Aires.

The Three Cornered Hat

The Three-Cornered Hat (El Sombrero de tres picos) is a comical ballet about a town mayor, El Corregidor, who unsuccessfully tries to win the affection of a miller’s wife. The Corregidor wears a huge three-cornered hat as part of his official uniform. At the beginning of the ballet the miller’s wife dances the fandango. The Corregidor see her and tries to dance with her, but in his excitement, loses his balance and falls down.

About the Music

Special points of interest:

- Falla wrote an opera for puppets

- His image appeared on Spanish currency for many years.

The Fandango

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Spain is known for its exciting Spanish dances. Manuel de Falla wrote “Dance of the Miller’s Wife” in the style of fandango. The fandango is a very old Spanish dance. In Spanish music rhythm is very important and you often hear the clicking of castanets and the strum of guitars. When we think of Spanish rhythms, we are thinking about a fandango rhythm.

Activity 1:Castanets are held in each hand and snapped together in a rhythm while you dance the fandango. In this piece, de Falla imitates the sound of castanets on the xylophone. You will hear a rhythm pattern that sounds like the strumming of a Spanish guitar. The pattern is repeated over and over. This fandango rhythm makes the piece sound Spanish. The rhythm pattern looks like this:

Listen to this piece while you follow, do you hear the castanets and the guitar rhythm?

Play the rhythm with the piece on rhythm instruments.

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The FandangoActivity 2:Rhythm is the most important part of Spanish dances. Dancers move their feet to the rhythm and click a rhythm on the castanets. A guitarist strums a rhythm and the people watching clap another rhythm at the same time.

After listening to Falla’s fandango rhythms, have students pretend they are in the ballet. Make up some rhythms that you might clap as you stand and watch the miller’s wife. Take turns being the clapping “soloist.”

Make Your Own Three-Cornered Hat

Materials • Poster board or cardstock pattern for hat (see next page) • black construction paper • white construction paper (4” x 6”) for peruke (wig) (optional) • scraps of bright construction paper for cockade • gold seals

Strategy 1. Have students trace patterns onto black construction paper. Each student will need to trace three pieces. 2. Cut out the patterned construction paper. 3. Staple the three cut papers into a triangle-shaped hat. 4. Cut white paper into strips to represent hair. Attach it to back of hat with staples or glue. Curl ends on a pencil. 5. Add gold seal and ribbon to front left side of hat.

Maurice Ravel — Composer(1875-1937)

- Born in Basque, France.- Played piano from the age of 8.- Went to the Musical Conservatory of Paris at the age of 14.- Was a well-known composer by the age of 20.

Special points of interest:

- Sometimes known as an Impressionist composer.

- Wrote the popular piece for orchestra: Bolero. Ravel began composing the Mother Goose Suite in 1908 and com-

pleted it in April 1910. It was first written to be played on the piano by two people. Ravel wrote the music and had hoped the first perfor-mance would be played by his friends’ two children. The children though, found the music too difficult and so the first performance was given by two other children, young girls age 11 and 14.

Ravel then arranged the piece to be played by orchestra and later, as a ballet. The suite begins with Sleeping Beauty, who has just pricked her finger on a spinning wheel and fallen into a deep slumber. The next three movements – Tom Thumb; Laideronnette (Little Ugly One), Empress of the Pagodas; and Beauty and the Beast – depict her dreams. In the final movement, Prince Charming awakens her with a kiss in the Enchanted Garden.

Mother Goose Suite

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The Three-Cornered Hat (El Sombrero de tres picos) is a comical ballet about a town mayor, El Corregidor, who unsuccessfully tries to win the affection of a miller’s wife. The Corregidor wears a huge three-cornered hat as part of his official uniform. At the beginning of the ballet the miller’s wife dances the fandango. The Corregidor see her and tries to dance with her, but in his excitement, loses his balance and falls down.

Mother Goose Suite

Tom’s Journey

Place this activity in context by explaining that the students will create their own journey using ideas from Tom Thumb.

Take each part of the journey one at a time and invite the students to make sounds which might be appropriate for each section of the journey. Include both vocal and instrumental sounds.

Divide students into groups and ask each group to compose: Wandering/searching music Forest music Bird music Break up the task with regular interventions asking groups to play e.g. the beginning of their piece, the middle, the end, etc.

Sequence the group pieces following the structure provided.

Ask the class how the piece should end. Work on an ending that includes everyone.

Perform the whole composition and listen again to Ravel’s piece to reinforce the link between them.

Tom Thumb Activity

Tom Thumb

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Little Thumb (or Tom Thumb; Petit Poucet in French) had dropped bread crumbs as he was led through the forest. To find his way back, he planned to follow the bread crumbs. To his surprise, the birds had eaten them so then he was lost. Ravel's music begins with the violins and is soon joined by the oboe in a way that sounds like somebody who is sadly wandering around, not sure where to go. Later, the high strings and the wind instruments imitate the birds in the forest.

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Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas

This is a story called “The Green Serpent.” Laideronnette, formerly a beautiful princess, was magically disfigured by an evil witch. The princess lives in a faraway castle and meets The Green Serpent, who has been similarly cursed, out in the woods. They have various adven-tures together, including visiting living pagodas made of crystal, diamonds, and emeralds, which nevertheless sing and play for the couple.

It utilizes melodic shapes that recall the Far East by using pentatonic and other non-Western scales.

Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas Activity

COMPOSING A DRAGON DANCE

Begin composing by asking the class to chant the groups of descriptive dragon words which they have brain stormed.

Find the pulse of the words (the underlined words/syllables) and tap the pulse on knees while chanting the words over and over again.

Clap the rhythm of the words, thinking of the words rather than chanting them aloud.

Using the rhythm of ‘dra-gon, dra-gon’, change it into a drone accompaniment using the notes C & G. Play the drone on the lowest pitched instrument.

Invite students to compose a pentatonic melody to one of the other groups of words. Ask the students to repeat the melody as an ostinato. Combine the ostinato with the drone, asking other students in the class to tap the pulse on their knees and (if necessary) chant one of the groups of words to strengthen the rhythm.

Add another ostinato following the same process. Combine the drone and 2 ostinati.

Discuss the way in which a dragon moves. For example its swishing tail, its winged flight, its heavy walking and slow turning of the head. Ask students to work in pairs and create a melody that would be appropriate for a dragon to dance to. It must have a steady pulse and a strong rhythm.

Organise the class into groups and ask them to compose a dragon dance using the material that they have developed previously, i.e. an accompaniment made up of a drone and one or two pentatonic ostinati (set to the rhythm of the given words) and a dance melody. Unpitched percussion may be used as well as part of the accompaniment, e.g. playing a rhythmic ostinato.

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Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas

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Conversations of Beauty and the Beast

The Story of Beauty and the BeastA traveler, having lost his way in a deep wood, found himself in a lovely garden full of beauti-ful flowers. Since the garden seemed deserted, he decided to pick a rose to take home to his daughter, Beauty. Suddenly a terrible beast appeared and growled, “How dare you pick my roses! For this you will pay with your life.” When the traveler explained that he meant no harm, the beast struck a bargain: “Take the rose, but at the end of the month, Beauty must come and live in my house or you die.”

Beauty did go to live in the beast’s house. Although Beast was kind to her, she refused to marry him. “Then I will die,” said Beast. When Beast mentioned dying, something happened to Beauty’s heart. She knew she could never be happy without Beast. Beauty said, “No, no, dear Beast, live and I will marry you.” And with that, Beast disappeared and in his place stood the charming prince of her dreams.

Program MusicMusic does not tell a story in the same way words do. Music can suggest or make us think of a story. And there can be many stories for the same piece. There is no right or wrong to the way we each think and feel about music.

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Conversations of Beauty and the Beast

The Conversations of Beauty and the Beast is written as a waltz in triple meter. A clarinet conveys Beauty’s part of the conversation, and a bassoon represents the Beast. The two instruments each perform solos and then together in a duet, until a clash of cymbals announces the end of the wicked witch’s spell. The Beast is now a prince and is represented by the high pitches of the solo violin.

Conversations of Beauty and the BeastActivity

Conversations of Beauty and the Beast –

- Ask students if they are familiar with the story of Beauty and the Beast (many will know the Disney version). Guide students in a review of the basic storyline.

- Listen to music. Ask students to raise their hand when they think they hear the Beast. Later, ask them to raise their hand when they hear the magical moment when the Beast changes back into a prince.

- Hand out paper (½ sheet for Beauty and another ½ sheet for Beast – if you have access to a template of a hand mirror or frame you might want to copy that onto the ½ sheets) also provide pencils, crayons, colored pencils and any other drawing materials you feel appropriate.

- While listening, students will draw their own illustration of Beauty (one card), the Beast (second card) and the Prince (back of second card). Explain that you will listen to the music again in your next lesson and use these illustrations. Collect their illustrations and store until next class.

- Hand out students’ illustrations from last lesson. Listen to music again and ask students to hold up their picture of Beauty when they hear “her music”, hold up the Beast picture when they hear “his music”, hold up both of them if they hear both at the same time, and when the Beast changes to the Prince have them show that by turning the card over to reveal their Prince illustration.

STRINGSThe string family is the largest section of the

orchestra. The four main stringed instruments look similar but are all different sizes. Each can be played by plucking the strings with the fingers or with a bow, which is pulled back

and forth across the instrument’s four strings.

The VIOLIN is the smallest of the string instruments and can play the highest notes. The violins often play the melody - this is the tune you will be humming after you leave a performance.

The VIOLA is slightly larger than the violin. Because it is bigger, it can play lower notes. Since the viola is only a little bit bigger than the violin it can be hard to tell them apart. They get to play many beautiful melodies just like the violins.

The CELLO is much large than the violins and the violas. It is so large that the cellist must sit on a chair holding the cello between his or her knees in order to play. The cellos often play accompaniment parts.

Because it is the largest of the stringed instruments, the DOUBLE BASS plays the lowest notes. This instrument is so large that the bass players have to stand up or sit on tall stools to play it. The basses often play accompaniment parts with the cellos.

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WOODWINDS

The FLUTE is made of metals such as silver, gold or platinum. The player produces musical notes by blowing air into a hole in the side of the instrument. Flutists change notes by pressing down round, metal buttons called keys. Flutes have a very high, light and beautiful sound which is probably why they often get to represent birds.

Woodwind instruments produce sound when players blow air into them. All of these instruments were originally made out of

wood, which is why they are called woodwinds!

The OBOE makes its sound when the player blows air through a mouthpiece containing cut pieces of reed made of bamboo. In the case of the oboe, the player ties two strips of reed together to make a ‘double reed.’ The oboe has a very clear, penetrating sound. It is a very important instru-ment, as the oboist is the player who tunes the whole orchestra before every concert.

The CLARINET looks much like the oboe, but is a little bit larger. The clarinetist makes a sound by blowing through a single reed attached to a mouthpiece. Clarinets can play very high and very low, very soft or very loud. They are used for many types of music, including classical, jazz and folk.

The BASSOON is the largest of the main woodwind instruments. It looks like three wooden poles attached together. In fact, the Italian word for bassoon means ‘bundle of sticks.’ The bassoon has the lowest sound of the woodwind instruments.

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BRASSThe brass instruments are long brass tubes curled and bent into different shapes. They flare out at one end into what is called a bell. At the other

end of the instrument is the mouthpiece. The sound of the brass instruments is produced by the vibration of the player’s lips as they blow through the

mouthpiece. To change notes, brass instruments either have buttons, called valves, or a slide.

The FRENCH HORN is a very long tube that is twisted and curled into an instrument about one foot wide. If you untwisted the tube, it would be 12 feet long! French Horns can have a very mellow sound, but they are also often used for hunting calls.

The TRUMPET is the smallest brass instrument. It can play the highest notes of all the brass instruments. Trumpets

often play in marches or fanfares.

The TROMBONE is the only brass instrument that does not use valves. Instead, the player moves a curved tube called a slide back and forth in order to change notes.

The TUBA is the largest and lowest sounding instrument in the brass section. If you uncoiled the tuba it would be 35

feet long!

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Percussion instruments make sound when players strike, shake or scrape them. This section contains many different instruments.

PERCUSSION

One of the most commonly used percussion instruments is the TIMPANI. Timpani are drums that look like huge copper bowls with a special covering stretched over the top. The timpani are played by striking the covering with padded sticks called mallets. Timpani are one of the only percussion instruments that produce a definite pitch. They come in many different sizes.

Other common percussion instruments are the SNARE DRUM, BASS DRUM, TRIANGLE and CYMBALS. The Snare Drum, Bass Drum and Triangle all make sounds when they are struck by a mallet or stick. Cymbals make sounds when they are clashed together.

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MUSICAL VOCABULARYHere are some words that you need to know before the concert:

Members of the Orchestra

1. String Section - the string section consists of the Violins, Violas, Cellos and Basses. Stringed instruments are played by drawing a bow across the strings or by plucking the strings with the fingers.

2. Woodwind Section - the woodwind instruments are the Flute, Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon. Woodwind players produce sound by blowing air into a mouthpiece. Most woodwind instruments have reeds, which vibrate very quickly to produce the sound of the instrument.

3. Brass Section - the brass instruments are the French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone and Tuba. Brass players make sound by ‘buzzing’ their lips while blowing into the mouthpiece. Brass players change notes with the help of valves or slides.

4. Percussion Section - there are hundreds of different percussion instru-ments! Some of the most common are the Tympani, Snare Drum and Cymbals. Percussion instruments make sound when the percussionist strikes or shakes them.

5. Conductor - the conductor tells the musicians when and what to play. The conductor gives the musicians non-verbal signals either with his hands or by using a small stick called a baton.

6. Concertmaster/Concertmistress - the concertmaster is the best violin player in the orchestra. He/She is the leader of the string section and will play most solos for the violin.

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Other Musical Terms

1. Melody - a musical line that is the ‘tune’ of the piece. This is the part you will probably be humming when you leave the concert!

2. Countermelody - a second musical line that intertwines with the melody.

3. Accompaniment - a musical line that is less important than the melody. Accompaniment parts support the melody.

4. Chord - two or more notes played at the same time.

5. Solo - part of a composition written for a single instrument.

6. Cadenza - an extended and embellished solo. Cadenzas are intended to feature the soloist.

7. Unison - the sounding of the same note by two or more players. In a unison piece of music, the players do not have different parts, but all play together.

8. Tuning Note - the note that the Oboe plays before a concert. All the other players tune their instruments to this exact pitch.

9. Folk Music - any music that comes from a common culture. This music is most often passed on orally from generation to generation.

10. Program music - a type of music that illustrates a story or narrative.

11. Fandango - a lively Spanish dance often accompanied by guitars and castanets or hand-clapping.

12. Pentatonic scale - a musical scale with five notes per octave.

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