Music by

Saint-Saëns, Benjamin, Mancini, and Elgar

Eric Benjamin, conductor

with

Magical Theatre Company

Holly Barkdoll, director

akronsymphony.org

330-535-8131

Concerts For Kids Series Sponsors

The Mary & Dr. George L.

Demetros Charitable Trust

Additional Support Provided By:

Concerts for Kids is a collaborative project of the Akron Symphony Orchestra

and the Akron Symphony Guild along with Magical Theatre Company.

Special thanks to

ASO Education Committee

Akron Symphony Staff who contributed to the resource packet:

Fran Goldman, Orzella Matherson and Sharon Smith

Kenneth L. Calhoun Charitable Trust

Kulas Foundation

Laura R. and Lucian Q. Moffit Foundation

Lloyd L. and Louise K. Smith Memorial

Foundation

Before the concert …

Read and look at books, magazines, or programs about orchestras

Look for musicians and musical instruments

Listen to recordings of music and listen for different instrument sounds

Pretend you are the music director or one of the musicians

Do some of the activities in this guide before the concert

For the concert …

Be sure to arrive early enough to get ready for the music

Sit on the floor with your group of other kids, parents, or teachers

Look for the musicians and their instruments

Listen as they get ready for the concert

During the concert …

Enjoy the music!

Be ready to join in if the maestro wants you to do something

Until then stay seated so others behind you can see, too

Things to listen for …

Instruments playing loud, soft, slow, or fast

Hear how different the instruments sound

Familiar melodies or sounds

Things to look for …

Watch the musicians as they play

Watch the way the conductor moves and directs

Look for what the musicians may do with their instruments

Look for how they make their instruments make different sounds

Preparing for the Concert Experience

AKRON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHRISTOPHER WILKINS, MUSIC DIRECTOR

CONCERTS FOR KIDS ERIC BENJAMIN, CONDUCTOR

MAGICAL THEATRE COMPANY

The Program

May 9 - First Congregational Church, Hudson May 12 - The House of the Lord, Akron

May 10 - First Congregational Church, Hudson May 14 - Temple Israel, Montrose

May 11- Lake Anna YMCA, Barberton May 15 - Queen of Heaven Church, Green

May 16 - Emmanuel Christian Academy, Akron

THE MUSICAL ZOO

Selections from Carnival of the Animals Camille Saint-Sae ns

(1835-1921)

Royal March of the Lion arr. by Eric Benjamin

Aviary

The Swan

Elephant

Aquarium

Baby Elephant Walk Henry Mancini

(1924-1994)

The Wild Bears from "Wand of Youth" Suite 2 Edward Elgar

(1857-1934)

The Very Noisy Bear Book by Nick Bland Music by Eric Benjamin

Used with permission of Scholastic Books

STRINGS

The String Family is made up of the violin, viola, cello

and bass. The sound of the string instruments is made

when the player moves the bow over the strings or plucks

the strings (called pizzicato). The basic difference between

the members of this family is the size of the instrument: the

larger the instrument, the lower the sound.

WOODWINDS

The Woodwind Family consists of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons.

Other members include the piccolo, English Horn, bass clarinet, contrabassoon

and saxophone. Clarinets and saxophones have a single reed and mouthpiece

while oboes and bassoons have a double reed and no mouthpiece.

BRASS

The Brass Family - Brass instruments have a cup-

shaped mouthpiece. The player vibrates his lips into the

mouthpiece to produce the sound. The modern orchestra

brass section includes horns, trumpets, trombones and

tuba.

PERCUSSION

The Percussion Family is made up of instruments that make a sound by shaking or striking one object with

another. The timpani is the most important percussion instrument in the orchestra. There are many instruments in

this family, including drums, cymbals, gongs and mallet instruments such as xylophone and marimba.

Instrument Families

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) was a French composer, organist,

conductor and pianist. He began playing the piano at the age of 2½

(taught by his great-aunt), gave his first performance at age five, began

to compose at six and made his official concert debut at the age of ten.

After studying at the Paris Conservatoire he had a career as a church

organist for the next twenty years. Then later, he was a successful free-

lance pianist and composer, touring in Europe and the Americas. Saint-

Saëns held only one teaching post, in Paris, for less than five years. He

was a dabbler in science, mathematics and astronomy, critic, traveler, archaeologist, writer of plays, poetry,

philosophy, essayist on botany and ancient music, editor of music and the composer of more than 300 works.

Saint-Sae ns composed The Carnival of the Animals in 1886. It

was intended to be funny. The work was written for private

performance and he didn’t make the work public until later

because he was afraid it would damage his reputation as a

serious composer. There are fourteen movements and our

performance will include five selections from the suite.

Royal March of the Lion Lions are family animals found in Africa. They usually live

in groups of 15 or more called prides. These “big cats”

hunt, raise their young and defend their territory.

In The Royal March of the Lion, the strings provide the

melody, accompanied by low runs that suggest the roar of

a lion.

Learn more about lions at National Geographic

Kids - https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

animals/lion/#ww-wild-cats-lion.jpg

The Aviary

An aviary is a large cage or building for keeping birds.

The two-story aviary in Grizzly Ridge at Akron Zoo

(pictured right) allows guests to meet face to face

with native Ohio birds.

The Swan The beautiful cello solo pictures a swan elegantly gliding over the water accompanied by rippling notes, which may represent the swan's feet, hidden beneath the water, propelling it along. This is one of the most popular movements from The Carnival of the Animals, often played in versions for cello and piano as well as for many other solo instruments.

The swan is a large bird related to geese and ducks. Swans are among the largest flying birds and can weigh more than 33 lbs. They eat aquatic plants and algae, and small amounts of mollusks, small fish, frogs and worms.

Listen as the high strings take on a background role, providing

a buzz like the background noise of a jungle. The flute takes

the part of the bird, with a trilling tune. Listen for occasional

pings and trills of other birds in the background. The move-

ment ends very quietly after a long scale from the flute.

The Elephant This section is written for double bass, the lowest and heaviest-sounding instrument in the orchestra, perfect to represent an elephant. This section is a musical joke. The two themes come from ballet music, originally for high, delicate-sounding instruments. Do you think this music played by the double basses is a good musical picture of elephants dancing?

The Aquarium An aquarium is any area for keeping aquatic plants and animals such as fish, reptiles, turtles and other sea creatures. It may range in size from small fish bowls to huge public enclosures of several thousand gallons. In The Aquarium, we hear the melody played by the flute, backed by the strings, played on top of quick runs. Listen for the tinkle of the glockenspiel. The music sounds peaceful, like a dimly-lit aquarium with fish moving back and forth.

Elephants are found in Africa and Asia and are the largest living animals. Male elephants in the African bush can weigh more than 13,000 lbs.! They have a long trunk that is used for breathing, getting water and grasping objects. Their large ear flaps help to control their body temperature.

https://www.slideshare.net/mlauricella68/carnival-oftheanimals-copy

Baby Elephant Walk

Henry Mancini was a composer and arranger best known for his movie and TV music. He was born in Cleveland and

raised near Pittsburgh. The Baby Elephant Walk was written in 1961 for the film Hatari and is heard during a scene

where a woman leads three baby elephants to a watering hole for a bath.

Listen to the Baby Elephant Walk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?

When born elephants weigh around 260 lbs. Baby elephants are

the center of attention in their family groups and rely on their

mothers for as long as 3 years. (They can live for up to 70 years.)

The tusks develop at 6-12 months of age and grow continuously,

reaching up to 10 ft. long. Elephants are usually either right- or

left-tusked.

Wand of Youth, Suite No. 2, Op. 1B: The Wild Bears

Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) was an English composer. He

was born in the small village of Lower Broadheath in England.

His father was a violinist, a piano tuner and ran a music shop.

Edward’s mother encouraged her son’s musical study and by

age 8, Edward was studying the violin and piano. When he was

about ten, he wrote some tunes for use in a play staged by the

young members of the Elgar family. He put them in his note-

book, returning about 40 years later to arrange the music into

the two Wand of Youth suites. The composer later achieved

recognition as a composer and he was knighted in 1904.

The Wild Bears is the last movement from the second suite. It is marked Presto meaning very

quick (as in presto chango) and is a real orchestra showpiece. There are two sections of the

Wand of Youth that refer to bears: the first portrays tame bears and this movement depicts the

bears after the children gave the bears their freedom. Imagine the happy excitement of bears

released from their cages, frolicking around. Listen for the roar of the trombones and the use of

percussion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWhRpncqt44

The Very Noisy Bear by Nick Bland Hear the book read aloud - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DN0PCXlEcI

“Music has caught the ears of one very sleepy Bear. Bear’s

friends Moose, Zebra, Lion, and Sheep have formed a band, and

since Bear is already awake, they invite him to join. But first

they’ll have to find him just the right instrument to play. He tries

the drums, the guitar and the trumpet. Turns out he’s a very

noisy bear. Then finally he tries the microphone, and it seems

Bear has found just the right instrument to play. Nick Bland’s

fifth book with Bear and his friends is a wonderful celebration of

friendship, teamwork, and finding your talents.”

Scholastic Books

Eric Benjamin – Conductor, Composer, Arranger

After earning a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at New England Conservatory, Eric joined the faculty of Newton (MA) North High School where he taught music theory and music appreciation, coached chamber music and conducted the orchestra. He was on the conducting staff of the Akron Symphony and director of the Akron Youth Symphony for 11 years, returning recently as Associate Conductor. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, Canton Symphony, Columbus Symphony and numerous student festivals. He also holds the position of music director of the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, is currently the Music Director of the Alliance Symphony and on the faculty of the University of Mount Union.

Eric was the host and producer of the award-winning radio show “Klassical Kids,” a program for young people about classical music airing on WCLV Cleveland at 104.9 FM. The program won first prize for excellence in education awarded by Fine Arts Radio International. As a composer and arranger, Benjamin has produced a catalog of varied works for orchestra, chorus and soloists. In 2000, Eric was named Composer of the Year by the Ohio Music Teachers Association.

Magical Theatre Company

Magical Theatre Company is a professional theatre for young

audiences and families. For more than 40 years they have

brought the magic of theatre to thousands of children,

presenting performances at their home, the restored Park

Theatre in downtown Barberton, as well as on the road.

For more information about Magical Theatre Company,

visit www.magicaltheatre.org.

Curious George & The Golden Meatball It’s “All You Can Eat Meatball Day” and George is on a mission to help his friend, Chef Pisghetti, enter his meatballs in the world-famous Golden Meatball contest in Rome. A musical about meatballs and monkeys - need we say more?

Most enjoyed by families ages 4 and up. May 11, 12 and 18.

Make sure to get your parents’ approval and help with these fun and interactive websites!

http://www.nyphilkids.org - This site sponsored by the New York Philharmonic has activities that include walking

through an interactive instrument storage room, creating your own music, making your own instrument from everyday household

items, and playing an instrument matching game!

http://www.carnegiehall.org/DigitalLibrary/ - The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall has free digital resources

for teaching and learning.

http://www.sfskids.org - Visit the San Francisco Symphony’s kids section to hear clips of each instrument in the

orchestra. You can also create your own music.

For information and educational materials about the Akron Zoo, visit www.akronzoo.org

Animal Scavenger Hunt (for ages 3-5) https://www.akronzoo.org/teacher-resources

Education is a top priority at the Akron Zoo, and we're committed to providing outstanding educational opportunities to all of our

zoo guests. We offer a variety of programs for individuals and groups who want to explore wildlife and the ways we can save them.

Animals for Kids Learning Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAPMFsQLvoc

Animals: Facts, Pictures and Videos from National Geographic Kids -

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/

Cute Baby Animals Compilation 2016 - Funny Animal Videos for Kids -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdr4d-WeNKM

Classroom Activities - https://www.pinterest.com/msmusic4life88/music-classroom-carnival-of-the-animals/?lp=true

http://slideplayer.com/slide/4489117/

Resources

Feedback—Parents and Teachers

What age(s) are your children? _______

Do you think the program was appropriate for your child’s age level?

If no, please explain:

Did you receive adequate logistical information prior to the concert?

Was the information given during the concert effective?

How was the music?

Was the Resource Packet useful? Did you make use of the materials prior to the concert?

What could we have done better?

Any other comments?

Please email responses to fgoldman@akronsymphony.org

or mail to Akron Symphony, 92 N. Main St. Akron, OH 44308

The survey will also be available online at akronsymphony.org

Feedback—Students Use the space below to draw a picture of your favorite part of the concert.