DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 294 775 SO 018 593

AUTHOR Higa, HaroldTITLE The Honolulu Symphony In-School Ensembles.INSTITUTION Hawaii State Dept. of Education, Honolulu. Office of

Instructional Services.REPORT NO RS-85-7385PUB DATE Jan 85NOTE 32p.PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Use Materials (For Learner)

(051) Guides Classroom Use - Guides (ForTeachers) (052)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Class Activities; *Concerts; Elementary Education;

Learning Activities; Musical Instruments; *MusicEducation; *Orchestras; *School Community Programs

IDENTIFIERS *Music Ensembles

ABSTRACTThe Honolulu (Hawaii) Symphony Orchestra's commitment

to education includes young people's concerts and in-schoolensembles. The purpose of this booklet is to enhance the educationalpotential of in-school concerts through the presentation ofinformation about the orchestra and music related concepts. Part 1describes the orchestra's personnel, the in-school ensembles'purposes and compositions, and the differences between orchestras andensembles. Part 2 explains: (1) audience responsibility and listeningskills; (2) ensemble instruments in terms of the string, woodwind,brass, and percussion families; and (3) suggested elementary levelpre-concert and post-concert class activities. Part 3 contains asource list for obtaining pit-tures of musical instruments, along withan annotated list of 12 films, recordings, filmstrips, and books thatcan be used as resource materials. Pictures of musical instrumentsare included. (JHP)

***********************************************************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document.***********************************************************************

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Department of Education, State of HawaiiFrancis M. Hatanaka, Superintendent

Honolulu Symphony SocietyNational Endowment for the ArtsState Foundation on the Culture and the ArtsWomen's Association of the Honolulu SymphonyHawaii State Legislature

THE HONOLULU SYMPHONYDonald Johanos, Music Director

PREFACE

The primary aim of the Honolulu Symphony is to serve communitiesand schools as effectively as possible. Its commitment to education

includes, in addition to the Young People's Concerts, the In-School

Ensembles. The purpose of this booklet is to enhance the educationalpotential of these in-school presentations through a discussion of some

of the related concepts.

Based on questions that are often asked, the first half of thebooklet provides general information about the orchestra's personnel,its typical schedule and some of the challenges that confront a

professional musician. The second half deals with specifics includingdescriptions of instruments of the ensembles, and suggestions for

classroom activities. The booklet concludes with a listing of relevant

annotated resource materials. An attempt has been made to explaintopics and concepts clearly enough for non-musicians to understand. If

this has not been fully achieved, the district music resource teachers

may be approached for help.

Special thanks are extended to the following:

Harold iga, Education Coordinator of the Honolulu Symphony

who wrote the booklet;

Assistant Conductor Henry Miyamura who is also the artistic

director of the symphony ensembles;

Bill Lightfoot, Orchestra Manager who provided encouragingwords;

Nancy Hiu, Educational Specialist, Communicative Arts, whohelped with her invaluable editorial advice;

Lloyd Inaba, State Music Educational Specialist who providedconsultative services in the production of the booklet; and

Allen Emura, State Reprographic Specialist who designed thecover of the booklet.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Honolulu Symphony Musicians 1

The Honolulu Symphony In-School Ensembles 3

Audience Responsibility and Listening 6

Instruments of the Ensembles 7

Suggested Classroom Activities 22

Resource Materials 26

iii

THE HONOLULU SYMPHONY MUSICIANS

How many musicians are therein the Honolulu Symphony?

In what other kinds of things

are musicians involved?

How does one becomean orchestra musician?

1

For the subscription Concert Seriesat the Blaisdell Concert Hall, theHonolulu Symphony may require as manyas 90 musicians. The nucleus of theorchestra, however, is made up of 57professionals who are full-timemembers.

Many professional musicians teachprivately during their spare time,but also devote much of their time topracticing and performing.

The musicians also have a widevariety of interests. They may spend

a lot of time reading and writing.They may be involved in arranging orcomposing music, or they may spendtime sailing or scuba diving.Playing softball is a favoredrecreation of many of the symphony

musicians.

Most of the musicians of the symphonyhave attended colleges orconservatories to earn a degree ortwo in music. Although musicians are

said to "play" music, they must workhard to develop and maintain theirmusical abilities and skills. A typicalday for an orchestra musician mightinclude a three-hour rehearsal in themorning followed by two hours ofindividual practicing after lunchand a two-hour concert in theevening.

Being dedicated to their art, mostmusicians reinvest much of theirearnings in recordings, printed musicor better instruments.

Who provides the instrumentsfor the musicians?

How expensive arethe instruments?

2

Except for very large percussioninstruments such as chimes, timpani,celesta, bass drum, and gongs,musicians purchase their owninstruments. Many own two or moreinstruments. For example, in orderto make his or her job less

complicated, a clarinetist might ownan instrument pitched in "Bb" andanother in "A." A trumpeter mightown a standard "Bb" trumpet plus oneor two smaller (and higher pitched)instruments.

The dollar value of the instrumentsvary widely; many string players owninstruments that range betweenfifteen to twenty thousand dollars.Because of the high risk, expensiveinstruments are seldom taken oninter-island concert tours.

7

THE HONOLULU SYMPHONY IN-SCHOOL ENSEMBLES

What does the word"ensemble" mean?

What is "chamber music"?

What are the purposes ofthe In-School Ensembles?

Ensemble means "together.' Thus when

a group of musicians plays together,they are said to be a part of anensemble. Although an ensemble couldbe a fairly large group, the HonoluluSymphony In-School Ensembles aresmall groups that perform "chambermusic."

In the past, bedrooms were called"chambers." Today a chamber refersto a small room. As its nameimplies, chamber music is performedby a few musicians for a smallaudience in a small room. Chamber

music is played by ensembles.

Great composers like Mozart,Beethoven, and Brahms have written alot of chamber music. Giftedcomposers feel challenged by thelimited means available in chambermusic. There are no sure-firegimmicks such as "seventy-sixtrombones," loud cymbal crashes or a

dozen herald trumpets at one'sdisposal. Johann Sebastian Bach haswritten some great pieces for asingle violin and also for a singlecello!

One purpose of the In-SchoolEnsembles is to provide an intimatemusical experience for students.Music performed by a few musiciansfor a small audience in a small roomenables the students to view themusicians and their instruments at

close range. Unlike a large hallwhere the sound of a string ensemblemight seem to be "out there andaway," in a smaller room, bothstudents and musicians share theacoustical space as though in aself-contained sound box.Consequently, a school cafeteriawould not be an appropriate place fora chaober concert, especially if it

involves an ensemble such as a stringquartet which has a limited dynamic

range.

How many In-School Ensemblesare there?

4

Another purpose of the ensembles isto reinforce the in-hall YoungPeople's Concerts of the HonoluluSymphony by demonstrating thecharacteristics of the orchestralinstruments, and by developing aninterest in orchestral music. Theloose format of the ensemble concertsmakes it easier for musicians toestablish rapport with students andthis, in turn, creates ampleopportunities for studentparticipation.

The most important purpose of theIn-School Ensemble is its role as alive resource for the classroomteacher and/or the music resourceteacher.

There are ten ensembles, four

percussion clinicians, and a soloviola. Since strings represent thelargest group in the orchestralfamily, there is a greater number ofstring ensembles.

The ten ensembles are:

o two woodwind quintets each madeup of a flute, oboe, clarinet,bassoon and French horn;

o a brass ensemble of nine players("nonet") with three trumpets,two French horns, threetrombones and a tuba; and

o seven string ensembles. One ofthese has a clarinet, another anoboe, and another a harp.

Since percussion instruments tend tobe large and bulky, they aredifficult to load and expensive totransport. For these reasons, thefour members of the percussionsection serve as individual teachersor clinicians and each player meetswith a separate class in a school todemonstrate a wide variety of smallerpercussion instruments and techniquesof playing them.

0Li

How is orchestral playingdifferent from ensemble playing?

5

The brave violist performs all by

himself.

In an orchestra, the parts are often

doubled. This simply means thatthere are many people in theorchestra playing the same notes. To

understand this better, imagine adozen actors on stage reciting the

same lines in unison. This techniqueplayed an important part in Greek

drama. Likewise, seated in the firstviolin section of an orchestra are adozen or more players who want toplease the conductor by trying toplay like ONE perfect instrument.

There is some unison playing in anensemble too, but much of the time,each musician is responsible forplaying notes that no one else has in

the ensemble. Good musicians enjoythe one-on-a-part demands of ensembleplaying because in a real sense theyare re-creating the composer's musicwith the other members of the group.

AUDIENCE RESPONSIBILITY AND LISTENING

Why are we expected to listenquietly to a concert when thisis not expected at parties?

Now can we learn to becomebetter listeners?

Parties such as birthdays andweddings celebrate special events.If there is a combo at such a partyit usually stays in the backgroundbecause the celebration i3 moreimportant than the entertainers. Onthe other hand, an ensemble concertspotlights music and music-making.The musicians are there to featurefine music.

Someone said, "music begins withsilence." Almost without exception 1valuable painting is carefully placedin an elegant frame. For fine musicto be fully appreciated, it too mustbe framed--framed !n silence.

Most of us are eye-minded. Thismeans that seeing comes morenaturally for us than listening. Wemay remember what a person looks likebut have difficulty recalling his orher name. Like those who favor theright hand over the left, we trustseeing more than we do listening.Even at that, there is a lot oureyes miss if we are notconcentrating. For example, everyoneknows what a dollar bill looks like.Yet, if we are asked to recall thewords or describe the pictures thatare on a dollar bill, most of uswould fail.

Listening to an ensemble takesconcentration. In order to follow apiece of music, the audience has tolisten and "take hold" of the sounds.To help students take hold of thesounds, a purpose for listeningshould be established. Students canbe asked to listen for repetitions inrhythm, melodic pattern, orinstrument combination. (SeeSuggested Classroom Activities.)

6

INSTRUMENTS OF THE ENSEMBLES

The String Family

Members of the string family arranged from the highest to lowestpitch range are:

violin

Al° (or violoncello)

7

12

viola

bass (or bass viol)

How are sounds produced onstring instruments?

What are the different techniquesused in playing stringinstruments?

8

A chalk screeches when pushed acrossa chalkboard. The noise made by theswishing of windshield wiper bladesgets louder as the windshield getsdrier. Both of these sounds areproduced by friction, by the rubbingor scraping of two objects. Thebeautiful sounds made by string

instruments are produced by the sameprocess.

As a wiper blade tends to slidesmoothly and quietly over a wetwindshield, a bow freshly strung withhorse hair will only produce a faintwhisper. Thus rosin has to beapplied on the bow hair to create thefriction necessary to produce thesounds. Rosin is the sticky stuffthat bulges out of pine tree trunks.

Although synthetic "hair" is oftenused today, real Arabian horse hair(from the tail) is still consideredbest.

The instruments o this family may bebowed or more rare;y strummed like anukulele. Plucking or, the stringsproduces a crisp sound called"p zzicato." The third movement ofTschaikowsky's Fourth Symphonyrequires the strings to playpizzicato throughout a long section.However, most often strings play"arco" or "with the bow."

Another string technique called"tremolo" uses a small, rapidalternating bow stroke which createsa mysterious ghost-like effect.

Even the stick of the bow is

occasionally used to tap the stringslightly. Rarely, the stick ratherthan the hair is drawn over thestrings to create a misty, dreamyeffect.

The string player's left hand is alsotrained to do many interesting

things. In addition to producing highor low pitches, the left hand canslide on strings to make a wailing,siren-like sound. At times the musiccalls for plucking by the left hand.

13

Why do beginning stringplayers have difficultyplaying in tune?

Are the tiny violins verysmall children are sometimesseen playing toy or real

instruments?

What are the various kindsof string ensembles?

A most interesting technique is the rapidshaking of the string player's left hand.This "vibrato" (to vibrate) movement addscolor to the tone and therefore makes theplaying more expressive. A singer's use

of vibrato is such a natural part of hisor her art that it goes unnoticed until we

hear the deliberate use of non-vibratowhich is only used for special effect.

String musicians are so accustomed tousing vibrato, they have difficultyturning it off. If there is anopportunity to do so, you may want to ask

a string player to play non-vibrato. A

string ensemble performing non-vibratosounds much like a reed organ.

Unlike guitars or ukuleles, bowed strings

are "fretless." Frets are thin brass

ridges on the fingerboard of instrumentsthat provide a fixed spot for the fingersto produce the desired pitches. The

violin and other strings have a finger

board without frets. There are no fixed,built-in spots which the fingers can

locate. Since all judgments about whereto place the fingers are made by ear, itmay take several years before one is able

to play well in tune.

If the instruments are tuneable andplayable they are not toys. Although a

full-sized violin for adults is about 14inches in length, there are smallerviolins for an intermediate schoolstudent, a still smaller one for someonein upper elementary, down to a tiny 1/16th

sized keiki violin for a child around two

years old. Although most band instruments

are built for older students, string

instruments are available for the tiniest

tot.

The traditional string quartet which hasbeen a favorite combination of manycomposers for nearly two hundred years is

made up of the following instruments:

1st violin,2nd violin,viola, andcello.

911

The seven string ensembles of theHonolulu Symphony are:

2 traditional stringquartets,

1 string quartet with astring bass in place of thecello,

1 string quintet whichincludes a harp ("harpquintet"),

1 string quintet whichincludes a string bass,

1 string quartet with a

clarinet added ("clarinetquintet"), and

1 string quartet with an oboeadded ("oboe quintet").

1510

The Woodwind Family

The instruments of the woodwind family listed from the highest to

lowest pitch range are:

c:Cr1===nagefWMtiflute

oboe

-"Lb 'riStrANtt?etillg.

piccolo

English horn

clarinet

bassoon

11

6

I

contra-bassoon

Why do the recorder and the flutesound alike?

Why is the flute included in thewoodwind family when it is madeof metal?

What is the small instrumentthat flute playersoccasionally play?

What is the difference betweenan oboe and an English horn?

What is the difference betweenan oboe and a clarinet?

12

Although a flute is held sideways(horizontally) and edge-blown, anda recorder held vertically andend-blown, they both belong to therecorder group. End-blown means theblow-hole or embouchure is at theend (top) of the recorder. Theembouchure on a flute is a side holelocated about four inches from theleft tip of the instrument.

In earlier days, flutes were made ofwood. Even today, black woodenflutes may occasionally be seen. Asan experiment, a member of thewoodwind quintet named "SoniVentorum" has carved a head joint(the blow-hole joint) out of keawewood. On a recent visit to Hawaii,he demonstrated the flute using thekeawe wood head-joint.

The tiny fife-like instrument is the"piccolo" which produces a high,shrill sound which can be heard aboveall the instruments in the ensembleor the orchestra.

Although these instruments are quitesimilar, the English horn is larger,has a pear-shaped bell, and a metalcrook which holds the reed. Since itis neither English nor a horn, theorigin of the name is puzzling. Oneexplanation is that the name Englishhorn is used simply to distinguish itfrom the French horn.

A clarinet's reed is clamped firmlyto a tapered mouthpiece which in turnis attached to the clarinet; whereas,an oboe's reed IS the mouthpiece. In

addition, the thin double reed of theoboe is much smaller than the black,

cigar-sized mouthpiece of theclarinet.

Unlike the piercing, nasal sound ofthe oboe, the clarinet has a "liquid"tone, like drops of water fallinggently into a tiny pool.

What is the similarity betweenthe oboe and the bassoon?

What is the instrumentation(combination of instruments) ofthe symphony woodwind ensembles?

A larger instrument of the clarinetfamily is the basset horn or altoclarinet. A considerably largerinstrument is the bass clarinet.

The bassoon, which is the "papa" ofthe woodwind family belongs to theoboe group since it too has a doublereed. Bassoons are able to "sing" aswell as the best male singers. Yeton the lower tones, they're able togrowl like a huge, menacing dog. The"grand papa" of the woodwinds is thecontra-bassoon. On its lowest tones,the contra-bassoon can growl like alion. Bassoons are always visiblesince they stick out like smokestacksin the middle of the orchestra.

There are two symphony woodwindquintets. Each has the followingtraditional instrumentation:

flute,

oboe,

clarinet,bassoon, andFrench horn.

The Brass Family

Members of the brass family arranged from the highest to lowestpitch range are:

trumpet

French horn

trombone

14

19

What do all brasses havein common?

How is sound producedon brasses?

Is a bugle part of thebrass family?

What is the difference betweena bugle and a trumpet?

Is a trumpet different froma cornet?

Who would be considered the"mellow fellow" in thebrass section?

All so called "brass" instruments aremade of some kind of metal but notnecessarily brass. A common featureof all brasses is the mouthpiecewhich is either shaped like one-halfof an hourglass or a tiny ice creamcone.

The player begins by placing his lipsagainst the opening of themouthpiece. Then by forcing airthrough pressed lips, he creates a"bumble bee buzz" which causes theair in the instrument to vibrate.

A bugle is a brass instrument but itis not normally used in the orchestraor the symphony ensembles. Since ithas no valves, a bugle is limited tofour or five notes.

Bugles are often associated withwarefare mainly because theirpowerful sounds can cut through thenoisy confusion of combat to signal"charge" or "retreat." (SeeSuggested Classroom Activities.)

The obvious difference is that atrumpet has valves and a bugle doesnot. The valves and additionaltubing make it possible for theaverage trumpeter to play 24 or morenotes compared to four or five on abugle.

The cornet and trumpet are closelyrelated and are played in the sameway. However, there is a basicdifference in the tone color of theseinstruments. The cornet can berecognized by its mellow sound,whereas the trumpet has a morebrilliant tone. Visually, the cornetappears stubby compared to the moreslender trumpet.

The French horn can sound brassy butit could also sound mellow. Becauseits tone blends with woodwinds aswell as brasses, the French horn hasbeen "adopted" by the woodwindfamily. It is an important member ofboth the brass and woodwindensembles.

15

20

Do French horns have valves?

What is the function ofthe slide on a trombone?

Which is the lowest-pitchedinstrument in the brass family?

What is the instrumentation ofthe symphony's brass ensemble?

16

Athough the modern French horn hasthree or even four valves, many yearsago only "natural" horns (withoutvalves) were available. Unlike

buglers, valveless horn players were.able to play scales on natural hornsby pushing their right hand in or outof the bell in different degrees.With our valve instruments of today,the right hand is used to change thetone quality and also to adjust thepitch of notes that are not perfectlyin tune. If the bent tubing on aFrench horn is straightened out,there would be over 16 feet oftubing!

The slide on a trombone serves thesame function as valves on otherbrass instruments. By pushing andpulling on the slide to change thelength of the tubing, the trombonistis able to play high or low pitches.Incidentally, there is a trombonethat does have valves. It is called

a "valve trombone."

The tuba is the largest and lowest ofthe brasses. The "brother" of thetuba is the Sousaphone which iscarried on the shoulder of a musicianin marching bands. The tubing on atuba is about two feet shorter thanthat of a French horn.

A group of symphony musicians haveformed an independent brassquintet known as The Honolulu Brass.Like most brass quintets, TheHonolulu Brass follows thetraditional instrumentation which is:

two trumpets,French horn,trombone, andtuba.

21

The Percussion Family

There are more percussion instruments than can be covered in thisbooklet. Basically, the percussion family may be divided into two basicgroups as follows:

timpani

Definite Pitch Instruments

glig11011111non

orchestra bells ("glockenspiel" in German)

17 6 2

vibraharp

18

celesta

400 0

Indefinite Pitch Instruments

snare drum

bass drum

19

4

What does definite pitch mean?

Why is a timpani called"kettledrum"?

Why does the timpanist lookbusy even when he is not playing?

Why might orchestra bells benicknamed "bar bells"?

How is the glockenspiel played?

What are some of the othermallet instruments?

20

The term refers to sounds that have apitch which can be matched by ourvoices.

A timpani is called "kettledrum"because it looks a lot like a hugesoup kettle. Kettledrums have adefinite, singable pitch. Forexample, two "timps" may be tuned toplay the "ding, dong, ding" of "AreYou Sleeping" very well.

Standing in the middle of three oreven four kettledrums, a timpanist isoften seen crouched over close to thehead of the timps as though lookingfor a contact lens. Actually, sincetimps often need to be re-tuned inthe middle of a piece, the timpanistbrings his ear close to the head ofthe instrument in order to re-tune itsoftly without distracting theconductor or the audience.

Orchestra bells have nothing incommon with our mental picture ofbells shaped like Christmas bells orthe Liberty Bell. Orchestra bells or"glockenspiel" are made of steel bars(bar bells) placed close together ona flat surface. Of the two rows ofbars, one serves the function of theblack keys of the piano and the otherthe white keys.

There is a type of glockenspiel thatis encased in a black box slightlybigger than a toy piano. It isequipped with keys and played like apiano. Generally, however, orchestrabells are struck with mallets made ofeither rubber, wood, yarn, or brass.Therefore, they are listed undermallet instruments.

Other instruments built on theprinciple of orchestra bells are thexylophone and marimba. Like theglockenspiel, these are definitepitch instruments with bars made ofwood rather than steel. Thevibraharp or vibraphone is a malletinstrument which has an electricalmechanism which produces vibrato.

25

What is the instrument thatlooks like a small piano orreed organ?

What is the tall instrument thatlooks like a display rack of pipesin a plumbing shop?

What does indefinite pitch mean?

How does a snare drum "work"?

Why is it called a "streetdrum"?

Are the bass drum and snaredrum related?

21

The celesta which looks like a smallupright piano may be called a"keyboard - glockenspiel" since it usessteel bars 11ke the glockenspiel butis played like a piano.

The large instrument with shinychrome pipes suspended in a metalframe is the chimes or tubular bells.The bells are struck with one or twowooden mallets that look like agavel.

The term refers to sounds that rlo nothaze a pitch that we can match th

our voice. A snare drum falls inthis category since its vibrationsare irregular. Like clapping or foottapping, a snare drum produces noiserather than a singable tone.

The top of the snare drum is aptlycalled the "batter head" and thebottom the "snare head." Snares aremade out of gut or steel stringsplaced in a column about an inchwide. This band of wires isstretched tightly across the bottomof the drum. Snares produce the dry,ratchety sound of this drum which issometimes called "street drum."

The snare drum is called a "streetdrum" because it is an important partof parades and marching bands. They

are loud enough to be heard by alland the crisp, snappy sound helpsparade units to achieve precision intheir marching.

A bass drum is like a huge snare drumwithout snares. However, snare drumsare played by a pair of drum stickswhile a bass drum is normally playedby a single, padded beater. A bass

drum also helps marching units bypounding and accenting the strongbeats.

2C

SUGGESTED CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Pre-C. ncert

The suggested activities may be better suited for grades 4-6.Where possible, kindergarten and grade 1-3 teachers are encouraged toadapt them to their needs. Teachers are also encouraged to use theresources listed at the end of the booklet for either pre- orpost-concert activities.

1. Listening

The following are examples of listening exercises that can becarried out to help improve students' listening skills.

a. Very often what appears to be new in a piece is merely avariation of something old, that is, something already statedmusically in the piece. A simple example is the middlesection of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." The phrases,

"Up above the world so high,like a diamond in the sky..."

represent the contrasting section (something new), but it isactually "something old" since it is merely a repetition ofthe pattern, "how I wonder what you are," at a higher pitch.Thus, the cliche, "same but different," is a common occurrencein music.

Ask students to identify the phrases (something new) that arerepetitions of "something old."

b. In the following layout of "America," the lines that are basedon "something old" (mainly through repeated rhythm) aregrouped in the left column. In considering the whole, noticethat except for the two short cadences on the right whichrepresent "something new," all phrases on the left share abasic rhythmic pattern.

America

My coun-try, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of lib-er-ty

Of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pil-grims pride,

From ev-'ry moun-tain-side

Let free-dom ring!

22 27

Ask students to identify the phrases (something new) that arerepetitions of "something old."

c. Have students analyze "Hawaii Ponoi" to differentiate repeatedpassages (old) from "something new." Help students todiscover the rhythmic similarities between "America" and"Hawaii Ponoi."

2. Audience Responsibility

Discuss what is meant by the following sentence:

There is something magical about silence in a room full ofpeople; only the listener can "create" this silence.

Ask students to suggest ways of experimenting with their ideas onsilence.

3. Follow up on Strings and the Principle of Sound by Friction

The following activity will help students understand how sounds canbe produced by friction.

Obtain eight crystal wine glasses of uniform size and thickness.Leave one glass empty to represent the lowest pitch. Then fill theremaining glasses with water, increasing the volume in eachsucceeding glass, thereby allowing for the tuning of the set ofglasses to a musical scale. By lightly rubbing the edge of theglasses with moist fingers, one or more students can producebeautiful sounds and play simple tunes.

4. Follow up on the Woodwind Family

The following activities will help students understand toneproduction on woodwind instruments.

a. Have students blow across the puka of a bottle so that theycan have a general idea of what it feels like to blow on aflute.

b. Fill eight empty bottles with carefully measured amounts ofwater, tuning the set to pitches of a major scale. Eightstudents could then like a handbell choir play simple tunessuch as "Joy to the World" or the "Marine's Hymn."

c. To discover how a double reed works, squeeze the tip of astraw and blow into the tip until a squeal is heard.

5. Follow up on the Brass Family

The following activities will help students understand toneproduction on brass instruments.

23

a. Ask students to help locate a conch shell that might beborrowed. It ought to be one that has already been perforatedat the narrow end. Instruct students to blow and buzz throughlips pressed against the narrow puka on the shell.

b. If a conch shell is not available, the same experiment can bedone on a piece of garden hose with a funnel pushed in at oneend, then blowing from the other end.

6. Making Instruments of the Percussion Family

Of all the instruments of the the orchestra, those of thepercussion family are the easiest to make.

a. Coffee cans with or without the plastic cover, oatmeal boxes,gallon ice cream containers, or even a clean garbage can be

used for drums. Students might suggest other objects that canbe used.

b. Aluminum pizza platters of different sizes, pot covers, orrubbish can covers can be substitutes for cymbals or gongs.

c. A triangle can be shaped out of a metal rod about thethickness of a pencil. Metal tubes or bamboo stocks cut indifferent sizes can be used as chimes or a small marimba.

7. Sharing a Musical Instrument

Ask students to share a musical instrument which is kept at home.If the student is not able to demonstrate on it, perhaps a parentor older sibling could do so for the class.

8. Topic for Discussion

In what way would one expect a symphony ensemble to be different

from a rock group?

Ensemble

-controlled volume-controlled body movementbalance between loud and soft

playing

-no singing (most likely)- instruments are not electrical

24

Rock Group

- unlimited volume-uninhibited body movements-seldom plays softly

-mostly singing- instruments are

electrically powered

Post-Concert

1. Students will notice that most of the musicians in an ensemble movetheir bodies while playing. Ask students what they think mightcause them to do this.

The origin of music is the dance. In wanting to fully express thelife and spirit of music, musicians feel a strong urge to move withthe ebb and flow of a piece.

2. An important part of developing musical maturity involves theability to make intelligent choices in selecting music. Theteacher is encouraged to discuss with students the followingtopics:

a. students' favorite pieces and reasons for liking them,

b. comparing and contrasting selected pieces, and/or

c. students' favorite instruments.

3. Play recordings of ensembles and have students

a. identify prominent instruments and instrument combinations,and/or

b. identify repetitions heard in rhythm and melodic patterns.

4. Have students research and report on the following topics:

a. story of Joshua and the City of Jericho,

b. composer whose music was played by the ensemble, and/or

c. favorite musical instrument.

5. Have groups of students compose a simple song using repetitions inrhythm and melodic patterns and have them play it for the class.

30

25

RESOURCE MATERIALS

16 MM Films

These films may be obtained from: Office of Instructional Services,Multi-Media Branch.

0312 THE BRASS CHOIR 11 min. J-H

Representative compositions featuring the choir are played bya full symphony orchestra. The timbres of various brassinstruments are demonstrated--the brilliance of trumpets, themellow quality of the horns, the rich power of the trombones,and the massive depth of the tuba. EBEC 1956

1456 INTRODUCING THE BRASSES 23 min. J-H-C

Illustrates the musical characteristics and operatingprinciples of a brass quintet of two trumpets, trombone,french horn and tuba. Five compositions are played todemonstrate the voices of the instruments. IU 1957

4758 STRING SOUNDS 16 min. J-H-C

Illustrates the range of string sounds available, usingdifferent kinds of instruments, strings, and ways of makingstrings vibrate. Presents various performances to show theways strings are bowed, plucked, scraped and struck to makemusic. Demonstrates basic principles of string instruments.CF 1968

1458 INTRODUCING THE WOODWINDS 23 min. J-H-C

Illustrates the musical characteristics and operatingprinciples of the instruments of a woodwind quintet composedof flute, piccolo, bassoon, oboe, and clarinet. Includes the

french horn. IU 1957

3231 THE WOODWIND CHOIR (2nd ed.) 11 min. E-J

Various woodwind instruments supported by full orchestras areshown and heard in typical passages from standard orchestracompositions. Tone quality and playing techniques arestressed. EBEC 1956

4717 PERCUSSION SOUNDS 16 min. E

Experiments with an intriguing array of familiar music. Shows

percussion to have more musical potential than is often foundin western music by presenting instruments from other culturesand a variety of unusual and standard instruments from ourown. CF 1968

26 31

Recommended Recordings

An Introduction to Musical Instruments--Lerner Records Instruments ofthe $rc estra RC LES -6001 wit i ustrations an teacher s guiE)

Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten (many recordedversions available

Filmstrips with Recorded Commentary

Music Spotlight Series Eye Gate (Percussion, Brass, Keyboard,Woodwinds)

Meet the Instruments Bowmar/Noble Records (Recordings with correlatedfilmstrips)

Books

Young People's Concerts Simon & Schuster (book with recordings)

An Introduction to the Instruments of the Orchestra (A Big Golden Bookwith Illustrations) by Alice and Martin Provensen

Sources for Pictures of Instruments

Bowmar/Nobel Inc.

Conn Inc.

Jam Handy Filmstrips

G. Schirmer Inc.

4563 Colorado Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90030

1101 East Beardsley St.Elkhart, Indiana 46514

150 White Plains Rd.Tarrytown, N. Y. 10591

609 Fifth Ave.New York, N. Y. 10017

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