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National Symphony OrchestraYoung People’s Concert

Ankush Kumar BahlConductor

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Dear Teacher:A World of Music promises to be a fun and informative experience for students andeducators! Learn about the origins of classical music in western Europe, andintroduce your students to the tools in the composer’s “toolbox.”

This Cuesheet performance guide offers three integrated resources that worktogether to help you prepare students for the concert:

1. The Guide for Students contains information about composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edvard Grieg, Benjamin Britten, and Dmitri Shostakovich, the concert program, and a related activity.

2. The CD provides Listening Activities and musical excerpts relating to four orchestral works from the program, as well as an introduction to the

composer’s toolbox.

3. This Guide for Teachers shares ideas on how to bring the Cuesheet, the Listening Activities, and online resources to life in the classroom.

Enjoy the concert!

Carole J. WysockiDirector, NSO Education Program

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Tips for Using This GuideStudents (and their teachers!) will get more out of the NSO Young People’s Concertwhen they are prepared for the A World of Music program in advance. Here are sometips for using these resources:

Using the CDThe CD contains Listening Activities designed for grades 3 and up. The activities maybe presented by the classroom teacher or music specialist.

Many students will require at least two opportunities to engage with the content ofthe CD. We suggest this approach to the listening activities.

Engage Students > Play Track > Reflect > Repeat as needed > Go to the Next Track

General Tips■ Listen for yourself. Spend some time alone with the CD and other resources. This

prep time is invaluable as you bring these resources into the classroom.

■ Allow enough time. Some teachers introduce students to the material four weeks before the Concert.

■ Prepare not only for the music but for the event. For many students, this will be their first time at a concert with a full orchestra. They’ll be more comfortable if theyknow what to expect.

■ Most importantly, bring your own creativity to the process. Change these activities to fit your classroom and add your own variations.

The activities presented on the CD connect to the National Content Standards for music,and other subject areas such as social studies and language arts. For more about thestandards, visit the ARTSEDGE Web site.

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

A World of Music (9:45)Summary Students are introduced to the international language of classical music by theNational Symphony Orchestra’s new Assistant Conductor, Ankush Kumar Bahl.

During the concert, students learn about the basic tools used by composers andtravel to the homelands of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edvard Grieg, BenjaminBritten, and Dmitri Shostakovich. In Austria, students discover Mozart’s playfulpersonality. They hear about Grieg’s fascination with a famous folktale in Norway.Traveling on, students visit England and learn about Britten’s choice to write musicthat expresses emotion. Students then tour Russia, as they witness the hardships of wartime through Shostakovich’s music.

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L I ST E N I N G TO…M OZ A R T ’ S SY M P H O N Y N O. 2 9

Pitch Perfect (3:47)SummaryStudents learn about Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his use ofpitch and intervals.

BeforeDirect students to Cuesheet page 4. Read with students how Mozart used high notes,low notes, and everything in between to create his melodies.

During While playing these tracks, connect students to the “Woofers and Tweeters” activityintroduced in Cuesheet, which provides a gestural exercise for students to perform asthey listen to Mozart’s use of pitch. This exercise reinforces lessons in pitch andintervals contained on the CD.

AfterEncourage students to share their understanding of high notes and low notes. Discuss the concept of intervals and how it applies in the music.

The excerpt of Mozart’s Symphony No. 29is provided without prompts on Track 7.

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L I ST E N I N G TO…G R I E G ’ S P E E R GY N T

Rock ‘n’ Troll Music (5:46)SummaryStudents learn about composer Edvard Grieg and how he used rhythm and tempo to capture the folk stories of his native Norway.

BeforeDirect students to Cuesheet page 5. Read with students about a composer’s use of rhythm, steady beat, and tempo to create catchy melodies.

DuringWhile playing these tracks, connect students to the definition of accelerandointroduced in Cuesheet page 3, which provides a context for the increasing tempo asthey listen to Grieg’s work.

AfterEncourage students to share their understanding of steady beat, rhythm, and tempo.Do students think Peer Gynt escaped the trolls or did they catch him?

The excerpt of Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is provided withoutprompts on Track 10.

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L I ST E N I N G TO…B R I T T E N ’ S S I M P L E SY M P H O N Y

Tea and Sympathy (5:03)SummaryStudents learn about British composer Benjamin Britten and how he used a minor key to express emotion and deep feelings in his music.

BeforeDirect students to Cuesheet page 6. Prior to listening, remind students of thedifference between a major and a minor key. Explain that a minor key can make themusic sound sad, strange, dramatic, or mysterious. Please note that the concept ofmajor and minor keys has been simplified for basic classroom demonstration.

During Listen to the composer’s tools being used in Britten’s “Sentimental Saraband.” Havestudents identify the choices Britten made in his pitch and tempo, as well as use ofthe minor key, to express emotion.

AfterLead a brief discussion allowing students to identify what made Britten’s “sad tune”seem sad. Did he choose “sad” instruments? A “sad” tempo? Was the music alwayssad, or did it “cheer up”?

The excerpt of Britten’s “Sentimental Saraband” is provided without prompts onTrack 9.

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L I ST E N I N G TO…S H O STA KOV I C H ’ S SY M P H O N Y N O. 1 0

Sound of War (5:30)SummaryStudents learn how Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich used musical dynamics to convey the imagery of war.

BeforeDirect students to Cuesheet page 7. Prior to listening, remind students that musical dynamics refer to the loudness or softness of the music.Discuss how sudden shifts in volume, from soft to loud, loud to louder, and louder tosofter, provide dramatic tools for the composer.

DuringListen for the sounds of war in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10. Ask students to identifyspecific images with musical fragments. Have them consider the musical choicesShostakovich made in terms of pitch, rhythm, steady beat, minor keys, and dynamics.

After Lead a short reflection. Encourage students to describe what they “saw” and heard.Discuss the tools Shostakovich used to create mood in the work.

The excerpt of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 is provided without prompts onTrack 8.

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A S S E S S M E N T

The Listening Game (3:45)SummaryStudents will recap the learning from the CD tracks.

BeforeExplain to students that they will revisit the composers and destinations from the CD.Remind students of the basics that serve as clues to identify the music. The composer’stools are identified as: pitch, rhythm, steady beat, tempo, minor key, and dynamics.

DuringPlay the Listening Game on Track 6. Students are asked to identify the works basedon listening to excerpts of the works by Mozart, Grieg, Britten, and Shostakovich.

AfterIf time allows, ask winners to share specific “clues” that helped them to identify themusic. It might have been the “story” or the subject of the music. It might have beenthe composer’s tools. Give bonus points if students use Italian words like accelerando,allegro, andante, or subito. The correct answers are: (1) Grieg, “In the Hall of theMountain King”; (2) Britten’s “Sentimental Saraband”; (3) Mozart’s Symphony No. 29;and (4) Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10.

The program of the NSO Young People’s Concert A World of Music is providedwithout listening prompts at the end of the CD.

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Preparing for the ConcertBefore you depart:■ Remind students that no eating or

drinking is permitted in the Concert Hall.

■ Suggest students bring a light sweater or jacket in case the hall is cold.

When students arrive:■ Encourage students to visit the

restrooms in the lobby before the concert begins.

■ Remind students to sit still in their seats and not to reach between rows, kick the seat in front of them, or otherwise distract from anyone else’s concert experience.

■ The Concert Hall acoustics provide an opportunity to remind students to remain quiet during the performance—and to demonstrate how sound travels from musicians to audience.

During the performance:■ Students will know to clap hands and applaud the musicians when the conductor

silences the orchestra and turns to acknowledge the audience.

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The Concert ProgramAt the concert, students will hear the following works:

Bernstein Fanfare for the Inauguration of JFK

Mozart First Movement from Symphony No. 29 in A major, K 201 (excerpt)

Smetana The Moldau (excerpt)

Bartok Rumanian Dances, Nos. 1, 5, 6, and 7

Shostakovich Allegro from Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93

Britten “Sentimental Saraband” from Simple Symphony, Op. 4

Grieg “In the Hall of the Mountain King” from Peer Gynt, Op. 23

Falla Spanish Dance from La vida breve

Debussy Claire de Lune (excerpt), Orchestrated by Ravel

Rossini Overture to William Tell (excerpts)

Online ResourcesAll selections performed at the A World of Music concert are provided online on theARTSEDGE site. You’ll also find additional resources to prepare for the concert,including extra listening activities, and much more.

www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/students/kc-connections/a-world-of-music

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