PowerPoint Presentation

COMMUNICATING ABOUT MUSIC FOR THE WORLD LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

Jeffrey Jamner, DMASenior Director of School Programs, The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts

Hong Shao, Pipa Performer

The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts 2015

JJ: Im Jeff Jamner, Senior Director of School Programs at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.

I am joined by my friend and colleague, Hong Shao. Hong is a wonderful Pipa player and teacher of both music and dance.

Thank you to Betty Yu and Terrill Martin at Western Kentucky Universitys Confucius Institute for inviting us today.

Thank you for the work that you do, teaching Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture to our students. You are opening their minds to the world and that is such an important part of their education.

I am also a teacher and performer. My background is classical music. Classical music the music that I play on piano must be very important in China today, as evidenced by the number of outstanding concert artists from China including Lang Lang, Yundi Li, Yuja Wang and an amazing 19 year old Chinese American pianist named George Li.

Many American students are not as drawn to classical music these days, and part of my work is to find ways to make this music more accessible to them.

The work we will do together in this hour is a modification of a lesson I developed years ago which teaches students to write Reviews or Critiques of concerts so that they listen with more focus and develop their writing skills. Because you teach a language, we will also focus on listening and responding to music creates opportunities for students to have conversations about music.

Two things led me to create this lesson:CMA give them 1-2 things to listen forSarah (multiple languages Chinese, German, French, and Thai)

In order for students to communicate about music in a new language they must be able to talk about it comfortably in their native language.

After my experience teaching Sarah whose great vocabulary of music escaped her when asked about a concert she attended, I decided to try generating descriptive vocabulary from something that is easier for students to talk about

1Have you ever been to a fireworks show?

What WORDS would you use to describe that experience?Fireworks.I will now lead you through a little of this and you will participate as my students. How many of you have ever been to a Fireworks Show?

No please open your workbooks to page 2 and take out a pen or pencil. Please write down as many words as you can, and as quickly as you can, to describe the fireworks that you saw. (What did it look like, sound like, etc.) Write these in the box. In a minute I will ask you to share your words with a partner at your table.

Now turn to the person sitting at your left and share your list of words with each other.

In English what words would you use please raise your hand

What are good words that students should know or learn in Mandarin that could be used here?(colorful colors)

Here are some words that students I work with have come up with in English:

2Words describing Fireworks DisplayBrilliantColorfulLoudExplosiveExcitingThrillingThunderousBeautifulFun (8)

When I teach this, we usually fill the board with words and I am able to genuinely praise the students for their descriptive vocabularies.

3HOW DID YOU FEEL DURING FIREWORKS SHOW?ThrilledExcitedScaredIn AweBoredHappyNow turn to page 3 in your workbooks. You will have one minute to write down words or phrases that describe how your feelings during the fireworks. These are words of emotions. Example excited

Now share your words with the person on your right (new partner).

Discuss at your table what words your students would know or need to learn in your Mandarin Chinese classroom. I will ask for someone from different tables to call out a word in Mandarin and then translate it for my benefit into English.

Here are examples of words that might be generated by students at this part of the lesson.

4

Listening ExperienceSWe will now listen to Hong Shao perform a piece of music. She will tell you the name of the piece and approximately how long it is. You will hear this piece two times. The first time please just listen and watch. Wait until after the performance to write.

Turn to page 4 in your workbooks. There are three boxes for words, phrases, and sentences for you to write in to prepare for a conversation about the performance.

Write down words, phrases and sentences that describe the music, describe its emotions, and describe your emotions.

Now well give you a second opportunity to hear this piece and you can write additional words down while listening.

Next, Hong will perform part of another piece of music that is quite different. Please listen without writing and after her performance, write down what makes this piece contrasting with the first piece.

This brings us to Music Standards and real Integration of the Arts and World Languages. We can talk about tempo, rhythm, dynamics, melody, and harmony.

First discuss this with a partner, and then with your table. Ill ask for a speaker from several tables to call out answers to what makes the second piece contrasting to the first.

5DISCUSSING the quality OF the performance

When we go to a movie, we also talk about whether we liked it or not and why. I want know more than I liked it or I didnt like it. What did you like about it? What could have been better?

For this we get into special vocabulary. I will use English words here and you, as professionals, can determine ways you can or cannot adapt this to your classrooms.

6Specialized Music Vocabularyvirtuosoa performer with great technical abilitydynamicsloudness and softnessarticulationconnected and disconnected notestonethe quality of sound from the instrument (or voice if singer). Tone can be beautiful, harsh, pale, etc.

To help your students discuss and write about music in a more informed way, I would like to now introduce some specialized vocabulary about music. Some of these words we have already introduced.

7MORE Music Vocabulary:for two or more performersensembleA group of performersensembleTogethernessClick here for music example of good ensemble Click here for music example of poor ensemble solosingle line, or melody lineintonationplaying in tuneClick here for music example of good intonation:Click here for music example of poor intonation: balancerelative loudness and softness within the groupClick here for music example of good balance: Click here for music example of poor balance:

Here are more words that would be used in discussing performances with more than one performer. It includes examples that you can play to demonstrate the evaluative quality of the performances (such as did they play together, in tune, etc.)

On page 6 in your workbooks you will fine the youtube links for these musical examples.

8WHY TALK ABOUT MUSIC IN A WORLD LANGUAGE CLASS?What are the benefits?What curriculum standards are addressed?What cultural connections can be made?

9the 3 modes of communication

Interpretive listening and reading

Interpersonal

Presentational speaking and writing

1. Interpretive Listening (IL) and Reading (IR) Students can interpret information, concepts, and ideas from a variety ofculturally authentic sources on a variety of topics.

2. Interpersonal Communication (IC)Students can exchange information, concepts, and ideas with a variety ofspeakers or readers on a variety of topics in a culturally appropriatecontext.

3. Presentational Speaking (PS) and Writing (PW)Students can present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience oflisteners or readers on a variety of topics in a culturally appropriatecontext.

Discuss for a couple of minutes at your table how the work we did today can address the three modes of communication in your classroom.10Intercultural Competencies4. Investigation of Cultural Products and Practices

5. Understanding of Cultural Perspectives

6. Participation in Cultural Interaction4. Investigation of Cultural Products and Practices (CPP)I can use my language skills to investigate the world beyond my immediate environment.

5. Understanding of Cultural Perspectives (CP)I can use my language skills to recognize and understand others ways of thinking as well as my own.

6. Participation in Cultural Interaction (CIA)I can use my language skills and cultural understanding to interact in a cultural context other than my own.

11COMPARE AND CONTRAST

https://youtu.be/32jzvmZrV2M You have heard 12Kentucky Standard for WL ProficiencyEvery learner will use a world language, in addition to English, to engage in meaningful, intercultural communication, understand and interpret the spoken and written language, and present information, concepts and ideas in local and global communities. Through learning the language, learners will connect with other disciplines and gain an understanding of the perspectives of other cultures and compare the language and cultures learned with their own.

Kentucky Department of Education: Standards and Curriculum DocumentsHere is a statement from the Kentucky Department of Education about the Kentucky Standard for World Language Proficiency.

At your table please discuss how the work we did today addresses this mandate. How does this compare with similar goals in your state.

13QUESTIONS?Jeffrey Jamnerjjamner@kentuckycenter.org502-566-520314Not-Balanced13139.545Not-together13766.475example112068.54Out-of-tune12878.324Balanced13165.667