Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dear Teacher,
The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra is probably Benjamin Brittens most performed
work, and with good reason. Commissioned in 1946 for a British film that introduces children
to the orchestra, the piece is a masterful essay on orchestral tone color. It is cast in the form of
a series of variations, based on a melody by the 17th century British composer Henry Pur-
cell. Each variation features a different family of instruments in the orchestra, and the whole
thing concludes with a rousing fugue. Almost seventy years later, it still inspires young and old
alike to learn and listen more. Complimenting this seminal work will be selections from Mo-
zarts exciting Abduction from the Seraglio, and Mussorgskys imaginative and colorful Pictures
at an Exhibition.
The lessons, activities, and accompanying audio and power point CDs (the latter allows you to
follow the musical score along with the music) are designed to be accessible to young people
both at school and at home. In addition, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra now has Teaching
Artists available to come to the classroom and guide students and teachers through
these activities in a way that will make the overall Youth Concert experience a rich, stimulating,
and memorable one. To schedule a visit by a DSO Teaching Artist, please call Jenny Fridge at
214-871-4006.
I look forward to seeing both you and your students in the Fall!
Musically Yours,
Activities for the The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra teachers guide were prepared by the Dallas
Symphony Orchestras Curriculum Development Team: Linda Arbolino, Jane Aten, Linda Booth, Tony Driggers,
Cheryl Goodwin, and Gloria Lett. This volume of the teachers guide was produced and edited by Dallas Symphony
Orchestra Education Staff Members Jenny Fridge, Brittany Hewitt and Jamie Allen. Materials in this teachers guide
can be photocopied for classroom use. If you have any questions about the concerts or material in this guide,
please call Jenny Fridge at 214.871.4006.
Concert Activities
1. Orchestral Innovation p. 9
2. The Role of the Conductor p. 12
3. Pictures in Space (Art) and Time (Music) p. 15
4. Promenade and Great Gate of Kiev p. 16
5. Instrument Timbre p. 17
6. Families of Instruments Listening Map p. 18
7. Listen! What do you Hear? p. 24
Post-Concert Activity
Student Review p. 30
Concert Logistics
1. Arriving and Departing p. 32
2. Meyerson Area Map p. 33
3. About the Meyerson Symphony Center p. 34
6. Modest Mussorgsky Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells from Pictures at an Exhibition
8. Benjamin Britten Theme from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
9. Benjamin Britten Variation A (The Flutes) from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
10. Benjamin Britten Variation B (The Oboes) from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
11. Benjamin Britten Variation C (The Clarinets) from The Young Persons Guide to the
Orchestra
12. Benjamin Britten Variation D (The Bassoons) from The Young Persons Guide to the
Orchestra
13. Benjamin Britten Variation E (The Violins) from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
14. Benjamin Britten Variation F (The Violas) from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
15. Benjamin Britten Variation G (The Cellos) from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
16. Benjamin Britten Variation H (The Double Basses) from The Young Persons Guide to the
Orchestra
17. Benjamin Britten Variation I (The Harp) from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
18. Benjamin Britten Variation J (The Horns) from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
19. Benjamin Britten Variation K (The Trumpets) from The Young Persons Guide to the
Orchestra
20. Benjamin Britten Variation L (The Trombones and Tuba) from The Young Persons Guide
to the Orchestra
21. Benjamin Britten Variation M (Percussion) from The Young Persons Guide to the
Orchestra
22. Benjamin Britten Fugue from The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
Back at School
Refer to this guide or www.DSOkids.com for follow-up activities.
Student letters/artwork expressing reactions to the concert are appropriate.
Mailing Address:
Attn: Jenny Fridge, Youth Concerts
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
2301 Flora St., Schlegel Administrative Suites
Dallas, TX 75201
Fax Number: 214.871.4511
E-mail Address: j.fridge@dalsym.com
Karina Canellakis
Currently entering her second season as Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony,
Karina Canellakis has rapidly gained international recognition as one of the most dy-
namic and exciting young American conductors. She recently made her European con-
ducting debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Styriarte Festival in Graz,
Austria, filling in for Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Earlier in the season, she also made head-
lines filling in last minute for Jaap Van Zweden in two subscription concerts with the Dal-
las Symphony, conducting Shostakovichs 8th Symphony and Mozart K 449 with soloist
Emanuel Ax, earning rave reviews.
In the 2015/16 season, Ms. Canellakis makes her debuts with the Hong Kong Philhar-
monic, San Diego Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and at
the renowned Grand Tetons Music Festival in summer 2016. As the Assistant Conductor
in Dallas, she conducts more than 30 concerts per season with the Dallas Symphony,
including innovative programs on the ReMix Series, standard repertoire on the DSO on
the GO series, Youth and Family concerts, and various other concerts geared towards
specific audiences in the community.
In 2015, she made her debuts with the Houston Symphony at Miller Outdoor Theatre,
the North Carolina Symphony in two all-Russian programs at Booth Amphitheatre, the
Grant Park Festival at Millennium Park in Chicago, Chautauqua Music Festival in New
York, Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango, Colorado, as well as her Los Angeles
debut as guest soloist/conductor with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, which re-
ceived glowing praise from the L.A. Times. Other engagements included the Colorado
Symphony, Toledo Symphony, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. In the summer of 2014,
Ms. Canellakis was one of only two Conducting Fellows at the Boston Symphonys Tan-
glewood Music Center.
She made her Carnegie Hall conducting debut in Zankel Hall in 2013, conducting works
of John Adams and Steven Mackey, and frequently appears as guest conductor of New
Yorks groundbreaking International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).
Ms. Canellakis is a recipient of a 2015 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award.
She was also the winner of the 2013 Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, founded by
Marin Alsop. In 2014, she was the featured guest conductor for the annual commence-
ment concert with the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. She was a
selected conductor in the 2013 Lucerne Festival master class with Bernard Haitink, and
conducted the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Japan as well as the Tonhalle Orches-
tra in Switzerland as part of international master classes.
Already known to many in the classical music world for her virtuoso violin playing, Ms.
Canellakis was initially encouraged to pursue conducting by her mentor Sir Simon Rattle
while she was playing regularly in the Berlin Philharmonic for two years as a member of
their Orchester-Akademie. In addition to appearing frequently as soloist with various
North American orchestras, she subsequently played regularly in the Chicago Sympho-
ny for over 3 years, and appeared on several occasions as Guest Concertmaster of the
Bergen Philharmonic in Norway. She spent many summers performing at the Marlboro
Music Festival, and her approach to conducting is firmly rooted in her detailed and dedi-
cated experience as a chamber musician. She plays a 1782 Mantegazza violin on gen-
erous loan to her from a private patron.
She holds a Bachelors degree in violin from the Curtis Institute of Music and a Masters
degree in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School, where she was the recipient
of the Charles Schiff Award for Excellence in Orchestral Conducting, the American Con-
ductors Award, and the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. In addition to Rattle and
Zweden, her most prominent mentors are Alan Gilbert and Fabio Luisi.
Karina Canellakis was born and raised in New York City. She speaks French, German
and Italian, and is equally at home performing all genres of the repertoire.
Charles Karanja
Tenor Charles Karanja was born in Nairobi, Kenya and moved to the United
States in October of 2000. He completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree with empha-
sis in Voice in December of 2013. His voice has been heralded for his ease of
production and clear, ringing high notes. Some of his past performances include
the role of Judge Danforth in Robert Ward's opera, The Crucible. He has also ap-
peared as featured soloist with the Meadows Chorale at Southern Methodist Uni-
versity. Furthermore, he has made appearances as the tenor soloist in perfor-
mances of Handel's Messiah last Christmas season. He was cast in the role of
the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto in the spring of 2014 at SMU as part of
the Opera Gala. In the 2014-2015 season, Charles was cast as Dandini as a part
of the outreach program with the Dallas Opera in their production of The Billy
Goats Gruff. This upcoming season he will be playing the role of Bastien in Mo-
zart's Bastien & Bastienne as a part of the Dallas Opera's outreach program.
He wrote his first sonata for the piano when he was four and composed his first opera when he
was twelve! Mozart could compose anywhere - at meals (he loved liver dumplings and sauer-
kraut), while talking to friends, while playing pool and even while his wife was having a baby. He
composed very quickly and wrote huge amounts of music.
The Abduction from the Seraglio (or Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail, as it is known in German) is
a special kind of opera known as Singspiel. Unlike traditional operas, Singspiels have a fair
amount of talking in between the songs. It is also a comic opera, whose plot revolves around a
hero and his assistant attempting to rescue a young woman who had been captured by a Turkish
aristocrat.
The work was premiered in 1782 in Vienna, with the 26-year-old composer conducting.
During his lifetime, Mozart was very well-known but spent money faster than he could earn it. He
was poor and in debt when he died of kidney failure at the age of 35, and was buried in an un-
marked grave. Mozart is considered by some to be the greatest composer who ever lived. While
most composers specialize in certain kinds of pieces, Mozart created masterful works for almost
every category of music - vocal music, concertos, chamber music, symphonies, sonatas, and (of
course) opera.
Modest Mussorgsky was one of the five Russian nationalist composers known as The Russian
Five." He was born to a well-to-do landowner and began taking piano lessons from his mother
around the age of six. By the time he was nine, he was playing so well that he began performing
for family and friends. In 1852, Mussorgsky entered the Cadet School in St. Petersburg. While at
school, he showed an interest in history and German philosophy. He also sang in the school
choir and wrote his first compositions for his friends to perform.
In 1857, Mussorgsky left Cadet school to be a royal bodyguard. But his love of music continued,
and he convinced the famous composer Mily Balakirev to give him composition lessons at the
same time. In 1858 Mussorgsky decided to devote his life entirely to music. Unfortunately, his
music did not earn him enough money to live on, so after a few years he accepted a job with the
Russian government. During this time, he completed the historic opera, Boris Godunov, about a
famous Russian Tsar (or ruler), which is now the most famous opera in the Russian language.
It was probably in 1870 that Mussorgsky met artist and architect Viktor Hartmann. Both men
were devoted to the cause of Russian art and quickly became friends. Sadly, Hartmann died un-
expectedly in 1873, at the young age of 39. The sudden loss of this artist shook the Russian art
world, and an exhibition of over 400 of Hartmanns works was mounted in his honor. Mussorg-
sky quickly composed Pictures at an Exhibition to depict an imaginary tour of the exhibition. The
original work was written for piano, but later composers, such as Maurice Ravel, arranged it for a
full orchestra. This is the version that is best known and loved today.
He moved to America in 1939, but after a few years he missed his homeland too
much and in 1942, right as World War II was raging across Europe, he returned to
England. He was such a talented musician, however, that the British government ex-
empted him from military service, and allowed him to continue his work as a compos-
er.
In 1945, he wrote an opera called Peter Grimes, about a troubled man in a small Brit-
ish fishing village. It was such a great success that it catapulted Britten to internation-
al fame. Over the next 28 years, he wrote 14 more operas, and numerous orchestral,
chamber, choral, and vocal works, establishing himself as one of the leading compos-
ers of the 20th century.
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra was originally commissioned in 1946 for
an educational film called Instruments of the Orchestra, featuring the London Sym-
phony Orchestra. Two years later, he launched the Aldeburgh Music Festival, which
still attracts musicians and music lovers from all over the world every year.
In the last year of his life, he became the first musician ever to be granted the title of
"Lord" by the Queen of England.
Vocabulary
Percussion musical instruments characterized by the striking, shaking, or scraping of the instrument to make the
sound (Example: cymbals)
Janissary Music music played by Turkish and Polish army bands in the 18th and 19th centuries to inspire the sol-
diers during battle
Innovation the creation of a new method, idea, or product
Materials/Resources
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Track 1
Green & orange colored pencils/crayons
Instrument sheets (found on page 10 of this Guide)
DSOkids.com
Orchestra Seating Chart (found on page 11 of this Guide)
Pre Assessment
Ask the students to think about how change happens in the world.
1. How has something in this world changed during your lifetime? (Possible examples: tele-
phones, computers, movies, music, etc.)
2. How might these changes have come about? Who may have come up with the idea? How did/will it
impact the future? How did/will people react to the change?
Teaching Sequence
1. Tell the students the definition of innovation, relating it back to the pre-assessment.
2. Briefly explain that music is divided into time periods. Mozart was a composer from the Classical era (1750-
1820). The era following was the Romantic era (1820-1910).
3. (optional) Go to DSO kids websites Orchestra Seating Chart to see the evolution of the orchestra.
4. Define Janissary music and play the Janissary music example provided. Ask the students to name some of the
instruments and instrument families they hear and distribute copies of the Janissary and Abduction from the
Seraglio instrument bank. Define percussion and give/ask for examples. Note that most of the Janissary instru-
ments are percussive, but ask the students to point out the one that is not.
5. Distribute copies of the seating chart to students.
Culminating Activity
Ask the students about Mozarts innovation. Why do you think Mozart used these specific instruments for this piece
(think about the story)? How do you think people responded to his innovation? Why would people like/dislike it?
Extension
If you were able to add any instrument into an orchestra, what instrument would it be and why? Write about it and
then draw a picture of your new addition to the orchestra on your Romantic orchestra seating chart.
Evaluation
Did the students responses indicate an understanding of the innovations made by Mozart?
TEKS Connections
English Language Arts: 110.14b(4); 110.15b(2); 110.16b(2); 110.18b(2)
Social Studies: 113.14b(1A,3A,3C,15,17B,17C); 113.16b(21); 113.18b(1,2,18)
Art: 117.111[2(Expression C), Historical D)]; 117.114[2(Expression C), (Historical D)]; 117.117[2(Expression C),
(Historical D)]; 117.202[3(Expression C)]
Music: 117.112(1B, 5B, 6E); 117.115(1B, 6E-F); 117.118(1B, 5C-D, 6E-F)]; 117.208(5B-D)
Teaching Objective
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the role of the conductor in an orchestra.
Materials/Resources
A CD player (or computer)
Document Projector (optional)
Pencils (optional)
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Track 2
Vocabulary
Conductor the person who directs a group of musicians
Baton a stick used by a conductor to help direct the group
Tempo the speed of the music
Meter how beats are grouped in music
Pre-Assessment
Encourage a conversation regarding students familiarity with bands or orchestras (live or recorded perfor-
mances). If the school has a band and/or orchestra, ask the students if anyone in the class plays an instru-
ment in one or both of these groups. Use the following questions to help guide the conversation:
Who leads a band or orchestra?
How do the musicians know the tempo (or speed) of the music?
How do the musicians know when to start or stop playing?
How do the musicians know when to play fast or slow, loud or soft?
Teaching Sequence
1. Tell the students that at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert, they will see a person standing
in front of the orchestra directing the musicians. That person is the conductor. She communicates to the
musicians when to begin and stop playing, when to play louder or softer, the tempo (or speed) of the
music, and many other expressive details. Because she cant talk during the music performance, she
will be using her hands, facial expressions, and a baton (or conducting stick) to help convey these im-
portant details to a large group.
2. Have the students look at the 2, 3, and 4-beat conducting patterns on pages 13-14 (you may project the
patterns on an overhead projector, or make copies for each individual student). Invite them to trace the
patterns in the air with their right hand. They may use a pencil as a baton. These beat groupings reflect
the meter of the music.
3. Play the first few minutes of Mozarts overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio (track 2 on the accom-
panying Youth Concert CD), and ask the students to listen closely. Then play it again, and have them
actually conduct along with the music.
4. Ask your students to identify where the music is piano (or soft), and where it is forte (or loud). This is
indicated by the symbols p and f . When conducting, conductors generally make larger hand ges-
tures for loud music and smaller hand gestures for quiet music. Have your students conduct along with
the recording one more time with this in mind.
Culminating Activity
Make sure your students know the songs My Country Tis of Thee and Brother John, found on page 14.
Have the class practice conducting the 3-beat (My Country Tis of Thee) and 4-beat (Brother John) pat-
terns while singing the songs together as a class. Then invite interested students to come to the front of the
room and conduct the rest of the group in one of these two songs. Encourage the conductor to experiment
with beginning and stopping, making the song go faster or slower, louder or softer, or even more choppy
(like a robot) or more smooth (like flowing water). Allow time for several students to try their hand at it, so
that everyone can see what a difference a conductor can make.
Evaluation
Did student behaviors indicate a basic understanding of the role of the conductor in an orchestra?
Extension
If your students are interested in learning more about what a conductor does and how they do it, please en-
courage them to a write a letter to Maestra Canellakis, c/o the DSO Education Department, 2301 Flora
Street, Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75201.
TEKS Connections
English/Language Arts: 110.14b(20B); 110.15b(18B); 110.16b(18B); 110.18b(17B)
Music: 117.112(1C,2A,2C,3B,3C,3E); 117.115(1C,2A,2C,3B,3C,3F); 117.18(1C,2A,2C,3B,3C,3F);
117.208(1C,2A,3F)
Teaching Objective Students will explore relationships between music and visual art.
Materials/Resources
Paper
Crayons or markers
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Tracks 3-7
Vocabulary
Promenade a leisurely walk
Tuileries a formal garden next to the Louvre (a famous museum) in Paris (Mussorgskys piece suggests
nursemaids and squabbling children)
Bydlo a Polish oxcart rolling on enormous wheel
Exhibition public display of works of art or other items of interest
Excerpt a short portion of a music, writing, etc.
Pre-Assessment Activity
Ask students to think of examples of pictures that are described in music movies, TV, videos, etc. Choose
an example familiar to most of the class and discuss what characteristics in the music suggest the visual im-
age.
Teaching Sequence
1. Tell students one of the pieces they will hear the Dallas Symphony perform is Pictures at an Exhibition
by Modest Mussorgsky. One of the composers best friends was the artist Viktor Hartmann. Hartmann
died when he was only 39 years old, and Mussorgsky was heart broken. A mutual friend arranged a
showing of Hartmanns paintings and drawings. Pictures at an Exhibition begins with a promenade
music that describes walking through the exhibition. This walking theme is repeated four more times in
the piece. Many of the actual works of art Mussorgsky described in his music have been lost, but we
have the titles, which give an idea of what the pictures may have looked like.
2. Tell students they will listen to excerpts from some of the short sections of Pictures at an Exhibition, then
draw or write brief descriptions of what they think the music might represent. Let the class hear and re-
spond to each excerpt before moving to the next.
3. After each listening/drawing experience, let students share their responses.
Discuss what they heard in the music (loud/soft, fast/slow, high/low, what instruments were played, etc.)
that inspired what they drew or wrote. Then tell the class the name of the original painting and discuss
how Mussorgsky used music to describe it.
Culminating Activity
Challenge students to imagine they are composers. Display a picture and ask them to describe how the mu-
sic might sound if they wrote a piece to describe the art.
Extension Activity
Choose a piece of music familiar to the students. Let them listen and draw pictures the music suggests to
them. Mount the pictures in an exhibit and invite other classes to view it as the music is played.
Evaluation
Did student responses demonstrate an awareness of how visual art can inspire music?
TEKS Connections
English/Language Arts: 110.14b(18,29-30); 110.15b(16,27-28); 110.16b(27-28); 110.18b(16,26-27)
Music: 117.112(1A-C,6); 117.115(1A-C,6); 117.18(1A-C,6); 117.208(1A-C,5)
Teaching Objective
Students will become familiar with a masterwork that will be heard at the upcoming youth concert.
Materials/Resources
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Tracks 3 and 7
DSO Youth Concert Power Point
DSOKids.com
Teaching Sequence
1. Use the music to signal the start and end of class.
A. Have the music playing as the students enter the classroom.
B. Use the music to accompany transitions within the classroom.
C. Use the music to signal the end of class and to accompany the students as they leave the
classroom.
2. Use the music to accompany a movement experience.
A. As the students listen to the music, move around the classroom by marching or walking.
B. As the students listen to the music, have them keep the beat. This may be as simple as
patting the beat or playing copy-cat with body motions to the beat of the music. The stu-
dents may copy the teacher, or a student leader.
3. Use the music to teach good listening skills/manners. Have a listening time within the lesson for
everyone to stop and listen. Tell the students that this is a piece of music they will hear at the con-
cert. Announce the name of the music, Promenade and say that the composer, Modest Mussorg-
sky, who wrote this music was describing a person strolling through the art exhibit viewing the
paintings. Listen to a brief segment from the accompanying Youth Concert CD and/or view the ap-
propriate slide from the accompanying Youth Concert Power Point.
4. On a repeated listening, ask students to name the piece of music and the composer. This time the
teacher tells a little more about the composer. Information about the composer may be found on
page 7 of this guide and also at DSOkids.com
5. Use the music as background while the students create a piece of art which represents the
music of the Promenade.
Teachers Note
Follow any of these suggestions to incorporate Great Gate of Kiev in the students listening experi-
ence.
Evaluation
Can the students identify this masterwork as Promenade and Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an
Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky?
TEKS Connections
Music: 117.112(1A-B,3C,6A,6D); 117.115(1A-B,3C,6A,6D); 117.118(1A,3C,6A,6D); 117.208(1A,5A)
Vocabulary
Timbre quality of sound produced by a particular instrument or voice
Tonea sound of definite pitch and duration as distinct from noise
Pitchhighness or lowness of a tone.
Glockenspiela percussion instrument made of steel bars arranged like a keyboard and played with
mallets
Malleta drum stick with a large tip
Materials/Resources
www.dsokids.com
Accompanying Youth Concert Power Point
Pre-Assessment:
Using the following strategies, determine the level of students familiarity with timbre.
Select 4 students to stand before the class and say together the current day and date.
Example: Today is Monday, October 15th.
Have their classmates close their eyes while they listen to determine what makes the voices sound
different or similar.
Ask students to rearrange themselves until similar voice timbers are together.
Encourage the students to determine what may have been the reasons for differences in timbre;
tone color.
Culminating Activity
Divide the students into small groups equal in number. Ask the students to discuss among themselves,
and prepare to share how the timbres differ. Why are instruments of different timbres included in the or-
chestra?
Evaluation
Are the students able to correctly identify a violin, clarinet, trumpet and glockenspiel by sight and timbre?
Will they be able to identify the violin, clarinet, trumpet and glockenspiel in the Dallas Symphony Orches-
tra? Remind students to be prepared to locate the instruments in the orchestra during the concert they
will attend at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.
TEKS Connections
Music: 117.112(1A-B); 117.115(1A-B); 117.118(1A-B); 117.208(1A-B)
Vocabulary:
Theme the main melody of a piece of music
Resources/Materials
Accompanying Youth Concert Power Point
Families of Instruments visuals found on pages 19-22 of this guide
Listening map found on page 23 of this guide
DSOkids.com
Writing utensils
Pre Assessment
Have the students stand up and look at their shirts. Some are different colors, some are different
fabrics, some have different sleeve lengths. Have the students group themselves into families of
shirts.
Assess if students are familiar with the 4 instrument families by displaying the families of instruments
visuals on pages 19-22 of this guide.
Teaching Sequence
1. With the pictures provided on the following pages as an aid,, discuss the instrument families. Ask
students to give examples of the instruments in each family. Ask the students to describe and give
examples of how these families of instruments produce sound. Record students answers on the
board.
2. On DSOkids.com, play excerpts from several instruments from each family. After each hearing,
challenge the student to identify which instrument is being played based on the aural characteristics
of the sound.
3. After the instruments have been identified, ask students to classify the individual instruments into the
correct instrument family.
4. Using the blank listening map as a visual reference (found on page 23) of this guide, ask the stu-
dents to listen to the Theme slide of The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra found on the ac-
companying Youth Concert Power Point.
5. Explain that the theme is the main melody of the music.
6. Play the excerpt again. Help the students identify where the theme restatements by family begin in
the slide. Ask the students to write down sound characteristics of each location on the listening
map. i.e.: brassy sounds, sounds that are made by plucking, striking, scraping. After characteristics
have been described on paper, have the students label the theme statements by the family of instru-
ments that is performing.
Culminating Activity
Play the Theme slide on the accompanying Youth Concert Power Point again. On this final hearing,
break the room up into five sections based on the layout of the listening map. Label each section of the
room to lessen confusion while students are moving. When the section of the original theme begins,
students should move to the theme and call out Theme. When the following theme presentations are
played, students will move to those sections of the room calling out families of instruments performing
those themes. Students will end back in the center for the original theme restatement.
Evaluation
Did the students listening maps accurately portray and understanding of the instruments of families?
TEKS Connections
English/Language Arts: 110.12(22); 110.15(20A); 110.16(20A); 110.18(19A)
Music: 117.112(1A-B,6A,6C); 117.15(1A-B, 6A,6C,6F); 117.18(1A-B,6A,6C,6F);117.208(1A-B,1D,5A,5E)
VIOLIN
VIOLA
STRING FAMILY
CELLO
BASS
HARP
PICCOLO
FLUTE
WOODWIND FAMILY
TRUMPET
BRASS FAMILY
HORN
TROMBONE
TUBA
PERCUSSION FAMILY
CYMBALS SNARE
TRIANGLE
XYLOPHONE
BASS DRUM
TYMPANI
ORIGINAL THEME
Family 4:____________
Family 3:____________
Resources
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Tracks 8-22
Pre-Assessment
Teacher note consider reading this short explanation of The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra (taken
from Wikipedia). If you choose not to read it aloud, you should be sure and familiarize yourself with it as it
explains how the piece is put together.
In the introduction, the theme is initially played by the entire orchestra, then by each major family of
instruments of the orchestra: first the woodwinds, then the brass, then the strings, and finally by the
percussion. Each variation then features a particular instrument in depth, in the same family order,
and generally moving through each family from high to low. So, for example, the first variation fea-
tures the piccolo and flutes; each member of the woodwind family then gets a variation, ending with
the bassoon; and so on, through the strings, brass, and finally the percussion. After the whole or-
chestra has been effectively taken to pieces in this way, it is reassembled using an origi-
nal fugue which starts with the piccolo, followed by all the woodwinds, strings, brass and percussion
in turn. Once everyone has entered, the brass are re-introduced (with a strike on the tam tam) playing
Purcell's original melody.
Teaching Sequence
1. Tell students that at the upcoming youth concert they are planning to attend they will hear a piece of mu-
sic written to introduce them to all the instruments of the orchestra. The piece of music is written in a form
called theme and variations. First they will hear the whole orchestra (theme), then each of the instrument
families (woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion), then each instrument individually (variations). In
order to understand the concept of theme and variations, as you play the piece one track at a time, tell
them the following story:
2. Track 8 Theme In a large room where four families are gathered for a party, an important announcement
is made. They are so amazed by the announcement that each family repeats the announcement one
group at a time first the Woodwind family, then the Brass family, followed by the String family and then
the Percussion family. As they speak, each familys unique sound, or timbre can be discerned.
3. Track 9-21 Variations A thru M After each family has repeated the announcement, the members start to
restate the announcement one at a time, but this time in their own words. Some say it more simply while
others elaborate, using more flowery language as the others listen and consider what they think about it.
(For the order in which each individual instrument comes in, consult the CD track list on page 3 of this
Guide.)
4. Track 22 Fugue After each individual has had a chance to speak, one individual decides to tell the oth-
ers what he thinks about it. As soon as he is finished, another starts to give her opinion. One by one all
the individuals chime in with an opinion. It turns out that they are all saying the exact same thing. The
only difference is that they each say it in their own unique voice, or timbre. As each one chimes in, the
sound in the room gets more and more chaotic. It is decided that maybe the announcement needs to be
made again, this time slowly so that everyone can hear it over the activity. As the party concludes, the
announcement can be heard loud and slow over the rest of the talking.
Culminating Activity
On a different day, either remind the students of the fictional story or read the explanation from the pre-
assessment and listen to the entire piece without stopping. Have a discussion about the experience, asking
the students which way they prefer to think about the piece and why. Explain to them that in this piece the
theme was the announcement in the story, and the variations were the different versions from the individual
instruments as they repeated the announcement.
Evaluation
Did students practice active directed listening and develop an understanding of theme and variations.
TEKS Connections
Music: 117.112(1A-C,6A); 117.115(1A-C,6A); 117.118(1,6); 117.208(1A-D,5A)
Materials/Resources
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Track 3
Accompanying Youth Concert Power Point
Rhythmic Score of Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition (found on page 27 of this Guide)
Vocabulary
Derive to figure out by using the logical extension of prior knowledge applied to a new learning situa-
tion
Teaching Sequence
1. Students pat the beat as they listen to the opening 4 measures of Promenade whether from the ac-
companying Youth Concert CD or from the teacher playing it on a keyboard instrument.
2. As the students listen a second time, the teacher draws the appropriate number of beat blanks on the
board, including bar lines.
3. The teacher points to the beat blanks as the student listen a third time. The teacher asks the students
to derive the rhythm for the first 4 measures and writes it on the board above the beat blanks.
4. The teacher asks the students to read and perform the notated rhythm by clapping and saying rhythm
duration syllables. What do the students notice?
5. Listen a fourth time and clap to discover that the first two measures are rhythmically repeated for
measures 3 and 4.
Culminating Activity
The teacher shows the full Rhythmic Score found on page 27 of this guide. Students listen to the entire
piece as they follow the notation of the rhythms Mussorgsky used. Have the students perform the
rhythm by clapping and saying rhythm duration syllables as they read from the Rhythmic Score.
Evaluation:
Were the students able to derive, read, and perform the rhythm of Mussorgskys Promenade?
Objective
Students will derive and notate the time signature(s) Mussorgsky used in his Promenade from Pictures
at an Exhibition.
Materials/Resources
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Tracks 3 and 7
Accompanying Youth Concert Power Point
Rhythmic Score of Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition (found on page 27 of this Guide) to
be projected on to the board
Projector/ELMO device
Piano score for Promenade if available
Youtube examples: Alexander Ghindin- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFYBN8XCjbA
Piano Guys - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZqJcdF_OKk
Vocabulary
Deriveto figure out by using the logical extension of prior knowledge applied to a new learning situa-
tion.
Meterthe organizational grouping of beat according to naturally stressed and unstressed beats.
Time SignatureThe time signature is found at the beginning of the composition (and/or measure if
there is changing meter present) and is notate with two numbers, one on top of the other. The top num-
ber denotes the number of beats in each measure. The bottom number denotes the note value that rep-
resents the beat.
Teaching Sequence
1. After reading and performing the entire Rhythmic Score of Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition
(See first lesson on page 25 of this Guide), the students will derive the meter and discover that it
changes from measure to measure. (Note: In the first half of the piece, the meter alternates between
5/4 and 6/4).
2. Review the term time signature as being the symbolic notation of the meter. Review the meaning of
each part of the time signature. Visually derive and write in the time signature for each measure
whenever there is a change. The teacher tells the students that to signify a person wandering through
an art exhibit, Mussorgsky changed the meter almost every measure, as if the viewer were changing
directions or going off to view an additional paintings close by.
3. Teacher tells the students that Pictures at an Exhibition was originally written for piano. If the piano
score is available, have students listen and follow the melodic line to Promenade as performed by
Alexander Ghindin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFYBN8XCjbA
Culminating Activity
Have students listen to The Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition and compare its opening
rhythm to that of the opening of Promenade. What do you hear? What similarities do you find?
Evaluation
Were students able to derive and notate the time signature(s) Mussorgsky used in his Promenade from
Pictures at an Exhibition?
Extension Activity
Listen to an arrangement of the Promenade performed by the Piano Guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZqJcdF_OKk
TEKS Connections
Music: 117.112(1C,2A,3E,5B,6B,6E); 117.115(1C,2A,5C,6C,6E); 117.118(1C,2A,3F,6C)
Objective Students will be able to determine and aurally identify individual instruments and plot
their findings on a listening map.
Resources
Accompanying Youth Concert CD, Tracks 8-22
Listening Map found on page 29 of this Guide
Instrument Cut Outs, found on pages 19-22 of this Guide
Families of Instruments Visuals found on pages 19-22 of this Guide
Teaching Sequence
1. Distribute listening map game boards and instrument cut outs to each students. While handing out
the pieces, play The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra on tracks 8-22 of the accompanying
Youth Concert CD.
2. Review the instrument families and how each family makes sound on the instrument.
3. Review that Theme and Variations form consists of a theme statement and subsequent variations
on that theme.
4. Explain to the class, that the object of the game will be to identify each variation in the listening of
The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra by the instrument that is performing the variation.
5. When each variation begins, the students will place the corresponding instrument (group of instru-
ments) game piece on the listening map board.
Evaluation
Were the students able to aurally identify the families of instruments as well as the individual instruments
performing on the recording?
TEKS Connections
Music: 117.112(1A-C,6A); 117.115(1A-C,6A); 117.118(1,6); 117.208(1A-D,5A)
Page 29
Theme Theme Theme Theme
The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
Theme and Variations Listening Map for
Books
Apel, Wili. Harvard Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press, 1967.
Ardley, Neil. A Young Persons Guide to Music, 1995.
Baines, Anthony. The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments, 1992.
Barber, Nicola. The World of Music. Silver Burdett Press, 1995.
Blackwood, Alan. The Orchestra: An Introduction to the World of Classical Music. Milwood Press, 1993.
Hays, Ann. Meet the Orchestra. Gulliver Books, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.
Hoffer, Charles. Concise Introduction to Music Listening. Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1984.
Hoffer, Charles. The Understanding of Music. Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1981.
Kruckenberg, Sven. The Symphony Orchestra and its Instruments. Crescent Books, 1993.
Krull, Kathleen. Lives of Musicians. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993.
Moss, Llyod. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin. Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Nye, Robert & Bergethon, B. Basic Music. Prentice Hall, Inc. 1983.
Van der Meer & Berkeley, Michael. The Music Pack. Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, 1994.
Video
The Dallas Symphony Orchestras television series for children. Amazing Music, features Music
Director Emeritus Andrew Litton as your guide to Emotions in Music, Pictures in Music,
Families of the Orchestra, and Jazz. (See p. 47 for order form)
Classroom Materials
Sources for pictures of instruments, books, audio, and videotapes can be found at:
DSO Symphony Store; call 214-871-4058 for information
Friendship House; call 1-800-791-9876 for a free catalog
Music Educators National Conference (MENC); call 1-800-828-0229 for a free catalog.
Music in Motion; call 1-800-445-0649 for a free catalog.
Online
www.DSOkids.com The Dallas Symphonys website for teachers and students
www.nyphilkids.org The New York Philharmonics website for teachers and students
www.youtube.com
Buses
Arrivals: buses unload in the front of the Meyerson Symphony Center on westbound Flora Street.
DO NOT UNLOAD YOUR BUS UNTIL YOU ARE GREETED BY A DSO STAFF MEMBER.
After students disembark, buses should proceed to their designated parking area. All bus drivers will be
given directions on where to park. Please follow directions from Symphony personnel.
Departures: Students are dismissed by school and directed to their buses. Please follow directions from
Symphony personnel.
Bus drivers: PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BUSES DURING THE PERFORMANCE.
Please contact Mallory Coulter at 214.871.4054 at least 30 days before the
concert if your group includes any students or teachers with special needs, including
wheelchairs, or if you are in need of infra-red headsets for the hearing impaired.
A note to schools arriving in carpools: Please pr ovide all of your dr iver s with a map and clear instruc-
tions on where to park (Hall Arts Center Parking Garage). Following identical routes is recommended so that
your group arrives at the Meyerson at approximately the same time. Be sure all drivers and chaperones know
to meet in the Lower Lobby. Please do not come upstairs until your entire group has assembled.
From Southbound I-35E Stemmons, east on Woodall Rodgers Freeway (exit marked to Houston, I-45 and
US-75), exit at Griffin Street. Take Griffin Street to Ross and turn left. Take Ross to Routh Street and turn
left. Take Routh to Flora Street, turn left and pull up in front of the Meyerson to unload.
From Northbound I-35 Stemmons, east on Woodall Rodgers Freeway (exit marked to Sherman I-45 and
US-75), exit at Griffin Street. Take Griffin Street to Ross and turn left. Take Ross to Routh Street and turn
left. Take Routh to Flora Street, turn left and pull up in front of the Meyerson to unload.
From Central (US-75), I-30 or I-45, west on Woodall Rodgers (366), take the Pearl Street exit and stay in the
far left lane. U-turn onto Woodall Rodgers Access Road going east. Turn right on Routh, turn right on Flora
and pull up in front of the Meyerson to unload.
From downtown or East Dallas, north on Pearl Street, turn right onto Ross Avenue. Then turn left on Routh,
and left on Flora. Pull up in front of the Meyerson to unload.
From the Dallas North Tollway, south on the Tollway, after the main toll plaza, stay in the left lane and take
the Hines Blvd. exit on the left towards downtown. Continue to follow signs to downtown, Pearl Street and
the Arts District. Turn slightly left to access Pearl Street, then stay on Pearl to Ross Ave. Turn left on Ross to
Routh. Turn left on Routh, turn left on Flora and pull up in front of the Meyerson to unload.
Cars: Access the Hall Arts Center Garage from Ross Avenue, near the corner of Ross and Crockett.
One of the worlds greatest concert halls, the Meyerson Symphony Center was made possible through
the efforts of the citizens of Dallas. Over ten years were spent in the planning and construction of the
Meyerson, which opened on September 6, 1989.
World-renowned architect and major arts supporter I.M. Pei was chosen to design the building, working
closely with acoustician Russell Johnson. Peis design combines basic geometric shapes, with a rectan-
gle (the concert hall) set at an angle within a square (the outer walls). Segments of circles also enclose
the building.
In the concert hall, every detail was designed to make the sound or acoustics as perfect as possible for
orchestral music. For example, the heating and air conditioning system is located in a different building
so that no vibrations from the machinery can be felt in the concert hall. Acoustical features include:
2,056 seats
30,000 sq. ft. of Italian travertine marble
22,000 limestone blocks from Indiana
35,130 cubic yards of concrete
918 panels of African cherrywood around the concert hall
216 panels of American cherrywood around the stage
62 acoustical curtains
4 canopies with a combined weight of 42 tons
72 concrete acoustical doors, each weighing up to 2.5 tons
50 bathrooms
An 85 foot high ceiling in the concert hall
A 40 foot hollow area under the stage to increase resonance
An organ with 4 keyboards, 61 keys, 32 pedals, 84 ranks, 65 stops and 4,535 pipes
Please fill out the following information to be considered for a Symphony Y ES! booking. You will be contacted by
the DSO Education Coordinator after reviewing your information. After scheduling the visit, you will be faxed or
mailed a Symphony Y ES! School Agreement Form. This form must be filled out completely and signed by the partic-
ipating teacher and school principal. Failure to return the Symphony Y ES! School Agreement Form will result in a
cancellation. Fax, mail or e-mail the completed and signed agreement form with full payment to the information listed
below.
All teachers who schedule a Symphony Y ES! visit will receive one Music Fun Facts booklet to prepare their students
before their scheduled visit. Copies of the book may be made for classroom use.
Please indicate your first and second choices of ensemble. Each ensemble costs $350:
_____Percussion (grades 3 and 4, two performances per visit) Enhance your Symphony YES!
classroom experience by
_____String Duo (grades PreK-3, two performances per visit) scheduling a DSO Teaching Artist
to come to your school ahead
_____String Trio (grades K-3, two or three performances per visit) of the performance to teach materials
from Music Fun Facts!
_____String Quintet (grades 4 and 5, two performances per visit)
The ensembles usually perform on Friday mornings. Please indicated your first and second choices for a performance
month:
Comments:
Be sure to make a copy of this completed form for your records. This performance is NOT BOOKED until you re-
ceive and return the Symphony Y ES! School Agreement Form with FULL PAYMENT. You will be e-mailed a
copy of this request. Questions? Contact Jenny Fridge at 214.871.4006 or email: j.fridge@dalsym.com.
Designed to be educational as well as entertaining, A mazing Music programs are a natural for the classroom, espe-
cially in the light of current research that validates music as an effective teaching tool. Therefore, the Dallas Sym-
phony Orchestra has developed Classroom Editions of A mazing Music for the educational market, supplementing
a special time-coded version of each video with a booklet containing lesson plans developed by educators. The
activities support in-school use of the programs with curriculum that integrates music with other classroom sub-
jects. The Dallas Symphony Orchestras A mazing Music programs have been broadcast on A&E and PBS.
Order Form
Name
Address
City State Zip
Shipping:
1-3 Classroom Editions + $6.50=
4+ Classroom Editions + $8.50=
Total: $
-Or-
Mail form to: Dallas Symphony Orchestra c/o Jenny Fridge, 2301 Flora St., Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75201
or Fax to: 214.871.4511 (Attn: Jenny Fridge)