2017 - 2018 Midweek ConcertsTEACHERS’ GUIDES

BALLET TO FLAMENCO

Table of Contents

Welcome Letter, Teachers’ Guide Information.……………….……………….…………………….… 1

Ballet to Flamenco: Concert Program…………….……………………………………………….………… 3

Ballet to Flamenco: Snapshot for Teachers and Students.………………………………………...... 4

Movement One: Dance Positions………………………………………………………………..…………… 7 Creating, Performing, Responding, Connecting, Music, Dance

Movement Two: Isolation Fun: Dancing with Different Body Parts……………………………… 9 Creating, Performing, Responding, Connecting, Music, Dance, Drama, English Language Arts,

Social Studies

Movement Three: Toys, Dancing, and Storytelling............................................................. 17 Creating, Performing, Responding, Music, Dance, Drama, English Language Arts

Movement Four: Dance Conducting.……………………………………….………………….………..…. 19 Creating, Performing, Responding, Connecting, Music, Dance, English Language Arts

Movement Five: Time, Space, and Energy.……………..……………………………………………..…. 22 Responding, Music, Science

Movement Six: Dance is as Easy as Moving to Music…………………………………………………. 24

Special Thanks ……………………………………..………………...………..…..……………….…….………. 26

On behalf of the Associate Conductor for Education, Nicholas Hersh, the members of the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the BSO Education Department, we are delighted to

welcome you to our 2017-2018 Midweek Concert Series. With the BSO’s Midweek Concert series

as the longest running education initiative at the BSO (running since February 16, 1924), and the

first regular educational concert series of any orchestra in the country, we are thrilled to have you

join us here at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

We are pleased to announce that the 2017-2018 Midweek concert series has been realigned to

serve all students in grades Pre-K to Grade 12 inclusively. This Midweek Concert Season, we

present two concert themes for older students (Baltimore Voices and A Christmas Carol) and two

for younger students (Around the Globe and Ballet to Flamenco). Each concert incorporates an

Arts-Integrated, STEAM-Activated approach to create a relevant, interactive, and interdisciplinary

experience.

On the next pages you will find the Teachers’ Guide for Ballet to Flamenco, written by a highly

skilled group of Maryland educators with specialism in Music, Drama, Science, English/Language

Arts, and Visual Arts, led by award-winning curriculum writer and editor, Richard McCready.

At the start of the guide is a “Snapshot” of your concert experience. This will give you a sense of

what to expect in the concert, along with some thoughts about the various curricular connections,

and music we suggest you experience in the classroom before the performance.

Beyond the Snapshot pages you will find a variety of activities, called “Movements,” to signify the

various directions that you can explore in order to prepare for this concert. Each Movement may be

used in any order you wish. We have also highlighted the various cross-curricular links that align

with each Movement so that you may jump to areas that are of particular interest to you and your

students. We hope that your students try at least one activity prior to coming to the concert so they

can make the most of their live experience at the Meyerhoff.

Each activity is written to encourage students’ natural sense of creativity and exploration. They can

read the activity pages, or you can read the activities with them. Some of the activities are scientific,

some are movement games, some employ and encourage art skills, and some involve storytelling

and role-play. You know your students, their capabilities, and their interests the best. Please

encourage students to try the activities that you feel are most appropriate for them and for your

classroom. Encourage other teachers in your building to try some of the activities as well.

These guides are designed and intended as a mere starting point for exploration, with the essential

piece being the work that is created by the student and for the student. Our ultimate goal is to

facilitate a strong connection between the music performed by the BSO and the everyday lives of

your students, so that they may continue to take music with them wherever they go.

Please feel free to share your students’ work with us at the BSO—we love to see where the ideas

from these activities might take your students and all the inspired, arts-integrated work they will

produce in the classroom. If you wish to share any materials with us at the BSO, please send them

to education@bsomusic.org.

Welcome to the BSO Midweeks!

About This Guide

1

We hope you enjoy this guide, your explorations that are yet to come, the concert experience,

and sharing your creative work with us.

Warmly,

Carole Wysocki

Director of Education & Community Engagement

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Katie Brill

Education Programs Coordinator

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

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Ballet to Flamenco: Concert Program

Below is the list of pieces that will be performed on the Ballet to Flamenco Midweek Concerts.

Please take a moment to listen to these pieces in advance of the concert on Youtube, Spotify, or

iTunes.

PROKOFIEV: March from The Love for Three Oranges, op. 33bis

BIZET: Habañera from Carmen Suite no. 2

TCHAIKOVSKY: No. 14 from Act II of Swan Lake

TCHAIKOVSKY: “Odette’s solo,” from Act II of Swan Lake

BIZET: Chanson du toréador from Carmen Suite no. 2

TCHAIKOVSKY: no. 21 Spanish Dance from Swan Lake

J. STRAUSS: On the Beautiful Blue Danube, op. 314

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In instances when a certain book, dance, or film has been set to music—or in instances when the music itself

depicts a specific plot—there are two stories to tell: the story taking place within the work, and the story of

the compositional process. This section focuses on the story behind the pieces you will hear during the

concert.

Story 1: When the Opéra-Comique in Paris asked Georges Bizet to write a new work for the opera house,

Bizet was excited to have the opportunity to get one of his works performed. He proposed adapting a

novella called Carmen for the operatic stage. He finished the first act by the summer of 1873, and then,

following some delays, Bizet finished the rest of the orchestration after two months. Rehearsals lasted for

five months, during which Bizet made multiple cuts and improvements.

Rehearsals have been characterized by musicologists as “stormy” because the orchestra, chorus, and stage

directors often complained that parts of the music were impossible to perform, as well as objecting to the

controversial plot. The librettists went behind Bizet’s back trying to tone down the material that they

considered immoral—an adjective similar to the adjectives the audience used to describe the opera when it

premiered. Even after Bizet died, publishers dramatically modified the opera, resulting in no definite

version of the score we can point to today that shows Bizet’s original intentions.12

Story 2: The Imperial Theatre in Moscow, Russia, commissioned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to write music

for a four-act ballet in 1875. Originally titled The Lake of Swans, the ballet was choreographed by Austrian

Julius Reisinger for its premiere in 1877. Rehearsals began in March 1876, before Tchaikovsky had finished

all of the music, though it only took him a month longer to complete the draft. Unfortunately, Tchaikovsky

faced similar challenges as Bizet in rehearsal: the orchestra’s conductor believed the music was too complex

for a ballet, and Reisinger believed some of the music “undanceable”. He did make a couple of additions at

the request of the principal ballerina and for the benefit performance of another ballerina in the production,

but the first performance of Swan Lake was only moderately successful. The music did not receive full

appreciation from the public until it was revived, with new choreography, after Tchaikovsky’s death.345

For more information, you can find a picture book and CD called The Story of Swan Lake here:

http://www.maestroclassics.com/the-story-of-swan-lake.html.

1

Sadie, Stanley, ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, Volume 2, pp. 759-761. 2

Sadie, Stanley, ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Volume 1, p. 488. 3

Naughtin, Matthew, Ballet Music: A Handbook, pp. 347-352. 4

Poznansky, Alexander & Brett Langston, The Tchaikovsky Handbook, Volume 1, p. 100. 5

Sadie, Stanley, ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, Volume 18, pp. 613-614.

Ballet to Flamenco: Snapshot for Teachers and Students

Revisions

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You can also learn more about Tchaikovsky and his ballets here:

http://www.classicsforkids.com/pastshows.asp?id=55.

Story 3: Johann Strauss II was commissioned to compose a piece for choir in 1865, around a time when the

Viennese needed to hear something uplifting and happy. Strauss decided, at first, to write a waltz in which

the choir sang the words to a satirical poem. This version premiered in February 1867, receiving one

encore—a failure by Strauss’s standards. Motivated by the audiences’ and the choirs’ disliking the words, he

created the famous orchestral version, which we now know of as The Blue Danube Waltz.67

As you can see from these examples, the composers whose music has survived hundreds of years did not

necessarily come to write their now-famous pieces the first time they tried: the music was often revised and

adapted, whether by the composers themselves or by others, until they came up with a product that was

more successful. Keep in mind that as you dance, conduct, play, write, and otherwise create, you also always

have the option of revisiting what you make and trying something new with it. This allows to you innovate

freely, and then choose later what you like or want to improve.

When musicians and dancers come together for a live performance, the two art forms each play a different

role: sometimes the music informs the dance, and sometimes the dance informs the music.

People who dance the waltz usually use their movements to express what they hear in the music—meaning

the music informs the dance. You can click on this link to hear an excerpt of a song about waltzing, and

even try stepping and gliding with the music. Here’s a hint: try to count in threes.

https://kidsongs.com/lyrics/don-t-you-just-love-to-waltz.html/.

Similarly, classical ballet dancers need the music for reference as to how they choose to execute their

movements. If the music sounds smooth and elegant, the dancer can move gracefully; or, if the music

sounds angular and short, the dancer can make quick movements. Try imitating what the music is doing the

next time you dance to your favorite song.

The rhythmic nature of live flamenco, however, allows for a lot of flexibility for the dancers and musicians

to lead or follow each other’s ideas. This is because the dancers themselves can contribute to the music by

making rhythmic patterns with their feet or by clicking castanets (see here how to make homemade

castanets: https://www.education.com/activity/article/Castanets/), which are concave pieces of wood that you

can click together in your palms. You can also design and dance with a flamenco fan: use crayons or

markers to decorate a full page of printer paper. Fold the paper into a fan and use it to dance to “Les

Toreadors” or “Habañera” from Bizet’s Carmen Suite.

Click here for more information about flamenco dance: http://dancepoise.com/flamenco-dance-facts-about-

flamenco-dancing-in-spain.

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http://www.classicfm.com/composers/strauss-ii/guides/story-behind-blue-danube/ 7

Sadie, Stanley, ed., The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, Volume 18, pp. 208-211.

Music and Dance

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Which comes more naturally to you: dancing in response to music, or playing music in response to a

dance? Try doing each by itself first. How do you dance without music? What happens when you create

music without dance? Then try finding a partner who can dance to your music. What happens when the

dancer leads? How about when you lead?

When you come to the concert, you’ll see the dancers on stage using their interpretations of the music in

their body movements. Here are some questions you can consider as you watch the dancers:

When does the dancer move quickly, slowly, or stay still?

How does the dancer balance, especially during a spin?

Does the speed of the dancer’s spins change when the music is different?

What does the dancer do to prepare for a smooth jump?

Take a moment to think about whether or not you would be using the same movements for the same

music. Would you play the music the same way as the musicians on stage? What do you like or dislike

about it?

After you answer those questions, you will develop a better sense of your interpretation. Your interpretation

doesn’t have to be the same as what you saw at the concert; in fact, it’s better if it isn’t the same. If it’s

different, share what you would do differently with your friends, and see what they came up with. You might

be surprised at how creative you all are!

Interpretation

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Movement One: Dance Positions

This activity will introduce students to the 5 basic ballet positions and then take

them on a journey to create their own 5 positions that they can use to make up their

own dances.

Activity Ideas

To “set the stage,” please watch “How to Do the 5 Basic Ballet Positions” on

www.howcast.com.

These stick figure images of the 5 basic ballet positions come from

www.pinterest.com:

Have your students try to imitate what they see in numerical order. A real ballet

does not do them in order: it mixes them up to fit the music. It would be very

strange to just keep repeating the same thing over and over again, don't you think?

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Curriculum Connections Fine Arts Standards

Creating

o 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

o 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

o 3: Refine and complete artistic work.

Performing

o 4: Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.

o 5: Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.

o 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

Connecting

o 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

In groups of 3-4, mix the 5 ballet positions up to make your own dance. Write down the numbers

the order you would do them and try it. Do you like it? What should you change? Try it again with

the changes you made. That is what a choreographer does when he creates a ballet! If you give your

numbers to another group, can they recreate your ballet?

Not all dances use these 5 basic positions, however. Pretend you are the world’s best choreographer

and you are going to create a new type of dance. How would you use your feet, your hands, your

knees, or your hips? Would you always stand up straight? Would you be bent over or to the side?

Maybe your step would have you curl in a ball or stretch out tall? Draw some stick figures showing

what you would like your positions to be. In your group decide which positions you like the best

and put them together into your own dance. Decide if it should be fast or slow. Should each person

do one position, or should the whole group do them together? How else could you put it together?

When you have decided and practiced, perform your special dance for the class.

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Movement Two: Isolation Fun: Dancing with

Different Body Parts

Many ethnic, regional and folk dance traditions focus on training of individual body

parts. In modern American dance forms, choreographers and dancers play with

creative ways to isolate and move individual body parts. Similarly, children naturally

mimic fun movements they see others do and are inclined to play with isolating

body parts as they move, explore the word around them, and interact with one

another. This activity encourages kids to identify, isolate, and express different ideas,

responding to music using individual body parts. It’s also filled with examples of how

these isolations work in dances from around the world – a wonderful connection to

make to the diverse dance music of the concert with extensions to other countries’

dance traditions.

Activity Ideas

Have your students try to imitate what they see in numerical order. A real ballet

does not do them in order: it mixes them up to fit the music. It would be very

strange to just keep repeating the same thing over and over again, don't you think?

ISOLATE and CREATE!

There are so many different kinds of dance around the world and so many different

ways people can move their bodies. When you move only one part of your body,

dancers call that isolation.

Dancing with your EYES

Can you dance with just your eyes? If you were a boy or girl trained in Kathakali

(“Cat-a-CAL-ee”,) a special kind of dance/drama from southern India, you would

learn how to dance only with your eyes for two years as part of your training.

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Kathakali dancers also wear special makeup that makes their eye movements really show up when

they dance. It looks like this:

Image Source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l3ZHQezxd_U/maxresdefault.jpg

Image Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/39/b2/73/39b2732704e5991cad861a0b5854738d.jpg

Here’s a dancer dancing with only her eyes to Kathakali music. How does it make you feel to watch

it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ6Hnl54z9A

How many ways can you move your eyes? Play the music above again and try dancing with your

eyes only. Can you do each of these eye movements in time to the music?

Blink

Wiggle your eyebrows

Open your eyes really wide and then squint them!

Move your eyes in a circle!

Move your eyes up and down!

Move your eyes side to side!

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Dancing with your ARMS and HANDS

We usually think about our feet as the things that move when we dance, but a dancer’s hands are

just as important. Look at the arms and hands of these flamenco dancers! When you come to the

concert, you will also hear how the flamenco dancer’s hands help make the sound of the dance

through the use of castanets.

But hands are important in lots of kinds of dance. In Persian Dance, the hands are one of the most

important parts of the dance because they tell a story. What kind of story is this Persian dancer’s

hands telling?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT2-lj5SlBo

Now watch this video and see how the dancer’s hands become different objects. Can you follow

along? Now try to make your own story! Play the music again and try dancing only with your hands.

Can you make your hands look like a:

Dancing deer head

Waves

Big circles

Little circles

Fans

Tiny little floating clouds

Wind

Fire

A waterfall

What other moving objects can your hands become?

Dancing with your SHOULDERS and NECK

Image Source: catersnews.com

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While all dancers move their heads and necks when they dance in Ethiopia there is a special dance

whose name means “shoulder dance” and your shoulders REALLY dance when you do it! It is the

Eskista and it is a special dance that is often called the main Ethiopian dance. It is performed by

both men and women at social events and parties – everyone lines up in groups and shakes and

shimmies their shoulders! This is a dance for groups of people and not just for couples or solo

performers. Look how much fun everyone is having!

Source: http://yene-ethiopia.blogspot.com/2015/09/eskista.html

Some people say the Eskista dance came from moving like the head and shoulders of a very fast

moving snake – and the quick rattle of rattlesnakes. Watch the video and see what you think. Does

all that shoulder shaking movement remind you of any other animal or thing?

Here are two young girls dancing the Eskista in front of a place where you can get a taxi in Ethiopia:

https://youtu.be/WJ6Fd1nIQHY?t=41s

If you want to try to do the basic shoulder move in the Eskista you can try it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_AQuOOT-_I

Or just divide the class in half and stand across from each other and shake and shimmy and move

your shoulders every which way you can to this traditional Ethiopian song, “Nanu Nanu Ney!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r2RfsDzVUA

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Dancing with your BELLY

How far out can you stick your belly? How far back can you push it back towards your spine? Can

you pretend that you are using your belly to stir a big pot of thick soup really slowly?? Can you tap

the different sides of your soup pot with your belly really fast? See if you can follow along to the

different tempos of this belly dancing music and let your tummy lead you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aINpZDfd8Pg

Dancing with OBJECTS

People have been dancing with objects (and in or around objects!) for a long time. Take a look at all

the object dances below and then look around your classroom. Are there are any objects that you

might want to use in a dance? Ask your teacher if you can!

If you could dance with anything, what would it be? What music would YOU use for your dance?

Make a dance with objects and show it to a classmate. Or choreograph a group of your friends and

objects together and present it.

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Here are examples of people dancing with objects:

Here’s a group of teenagers from Boston in a Rapper sword dance called Candyrapper.

Don’t worry! Those aren’t real swords! https://youtu.be/G5EDCfSKU-0?t=38s

And here is another kind of sword dance. Can you try something like this with rulers?

Jumping over objects in rhythm is fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKyZGH26yk

You can dance with fans like these teenagers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VfAmS2NWKg&feature=youtu.be&t=5s

Or you can dance with an umbrella! https://youtu.be/D1ZYhVpdXbQ?t=2m27s

Or do a silly dance with balloons! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avvzI8LQL0k

Or even a steam shovel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JSAtZjsr6w

Key Terms

Ethiopia: a country located in the Horn of Africa on the African continent. Ethiopia is the

most populous landlocked country in the world, and its largest city is Addis Ababa.

Eskista: a dance from Ethiopia. Eskista means “dancing shoulders” and is performed with

head, neck, chest, and shoulders shaking.

India: a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most

populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the

world.

Isolation/Isolate: in dance, this is the movement of one part of the body independently of the

rest. This means that you isolate one part of your body, which moves, while the rest of your

body remains completely still.

Kathakal: a classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" with colorful make-up, costumes, and

facemasks that the traditionally male actor-dancers wear.

Persian Dance: a name for the kind of dance that came from the country Iran.

Tempo: the speed or pace of a piece of music.

Rhythm: the “beat” of music; the regular pattern of long and short notes.

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Curriculum Connections Fine Arts Standards

Creating

o 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

o 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

o 3: Refine and complete artistic work.

Performing

o 4: Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.

o 5: Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.

o 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

Responding

o 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.

o 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Connecting

o 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

o 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to

deepen understanding.

ELA Practices

E7: They come to understanding other perspectives and cultures.

Mathematics Practices

M6: Attend to precision.

M7: Look for and make use of structure.

Social Studies Practices

SS1: Developing questions and planning inquiry.

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Movement Three: Toys, Dancing, and Storytelling

Stuffed animals (sometimes called “stuffies” or “lovies”) are great creative outlets for

storytelling. Children love to use their toys as parts of stories, or tell the story to the

toy. Be sure to have some toys ready for students who may have forgotten theirs!

Activity Ideas

These activities will give you some creative outlets for using the music, and other

pieces of music not on the program, before and after you hear the concert.

1. Preview the music and create a quick couple of steps of movement for your

class to follow, or let it be more spontaneous and let the class explore ideas

for movement. Next, try to find some themes or repeating patterns in the

music that the students can catch, and have them move the toys in a similar

way every time they hear that theme.

2. Play a piece of music, either from the concert list or from other sources.

Allow groups of students time to create a storyline that follows the music.

Allow students time to share their stories.

3. If possible, allow students to create story memes. Draw characters on the

page. Add a text box, and bring the characters to life! Does your dog bark, or

talk like a pirate? Does the action figure have a catch phrase? Explore all of

the possibilities. Save enough time for a Gallery Walk, when students can

view work from the rest of the class.

4. Song stories are stories that are read to the class, with prepared sound effects

for specific words. Allow time to explore those words or assign them an

instrument for each chosen word. Some examples are Tiki Tiki Tembo

(Arlene Mosel) and Sound stories: For Interactive Listening and Reading Fun

(Cristi Cary Miller). http://wildsoundstories.com/ is a website with short sound

stories that will engage your students in sound exploration.

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Curriculum Connections Fine Arts Standards

Creating

o 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

Performing

o 5: Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.

Responding

o 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Connecting

o 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

ELA Practices

E1: They demonstrate independence.

E3: They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.

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Movement Four: Dance Conducting

When you visit the Meyerhoff, you will see the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s

conductor, a person who leads the group as they play the music. Have you ever

wondered what it would be like to be a conductor? Give it a try!

Activity Ideas

Conducting 101

Conductors usually conduct using a pattern to show the beats of music. Try these

two different patterns by pointing to each number, saying the number to a steady

beat, and repeating until it becomes easy. Try saying the names of the animals you

find at each number, too!

Bird

4

Fish

2

Dog

1

Cat

3

Bird

3

Dog

1

Cat

2

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Listen to a piece from the concert you are going to hear, and see which pattern fits the music best.

Conduct with the music and show how it makes you feel. You can find the music on CD or follow

these Youtube links:

Carmen Suite No. 1 and No. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RG_QStDbfU

Blue Danube Waltz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkzWF1UE1CI

Swan Lake Suite: https://youtu.be/SDhq70yrtiI

Let the music move you!

Not all conductors conduct the same way. Watch this video of an excellent conductor who keeps

track of the beats with a different style!

Jonathan, the amazing 3-year-old conductor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0REJ-lCGiKU

Listen again to a piece from the concert you are going to hear. Grab a scarf or ribbon, and move

your arms to a piece of music. Use movement to show the feeling of the piece.

Conduct a live orchestra!

Stand in a circle with your friends. As the conductor, you are going to use your body to lead the

orchestra. Decide on either a vocal sound or instrument to play for each of the following body

parts:

Feet

Head

Hands

Knees

Hips

Shoulders

Practice each sound for each body part. The smaller the movement, the softer the sound is; the

larger the movement, the louder the sound.

Move or point to each body part, and your friends should make the sound you choose to go with

that body part. Once you’ve performed your masterpiece, let a friend take a turn!

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Curriculum Connections Fine Arts Standards

Creating

o 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

o 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

Performing

o 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

Responding

o 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Connecting

o 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

ELA Practices

E2: They build strong content knowledge.

E3: They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.

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Movement Five: Time, Space, and Energy

Time to dig through your toy box or visit the PE closet at school to find all the

sports balls you can get your hands on! Try to find a variety of sizes and weights to

use for the following activities. Explore the time, space, and energy it takes to pass,

roll, and bounce a variety of sports balls to show the music elements found in the

pieces that you will hear on your trip to the Meyerhoff!

Activity Ideas

1. While sitting in a circle with a large group of classmates (a whole class would

be perfect), pass a beach ball to the person on your right to the beat of music

being played or performed. Read the levels listed below. After mastering

Level 1, work together to complete levels 2 & 3 with some quick-response

challenges! As you explore each level, change the beach ball to something

heavier or smaller. Discuss how this changes the amount of energy needed to

pass the ball on the beat.

Level 1: Chant the words “me, you” or “pass, pass” to help the group maintain a steady beat!

Level 2: Stop passing the ball anytime the music stops. Be sure to get back to the beat as quickly as possible when the music begins again!

Level 3: Have a child tap a triangle or metal instrument to cue the class to change the direction of the beach ball being passed.

2. Pick a partner and sit on the floor facing each other with only a little bit of

space between you and your friend. Roll a ball (your choice of size and

weight) back and forth to each other to match the musical phrases or meter of

the music. Try moving farther apart from your partner and doing the same

activity. What did you notice about the energy needed to keep the timing?

3. Now stand up and grab a playground ball. Can you bounce it to the beat of

the music? If you’re really coordinated, bounce the ball on the beat and walk

at the same time! Now switch to using a tennis ball. How did your use of

energy change in order to bounce a tennis ball to the beat instead of a large

playground ball?

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Curriculum Connections Fine Arts Standards

Responding

o 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.

Science Practices

S7: Engaging in argument from evidence.

S8: Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

Key Terms

Time: the tempo (speed) of the musical phrase and/or the duration of individual notes (note

values).

Space: the area used for movement (don’t forget to explore the elements of high, middle,

and low!)

Energy: the amount of force needed to create a movement.

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Movement Six: Dance is as Easy as Moving to

Music

Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is a ballet based on the famous fairy tale. That means it

was written for dancers to tell the story through their dance. Ballet is a very skilled

and beautiful art form. Let’s create our own ballet to go with this music.

Activity Ideas

You’ll need scarves or ribbons for movement. Tell students the story of Swan Lake.

Disney’s The Swan Princess is a great introduction. They will be dancing to the

Waltz from Act I of Swan Lake.

Find the music on CD or use this Youtube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsPnZjdD3XY

Today we are going to the ball! A ball is a very grand dance where everybody wears

fancy clothes and dances to beautiful music.

Tchaikovsky wrote some wonderful dance music for the ball. You’ll hear that

Tchaikovsky put a lot of loud notes in the music. Musicians call those accents. Take

a dancing scarf or ribbon and dance around the room as you listen to the music.

Pretend you’re at a very fancy ball. Whenever you hear an accent in the music, raise

your scarf or ribbon over your head, as if you’re saying hello to someone else in the

room who is also dancing. Know that as you are dancing your accents will be with

everyone else but the rest of your dance will be your own. Have fun at the ball!

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Curriculum Connections Fine Arts Standards

Creating

o 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

o 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

Performing

o 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

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SPECIAL THANKS

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra acknowledges with gratitude the

work of the following individuals who contributed to the development

of these materials:

Richard McCready, Lesson Plan Writing Workshop

Facilitator; Lead Writer, Editor

River Hill High School, Howard County

Gina Braden, Writer

The Park School of Baltimore, Baltimore County

Nellie Hill, Writer

Retired, Howard County

Theresa Iacarino, Writer

Joppa View Elementary School, Baltimore County

Rebecca Ludwig, Writer

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City

Catina Ramis, Writer

Veterans Elementary School, Howard County

Carole Wysocki, Director of Education & Community

Engagement

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Katie Brill, Education Programs Coordinator

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is proud to

acknowledge support for its Midweek Education

Series from the following funders:

Official Education Partner:

Supporting Sponsors:

These concerts are supported, in part, through

the generosity of the Zanvyl and Isabelle

Krieger Endowed Fund for Education and

the Patricia and Mark K. Joseph Music

Education Fund for City Schools students.

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