“Music is made with Tools and Imagination”

June 10 Presentation at Clinton Elementary:

Introductions: (10 mins)

Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Oboe, Horn, Percussion

- Aim for 1 minute presentation each

- Show off your instrument, basic idea of how it works, play a short Firebird excerpt

Scale activity: (15 minutes)

Introduce Stravinsky / Composing

- Some of you know the story of the firebird. Who is Igor Stravinsky? Who can tell me about the story?

- We are going to show you the process how Stravinsky created this music and how composers write melodies. How do you build a
house? To make something you need tools. In this case our tools are the notes.

Introduce the Scale Activity

- 7 colored flash cards. Explain how each color represents a different note and when you put them together they make different
melodies

- Show each flash card to build an A Major scale - Bass plays an A Major scale. Exaggerate happy feeling with major.

- Depending on the order of our notes, music can make us feel different moods. Build a minor scale with flash cards

- Ask Oboe to demonstrate A minor scale in an angry character.

- Ask kids to raise hands and give a mood. Demonstrate an A Major/minor scale based off of their choice.

- Composers are just like us, they pick a mood, just like you did, and they pick notes to try to create that mood.

- Explain group activities. Anyone can be a composer too. In the following activity, we want you to pick a mood, and try and make a
melody that feels like that mood.

Group Activity: (10 minutes)

Split off into groups: 6 groups of 4. Each group gets one instrument to help make the melody

- Each group gets colored flash cards (with pitches) so they can organize the melody. The only rule is that they have to finish on an A!

- Groups get 4 choices of moods: ANGRY, EXCITED, SPOOKY, HAPPY

- Groups choose their mood and begin arranging notes to create a melody in that mood. The instrumentalist is there to help guide by
performing their chosen melody so they can hear it and make changes if they like.

- We perform each of their compositions at the end

Summary (5 minutes)

- What other tools do we have as composers to make different moods? (tempo, dynamics, instrument, etc.)

- Did we achieve our goals in making different moods?

- Play 4 excerpts from Firebird that represent Angry, Excited, Spooky, and Happy.