For Teachers and Parents Dear Grownups:
A Good Audience…
stays seated, stays quiet, doesn’t eat, listens, and claps. Have fun!
Welcome to the NSO Kinderclassics, designed to introduce children in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 to the basics of music and musical instruments of the orchestra. Please help your young concert-goers read and understand the information in this Cuesheet. The information and activity ideas below are designed to help you further the children’s concert experience.
The Concert Program The musicians will perform repertoire that includes the musical selections below. Before or after the concert, you may want to have the children listen to some or all of these musical selections if you have access to them in the library or online. Point out that the music was not originally written to be performed by flute and marimba, so the performers changed it a little to work with their instruments. Children will notice a difference between recorded versions and what they hear on stage. Ask children to see whether they can recognize the music when they hear it the second time.
Valse-Soufflé by Arnold Black
Wait! There’s More!
Here are some activities for children. Name That Tune During the performance, you’ll learn to hear the difference between rhythm and melody. After the performance, choose a song that you and your friends both know. Try clapping the rhythm of the song and see whether your friends can guess it. If they can’t, try humming the melody. Try this with a few different songs. Which part, rhythm or melody, was easier to guess?
Instrument Make-Believe During the performance, you’ll see how instruments can help tell stories. After the performance, try it yourself. Gather a few musical instruments. Mime (using face expression and movement but no talking!) an action using the instrument as another object (like pretending to write a letter using a flute as the pencil). See whether friends and family can guess your action. Or, do the opposite. Find objects that look like instruments, and mime playing them and have friends guess the instrument.
Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo”
Christoph Eschenbach Music Director, National Symphony Orchestra Additional support for Kinderclassics is provided by The Clark Charitable Foundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Education.
www.kennedy-center.org /artsedge
Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, an education program of the Kennedy Center. Learn more about Education at The Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education
“Preview” the Concert Hall We hope you have so much fun at the concert that you’ll come back soon to hear a performance of the full National Symphony Orchestra—that’s 100 musicians! When they all play together, they perform on the big stage in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Get a sneak peak at the Hall (and even go backstage) in the playful online tour led by former NSO Associate Conductor Emil de Cou at: artsedge.kennedy-center.org/nsoed.
Upcoming Family Concerts Please build on your Kinderclassic experience by joining us at this season’s National Symphony Orchestra Family Concerts, which are performed on the following Sundays at 2pm and 4pm by the full NSO:
The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. ©2016 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Did you know that music is made up of parts? That’s right. Just like a building made of blocks, music is made with different parts. At the performance, two musicians will help you explore how music and even musical instruments break down and come together to make amazing music.
Performed by Lawler + Fadoul: Paul Fadoul, marimba, vibraphone, and drum set Zara Lawler, flute, piccolo, and alto flute
February 28, 2016 — Let’s Remix the Classix! April 24, 2016 — Lights! Canvas! Music!
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.
The NSO also presents full orchestra Young People’s Concerts for school groups in the Concert Hall each season during the school day for grades 3 through 6.
Performances for Young Audiences is made possible by
For more about NSO education programs, see www.kennedy-center.org/nso/nsoed 5
Mario R. Rossero Vice President, Education
Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.
Before the concert, enjoy hands-on fun with the instruments that the musicians will play on stage in the Hall of States. A project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO.
More Fun With Music
Deborah F. Rutter President
Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.
Prelude No. 1, by George Gershwin Prelude No. 2, Op. 34, by Dmitri Shostakovich (duh-MEE-tree Shah-stuh-KOH-vitch)
Kinderclassic
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
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