Artsource - Paul Winter

Artsource

MUSIC ®

The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts

TRANSFORMATION

ENDURING VALUES

ARTISTIC PROCESSES

TRADITIONAL CLASSICAL

1. CREATING (Cr)

CONTEMPORARY

2. PERFORMING, PRESENTING, PRODUCING (Pr)

EXPERIMENTAL

3. RESPONDING (Re)

MULTI-MEDIA

4. CONNECTING (Cn)

FREEDOM & OPPRESSION

THE POWER OF NATURE

THE HUMAN FAMILY

Title of Work:

About the Artwork:

Ocean Dream

Paul Winter and his saxophone are the lead voices in his band, but every instrument makes a significant contribution to the overall sound of the music. The organ and synthesizer provide a blanket of chords and harmonies. The guitar and percussion provide the rhythm and movement of the piece, helping it roll gently from phrase to phrase. The cello accompanies the saxophone and creates textures of its own, while the saxophone improvises along with the voice of the Humpback. We hear the sound of the sea and the magical voice of the Humpback whale (introduction), playing a melody. Guitar, organ, synthesizer and percussion enter lightly (accompaniment) followed by the main melody of the song (theme) played by saxophone and cello. The Humpback re-enters and creates a musical vision of life in the ocean in the same key as the music.

Creator: Composers: Paul Winter (b. 1939) and the Humpback Whale

Background Information: The music of Paul Winter is focused around community, nature and joy. His music is a collaborative effort with musicians and with animals.

Paul includes animals by listening to their songs, cries and howls and then creates melodies on his saxophone that collaborate with these sounds. The voices of creatures from all around the world are in his music, including whales, wolves, elk, buffalo, eagles, tigers and elephants. Paul Winter was born on August 31, 1939 in Altoona, Pennsylvania; his parents encouraged him to play music at an early age. His college band, the Paul Winter Sextet, won the 1961 Intercollegiate Jazz Festival, became artists with Columbia Records, and were sent to South America by the U.S. State Department. They were also invited by Jackie Kennedy to be the first jazz group to officially perform at the White House. In 1968, he formed the Paul Winter Consort, looking to expand and deepen his musical sound with the influence of rhythms, melodies and social ideas he experienced while traveling, particularly in Brazil. That year Paul heard the songs of the Humpback whales, and this strongly influenced his music and life. Humpbacks are featured on Paul’s CD, Whales Alive. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his musical efforts for endangered species and the environment, including two Grammy Awards.

In Connecticut, where he now lives, he continues to pursue his love of music, nature and community.

Creative Process of the Artist or Culture: Composers and musicians view a musical ensemble, as a community, working together.

For example, a Dixieland band improvises in a soulful, musical conversation.

The way the male Humpback whale communicates is very similar to that of a musician. Connecticut “Music and nature have expanded my sense of home to include the whole Earth.”

Paul Winter

Background on the Creative Process Continued: His songs have a wide variety of sounds, including the highest and lowest frequencies humans can hear, with complex phrases and themes, much like a piece of music. These songs change over time, in the same way a composer creates a variation on a theme. When Paul Winter adds the sound of his saxophone to these songs, he is creating new music with the Humpbacks and performing a very interesting duet. Artists like Paul Winter extend the concept of community and communication to include the lyrical voices of humans and animals.

Classical composers have also been influenced by the power of nature. Ludwig van Beethoven (Germany, 1770-1827), interprets nature in his Pastorale Symphony (No.6) by creating music that reflects his feelings in nature. Jean Sibelius

trunks) or make instruments that imitate natural sounds (rain sticks, ocean drums, bird calls, wind flutes). Animal stories are a part of some traditions: Celts (Salmon), Chinese (Tiger), Greek (Snake), still others have spiritual connections to nature. Research songs and stories from a variety of cultures that are inspired by different aspects of nature.

Audio-Visual Materials: • Artsource® audio excerpt of Ocean Dream by Paul Winter and the Humpback whale, from Whales Alive.

Courtesy of Helen Blue Musique, Ltd., New York.

• Photo on unit page: Courtesy of Paul Winter.

Additional References: • EARTH: Voices of a Planet. Teacher’s Guide & CD www.livingmusic.com/catalogue/categories/education/teachersguide.html.

(Finland, 1865-1957) imitates the sounds of brooks and breezes in his Karelia Suite for orchestra

Sample Lessons: Level I

and paints a musical picture of his beloved country, Finland. Olivier Messiaen (France, 1908-1992) collects bird songs and puts them in his music, including a work for orchestra titled Chronochromie. Toru Takemitsu (Japan, 1930-

• Divide the class in to equal groups of 4 to 6 people.

1996) is greatly influenced by water, wind, islands, and Japanese gardens. In Archipelago S. the orchestra is divided into five islands around the

Ask everyone to share a personal story about themselves and an animal. Ask the groups to choose the story they like the best. Have each group retell the story to the class, with each person telling a part of the story. * • Listen to Ocean Dream and draw your impressions of the scene inspired by the music you hear.

Discussion Questions:

• Learn about other composers who created music inspired by different aspects of nature, i.e. the Pastorale Symphone (No. 6) by Ludwig van Beethoven.

After listening to the audio:

Level II

concert hall.

• What adjectives would you use to describe the voice of the Humpback whale?

• Can you hear why the Humpback whale is given credit as co-composer of Ocean Dream?

• What part of the world would you like to visit, and what animal would inspire you to go there?

What does this animal have in common with you?

* • Create music in small community groups using

• What are the similarities of the sound of the saxophone and the voice of the Humpback whale?

• What other animals and instruments could make

• Examine a few cultural ideas that have a strong connection to nature - Native American myths, Japanese gardens, Aztec instruments, etc. How do these cultures value their environment and how do they differ from modern society? * • Create a script using a story called, EARTH. Prepare a reading and discuss the kind of music that should

interesting or unusual music together?

Multidisciplinary Options: Many cultures have a strong connection to animals and nature. Some use animal and plant parts as instruments (turtle shells, animal skin, seeds, tree

specific guidelines and working toward cooperation, sensitivity and unity.

• Describe as many communities as you can -- cultural, intellectual, spiritual, artistic, etc. List some communities of which you would like to be part.

Level III

accompany your script. * Indicates sample lessons

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MUSIC

MUSIC ALL AROUND US THE POWER OF NATURE

LEVEL I Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: The sounds of nature and animals help Paul Winter create what he calls, “Living Music.” Paul has recorded his music in the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, and has visited the habitats of many animals throughout the world. Paul’s music is inspired by his emotional responses to the beauty he finds in these places and his respect and admiration for the animals that share our world.

OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to: • Demonstrate a greater appreciation for the musical qualities of sounds made by animals and in nature. (Responding & Connecting) • Create music through imitating sounds from nature.

(Creating & Performing) • Create a drawing that reflects their emotional responses to music. (Creating & Presenting) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting) MATERIALS:

Photo: Cathy Maier

• Artsource® audio recording excerpt of Ocean Dream.

PROGRESSION: • Give some background information on the life and music of Paul Winter. See Unit pages 1-2.

• Listen to the audio recording excerpt of Ocean Dream.

• Direct students to listen again and draw a picture that is inspired by the song.

• Ask the students to give their impressions about the music: How does it make them feel?

• With voices, create a sonic environment that uses the sounds of animals and nature. Use their drawings as a source of inspiration.

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• Create more sonic variety in your environment by including sounds that express moods and emotions.

• Use the extension ideas below to broaden the experience for your students.

EXTENSIONS: • Create simple rhythmic patterns that can be performed with your sonic environments. Ask students to use their hands, desks, books and other classroom objects or instruments to play their rhythms. Direct them to perform these rhythms and vocal sounds at the same time.

• Ask students to learn the scientific names of some of their favorite animals.

• Listen to the Pastorale Symphony (No.6) of Ludwig van Beethoven VOCABULARY: rhythm, landscape, nature, mood ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Connecting) DESCRIBE: Describe things that can be defined as nature.

DISCUSS: Discuss things in nature that are characteristic of where you live.

ANALYZE: Analyze the differences and similarities between various animal sounds and music.

CONNECT: What are some sounds that animals and humans have in common?

Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking

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MUSIC

COMMUNITY AND COMMUNICATION THE POWER OF NATURE andENDURING VALUES

LEVEL II Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: Our perspective on the world we live in is uniquely connected to our own experiences, influences, and ideas. By being open-minded, artists like Paul Winter allow themselves to re-examine their connection to their immediate social circles and the larger, global society we all share. Through travel, study and personal contact, we can allow differing traditions, philosophies and practices to be incorporated into our understanding of human culture. For example, Paul Winter includes all of the creatures that inhabit the earth -- humans and animals alike -- in his definition of community. An ability to do this reflects on our acceptance of ideas that we do not understand such as eating certain kinds of foods and etiquette.

OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to:

Rorqual Whale

• Create music using specific guidelines.

(Creating & Performing) • Identify the different types of communities in their lives. (Connecting) • Identify their role and successfully fulfill it within a group environment. (Connecting) • Describe group dynamics that make them comfortable.

(Responding & Connecting) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson.

Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting) MATERIALS: • Artsource® audio recording excerpt of Ocean Dream.

PROGRESSION: • Give some background information on the life and music of Paul Winter.

• Divide the class into four groups of varied sizes (communities).

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• Each group will create music using the following guidelines: Group 1 - Will alternate between two rhythmmic patterns as instructed by a single leader.

• Create a semi-circle with all of the players facing inward.

• Elect a leader.

• Place the leader in front of the group so he/she can be seen by all of the players.

• The leader decides when to play each rhythm, how loud to play and who is to play. (This should vary throughout.)

• The leader must give directions without speaking -- hand signals and gestures only.

• The group is to create the two rhythmic patterns in four-four time.

Group 2 - Will work together to create variety with a single rhythmic pattern and gives everyone a chance to lead.

• Create a circle with all of the players facing inward. Each person will get a chance to lead the group.

• Choose someone to start the process and decide in which order to move around the group (clockwise, counterclockwise, other).

• A leader “steps down” by gesturing toward the person who is to lead next.

• The music must vary as the leadership moves around the group.

• Individuals in the group may not play for every leader; this is to change the sounds and texture of the ensemble.

• Leaders may also begin with 10-15 seconds of silence.

Group 3 - Allows each person to create a rhythmic pattern that is repeated by the group.

• Create a square with all of the players facing inward. Each person will get a chance to lead the group.

• Each person creates a simple rhythm and plays it for the group.

• The group repeats this rhythm four times with no breaks.

• The next rhythm begins as soon as the repeating of the previous rhythm is complete or after a slight pause.

• All pauses must be in tempo.

• Rhythms may use various volumes and techniques. (soft, loud, soft to loud, loud to soft, or any combination) Group 4 - Will work to produce a variety of rhythm patterns that flow smoothly from one to the other.

• Create a triangle with all of the players facing inward.

• Without speaking, individuals will volunteer to propose a rhythm to the group.

• If the groups likes the rhythm they will begin to play it, if not, another person may volunteer a rhythm.

• Once a rhythm is accepted, the group must play it until another rhythm is proposed.

• New rhythms must transition from the old without a break in the music.

• Continue until the group decides to stop.

• Use the extension questions below to broaden the experience for your students.

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EXTENSIONS: • Describe as many communities as you can - cultural, social, intellectual, spiritual, artistic, etc.

• List some communities that you would like to be a part of in the future?

• Research cultures that maintain a strong view of community.

• List the contributions you can make to strengthen your community?

VOCABULARY: community, relationships, texture, communication ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Connecting) DESCRIBE: Describe the key parts of a community.

DISCUSS: Discuss the similarities and differences of two types of communities.

ANALYZE: Analyze all of the communities in which you are a member.

CONNECT: How does creating music help us understand how to work together and create stronger communities?

Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking

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MUSIC

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK ENDURING VALUES

LEVEL III Sample Lesson INTRODUCTION: Art can be a powerful tool in helping us understand complex issues. By changing the perspective in which we experience art, our knowledge and appreciation of a given idea can be expanded. Many artists such as Paul Winter create art that encourages us to look at our own interpretations of the world around us and the issues that concern us. Examples of works of art that heighten our awareness include the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., which was designed by Maya Lin in memory of the American lives lost during that war. The Cave, a video opera by American composer Steve Reich and video artist Beryl Korot, which deals with the religious differences of Moslems and Jews and their connection to Abraham and his burial site. Still/Here, a multi-media dance piece by Bill T. Jones, interprets the thoughts and feelings of people who are struggling with a terminal illness, including the beauty and hope of their lives. The music of Paul Winter is not as explicit in its content as these examples, but the intention is the same. By including the voices of earth’s creatures, Paul shares the magic that he hears in their songs, and makes us examine our own relationship to animals and nature. By incorporating universal issues in their work, artists expand their impact and involvement in society as a whole.

OBJECTIVES: (Student Outcomes) Students will be able to: • Work as a group. (Connecting) • Demonstrate a greater understanding of the creative process; in particular, the level of awareness and responsibility needed to have a successful presentation. (Responding & Connecting) • Create a multi-layered presentation using music and spoken word. (Creating) • Describe, discuss, analyze and connect information and experiences based on this lesson. Refer to Assessment at the end of this lesson. (Responding & Connecting)

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MATERIALS: • Artsource® audio recording excerpt of Ocean Dream.

• EARTH - by an unknown author.

• Rhythm instruments.

• Use the extension ideas below to broaden the experience for your students.

EARTH If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter, floating a few feet above a field somewhere, people would come from everywhere to marvel at it. People would walk around it, marveling at its big pools of water, its little pools and the water flowing between the pools.

People would marvel at the bumps on it and the holes in it, and they would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding it and the water suspended in the gas. The people would marvel at all the creatures walking around the surface of the ball and at the creatures in the water. The people would declare it precious because it was the only one, and they would protect it so that it would not be hurt. The ball would be the greatest wonder known and people would come to behold it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know beauty and to wonder how it could be. People would love it and defend it with their lives because they would somehow know that their lives, their own roundness, could be nothing without it. If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter.

Author unknown PROGRESSION: • Give some background information on the life and music of Paul Winter.

• Listen to the recording of Ocean Dream. Use the Discussion Questions on page 2.

• Discuss your impressions of the music and how it relates to the beliefs of Paul Winter.

• Guide the class to write acrostic poems about EARTH. 1) Brainstorm words that describe earth.

2) Brainstorm ideas about the conservation of earth.

3) As individuals, partners, or small groups, write an acrostic Earth poem. Example: E nergy is found in wind, earth, fire and water.

A ll of us need to conserve.

R educe our use, reuse and recycle things.

T ogether we can help earth survive.

H elp by doing all you can.

4) Share with the class.

• Choose someone to read EARTH to the class.

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• Discuss the imagery used in EARTH. What would it look like if it were a painting?

• What kind of feeling is created in EARTH and how would you choose to accompany it with music? (fast, slow, rhythmic, mysterious, magical, melodic, flowing, harsh, exciting, majestic, etc.)

• Create a script for the entire class using the text of EARTH. This can be done with a combination of techniques: 1) The entire class may recite a word or phrase, this should be used when you want something to be strong or emphasized. Don’t over use this technique.

2) Groups of various sizes may recite words or phrases.

3) Individuals may recite words or phrases.

• Have the class decide how the text will be distributed. Try different ideas as you go and choose the ones that appeal to the class as a whole.

• On a separate sheet of paper have each student make a copy of the script as it is being created.

• Rehearse your new adapted reading of EARTH. • Discuss the kind of music that should accompany your script. Also discuss sound effects (wind, water, birds, etc.).

EXTENSIONS: • Incorporate different vocal techniques into the reading of EARTH. (whispering, low and high voices, repeated words, etc.)

• Incorporate movements or gestures to help narrate EARTH. • Perform for another class or an audience.

• Do a research project on any culture that has stories or myths about the earth or animals in its traditional art, such as the American Indians, Chinese, Africans, Aborigines of Australia, etc.

VOCABULARY: environment, ecology, imagery, perspective ASSESSMENT: (Responding & Connecting) DESCRIBE: Describe the importance of telling a story like EARTH. DISCUSS: Discuss some of the skills needed to create a performance.

CONNECT: Connect the process of creating a performance to other areas of your life.

Emphasis on: Common Core - CA State Standards for Language - Reading; Writing; Listening; Speaking 10