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Storytelling Oboes – The Fable of the Cricket and the Ant (1 - 3)

Last changed: 08/16/2021 4:44pm
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1 , 2 , 3 Music
Music English
Both Grade Level and Arts/PE Program Access
1 45 min
1 45 min
In-School Performance - In-School Performance (intended for individual classes of a grade level to experience separately)
All year In-School,
$5 0
no In-Person , Other , Email , Phone
Illustrations.
Please provide a table for instrument setup.
A classroom, large meeting room or small theater, are all appropriate for the workshop.
I CAN hear and identify the dynamics (loud vs. soft) of music being played.

I CAN hear and identify the tempo (fast vs. soft) of music being played.

I CAN hear and identify the pitches (high vs. low) of music being played.

I CAN use my own words and ideas to describe the music I hear.
Piece to be performed: "La cigale et la fourmie" (The Cricket and the Ant) by Hungarian composer, Antal Dorati. It is a short piece (3 min.) originally written for oboe solo. However, in this workshop, the music will be played by two oboes, to better illustrate the story and to facilitate students" understanding of the music performance. One oboe plays the role of the cricket and the other, the ant. The cricket and the ant each have very distinctive melodic lines that interact with each other through musical conversations. Simple acting is also incorporated to correspond with the musical lines.

Music genre: Classical/20th century

45-minute Workshop Description: Prior to the workshop (optional): Teachers tell their class the fable of "The Cricket and The Ant."

1. Briefly introduce the presenters, the oboe and the purpose of the visit "“ to see how music and words can describe each other.

2. Talk about the basic notion of "word-painting" (a musical writing technique that reflects the literal meaning of the word), so the students can distinguish the characters, follow their conversations and understand the actions.

3. Examples: Large intervals (distance between musical notes): big jumps, leaps. Small intervals (small distance between musical notes): not leaping, moving horizontally. High register notes: the Cricket, dreamer, going high in the air. Low register notes: the ant, down-to-earth, hardworking, staying on the ground. Fast moving lines: energetic, frantic movements. Slow moving lines: calmer, sometimes sadder music.

4. Assessment: questions will be asked to determine if the students could associate the music with a specific action or if they could "see" a picture, in order to make sure they grasped the basic ideas of word-painting. Students will also be invited to move according to what the music sounds like, or make sounds with their own voices to describe an action. 5. Tell the fable.

6. Perform Antal Dorati"s "La cigale et la fourmie" (The Cricket and the Ant). 6. Assessment: Ask the students if they could identify which person played the Cricket and which person played the Ant. Invite the class to put the story into their own words. Perform parts of the music that correspond to the narrative, and refresh their memory.

7. Conclude the workshop by performing other examples of word-painting in music.
Piece to be performed: "La cigale et la fourmie" (The Cricket and the Ant) by Hungarian composer, Antal Dorati. It is a short piece (3 min.) originally written for oboe solo. However, in this workshop, the music will be played by two oboes, to better illustrate the story and to facilitate students" understanding of the music performance. One oboe plays the role of the cricket and the other, the ant. The cricket and the ant each have very distinctive melodic lines that interact with each other through musical conversations. Simple acting is also incorporated to correspond with the musical lines.

Music genre: Classical/20th century

45-minute Workshop Description: Prior to the workshop (optional): Teachers tell their class the fable of "The Cricket and The Ant."

1. Briefly introduce the presenters, the oboe and the purpose of the visit "“ to see how music and words can describe each other.

2. Talk about the basic notion of "word-painting" (a musical writing technique that reflects the literal meaning of the word), so the students can distinguish the characters, follow their conversations and understand the actions.

3. Examples: Large intervals (distance between musical notes): big jumps, leaps. Small intervals (small distance between musical notes): not leaping, moving horizontally. High register notes: the Cricket, dreamer, going high in the air. Low register notes: the ant, down-to-earth, hardworking, staying on the ground. Fast moving lines: energetic, frantic movements. Slow moving lines: calmer, sometimes sadder music.

4. Assessment: questions will be asked to determine if the students could associate the music with a specific action or if they could "see" a picture, in order to make sure they grasped the basic ideas of word-painting. Students will also be invited to move according to what the music sounds like, or make sounds with their own voices to describe an action. 5. Tell the fable.

6. Perform Antal Dorati"s "La cigale et la fourmie" (The Cricket and the Ant). 6. Assessment: Ask the students if they could identify which person played the Cricket and which person played the Ant. Invite the class to put the story into their own words. Perform parts of the music that correspond to the narrative, and refresh their memory.

7. Conclude the workshop by performing other examples of word-painting in music.

Grade 1

Grade 1: English: Writing Standards: Text Type and Purposes# 3: Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
Grade 1: Music: Responding: Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
A. With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify how specific music concepts (such as beat or pitch) are used in various styles of music for a purpose.
Grade 1: Music: Responding: Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
A. With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo ) that reflect creators"/performers" expressive intent.

Grade 2

Grade 2: English: Writing Standards: Text Type and Purposes# 3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
Grade 2: Music: Responding: Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work
A. Describe how specific music concepts are used to support a specific purpose in music.
Grade 2: Music: Responding: Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
A. Demonstrate knowledge of music concepts and how they support creators"/performers" expressive intent.

Grade 3

Grade 3: English: Writing Standards: Text Type and Purposes# 3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. d. Provide a sense of closure.
Grade 3: Music: Responding: Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
A. Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by the structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as personal and social).
Grade 3: Music: Responding: Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
A. Demonstrate and describe how the expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo ) are used in performers" interpretations to reflect expressive intent .