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MENC is pleased to present the following online resource to music
educators and anyone interested in supporting music education. If you find
this information useful, we ask that you consider sending $5.00 to MENC to
help defray the costs of publishing free resources on the Internet. If you
choose to do so, please send your contribution to MENC: The National
Association for Music Education (attn: Elizabeth Lasko), 1806 Robert
Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Checks should be made payable to MENC.
Please note the resource(s) you utilized; this will help us plan future
online resources. If you have any questions, contact elizabethl@menc.org.
Thank you.
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music
explorer
available through
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Music Explorer brings the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, to you in your home or in your classroom. Music Explorer consists of a videotape and a 64 page listening guidebook written by Richard McNicol.
On this site, you'll find:
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Introduction to the Materials
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The guidebook sets out for each piece:
- an introductory page that sets the scene, describing the circumstances in which the piece was written (where possible, in the composer's own words).
- 1st listenings: Getting your bearings. Pages that help the listener get an overall impression of the music by discovering landmarks that give an idea of the span of the piece.
- 2nd listenings: Structure. Explores the way the music is put together (the form).
- 3rd listenings: The icing on the cake. Guides to some of the things that make the music most admirable to the author--designed to provoke involvement and individual response. This section also contains "secrets of the performance" (about gestur
es, expressions, and interactions among the people making the music on the tape) and "can you discover..." (questions to encourage students to explore a little further for themselves).
- Gathering the threads. Answers some of the questions brought up in the introduction: "How was the first performance received?" "What then happens to the composer?" "How does this composer fit into musical history?"
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The Contents of Music Explorer
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Music Explorer contains videotaped performances of:
- Antonio Vivaldi. The Four Seasons, "Spring," 1st Movement
- Johann Sebastian Bach. Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, 3rd Movement
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Eine kleine Nachtmusik, 2nd Movement, "Romance"
- Ludwig van Beethoven. Symphony No. 5, 1st Movement
- Gustav Mahler. Symphony No. 1, 4th Movement (conclusion)
- Antonin Dvorak. Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World"), 2nd Movement
- Maurice Ravel. Mother Goose Suite, "Laideronnette"
- Igor Stravinsky. The Firebird Suite, "The Infernal Dance"
- Charles Ives. "Decoration Day" from A Holidays Symphony
- Gustav Holst. The Planets, "Mars"
- Bela Bartok. Concerto for Orchestra, 2nd Movement
- Dmitri Shostakovich. Symphony No. 10, 2nd Movement
In addition to the performances, the Music Explorer video shows various London Symphony Orchestra musicians demonstrating or practicing their instruments--and also general backstage views of the Orchestra preparing for rehearsal and performance. The fo
llowing list shows where these scenes are located on the video:
- Harp. During the opening credits you can see Bryn Lewis tuning up.
- Vivaldi
- Bach
- Double bass. Demonstrated by Colin Paris
- Horn. Demonstrated by Tim Jones
- The LSO. Preparing for rehearsal, with Sir Colin Davis
- Beethoven
- Oboe. Demonstrated by Roy Carter.
- Mahler
- Dvorak
- Piccolo. Demonstrated by Frank Nolan.
- Flute. Demonstrated by Paul Edmund-Davies.
- Ravel
- Harp. Demonstrated by Bryn Lewis.
- Trombone. Demonstrated by Ian Bousfield.
- Stravinsky
- Trumpet. Demonstrated by Rod Franks.
- Ives
- Tuba. Demonstrated by Patrick Harrild.
- Pre-concert scene. At the Barbican, London.
- Holst
- Bassoon. Demonstrated by Robert Bourton.
- Bartok
- Clarinet. Demonstrated by Andrew Marriner.
- Shostakovich
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Using Music Explorer in a Standards-based curriculum
Ideas adapted from Richard McNicol's Music Explorer Project Book
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The Music Explorer package includes a variety of printed exercises useful for individual or for class study. In addition, author Richard McNicol has designed a variety of creative classroom projects. Here are six such projects, chosen for their eff
ectiveness in helping students reach the National Standards in Music Education of the United States of America (note that the Music Explorer materials all are directed toward Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture).
Note that the sound files that appear in some of these lessons are in MIDI format. You will be able to play them only if your computer is set up to accomodate such files, and the sound quality will depend on the quality of your computer sound card and
other hardware.
- Spring. Using Vivaldi's "Spring" from The Four Seasons to teach toward
- Standard 4: Composing and arranging music within specific guidelines
- Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts
- Taking Turns. Using Vivaldi's "Spring" from The Four Seasons to teach toward
- Standard 2: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
- Standard 3: Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments
- Shaping the Tune. Using Dvorak's "From the New World" to teach toward
- Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
- Standard 4: Composing and arranging music within specific guidelines
- Perform this Graphic Score. Using the Dvorak to teach toward
- Standard 5: Reading and notating music
- Stretch--and Relax. Using Mozarts "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" to teach toward
- Standard 5: Reading and notating music
- Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
- Sequences and Signatures. Using Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 to teach toward
- Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
- Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
- Standard 7: Evaluating music and music performances
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Ordering Information
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You can order Music Explorer from Music Educators National Conference, 1806 Robert Fulton Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Credit-card holders may call 1-800-828-0229. Please refer to MENC stock #3083. The price is $50.00 ($40.00 for MENC members). ISB
N 0952534738.
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