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Educational School Brass Quintet Concert:
Click Below for Sound Samples:
Almand from the English Consort Suite - Wm. Brade (Timber
Ridge Music Publication, See "Links") Tuba Tiger Rag - arr. Luther Henderson Our concerts for elementary, middle and high
schools are both educational and fun-filled. The basic concert, entitled
"Inside Music ©," takes music apart and shows the students its
components such as sound from vibration, melody, harmony, counterpoint,
rhythm and form. Baroque and Renaissance music is used in the examples. Yes,
we will have your students listening to serious music and actually enjoying
it. The secret is all in the delivery. The balance of the program varies according to the
time of year. During most of the academic year, the educational
demonstrations are followed by a musical trip to the American circus in which
some circus history is discussed and great circus music is virtuosically
performed. If the concert is close to the Christmas/Hanukkah season, favorite
holiday music is performed. The following is a script of our "Inside Music ©,"concert culminating in the circus theme: : Trumpet Voluntary - John Stanley (Played as the curtain opens) Educational Schtick: Randy - Says "hello" to the audience, introduces the players and begins to talk about the Stanley "Voluntary," When Randy says, "This is music of the Baroque period." Tom - (In the style of a heckler), "If its broke, why don't you fix it?" Randy - Clarifies "Baroque" not broken and says a bit more about the "Voluntary." Randy then explains that today we are going to dissect music. Take it apart and see what is inside. Introduces sound as the basis for all music. Introduces Charlie. Charlie - Explains sound as a result of vibration and demonstrates the overtone series in his own inimitable style using drums as a visual/auditory aid. Then he talks about melody as a major component of music. This is what is usually most recognizable and memorable about a piece of music that you like. He asks Tom to play a melody. Tom - Play the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemande from the "English Consort Suite" unaccompanied. Charlie - (To the audience) There are five of us up here today. By a show of hands, how many of you think that we will all play the same thing that Tom just played? How many think we will all play something different? How many of you wish we werenÕt playing anything and that you were back in your classrooms doing work right now? Explain that we are all playing something different and that creates harmony to make the melody more interesting. Have the group, one-by-one build a C Major chord. Randy - Root Explain counterpoint as a way to create harmony using a group of intertwining melodies. Say, "You have already heard Tom's melody. Randy has a melody also." Randy - Play the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemande from the "English Consort Suite" unaccompanied. Charlie - "I have a melody too". Charlie plays the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemande from the "English Consort Suite" unaccompanied. And listen how it fits with Randy's melody. Charlie and Randy - Play the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemande from the "English Consort Suite" together. Charlie - "Ann also has her own melody." Ann - Play the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemande from the "English Consort Suite" unaccompanied. Charlie - "Now lets see if Ann's melody fits with the one Randy and I just played?" Ann, Charlie and Randy - Play the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemande from the "English Consort Suite" together. Charlie - "And yes, you guessed it. John also has his own melody that is different than the others." John - Play the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemandefrom the "English Consort Suite" unaccompanied. Charlie - " We will now add John's melody and see how it sounds." John, Ann Charlie and Randy - Play the first 8 measures of the Brade Allemande from the "English Consort Suite"unaccompanied. Charlie - "We will now put Tom's melody to all of the rest when we play for you the Allemande by William Brade, a composer of the English Renaissance. See if you can pick out the individual melodies that have just heard when we play the entire piece." Introduce the Allemande from the English Consort Suite by Wm. Brade. Allemande from English Consort Suite - Wm. Brade Tom - Another aspect of music is form. Discuss the fact that most western music is organized in sectional patterns. Introduce the theme and variations as a common one. Introduce Frerre Jacque as a tune they probably already know. Mention that the trumpets play the theme in the beginning and every time thereafter, the composer/arranger has done something different with the melody. Also, mention that the trumpets will be using mutes to vary the sound of the instruments, show the audience a mute and play something for them both with and without a mute. Introduce Frerre Jacque by John Iveson. Frerre Jacque - John Iveson Ann - Talk about music having a pulse or beat. Get the audience to clap rhythmically with you and mention that when you dance, the pulse of the music is what you follow. When clapping rhythmically, try to use a repeated pattern of a brisk quarter note followed by two eighth notes in 2/4 time. This is the pattern is the prevalent pattern in the next piece by Renaissance composer Tielmann Susato entitled "La Mourisque." La Mourisque - 1st movement of Renaissance Dances Randy - We are now going to take you on a musical trip to the circus. Talk . . . talk . . . talk. John, Ann, Charlie and Tom CUE: When Randy says, "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus presents the Greatest Show on Earth," be ready to immediately start the "Entry of the Gladiators" at a fast tempo. Randy will count off two measures of 2. Entry of the Gladiators - J. Fucik Randy - Talk about the history of P. T. Barnum, etc. Barnum and Bailey's Favorite Randy - Leave stage with instrument. Bring a stool and stand on stage. Leave the stage again. John - Tell audience that circuses feature animal acts and ours is no exception. Our animal act is a rather poorly trained tiger. Randy - Walk on the stage carrying a tuba wearing Tigger ears making tiger noises and gestures. John - Pick up the stool
on which Randy will sit and use it ward off Randy like a lion tamer. Announce
that we will next do the Tuba Tiger Rag. Tuba Tiger Rag Randy - Mention that there is music that has been customarily used to accompany the clown acts. Talk about the trombone's capability of the glissando. Charlie - Demonstrate a glissando. Randy - Talk about the piece of music known as the trombone smear. Lassus Trombone - H. Filmore Randy - Talk about the fact that circus marches, due to the rapid speed at which they are normally played are known as screamers. The Screamer Randy - We will end our program with Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. Stars and Stripes Forever - J. P. Sousa Randy - Thank you all. You have been a great audience. |
