Hello everyone! Ms. Brigid here, fromMerit School of Music in Chicago, IL. Thank you for joining me! This post takes up where my March
18, 2014 entry, Part
I. From Hush Little Baby to Yo-Yo Ma - Using Books, Apps and YouTube Videos to
Introduce Legato and Staccato, left off.
A great deal of territory was covered in the first post:
·
Using
the lullaby Hush Little Baby with Marla
Frazee’s book of the same name to introduce staccato and legato
·
Employing
comparative recordings and guided listening to build exposure to different
styles, sounds and artists
·
Introducing real-life musicians Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin playing the song through a YouTube
video through the Watchlater app
Meet the Orchestra
The musical
collaboration between Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma invariably delights my
students, and class discussion leads naturally to questions about the
instruments played. Of course, there's an app for that,
Meet
the Orchestra.
As apps go, Meet
the Orchestra is direct and no nonsense. It’s also a fine
app for “guess the instrument,”
but you won’t have to guess
which instrument I’m focusing on. It’s the cello, of course, in honor of Yo-Yo
Ma!
After an orchestra family is
selected, each instrument in the section is introduced by name. When a specific
instrument is selected, the other members of the family rush off the stage and
a solo starts. The title and composer’s name scroll under “now playing,” and general information about the instrument is
included.
Excerpts are generous, nicely
curated, and can be changed by selecting the notes on the staff. If there are
five notes, the instrument has five separate listening examples. My kiddos
delight in selecting what comes next.
Questions for guided listening:
Was the piece (mostly) high or low? Fast
or slow? Piano or Forte?
Legato
or Staccato? Answers, of course, can be none of the above!
Cello excerpts include:
·
Bach – Bouree frm Suite No.3 in C for unaccompanied cello, BWV1009
·
Brahms – Cello Sonata No.1 in e, Op38
·
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No.4 in f, Op.36
·
Impromptu
·
Saint-Saëns – The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals
Depending on time, age group
and intention, other questions might be: How
did it make you feel? What kind of brain pictures did you get?
Shall We Dance?
The
answer is always “Yes!”
 |
| Music Masters II Dancers! |
There is a wealth of repertoire
that lends itself to dancing legato and staccato. Among my top choices are a handful of movements, or pieces, from Camille Saint-Saëns Carnival
of the Animals. The compositions are short, engaging (most under two
minutes), and lovely to move to. Hens
& Roosters and Fossils lend
themselves to staccato, while The Swan luxuriously
exudes legato. Kangaroos and
Aquarium have a bit of both.*
Listen.
Encourage students to think what animal(s) the composer was writing about.
Look. Multiple
book/CD versions of Carnival of the
Animals are available. My favorite is the 1999
edition with commentary by Barrie C. Turner and whimsical, colorful
illustrations by Sue Williams.
Move.
Encourage students to move freely in response to the movement. Dance streamers (directions below) can heighten the exploration.
 |
| Music Masters II Dancer! |
Extend. Find actual
or animated performances of individual pieces or the whole suite on YouTube. Download through the Watchlater app,
and share with your class! The options are thrilling.
A very specific kind of YouTube
has emerged where some dedicated soul has downloaded
the score and synchronized it to the music. Fascnating.
There’s even a Bugs and Daffy’s “Carnival
of the Animals” from 1976, which combines said characters, a young
Michael Tilsen Thomas as conductor, and Ogden Nash lyrics. The orchestra
performances are thrilling, but stay away if you’re not a Daffy Duck fan!
Challenge. My
kiddos and families always love a Pre-K or
Kindergarten challenge. Hand out
dance streamers and do preliminary warmups using legato and staccato
movements (jump, sway, bounce, twirl, etc). Tell your class, , “I’m going to switch from playing legato to staccato music, and not tell you when I do. Show me, through your movements, which one it is. Freeze when the music stops.”
 |
| Dance Streamers - My own invention! See directions below. NOTE: This goes without saying,, but I’ll say it anyhow. Remind those who need reminding that this is not the opportunity to careen wildly or shake the dance streamers in anyone’s face. Although free movement is encouraged, there are no trips to the hospital in music class! |
Here’s where the iPad shines yet again. The whole suite is in
my iTunes, and the songs can be instantly changed with the tap of the finger. There’s
no fussing with remotes or manually changing cuts on the CD player. PIC
Shall We Sing?
That’s
what we do!
The American heritage singing
game, Jump Josie, beautifully
illustrates the difference between legato and staccato and is fun to
sing and play. What’s not to like?
Teach the song: Listen. Ask children to listen while you sing. Rock gently side to side (legato) during
the first part, and chap hands in the second (staccato).
 |
Look: Sing the
song again, this time using your
iPad and the KidsDoodle
or a favorite whiteboard app. Drawing
smooth and connected lines during the first section, and short, separate lines
on the second. A classroom whiteboard or piece of paper also works.
Rinse and Repeat! Ask children to stand in a circle and echo the
song, phrase by phrase. The second section can dispense with echoing. Slow the
song down for the legato end “Oh, my Susan Brown.”
Play. There
are many ways to play this game. Here is one:
·
Two students go into the
circle and hold hands, facing each other. Hands are swung side to side during
the first, or legato, section.
·
Dancers in the outside
ring sway gently side to side while singing.
·
The staccato, or second section,
calls for a change: The dancers inside the ring are the designated jumpers, and
the kiddos in the outside ring are the clappers.
·
At the end of the song,
ask the two in the middle to choose new partners
from the outside ring. Repeat with four students, or “four in the middle.”
·
Eventually, there will
be “all in the middle.” Change
partners and repeat.
Extend.
·
Use colors, patterns,
clothing, etc., to call dancers into the middle, e.g., “stripes in the middles,” “red in the middle,” glasses in the middle,” and
my favorite, “hair in the middle.” Silly
is good.
·
Count how many dancers
are in the middle. Count by ones, then
do it again with two’s.
Shall We Draw?
Of
course!
·
Before starting, place
paper and markers on tables. Some classrooms have individual student
mini-whiteboards, which also works.
·
Sing Jump Josie, drawing on your iPad, paper
or whiteboard, making sure to differentiate between legato and staccato
marks.
·
Tell students, “We’re going to be artists and draw legato and staccato.
Let’s practice by singing the song while “air drawing.”
·
As a group, sing Jump Josie and “air draw” legato
and staccato.
 |
| Fantastic artists! |
·
Ask students to move to
their tables, pick up their marker, and “air draw” legato and staccato
before touching the paper.
·
Draw while singing the
song. Request that the artists sign their work, and put their markers down.
· Document drawings with
the Camera app on your iPad!
Let’s Go On a Gallery Walk!
It’s time for the artists to go on a Gallery Walk! Ask student to walk around the room and look at the drawings
of other artists. The kiddos are unfailingly positive about their friends’
work, making this a fun, cumulative celebration.
And Finally…Yo-Yo Ma
The Swan
Bits and Pieces
*You
may be wondering why The Aviary isn’t included in the Shall We Dance? staccato column. It’s simply because the accelerated tempo makes it hard to move to. For my purposes, it works best as a listening example.
**Dance Streamers – I invented these dance
streamers years ago, finally settling upon flagging
tape as the perfect medium due to their softness and the rustling sound they make when fluttering. Cut 5’ lengths of flagging tape, then chose five streamers and tie them at the halfway point on to a flexible plastic
bracelet. Use a double knot. Flagging tape is readily available at larger
hardware stores. Bracelets can usually be purchased at a party supply store. Dance streamers can be mono or
multi-colored, depending on your preference.
And in the
end...how did I use my iPad in the activities and blog creation,
anyhow?
Meet
the Orchestra app, YouTube video downloads via Watchlater app,
music player for listening comparatives and legato
and staccato dance challenge, KidsDoodle legato and staccato drawing demonstration,Camera for taking pictures of kiddos and dance streamers, Screenshots of book cover, app icons, and more!
I am continually inspired by
the Children’s Music Network (CMN)
community. an international group of socially conscious musicians, educators,
librarians, families, songwriters and good people, who “celebrate the positive
power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas, and
creating community.” Please visit CMN, and find a gathering in your
region.
©2014 Brigid Finucane
* 847-213-0713 * gardengoddess1@comcast.net
http://prekandksharing.blogspot.com
http://brigidfinucane.blogspot.com
@booksinger1
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