Dear Families, Sincerely, Joan Katz Napoli Director, Education & Community Programs

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2 Dear Families, For over 25 years, The Cleveland Orchestra has been proud to present a free public concert in downtown Cleveland. The Star-Spangled Spectacular, brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture and sponsored by KeyBank, is not only a celebration of our country, but also a celebration of our community through music. The Cleveland Orchestra is made up of 105 of the greatest musicians in the world, but they re not the only ones who will be making music during the Star-Spangled Spectacular we want you to make music with us! By singing the words to The Star- Spangled Banner, clapping and marching to the beat, or dancing in your own special way, YOU are a part of what makes this concert great. This family activity guide will help you prepare for your Star-Spangled Spectacular concert experience, as well as give you plenty of ideas for making music at home together. Playing music together is one of the most joyful things a family can do, whether it s on orchestral instruments or pots and pans from your kitchen. We encourage you to seek out even the smallest opportunities to make music in your daily life you ll soon find that nearly every moment can be a musical moment! Please feel free to contact us for further musical resources at education@clevelandorchestra.com, or contact your local public library. We look forward to celebrating with you at the Star-Spangled Spectacular! Sincerely, Joan Katz Napoli Director, Education & Community Programs The contents of this Activity Book were created by Meaghan Heinrich for The Cleveland Orchestra 1

3 Making Music at Home - Family Activity Book Table of Contents Part One: Introducing the Orchestra What You ll See String Instruments Woodwind Instruments Brass Instruments Percussion Instruments Part Two: Star Spangled Activities The Star Spangled Banner The Stars and Stripes Forever Stars and Stripes Movement Map Part Three: At Home Activities Keep the Beat Hit it! Movement Map A Song of Our Own Concert Review Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, your public funder for arts and culture, is proud to support the Star-Spangled Spectacular. 2

4 Part One: Introducing the Orchestra What You ll See 1. When it s time for the concert to start, the concertmaster (first violinist) will walk onstage and the audience will applaud. 2. The orchestra will tune to the oboe playing a long, held note to get ready to play. 3. The conductor (person who leads the orchestra) and any soloists (musicians playing a special part) will walk onstage and bow, and the audience will applaud again. 4. The music will begin. 5. At the end of each piece, the audience will applaud and sometimes the whole orchestra will stand up. 6. The conductor will usually go offstage before the next piece, but sometimes they will stay onstage and talk about the music. Since different orchestra musicians play on different pieces, you ll also see musicians going on and off the stage between pieces. 3

5 Part One: Introducing the Orchestra String Instruments 4

6 Part One: Introducing the Orchestra Woodwind Instruments 5

7 Part One: Introducing the Orchestra Brass Instruments 6

8 Part One: Introducing the Orchestra Percussion Instruments 7

9 Part Two: Star-Spangled Activities The Star-Spangled Banner History The national anthem of the United States of America originated as a poem by Francis Scott Key. During the War of 1812, Key witnessed the Royal Navy s attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. He was inspired by the American flag flying triumphantly over the fort, and wrote the poem on the back of a letter he was carrying the next morning. Key gave the poem, which he called Defence of Fort McHenry, to his brotherin-law, who noticed that the words fit the tune of a popular British song by John Stafford Smith. A music store first published the words and music together under the name The Star-Spangled Banner, and it immediately became a popular patriotic song. In 1929, it came to the country s attention that the United States had no official national anthem. Many supported using The Star-Spangled Banner, including composer John Philip Sousa. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution to make The Star-Spangled Banner the official national anthem of the United States of America. The Cleveland Orchestra s Star-Spangled Spectacular always begins with The Star-Spangled Banner. To honor our country, it is customary to stand up, place your right hand over your heart, and sing along: O! say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? 8

10 Questions for Discussion How many events can you think of where The Star-Spangled Banner is played? Every country has a national anthem. Do you know the national anthems of any other countries? The words of The Star-Spangled Banner were set to the tune of a song that already existed, with different words. Can you think of any other songs that use different words to the same tune? (See A Song of Our Own on page 19 for a follow-up activity.) Family Activity Many different musicians have performed the national anthem for sporting events and other celebrations. Watch several YouTube videos of The Star-Spangled Banner and compare them. Which version(s) do you like best? Practice singing The Star-Spangled Banner together before the concert. The Cleveland Orchestra s version of The Star-Spangled Banner features cymbal crashes in the percussion section. Use pot lids or another at-home instrument to play along with these crashes, which usually come at the end of a phrase (like punctuation). Read it together! The Story of The Star-Spangled Banner by Patricia A. Pingry Did you know? 2014 marked the 200 th anniversary of The Star-Spangled Banner. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has the flag that inspired the poem on display. You can visit their website for an up-close and interactive look at the flag and our national anthem: 9

11 Part Two: Star-Spangled Activities The Stars and Stripes Forever History American composer and bandleader John Philip Sousa was known as The March King, and The Stars and Stripes Forever is his most famous march of all. It is the official march of the United States of America, played on the Fourth of July and at other patriotic celebrations of all kinds. The Cleveland Orchestra s Star-Spangled Spectacular ends with The Stars and Stripes Forever, always an audience favorite. What is a march? A march is a piece of music where you can feel the beats strongly in groups of two: Marches were originally written to be played by military bands, where the players would literally march while they played the music. The 1-2 rhythm and tempo (speed) of a march are just right for moving your feet: left-right-left-right-left-right. Many marches feature the brass and percussion sections of an orchestra or band. Instruments like the snare drum, bass drum, and cymbals help keep the beat, while trumpets and trombones sound loud and proud. The Stars and Stripes Forever also features a special solo for the piccolo, a smaller relative of the flute that sounds very high. While it s the smallest instrument on stage, you ll have no trouble hearing it bounce and flutter over the whole orchestra. 10

12 Family Activities Listen to The Stars and Stripes Forever and clap to the beat. Once you have a good feeling for it, try clapping twice as fast or twice as slow. How many different ways can you clap the beat? (See Keep the Beat on page 15 for a follow-up activity.) Follow along with the included Movement Map (page 13) at home and during the concert! After an 8-count introduction, each row of the chart is a section of the march. Have a family parade! March in a line and accompany yourselves with rhythm instruments including pots, pans, spoons, and anything else you might have around the house. (See Hit it! on page 16 for a follow-up activity.) Read together! John Philip Sousa s America: The Patriot s Life in Images and Words by John Philip Sousa IV and Loras John Schissel Did you know? Following a symbolic notation system, such as a movement map, helps children build literacy skills. Try creating your own map to a familiar song, such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. (See Movement Map on page 17 for a follow-up activity.) 11

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14 The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa x 8 x 8

15 x3 x3 x3 x3 " " " " The Stars and Stripes Forever (2) " (shake) " " (shake) " (shake) " (Play the piccolo!) (shake) " (Play a brass instrument!)

16 Part Three: At-Home Activities Keep the Beat Follow-up to Stars and Stripes Forever Activity Materials Any recorded music Activity Play any recorded music, preferably with a strong beat, and see if you and your child can clap along with the music. Are there certain beats where the claps feel right? What happens if you clap twice as fast or twice as slow? Practice counting with your child by counting your claps in different patterns: Groups of 2: etc. Groups of 4: etc. Groups of 8: etc. You can also practice counting higher by counting how many claps it takes to get through the piece or part of the piece. Follow-Up What other ways can you keep the beat besides clapping? Try: Stomping your feet Patting your lap Clapping each others hands Tapping your head Alternating claps between adult and child 15

17 Part Three: At-Home Activities Hit It! Follow-up to Stars and Stripes Forever Activity Materials Any recorded music (optional) Objects around the house that can be hit, shaken, or rubbed to make a variety of sounds Activity In almost all kinds of music, the beat comes from some kind of percussion instruments drums, tambourines, cymbals, shakers anything that you can hit, shake, or rub to make a sound. But did you know that your house is full of percussion instruments? Go on a percussion scavenger hunt in your house and see how many different sounds you can find. Do they sound different if you play them different ways? Here are a few ideas to get you started: Pots and pans (try hitting them with your hands or using utensils) Tables Chairs Kids toys (especially rattles and other shakers) Packages of dry food (rice, cereal, etc.) Brooms and mops (tap them together or on the floor) 16

18 Part Three: At-Home Activities Movement Map Follow-up to Stars and Stripes Forever Activity Materials Any recorded music Space to move freely My Movement Map (following page) Activity Choose any piece of recorded music that you and your child think would be good to dance to. Make up your own dance together to the music. Each time you come up with a different dance move, use a word to describe it and remind you what to do (for example, say swish as you sweep your arms through the air, or hop hop hop as you hop three times). Using the Movement Map, write down each move in your dance, either using words or pictures (stick figures, shapes, etc.) whatever will help you and your child to remember what you did. After you have made your Movement Map, go back to the beginning of the track and try to do the whole dance again. Follow-Up Have your child use the Movement Map to teach your dance to another child or adult in the house. How many people can you get dancing together? You can also make a video of your dance to remember it later. 17

19 My Movement Map Name of Piece: PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6 PART 7 PART 8 18

20 Part Three: At-Home Activities A Song of Our Own Follow-up to Star-Spangled Banner Activity Materials A Song of Our Own Lyric Sheet (following page) Activity Children learn and remember just about anything more easily when they do it with a song and it s more fun that way, too. With your child, choose something that you have to do every day (getting dressed, brushing teeth, putting toys away) to make up a theme song about. You can make up your own tune, or use the tune of a familiar song. Here are some suggestions for tunes your child might be familiar with: The Star-Spangled Banner Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star The Itsy Bitsy Spider Row, Row, Row your Boat Happy Birthday Jingle Bells Are You Sleeping? Write down your words on the following page. Don t worry if they don t quite fit the rhythm or don t rhyme the idea is that you have fun making up and singing the song together. Follow-Up Sing your theme song together every time you have to do the activity involved (for example, if your song is about walking to school, sing it while you walk to school together). You can also use it as a signal to your child that it s time for that activity by singing the first line to them and having them sing the next line back to you. 19

21 Our Song is called We sing it when it s time to The tune is Words: 20

22 Part Three: At-Home Activities Concert Review Follow-up to Star-Spangled Spectacular Concert Materials Live music performance of any kind: Star-Spangled Spectacular, school concert, church concert, or a music festival Concert Review Form (following page) Activity Before attending a live performance together, talk with your child about what they are going to see and hear. If you don t know much about the performance, you can ask them what they THINK they will see and hear! A few things to consider: Where will the performance take place? What kind of music are you going to hear? Will there be singers? Does the music have words? Will there be instruments? What kind? Will there be a lot of people there? Will it be music you can move and dance to? During the performance, find moments to ask your child what they think of the music. Encourage them to ask questions about what they see and hear. Follow-Up Talk about the performance together afterwards. Pretend that you are writing a story about it for the newspaper and fill out the Concert Review Form (next page). 21

23 Concert Review Form Name of Concert Reviewed by I went to a concert on (date). It was at (place). These are the people who went with me:. Some of the songs I heard were. There were (number) people singing and (number) people playing instruments. The instruments they played were. I thought the music sounded. My favorite part was when. Something new that I saw or heard was. Draw a picture of something you saw at the concert and it to education@clevelandorchestra.com! 22

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