San Diego Symphony Family Festival Series Presents:

A Family Guide to the:

How to prepare your child for the concert and extend the experience beyond the concert hall. Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 2 pm at Copley Hall in the Jacobs Music Center 1

Dear Parents, Families, and Symphony Patrons, Thank you for taking the time to read this guide to our Musicians’ Choice concert and for attending the upcoming performance on Saturday, February 21st at 2 pm.

Bringing children to the Symphony is a wonderful way to introduce them to the world of music, classical and otherwise, and to provide them an opportunity to learn to listen, focus, and appreciate in a world whose attention span is shrinking and whose focus is waning. In compiling this short guide, we aim to provide you with: A) Ideas on how to prepare your child or children for the concert going experience B) Ways to engage with the music ahead of concert time C) Ideas for activities that will extend and enrich your connections with the music afterwards

We hope that this guide is helpful to you. Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions or comments for us. We’d love to hear from you.

Sincerely, The San Diego Symphony Education Department Adrienne Valencia

Allison Morrissey

Director of Education and Community Engagement [email protected]

Education Programs Coordinator [email protected]

In this Guide: Get to Know the Instruments of the Orchestra ………………………………………………………….…………..3 For Parents: Getting Children Ready For the Concert ………………………………………………….……. 4-5 Biography of Conductor, Maestro Gutierrez ...………….…………………………………………………………...6 A list of the pieces being performed at the concert………………………………………………………………... A Listening Sheet to use as you listen to the music…...……………………………………………………………….7 Superman Comic Book Activity ..…………………………………………………………………………………………..8 Extending the Experience: Post-Concert activities to do with your child………………………….….9-10 2

Get to Know the Instruments of the Orchestra! The modern orchestra has around 20 main instruments that can be broken down into 4 main groups: Strings (violin, viola, cello, bass, and harp), Woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), Brass (trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba), and Percussion (drums, triangle, timpani, and includes the piano). Can you find all of them in Symphony Hall? Each family of instruments sits together onstage, strings are usually in the front, percussion on the back left, woodwinds across the middle, and brass across the back middle and on the back right. The word “symphony” means “sounding together.” Our orchestra is called the San Diego Symphony because it is located in the city of San Diego, California and it is a group of musicians who sound good together.

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For Parents:

Getting Children Ready for the Concert By Holly Mulcahy

The following tips were excerpted with permission from the author from the article “Kids at the Symphony: A How To Guide” written by Holly Mulcahy for the website Neo Classical: Holly Mulcahy on the future of Classical Music. These tips are intended to be used as a springboard for your own discussion on concert manners with your children and not as strict rules by which to abide. We realize that children are energetic, often vocal and wiggly, and we welcome their exuberance and enthusiasm. However, we see our Family Festival Concerts as opportunities to teach our young audiences how to listen to classical music while showing respect for fellow audience members and the professional musicians onstage by being as considerate as possible. We hope you find these ideas helpful.

Sharing orchestral music is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child. In a society where attention spans are shrinking, this is a great vehicle to give a child access to a longer attention span and a calmer thought process. Additionally, encouraging children to use their imagination is a marvelous way to encourage creativity while helping them direct their emotions. Groundwork Preparation: try these a week or two before your concert date. 1. Sit with your child and listen to a three minute piece. Before the piece starts, ask the child to listen for three things. Is it a happy or sad piece? Was it quiet or loud? Was it fast or slow? It is important that you convey that while listening they are not to talk but to listen fully! After you listen with them, discuss what they thought. I think it would be a nice tradition to discuss over cookies or some kind of treat. 2. A week later try a longer piece. Same questions, same discussion afterwards. Do not forget the cookies during the discussion! 3. After you bumped up their listening lengths, start to ask them to use their imagination more. What did the piece remind them of? Did the work make them think up a story? Perhaps they could paint a picture of the images that came to mind. Painting, discussing, and the cookies now become a thing, your bonding tradition. You are sharing a very powerful experience that is fun and meaningful. 4. Bonus discussions may pop up such as what instrument is making what sounds. Be prepared to Google what you don’t know and you might learn something fun, too!

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Pre-Concert Preparation Sit with your child and play portions of the recordings to be performed on the concert program. Ask the questions listed above and draw some pictures, tell some stories, and share some cookies. Tell them you are proud of how they can sit quietly and you’d like to reward them by taking them to see the music in person! Explain what will happen from picking the tickets up, to finding a seat and sitting quietly while a real orchestra plays the music they have come to know. Explain that there will be a time to talk during intermission and after the concert you will take them for a special treat so you can talk about the concert.

During the Concert Possible Guidelines to help you: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Ask your child if they need to use the restroom before the concert. Try to take your seat about 5 minutes before the concert starts. Notice as many exits as possible, have a plan and several backups. If you feel that your child is moving too much (more than a little natural wiggling) consider placing your hand on his/her shoulder as a signal. 5. If your child begins crying, consider taking them to the back of Symphony Hall or even into the lobby to soothe them. (You’ll still be able to hear the music.) 6. If your child has listened long enough, they can tap your leg as a signal that they are ready to leave at the end of a piece. 7. Wiggling feet can sometimes kick the seat of the person in front. If you see this happening with your child, gently remind them to not kick. 8. With so much to see, it’s natural to want to point out something interesting. Encourage minimal talking, and only in a whisper. 9. If you want to look through the program book, flip through it quietly. If it falls from your lap, leave it on the ground until the music stops, then try to retrieve it. 10. After the concert, go out for a treat afterwards to celebrate appropriate behavior! Post-Concert Follow-up 1. Hopefully you and your child had a great time. Good preparation usually allows for that! 2. Ask your child what was the best part of the concert and what wasn’t. Make notes for future concerts you might consider. 3. Start introducing some other music, keeping your tradition and special time going strong.

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Costa Rican conductor Alejandro Gutiérrez is in his second year as Music Director of the University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra and in his tenth year with the National Institute of Music Symphonic Band. He also serves as Assistant Conductor for the Pacific Symphony in Orange County, CA. Alejandro Gutiérrez made his debut with the University of Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, UCR-EAM Choruses, Zamira Barquero (soprano), Raquel Ramírez (mezzo soprano), Ernesto Rodríguez ( tenor), Rafael Ángel Saborío (bajo) and UCR Dance with a special performance of Mozart’s Requiem at the Costa Rica’s National Theater in September 2007. Since then, he has opened the possibilities for new young artists and composers. He is founder and director of the internationally known Trombones de Costa Rica; 1997 National Prize of Music, 1999 Special Prize of the City of Passau, Germany. TCR is constantly invited to perform in The United States, México, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Europe. Gutiérrez is principal trombone of the National Symphony Orchestra since 1990, member of the Board of Advisors of the International Trombone Association. He is constantly invited as jury of international competitions and an International clinician for Edward’s Instruments. 6

Musicians’ Choice Concert Program: The following pieces have been chosen and will be performed by the musicians of The San Diego Symphony.

Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein Overture to the School for Scandal by Samuel Barber Symphony No. 1 “Classical”, I. Allegro by Serge Prokofiev Symphony No. 6, movement 3 by Ludwig van Beethoven Infernal Danse from Firebird Suite (1914) by Igor Stravinsky Variations on a Shaker Melody by Aaron Copland Symphony No. 9, III. Scherzo (Molto vivace) by Antonin Dvorak Main Theme from Superman by John Williams

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Listening Sheet Practice being a music connoisseur (an expert or specialist). While listening intently to each piece, take notes in the squares, circling the best descriptive words and/or pictures for the piece and jotting down some notes of your own.

Dynamics

Rhythm/Tempo

Is the music loud or soft?

Is the music Fast or Slow?

Does is Crescendo (get gradually louder)

Is the beat the same throughout or does it change?

or Decrescendo (get gradually softer)?

Does the rhythm make you feel like running fast or walking slowly?

Mood

Instrumentation

How does this music make you feel?

Which families of instruments are

(Circle ALL that apply)

playing?

Happy

Sad

Triumphant

Defeated

Glorious

Curious

Downtrodden

Confident

Scared

Confused

Expectant

Strings

Percussion

Brass

Woodwind

Circle instruments you hear in the piece:

Thoughtful

Makes me want to skip Makes me want to walk with purpose

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Timpani

Triangle

Bass

Gong

Violin

Trumpet

French Horn Cello

Oboe

Trombone

Flute

Clarinet

As you listen to the Theme from Superman, imagine what might be happening to Superman during the piece based on what you hear in the music, then create a comic strip that tells your story in the space provided.

POW!!

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Extend Your Experience! Keep the excitement going after you leave the concert with these fun activities you can do at home!

Create your own Firebird: 

Find an audio recording of the Infernal Danse from The Firebird on YouTube. Have your child draw what a Firebird might look like. Remind them that this was a beautiful bird that had incredible magical powers in her feathers. She is also part bird and part woman.



The Walt Disney Company included The Firebird in the movie Fantasia 2000. Check out a copy of Fantasia 2000 at the library or rent it on Amazon, Netflix, etc. and see how Disney envisioned this famous ballet.

The Story of the Firebird Ballet The Firebird was written by Igor Stravinsky. It is based on a famous Russian fairy tale about a Prince named Ivan who is lost in a magical forest and enters an enchanted garden by mistake. This beautiful garden is owned by an evil ogre named Katschai who is immortal. Ivan comes upon a brilliant light in a tree of golden apples and sees that the light is actually the beautiful Firebird. After a frantic struggle, Ivan captures the Firebird and is amazed to see that she resembles part bird and part woman. The beautiful Firebird pleads with Ivan to set her free. He understands how important her freedom is and gently releases her. In gratitude, she presents Ivan with one of her brightly colored feathers as a magical charm. Ivan comes across eleven beautiful princesses and instantly falls in love with the most beautiful princess named Elena. Ivan and the princess dance until dawn. But as dawn breaks, the beautiful princesses tell Ivan Katschai captured them and has them under a powerful and evil spell. They must return to the palace of Katschai, before dawn to avoid being noticed. But Ivan follows the princesses to the palace and in doing so is captured by Katschai's guardian monsters. Ivan remembers the magic feather and summons the Firebird, who puts a spell on the monsters, making them dance in a spectacular display until they collapse in exhaustion on the ground. The Firebird then shows Ivan a magic egg containing the ogre’s soul. This egg is the secret of Katschai's immortality. Ivan destroys the egg and releases the princesses from the enchantment. Suddenly, the kingdom emerges from darkness, and in the light of the new day, the ballet ends with the joyous marriage of Prince Ivan and Princess Elena.

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Extend Your Experience! Keep the excitement going after you leave the concert with these fun activities you can do at home!

Let’s go to the movies! Several of the pieces from this particular concert are featured in movies. Here is a list of the pieces and where you can see them animated in Disney films or used as underscoring in live action films. (Please note: this list is just to inform you as to how this music has been used in contemporary pop culture, but not to necessarily recommend these movies for children of all ages. Parental discretion and previewing is always advised.) Piece:

Movie in which it appears:

John Williams’ Main Theme from Superman

Superman (1978)

Igor Stravinsky, Infernal Danse from Firebird Suite

Fantasia 2000

Aaron Copland’s “Variations on a Shaker Melody”

The Adventures of Milo and Otis

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, movement 3

Disney’s Fantasia (1940)

Here are some other works by composers that we’ve featured today: Composer:

Movie:

Leonard Bernstein

West Side Story On the Town

Aaron Copland

Appalachian Spring

John Williams

Harry Potter Series Star Wars Indiana Jones

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