Download Teacher Notes - Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway

MEETING THE SUN
Teacher Notes
Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin was commissioned by the Kokoda Track Memorial
Walkway to write Meeting The Sun to commemorate the centenary of the Australian and New
Zealand Army Corps, or ‘Anzac’, landings at Gallipoli in 1915.
The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway’s publication, Anzac Notes: Gallipoli, Kokoda and 100 Years of
Australian Service, provides a comprehensive guide to the story and people behind the creation of
Meeting The Sun. The publication is available at:
http://www.kokodawalkway.com.au/anzac-notes-project
Teachers are encouraged to read Anzac Notes: Gallipoli, Kokoda and 100 Years of Australian Service
to gain an understanding of the context and methodology through which Meeting The Sun was
commissioned, created and performed and how this unique project can enhance how the concept of
‘Anzac’ is understood and interpreted through Australian music.
A series of five education kits were commissioned by the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway to
support students and educators in their learning and experience of Meeting The Sun. The education
kits are structured in accordance with Music Curriculum key learning areas for students in Year 7/8
or Stage 4 (NSW Board of Studies). Importantly, the education kits integrate elements from the
Human Society and its Environment (HSIE) History curriculum within this context.
Each education kit is structured into five learning activities:
•
Research
•
Listening
•
Performance
•
Composition
•
Creative Writing
Activities for extension students and additional discussion prompts for teachers are also included
where relevant. Activities that utilise technology and enhance student literacy are incorporated into
the learning activities.
Answers
Education Kits 1 to 5
Movement 1: ‘I Wish I Was Young’
Activity 1: Research
1.
On which date did the Anzac landings start? 25 April 1915
2.
At what time were the first men supposed to land at Anzac Cove? 4:10 am
3.
How long did it take to load the landing boats? Forty minutes
4.
Why was this done as quietly as possible? To prevent the Turkish forces from detecting them.
5.
Why did the men roll their sleeves up? The white skin on their arms would make it harder for them to be mistaken for Turkish soldiers
6.
Why was it difficult for the Anzacs to get out of the boats? The water was deep in some places, the sea bottom was slippery, they were under fire, their equipment was heavy, later there were dead comrades in the way.
7.
Which two soldiers claimed to be the first ones ashore? Joseph Stratford and Duncan Campbell
Activity 2: Listening
1.
How many times do you hear the ostinato in this short excerpt? Four
2.
Name two instruments that play the ostinato. Two from flute, clarinet, glockenspiel, piano
3.
Complete the musical notation of the ostinato. Be careful with the rhythm! Use the notes C and G only.
Movement 2: ‘Hearts On Fire’
Activity 2: Listening
Musical Elements
ANSWERS MAY INCLUDE
a) Dynamics (louds and softs)
Very loud dynamics sometimes
Much use of crescendo
Some long crescendos, some more sudden
Diminuendo near the end
Ends quietly
Lots of accents
b) Pitch (high and low)
Use of low and high pitches
Some extreme pitches in piano and piccolo
Use of clusters
Dissonant harmonies
Repetition of single pitches
c) Duration (rhythm, beat, tempo) Fast tempo
Lots of repeated notes
Fast notes in snare drum
Regular pulse or beat throughout
d) Tone colour (instruments)
Heavy drums featured a good deal
Piano used like a drum sometimes
Piccolo for very high effect
Tuba solo at the end
Trombones play loud, long notes
Bells sound quite ominous
Drumrolls and fast drum notes
Movement 3: ‘This Lovely Day’
Activity 1: Research
Find the following words from the poem ‘This Lovely Day’ and explain what they mean:
1.
bequeath to leave something to someone as a gift
2.
sacredholy
3.
vowa solemn promise
4.
mornmorning
5.
likeness picture or image
6.
intertwining
7.
serenity peacefulness
8.
wendto go
9.
torturous hardship or difficult
twisted together
Activity 2: Listening
Answer the questions about the score and recording.
1.
Who is the lyricist? Robert Ball
2.
Who is the composer? Elena Kats-Chernin
3.
What is the time signature? 5/8
4.
Which instruments are not playing in bar 17? Horns, vibraphone
5.
Which instruments play the lowest note in this score? Bass clarinet/ bassoons
6.
What is that note? D
7.
How many different pitches do the choir sing? 3
8.
What are those pitches? D E F
9.
How loud is the music in bar 17? Quiet (piano)
10.
[Extension question] How does the composer achieve a gentle, soothing effect with this music?
Answers may include:
Soft dynamics
Flowing accompaniment figures
No extremely low notes
Consonant harmony
Small vocal range
Legato playing and slurs
Soft instruments blende carefully
Very little brass and percussion
Movement 4: ‘Wipe Away Your Tears’
Activity 2: Listening
Answer the following questions about the score and recording.
1.
Which instrument is the quietest?
Piano
2.
How fast is this music?
94 beats per minute
3.
What does ‘legato’ mean?
smoothly
4.
Name the composer.Elena Kats-Chernin
5.
Name a brass instrument playing.
Euphonium
6.
What is the first note the saxophone plays?
E flat
7.
What is the last note the euphonium plays?
C
Extension questions
8.
What is the interval between the Euphonium and the saxophone? An octave
9.
What do the curved lines above the notes mean? Slurs – play smoothly
10.
What do the short lines below the saxophone notes mean?
Tenuto – hold the notes for their full value
11.
Which three pitches does the flute play? E flat, G, A flat
12.
What does 8ve in the piano part mean? Play an octave higher
Movement 5: ‘Lest We Forget’
Activity 1: Research
1.
How often does the Last Post ceremony take place at the Australian War Memorial? Every day
2.
At what time does it start? 4:55 pm Canberra time
3.
Other than The Last Post, what other music is played? A lament on the bagpipes and Advance Australia Fair.
4.
What is the Ode that is recited? A poem by Laurence Binyon that ends with the words ‘Lest We Forget’
5.
Who recites it at these ceremonies? A serving member of the Australian Defence Force
6.
How is each of these ceremonies unique? Each tells the story of an Australian serviceman or woman who lost their life in Australia’s military or peacekeeping campaigns.
7.
[Extension students] Describe the music and historical origins of the Last Post. Describe its use of pitch, dynamics and performing media. Give an account of how its meaning and significance has changed over the years.
Answers may include that the music is fairly loud, but ends quietly. It is based on only 5 different pitches and starts with a rising fifth. The Last Post is traditionally played on the bugle, but today a trumpet is often used. These are both brass instruments.
Activity 2: Listening
Answer the following questions while you are listening.
1.
Describe the woodwind part. High pitched, descending by step, loud
2.
Name three percussion instruments that are playing.
Timpani, Bass drum, bells, vibraphone, piano
3.
Describe the part played by the lowest pitched instruments. A single repeated note
4.
Describe the dynamics of this part. Loud, becoming even louder at the end
5.
Which instruments play long notes?
Trombones (also low trumpet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone)
6.
[Extension question] Describe the use of duration in this part.
Answers may include:
Slow tempo
Steady beat
Triple metre
¾ time
Repeated beat in the bass notes
Slurred ½ beat notes in middle parts
Long notes in trombones
Acknowledgements
Music Education Writer and Arrangements
Jim Coyle, MMus, BMus (Hons), Dip Ed
Project Curator and Managing Editor
Penny Stannard, BA, BMus (Hons),
Grad Dip Ed (Creative Arts)
Curator and Executive Producer, Anzac Notes
History Advisor
John K. Wright, PSM
Librarian (Retired)
Director, Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway
Composer, Meeting The Sun
Elena Kats-Chernin
Performers, Meeting The Sun
Sydney Children’s Choir, Conducted by Lyn Williams OAM
and Sam Allchurch
Royal Australian Navy Band, Sydney Detachment,
Conducted by LEUT Steven Stanke
Recording, Meeting The Sun
©ABC Classic FM 2015
ABC Classic FM Team: Stephen Adams, Project
Coordinator; Andre Shrimski, Producer; Andrew Edgson,
Sound Engineer; Christian Huff-Johnson, Sound Engineer.
Designer
Rosalia Catalano
Style Guide
One
The Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway has been granted permission by ABC Classic FM to reproduce excerpts from its
recording of Meeting The Sun for the single purpose of non-commercial online educational materials.
This publication has been published by the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway for non-commercial online educational
purposes.
©Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway Ltd 2015
PO BOX 127
Concord NSW 2137
Australia
http://www.kokodawalkway.com.au