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Educational concerts for nursery school children ‘Meetings with the Green Half Note’ |
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The concerts held for the preschoolers are more often than not the first ever contact of these children with live music. Our task is to make the children interested in music and to teach them the proper behaviour during the concerts. The didactic content of the enterprise are in the background and they very much depend on the children’s previous experiences. Nonetheless we attempt to teach the children: |
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how to describe the mood of the performed music, how to differentiate between slow and fast, cheerful and sad, silent and loud;
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what to call a musical instrument and the performer (the internalisation of the words that name musicians: performer, singer, violinist, pianist, flutist, etc.)
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to name Polish national dances
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to differentiate between a musical composition and a song
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to be able to correctly use the music terminology (composer, conductor, concert, melody, rhythm etc.)
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| At the time of the concerts we do not basically convey any knowledge concerning the composers; rather, we tell the children e.g. ‘this music tells a story about the spring time, this piece is going to be quick and cheerful’. Neither do we tell the little ones about the different music genres, though we teach them that both music and the instruments have been changing throughout the centuries.
The concerts may constitute an apt introduction to preschool classes: for example the children may be asked to make a drawing of their impressions after the concert; they may practice the newly acquired vocabulary; they may have a talk on the Polish national dances and then do one of them, e.g. the Krakowiak (Cracovienne).
The Green Half Note, a doll, is the guide to the magic realm of music. Each concert lasts 30 minutes; it always begins and ends with a song about the Green Half Note that is sung together by the performers and the audiences.
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Themes of the concerts: |
- September:
Where did music come from? The programme features old and contemporary music. The lecture will analyse how music and the instruments have been changing throughout the centuries. Performers: flute, oboe, grand piano.
- October:
Who do we call a genius. Performers – voice, the stringed instrument – a violin or a cello and the grand piano. The programme features music by W. A. Mozart. The children will hear a lecture on the great composer, who at the age of five was already a recognised musician in Europe.
- November:
Our Region – the folklore of Greater Poland. Performers – dancers and the folk instrument typical of Greater Poland. The programme features the customs, rituals and dances from Greater Poland.
- December:
Does jazz mean noise? Performers – the trombone or the trumpet, the grand piano, the drums. What is the meaning of jazz, what country does it come from, when did it originate, do we enjoy it today?
- January:
We go carolling... Performers – the voice, the grand piano, original folk instruments (e.g. hurdy-gurdy, also known as a wheel fiddle). Where did the carols originate? How were they once sung? What carols are composed today?
- February: Music for Valentine Day. The programme features music about love. Also: a lecture on what to do to be able to sing well. Performers: a duet of singers, the grand piano.
- March:
The largest family of instruments. Performers – percussion instruments, the grand piano. A discussion on percussion instruments. The children take active part in the concert playing on the musicians’ instruments.
- April:
Polish music is the most beautiful in the world. Performers – the stringed instrument (a violin or a cello), the grand piano. The programme features Polish music from the oldest to the modern times, the compositions by famous and less known Polish composers.
- May:
Wind wooden Instruments. The presentation of the reed instruments band (e.g. clarinet, bassoon, oboe). The programme features illustrative music – which sounds can the wind instruments mimic.
- June:
Music from different regions of the world. Performers – the accordion, the violin, voice. What’s the difference between folk and country music? Do we play that kind of music today?
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| Educational concerts – ‘Travel across time and space’ |
| The themes of the concerts have been elaborated on the basis of the school syllabus. They may be used during music and arts classes as well as during the lessons of Polish or history. The programme of the concerts features: |
- Musical instruments
Each concert concentrates on the discussion and illustration of a given type of an instrument from among the particular groups: also the human voice receives due attention. It is a unique opportunity to hear the sound of genuine musical instruments, an occasion of having a close look at them and observing the technique of the playing on them.
- Composers
Before the performance of each piece of music, the announcer present the life of the composer adjusting the amount of information to the level of his listeners.
- Music styles
Emphasis is laid on the ability of the learner to differentiate styles of music throughout the centuries. The concerts feature pieces of deferent music periods. The introduction to a given composition gives information on its historical perspective and style.
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Presentation of the literature devoted to music
The compositions performed at the concerts are carefully selected. We help the learners categorise their knowledge (everybody knows a tune or two, but is very often unable to assign either the title or the composer to it); we also make it possible for the learners to get to know the most beautiful instances of the literature devoted to music.
- The development of the sensitivity to music
This is the essential and the most important element of our concerts. We set ourselves the task of making the learners interested in music, and we attempt to convince them that if they really come to know it, they will enjoy heretofore unknown experiences
- · We also would like to have an educative effect – we would like to teach how to behave at a concert and how to react to ‘live’ music.
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The learners are encouraged by us to actively participate in the concerts, to ask questions and to have their say on music. Each concert lasts 45 minutes. |
| Themes of concerts: |
- September:
Where did music come from? The programme features old and contemporary music (examples of renaissance, baroque, classic and romantic music and the music of the 20th century). The lecture will analyse how music has been changing throughout the centuries. How the way of its notification and performance has been changing. Presentation of different styles of music. Performers: flute, and grand piano.
- October:
Mozart the genius - concert occasioned by 250 birthday anniversary of W. A. Mozart. Performers – voice, the stringed instrument – a violin or a cello and the grand piano. The programme features music by W. A. Mozart. Presentation of the ingenious composer in the Mozart Year.
- November:
Our Region – the folklore of Greater Poland. Performers – dancers and the folk instrument typical of Greater Poland. The programme features the customs, rituals and dances from Greater Poland.
- December:
Good, old jazz. Performers – the trombone or the trumpet, the grand piano, the drums. Where did jazz originate? What did jazz contribute to the music of the 20th century? How does pop music draw on jazz?
- January:
We go carolling... Performers – the voice, the grand piano, original folk instruments (e.g. hurdy-gurdy). The origin of carols; carols from other cultural backgrounds. Where did carols originate and what do they contribute today?
- February:
Music for Valentine Day. The programme features famous love duets from musicals, and love songs. Performers: a duet of singers, the grand piano.
- March:
20th century music. Performers – percussion instruments, the grand piano. What new did 20th century contribute to music? How did 20th century music change? Is the music of the 21st century a continuation of the music of 20th century?
- April:
Polish music is the most beautiful in the world. Performers – the stringed instrument (a violin or a cello), the grand piano. The programme features Polish music from the oldest to the modern times, the compositions by famous and less well known Polish composers.
- May: Reed instruments. The presentation of the reed instruments band (e.g. clarinet, bassoon, oboe). The programme features music from different periods and the lecture on the historical instruments.
- June:
Music from different regions of the world. Performers – the accordion, the violin, voice. How is folklore music performed today? Can folk music be combined with pop music? The programme features folk music.
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- October:
Gospel Music. The programme features Negro spirituals and gospel music. The performers: vocal, the trumpet, the bass guitar, the drums
- January:
fiery flamenco. The performers: a woman dancer and the guitar duet.
- February:
Poetical sounds. The Performers: vocal, the piano, the bass guitar, the violin.
- March:
Cabaret. Wykonawcy: duet kabaretowy, kontrabas, gitara.
- May: Incomparable Jazz & Blues. The Performers: vocal, the guitar, the saxophone, vibraphone, bass, the drums.
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We organize
competitions about the knowledge of music
for the schools that attend the educational concerts; the competitions help internalize the knowledge that the learners have, but they are also highly enjoyable by them. There are separate competitions for elementary and secondary schools.
On 14 June 2005 the IV Music Competition accompanied by a concert took place in the Municipal Cultural Centre in Leszno.
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| The Pro Musica Educational Foundation holds exclusive copyrights to the themes of the concerts, which means that they are protected by the copyright law and similar laws. |
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