Carnegie Hall

Music that rocks is directly connected to movement. Some of that movement is dance, such as the folk dance associated with “La Follia,” the rock and roll dancing linked to “Johnny B. Goode,” and ballet including “Dance of the Knights” from Romeo and Juliet. Music that rocks can also motivate both performers and audiences to respond physically, moving their bodies in time to the driving beat.

• Using the videos below, you and your students can watch and discuss examples of the movements associated with different repertoire selections.
  • Are the movements planned or improvised? How do you know?
  • What kind of movement do you prefer to watch and why?
  • Does viewing movement of any kind impact your listening experience of the music? Why or why not?
• Observe how the musicians move in any of the video selections.
  • Do you think moving helps them perform? Why or why not?
• Invite students to play or sing a piece from The Orchestra Rocks and experiment with added movement.
  • Does moving change your experience of performing?

Hand jive was one of many dance styles that was popular in the early days of rock and roll. It is said to have originated at concerts that were so crowded there was no room for dancing, so the audience danced with their hands! The duck walk was popularized by Berry and became a signature move during his performances.

• Watch “Johnny B. Goode” performed by Chuck Berry and practice singing along.
• Watch “Johnny B. Goode” Hand Jive and Duck Walk Instruction to learn movements that you can perform at The Orchestra Rocks culminating concert.

• Invite students to explore the English translation of the text from “O Fortuna.”
  • What does it mean for fortune to wax and wane like the moon?
  • What is an example of someone’s fortune changing?
  • What kind of emotion do you think this text is supposed to evoke in the reader?
• Discuss examples of changing fortune and explore creative movement to evoke the emotions that may come about from these stories.
  • If your fortune changed for the better, what kind of emotion would you feel?
  • If your fortune changed for the worse, what kind of emotion would you feel?
  • How could you show these feelings through movement?
• Invite students to explore a variety of movement and postures:
  • Do you want to stay in place or move in space? Do you want to use small movements or large movements?
  • Do you want to change the shape of your body?
  • How can you show this emotion differently by working with a partner or group to make shapes or formations?
• Use scarves and other classroom materials to enhance the movement.
• Using Track 20, perform these movements while listening to “O Fortuna.”

Carl Orff was a German composer, conductor, and music educator who created the Orff Schulwerk approach to elementary music. Orff defined the ideal musical experience for children as “never music alone, but music connected with movement, dance, and speech.” Emphasis is given to active music making and providing opportunities for students to create their own text, movement, and musical settings. One of the most important components of the Orff Schulwerk approach is that it is a community experience and, like in an orchestra, every voice contributes.

Go Deeper

Orff composed “O Fortuna” without a traditional time signature. Instead, he wrote indicators for the tempo, which starts with long, slow beats and then doubles in speed.

• Create movements that respond to the changing musical elements in “O Fortuna,” including:
  • Tempo
  • Rhythmic phrases found in both the ostinato and the melody
  • Dynamics
  • Form (contrasting the introduction, the body of the piece, and the momentous ending)

Tempo: the speed of music

• Common tempo markings include largo (slow), moderato (moderate), and presto (fast).

Dynamics: the volume of music (loud or quiet)

• Dynamic markings include variations of piano (soft, p) and forte (loud, f).
• pp means very soft; ff means very loud.
• mp, or mezzo piano, means medium soft; mf, or mezzo forte, means medium loud.
• Composers can also indicate changes in dynamics from soft to loud with a crescendo marking (<) or from forte to piano with a decrescendo marking (>).

Articulation: how a note or group of notes should be played or sung

• Common articulation markings include staccato (short and detached), legato (connected and smooth), and accented (with more attack than other surrounding notes).

Move to “Dance of the Knights”

The story of Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers whose families—the Montagues and the Capulets—did not get along. Long ago in Italy, the Capulets threw a masquerade ball and a Montague boy named Romeo snuck in wearing a disguise. There he met Juliet Capulet and the two fell in love at first sight.

They got married in secret, hiding their relationship from their feuding families. The couple quickly faced many challenges, and in the end, could only be together in death. In their grief, Romeo and Juliet’s families finally decided to make peace. Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote music for a ballet inspired by Romeo and Juliet’s story. In his ballet, the “Dance of the Knights” takes place at the Capulet’s ball just before Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time.

• Play Track 12 “Dance of the Knights” and invite students to move freely around the room in a manner they think matches the music. Use scarves or other materials to enhance the movement.
• Reflect on the music and movements.
  • What sort of mood do you think the music is trying to express?
  • Were your movements heavy or light?
  • Did you move fast or slow?
  • What shapes did you make with your body and why?
• Watch a video from the Royal Ballet’s performance of “Dance of the Knights” from Romeo and Juliet.
  • How would you describe the ballet dancers’ movements?
  • Were their movements similar or different to yours?
  • How do the ballet dancers’ movements help tell the story?
• Refer to the student part to see the A-B-A form of the music. A-B-A form means the theme from the beginning returns at the end with contrasting music in between. Listen to Track 12 “Dance of the Knights” again to identify the A and B themes in the music.
• Assign contrasting movements to represent the A and B sections of the music (e.g., Stomp, hop, or crabwalk for A. Skate, jog, or march for B). Perform with Track 12 “Dance of the Knights.” Invite students to develop contrasting movements of their own and perform with the track.