Musik, Serious Gaming und Konzentrationsfähigkeit – mit der App entdecken die Kinder die Magie der klassischen Musik mit interaktiven Spielen.
Activity 1
Meet the composers
Whole class
20 min.
M8 printout
M8: Listening worksheet (hand out to each pupil)
Teacher:
“I'm going to read you a letter written by composer Bedřich Smetana. As I read the letter, I will also play music that Smetana composed when he imagined certain places. As you listen to the music, colour the emojis that match the mood on your worksheet. You can choose more than one emoji if you want to.”
Letter from Smetana
Dear students of class ... ,
I am so excited that you would like to find out something about me - 200 years after I was born in a small town called Litomyšl in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Imagine how delighted you would feel if other students wanted to learn about your life in school! I became famous because I wrote a lot of music. One of my most famous pieces is called 'Vltava'. When I performed it for the first time in Prague, I was already deaf. So I couldn't even hear the piece of music I had written myself. That was very sad for me. But I was still at the premiere and saw people cheering and applauding me. Even though I couldn't hear anything, I knew that my music made people happy. Losing your hearing is very bad, especially for a composer. Do you know someone who has also become deaf? - Ludwig van Beethoven, who composed the 'Ode to Joy', was also deaf. Despite my deafness, I was still able to hear music in my head though, and I wrote some of my best pieces during that time. This helped me understand that music offers endless possibilities, and that you can tell stories with sounds. The Vltava is a river that I loved very much. In my free time I enjoyed walking by the river. I found the wild rapids of St John's, which unfortunately don't exist anymore today, particularly impressive. The river was very exciting there! (Audio Track 7)
A7: St. John's Rapids (play)
The Vltava flows on to Prague. This is the city where I spent most of my life.
A15: The river flows wide (play)
There I founded a music school and worked as a conductor and bandmaster. I worked to ensure that Czech culture and language were not suppressed. At the time we belonged to a large empire ruled by the German-speaking emperor in Vienna and in which the peoples did not have equal rights. Now I want to tell you something very personal: when my ears started ringing and I was in pain, I heard a certain musical theme in my head. I used this theme at the end of the Vltava.
A16: Vyšehrad motif (play)
After my death, my honorary grave was built on the Vyšehrad (pronounced: vee-shay-rad), the historic fort in Prague.
I hope you enjoy learning more about me and the Vltava!
Best wishes,
Smetana
Teacher:
“Which emojis did you colour?” (There is no right or wrong answers here. It is important that the children can explain or say something about their choice.)
Activity 3
Rhythm
Whole class
20 min.
Teacher:
“Music describing water or played on water (such as a barcarole) often uses 6/8 time signature (6 beats per bar), so it's not a coincidence that Smetana's music is written in 6/8 too. Let's have a go at playing a rhythmic body percussion sequence together.
1. First let's all practice two rhythms with our bodies. I will always count up to 6 before we start playing the rhythms."
Rhythm 1:
1-2-3 stamp-clap-clap
4-5-6 clap-clap-clap
Rhythm 2:
1-2-3 sss-clap-clap
4- 5-6 click-sss-sss
Tip
1. Keep practicing rhythm 1 until all students can repeat it confidently. Then start learning rhythm 2.
2. Everytime you practice, count in 1-2-3 / 4-5-6 out loud (with emphasis on 1 and 4) before starting playing the rhythms.
Teacher:
2. "Now we are going to divide the class into two groups, and each group will play one of the two rhythms we've learned. I will count you in to 6, and then both groups will start playing their allocated rhythm at the same time.
3. Let's now try the same exercise but this time clapping along to Vltava's main theme. You can count 1-2-3 / 4-5-6 in your head when you hear the beats starting at the beginning. Let's count to 6 twice and then start playing the first rhythm."
At this point you have the option to play the video for support.
If there's still time...
... the class sings a melody from a folk song called 'All my ducklings'.
Teacher:
“We are going to learn a melody from a folk song called 'All my ducklings'. Instead of using words, we will be singing on the syllable “yoo”. You'll notice that the melody comes around twice. the second time, it goes a little differently and depicts a sad mood. Let's listen a few times and see if we can sing along..."
Teacher:
“Did you hear similarities with the music from Smetana's 'Vltava'?”
Answer:
Smetana knew the folk song 'All my ducklings' because it was already widespread in Bohemia back then. Many composers were inspired by folk music and used it in their compositions. And Smetana's 'Vltava' also inspired other compositions. The 'Vltava' theme has existed in a very similar way for centuries and appears in different compositions and in different countries. It is therefore a truly common cultural property!
... the class listens to a Swedish folk song.
Teacher:
“Listen carefully. Can you tell me what is special about this Swedish folk song? How does this piece of music link to our lesson series on the 'Vltava'?”
Answer
The melody of the 'Vltava' and the melody of the Swedish folk song are very similar. Smetana lived in Sweden for a few years and that is probably where he heard this Swedish folk song.
For comparison
Skills learned in this lesson...
Students…
… learn about the life of Bedřich Smetana, which can be linked to some of the posts on the river Vltava - such as the rapids and Prague.
… learn a body percussion sequence and familiarise themselves with the 6/8 rhythm.
... learn how Smetana was inspired by folk music when he wrote his famous Vltava's theme.