MUSIC BUILDS DISCOVERY CONCERTSEDUCATORS’ GUIDE

ICARUS: AT THE EDGE OF TIME

OCTOBER 17 & 20, 2014

OPERATING SUPPORTK E N T U C K Y

C O U N C I L

All Lexington Philharmonic programs are made possible through the generous support of LexArts. In 2014 – 2015, the

Lexington Philharmonic will receive a total of $170,000 in

unrestricted support.

The Dupree Initiative is an investment in the artistic vision exemplified by the Lexington

Philharmonic

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, provides

operating support to the Lexington Philharmonic with state tax dollars

and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Lexington Philharmonic thanks the generous donors and agencies that contributed to its 2014 Power2Give Project:

AnonymousCarrie Dichiaro

Kentucky Arts Council

To learn more about Lexington Philharmonic partnership opportunities, contact the Advancement Office at development@lexphil.org or call 859-233-4226.

The Lexington Philharmonic thanks its 2014 – 2015 education partners for their generous support of its MUSIC BUILDS programming.

LEXINGTON PHILHARMONICDISCOVERY CONCERT EDUCATION GUIDE

Table of Contents

Letter from the Music Director 4

Letter from the Operations & Education Associate Manager 5

STEM to STEAM 6

In The Know 7

Discovery Concert Program 8

Concert Etiquette 9

An Introduction to the Orchestra 10

Who Is the Conductor? 13

Learn How to Conduct 14

Activities and Responses 15

Frank X Walker, Narrator 16

Music and Poetry 17

Ludwig van Beethoven 19

Curriculum Connections 20

Forms

a. Educator’s Checklist 21

b. Lexington Opera House Reservation Form 22

c. Lexington Opera House Bus Funding 23

d. EKU Bus Funding 24

e. Program Evaluation 25

Resources 27

Supplemental Icarus: At the Edge of Time Educators’ Guide 28

Scott King, President Scott Terrell, Music Director & Conductor Allison Kaiser, Executive Director

Dear Educators,

Welcome to the 2014 Lexington Philharmonic Music Builds Discovery concerts, and what will prove to be an exciting adventure as the worlds of mythology, science, space, music and adventure collide in this year’s program, Icarus at the Edge of Time. Your students will have the opportunity to be a part of a multi-media concert experience, featuring music by contemporary composer Philip Glass, and accompanied by narration and film.

For the 2010 World Science Festival in New York, organizers set forth to bring together the talents of writers, composers, film makers, and scientists to create a unique presentation. Physicist Brian Greene adapted the Greek myth of Icarus into a modern story line, to inspire young people to push the limits of exploration and scientific discovery. Mr. Greene partnered with Philip Glass, one of the leading composers of this generation, and a pioneer in the musical style of minimalism. Together, they have created a musical epic that will open minds to the strong parallels of musical creativity and scientific discovery.

Joining forces with LexPhil is local author, teacher and poet laureate, Frank X Walker. Mr. Walker will narrate the story of Icarus, as the young boy pilots his spaceship on the adventure of a lifetime. Take a memorable journey, where meter and tempo propel the music to the black hole, helping to distort the human perception of time.

This curriculum-based guide is useful and rich in activities for your students. It will serve as a valuable resource both in preparing students for attending the concert, as well as continuing the learning process afterward. This guide is designed to strongly connect LexPhil’s Music Builds Discovery program to other curriculum areas such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It also includes helpful information detailing the poetry of Frank X Walker, and interactive activities designed to engage students in writing. We hope you will use this “STEM to STEAM” (STEM + Arts = STEAM) resource to enrich your daily lesson plans with music- and arts-based learning.

We look forward to seeing you at Music Builds Discovery!

Musically yours,

Scott Terrell Music Director

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Scott King, President Scott Terrell, Music Director & Conductor Allison Kaiser, Executive Director

Dear Educators,

The Lexington Philharmonic is once again excited to introduce new education initiatives with its new 2014-2015 Music Builds education platform. Music Builds provides the framework on which LexPhil’s education programs develop and serve multiple arts education and cross curricular needs. It also provides the framework for LexPhil’s entrance into the educational initiative, STEM to STEAM.

The STEM to STEAM movement is devoted to broadening the basic curriculum standards for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math by adding Arts: STEM + Art = STEAM. This educational initiative includes the Arts as a tool to strengthen the critical thinking skills needed for students to excel in all areas. There is a large body of research which articulates how music supports cross curricular learning and LexPhil is finalizing a composite of this research to help communicate music’s effect on learning and STEAM.

For the second year in a row, we are taking our Discovery Concerts on the road! The EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond, KY will be welcoming LexPhil this year for a special added performance of our Music Builds Discovery Concerts. Check out the concert schedule:

Friday, October 17, 2014 Lexington Opera House

Concerts at 10:00AM AND 11:30AM

Monday, October 20, 2014EKU Center for the Arts

Concert at 10:30AM

Reservation forms are available on the LexPhil website (www.lexphil.org) for the Lexington Opera House. EKU reservations may be made directly through the EKU Center for the Arts at 859.622.7469. Also available online, for qualifying classes, is the form to apply for ticket and/or bus subsidy. Make the most of your trip to EKU by combining your ticket with a supporting program at EKU’s Hummel Planetarium. Show times are 9:00AM, Noon, and 1:30PM. More information on tickets to the concert and planetarium can be found at www.ekucenter.com.

Please visit our website and download your free copy of this year’s Education Guide. Here you will find helpful information about the concerts, bus funding, and more! You will find lessons coinciding with the concert program, as well as sections introducing students to the orchestra, conductor, and concert etiquette. Each section of the guide contains information that can be presented as a stand-alone lesson or supplemental material to your own classroom curriculum. Throughout each section, there are fun activity ideas for you to engage in with your students. While educators may certainly use the material without attending a concert, we encourage you to use the guide and concert as a complete package. Efforts have been made to tie the lessons to the Kentucky Department of Education Program of Studies and the Program Review Guide. Lexington Philharmonic’s goal is to offer enhancing resources and opportunities for your classroom.

Please feel free to use this guide as best suits your needs and those of the students and school. Allow the ideas contained herein to stimulate your own creativity. I welcome any feedback you have and appreciate your input. Feel free to email education@lexphil.org or call 859-233-4226 with any questions or comments.

Thank you for all that you do to enrich the lives of students. I hope to see you at the Discovery Concerts and any of the other educational programs offered by the Lexington Philharmonic throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Jason Spencer Operations & Education Associate Manager

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STEM TO STEAM – A CLOSER LOOKThe Lexington Philharmonic is excited to continue its Music Builds… education initiative during the 2014-2015 season. Music Builds will provide the framework on which LexPhil’s education programs develop and serve multiple arts education and cross curricular needs. It will also provide the framework for LexPhil’s entrance into the educational initiative, STEM to STEAM. This movement is devoted to broadening the basic curriculum standards (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to add the element of Arts & Design: STEM + Art = STEAM.

STEM TO STEAM OBJECTIVES:

Music Builds will provide the basic framework for LexPhil’s educational programs and this season will include modules such as Music Builds… Science, Music Builds… Technology, Music Builds… Engineering, and Music Builds…Math.

Arts integration is defined as “teaching ‘through’ and ‘with’ the arts, creating relationships between different art disciplines and other classroom skills and subjects.” A well-rounded education that includes arts integration is absolutely vital to the success of today’s students.

When one thinks of Music Builds, think of how music builds self-esteem, leadership, confidence, community, literacy, and so much more. Students of arts integration have higher test scores, greater social skills, lower drop-out rates, lower substance abuse, and greater long-term success in higher education.

LexPhil is a strong advocate for arts integration and is enthusiastically charting a path for music’s involvement in a regional movement of STEM to STEAM.

1 http://www.stemtosteam.org (accessed May 2013) 2 President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools, Washington, DC, May 2011.

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S.T.E.M. to S.T.E.A.M – A Closer Look The Lexington Philharmonic is excited to continue its Music Builds… education initiative during the 2014-2015 season. Music Builds will provide the framework on which LexPhil’s education programs develop and serve multiple arts education and cross curricular needs. It will also provide the framework for LexPhil’s entrance into the educational initiative, STEM to STEAM. This movement is devoted to broadening the basic curriculum standards (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to add the element of Arts & Design: STEM + Art = STEAM.

STEM to STEAM Objectives:

1

Music Builds will provide the basic framework for LexPhil’s educational programs and this season will include modules such as Music Builds… Science, Music Builds… Technology, Music Builds… Engineering, and Music Builds…Math. Arts integration is defined as “teaching ‘through’ and ‘with’ the arts, creating relationships between different art disciplines and other classroom skills and subjects.”2 A well-rounded education that includes arts integration is absolutely vital to the success of today’s students. When one thinks of Music Builds, think of how music builds self-esteem, leadership, confidence, community, literacy, and so much more. Students of arts integration have higher test scores, greater social skills, lower drop-out rates, lower substance abuse, and greater long-term success in higher education. LexPhil is a strong advocate for arts integration and is enthusiastically charting a path for music’s involvement in a regional movement of STEM to STEAM.

1 http://www.stemtosteam.org (accessed May 2013) 2 President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools, Washington, DC, May 2011.

•Transform research policy to place Art + Design at the center of STEM

•Encourage integration of Art + Design in K-20 education

•Influence employers to hire artists and designers to drive innovation.

IN THE KNOWTICKETSReservation forms for the Music Builds Science concerts in Lexington can be found on our website at www.lexphil.org. Remember the reservation deadline is October 9, 2014 and all seating is done on a first come first serve basis. All pricing information is on this form, which can be turned in via email to tickets@lexphil.org or can be mailed to:

Lexington Philharmonic

ATTN: Ticketing

161 N. Mill Street

Lexington, KY 40507

Reservations for Music Builds Discovery concerts at the EKU Center for the Arts, as well as planetarium visits may be made directly through the EKU Center for the Arts at 859.622.7469.

PRINTABLE MATERIALSThe entire Education Guide is free and available for download and printing directly off our website. However, based on feedback from last year we have added in printer icons throughout the guide to assist you with determining what to print. These icons are located in key spots where you may want to print off a specific activity or lesson to pass out to your students, rather than printing the entire guide or the entire section. Just look for this symbol throughout:

EDUCATOR’S DISCOUNTAll educators in the state of Kentucky will receive a 20% discount to all of our Season Series concerts. You must reserve your tickets by phone at 859-233-4226.

QUESTIONS?If at any time during the school year you have questions, please contact Jason Spencer, Operations and Education Associate Manager. He can be reached via email at education@lexphil.org and via phone at 859-233-4226.

In The Know Tickets Reservation forms for the Music Builds Science concerts in Lexington can be found on our website at www.lexphil.org. Remember the reservation deadline is October 9, 2014 and all seating is done on a first come first serve basis. All pricing information is on this form, which can be turned in via email to tickets@lexphil.org or can be mailed to:

Lexington Philharmonic ATTN: Ticketing 161 N. Mill Street

Lexington, KY 40507

Reservations for Music Builds Discovery concerts at the EKU Center for the Arts, as well as planetarium visits may be made directly through the EKU Center for the Arts at 859.622.7469.

Printable Materials The entire Education Guide is free and available for download and printing directly off our website. However, based on feedback from last year we have added in printer icons throughout the guide to assist you with determining what to print. These icons are located in key spots where you may want to print off a specific activity or lesson to pass out to your students, rather than printing the entire guide or the entire section. Just look for this symbol throughout:

Educator’s Discount All educators in the state of Kentucky will receive a 20% discount to all of our Season Series concerts. You must reserve your tickets by phone at 859-233-4226.

Questions? If at any time during the school year you have questions, please contact Jason Spencer, Operations and Education Associate Manager. He can be reached via email at education@lexphil.org and via phone at 859-233-4226.

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LEXINGTON PHILHARMONICMUSIC BUILDS

DISCOVERY CONCERTS

ICARUS: AT THE EDGE OF TIME

FEATURING THE MUSIC OF Philip Glass

NARRATION BY Frank X Walker

FILM BY Al and Al

Friday, October 17, 2014 – 10:00AM; 11:30AM Lexington Opera House

Monday, October 20, 2014 – 10:30AMEKU Center for the Arts

Program will include excerpts from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (Eroica) Icarus At the Edge of Time | Based on the Book by Brian Greene | Music by Philip Glass | Narrative Adapted by Brian Greene and David Henry Hwang | Film Created and Directed by Al + Al | © 2010 Dunvagen Music Publishers Inc. Used by Permission. Icarus at the Edge of Time was commissioned and produced by World Science Festival (New York), with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Southbank Centre (London), with the Royal Society. Co-commissioned by Associazione Festival della Scienza, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Glasgow’s Concert Halls. Executive Producers: Tracy Day, World Science Festival, New York; Gillian Moore, Southbank Centre, London.

CONCERT ETIQUETTEAttending a concert is an exciting and fun experience! It can also be a bit intimidating the first few times, especially if you’re not sure what’s going to happen or when to clap.

The first thing you will notice will be the musicians on stage. Even though they may be playing their instrument, the concert has not yet begun. Just as athletes warm up before a game, musicians warm up before a concert. If you listen carefully, you might hear bits and pieces of the music that is going to be performed.

When the orchestra becomes quiet, they are waiting on the concertmaster (or concertmistress) to take the stage. This is the violinist who sits at the front seat of the orchestra and acts similar to a team captain on a sports team. He or she is a liaison between the conductor and the orchestra. The concertmaster/mistress will then signal to the oboe player to play an “A” for the rest of the orchestra to tune.

After the orchestra is in tune, the concertmaster sits. The conductor comes out and the concert begins!

WHEN DO I CLAP?It can be very confusing for audience members to know when to clap. Even people who have been attending concerts for a long time clap when they shouldn’t!

♫ When the concertmaster/mistress comes out – clap! This shows respect for him or her and the orchestra. After he or she bows, the orchestra needs to tune, so this is when you stop clapping.

♫ After the orchestra tunes, the conductor comes out – clap! This shows respect for the conductor and typically he or she will also acknowledge the orchestra. After the conductor bows and gets on the podium, the audience stops clapping so the music can begin.

♫ When the orchestra finishes playing a piece of music – clap! But be careful, sometimes pieces of music are made up of a number of sections called movements. It may seem that the musicians are finished playing, but there is really more to be played. Applause for pieces like this comes after the final movement. If you’re not sure, wait for others around you to start clapping.

If you make a mistake, don’t worry! The musicians are just glad that you’re there to share music with them.

The most important thing to remember is that the other audience members are there to enjoy the concert, too. Please remember to turn off all cell phones.

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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ORCHESTRA

The Lexington Philharmonic presents approximately 100 concerts and educational programs annually that are designed to reach a variety of musical tastes and a vast range of ages. The Philharmonic’s mission statement is to foster excellence and innovation in the performance and presentation of great music; to enrich the lives of our diverse citizenry; to educate current and future audiences and to bring distinction to our community through the orchestra’s presence and standing.

Similar to how the United States of America is made up of separate states, an orchestra is made up of separate families of instruments. These families include the strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Each family works together to create music. Not every piece of music requires all the instruments, or even all the families.

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An Introduction to the Orchestra

The Lexington Philharmonic presents approximately 100 concerts and educational programs annually that are designed to reach a variety of musical tastes and a vast range of ages. The Philharmonic’s mission statement is to foster excellence and innovation in the performance and presentation of great music; to enrich the lives of our diverse citizenry; to educate current and future audiences and to bring distinction to our community through the orchestra's presence and standing. Similar to how the United States of America is made up of separate states, an orchestra is made up of separate families of instruments. These families include the strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Each family works together to create music. Not every piece of music requires all the instruments, or even all of the families.

Lexington Philharmonic Seating Chart

The instruments that are considered STRING INSTRUMENTS in the orchestra include the violin, viola, cello, bass, and harp. The string instruments make up the majority of the orchestra, and are found sitting closest to the conductor and audience. String instruments are played by drawing a bow made of horsehair across the strings to make them vibrate. Musicians can also produce a sound by causing vibrations by plucking or tapping the strings.

The violins are the smallest of the string instruments. The viola looks similar to the violin but is a little bigger. The cello is even larger and the bass is the largest of all! The cello is played while sitting down and the bass is so large that it needs to be played while standing! The bigger the instrument, the lower the pitch (sound) it produces. So, the violin plays the highest notes of the string family and the bass the lowest. The harp has a wide note range, with very long and very short strings that are plucked.

WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS include the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. Other instruments in this family include “cousins” of these main instruments such as the piccolo (related to the flute), English Horn (related to the oboe), bass clarinet, and contrabassoon. Saxophones are also considered woodwinds. The term woodwind is used for this family of instruments because many used to be made of wood and the sounds are produced by air. Today, these instruments are made of wood or metal or a combination of the two.

Woodwind instruments are narrow tubes with holes. Most of these holes have covers over them called keys. When you place your fingers over these holes or keys and close/open them, you can change notes. Each woodwind instrument, except for the flute, uses a thin piece of wood called a “reed” which vibrates when the player blows across it in order to make a sound. In single reed instruments like the clarinet, there is one reed that vibrates against a mouthpiece. Instruments like the oboe and bassoon use double reeds (two reeds that vibrate against each other). In a flute, the air vibrates inside the metal tube.

THE BRASS FAMILY includes the horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba. Brass instruments are long metal tubes that have a “bell” at the end where the sound comes out. Horn players put their hand in the bell to manipulate the pitch. To produce a sound on a brass instrument, the player must vibrate (“buzz”) their lips onto a mouthpiece.

Like the woodwinds’ keys, most brass instruments have valves that are pressed with the player’s fingers that open and close parts of the instrument, creating different notes. Trombones do not have valves, but rather a long slide that is moved back and forth. The amount of air through the instrument also affects notes (faster air = higher notes) as well as dynamics (how loud the instrument sounds).

Another way to change how brass instruments sound is by adding a mute into the bell. Mutes are made of different materials (wood, metal, plastic) and can soften or sharpen the timbre (tone) or create sound effects.

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The family of instruments that is the farthest away from the conductor is the PERCUSSION FAMILY. There are many instruments that make up this family. Some that you may see often in an orchestra include snare drum, timpani, cymbals, and bass drum. When struck, these instruments vibrate to produce the sounds.

Percussion instruments are helpful for keeping rhythm in an orchestra, making special sounds, and even playing melody or harmony. Instruments like the timpani and xylophone are tuned to make specific notes unlike instruments such as the tambourine or a triangle.

Other instruments you may see in an orchestra are keyboard instruments like the PIANO, ORGAN, CELESTA, OR HARPSICHORD. When a key is pressed on the piano, a hammer inside the piano hits a set of strings to produce a note. In a harpsichord, the hammer plucks the strings, and a celesta’s hammer hits metal bars. An organ is essentially many woodwind instruments put together; when you press the keys, air is forced through specifically tuned pipes with vibrating pieces in them.

Now that you are familiar with the instrument families take a look at the blank orchestra seating chart below. Where do you think the different groups of instruments should sit? Fill in the chart, and then compare your ideas to the included sample of how the Lexington Philharmonic sits.

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WHO IS THE CONDUCTOR?When you attend an orchestra concert, the person on stage who might stick out the most to you is the conductor. He or she comes on alone after the orchestra tunes, stands in front of the group, leads the musicians and seems to control the music. But, who is this person? Let’s start by introducing the Lexington Philharmonic’s Music Director and Conductor, Maestro Scott Terrell.

This Fall conductor Scott Terrell launches his sixth season as Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. In his last five seasons with the orchestra, he has re-invigorated the ensemble, challenging its musicians and audience alike with a greater variety of repertoire, all the while maintaining a steady footing in the classics. Maestro Terrell has simultaneously maintained a healthy schedule as a guest conductor for the Colorado Symphony, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony in Maine, and the Aspen Music Festival.

Terrell has led performances with many prestigious international organizations including Opera Colorado, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Milwaukee Symphony, Spoleto Festival, Colorado Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Eugene Symphony, Richmond Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, Sun River Music Festival, Kalamazoo Symphony, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Wheeling Symphony, Greater Boston Youth Symphony, Western New York Chamber Orchestra, Amarillo Symphony and the Musical Offering of San Antonio. Recent debuts include the Rochester Philharmonic, Bloomington Camerata Orchestra and El Paso Opera.

Previously, Terrell served as Resident Conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra where he was artistic director and conductor of the Backstage Pass Series, Pops Series, and Out of the Box concerts. While Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1998-2003, Scott conducted hundreds of the Minnesota Orchestra’s performances including Casual Classics, Pops, Family Concerts, Young People’s Concerts, Composer’s Institute, and Sommerfest Concerts.

Learn more about Scott Terrell at www.scottaterrell.com

Photos: Richie Wireman

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Who is the Conductor?

When you attend an orchestra concert, the person on stage who might stick out the most to you is the conductor. He or she comes on alone after the orchestra tunes, stands in front of the group, leads the musicians and seems to control the music. But, who is this person? Let’s start by introducing the Lexington Philharmonic’s Music Director and Conductor, Maestro Scott Terrell.

This Fall conductor Scott Terrell launches his sixth season as Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. In his last five seasons with the orchestra, he has re-invigorated the ensemble, challenging its musicians and audience alike with a greater variety of repertoire, all the while maintaining a steady footing in the classics. Maestro Terrell has simultaneously maintained a healthy schedule as a guest conductor for the Colorado Symphony, the Charleston

Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony in Maine, and the Aspen Music Festival. Terrell has led performances with many prestigious international organizations including Opera Colorado, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Milwaukee Symphony, Spoleto Festival, Colorado Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Eugene Symphony, Richmond Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, Sun River Music Festival, Kalamazoo Symphony, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Wheeling Symphony, Greater Boston Youth Symphony, Western New York Chamber Orchestra, Amarillo Symphony and the Musical Offering of San Antonio. Recent debuts include the Rochester Philharmonic, Bloomington Camerata Orchestra and El Paso Opera. Previously, Terrell served as Resident Conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra where he was artistic director and conductor of the Backstage Pass Series, Pops Series, and Out of the Box concerts. While Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1998-2003, Scott conducted hundreds of the Minnesota Orchestra’s performances including Casual Classics, Pops, Family Concerts, Young People’s Concerts, Composer’s Institute, and Sommerfest Concerts.

LEARN HOW TO CONDUCT!The conductor is the only musician on-stage who does not make a sound. Instead, it is the conductor’s job to help the musicians play their individual parts. He or she does this by showing them when and how to play through non-verbal communication using his or her baton (the long stick held in their right hand), their left hand, and even their whole body. When you watch a conductor, or when you try it yourself, you may sometimes be reminded of dancing!

SHOWING “WHEN TO PLAY” - Part of conducting is showing the musicians when to start and stop playing. Conductors sometimes are like traffic cops at an intersection – bringing some people in, holding others until the right time, etc. One of the ways they do this is by showing established patterns with their baton. Musician’s recognize them and can follow along. If someone gets lost, it’s easy to look up and figure out where everyone is by watching the conductor. The conductor also helps the orchestra stay together with a steady pulse, especially in music that is very rhythmically complicated. Conducting patterns are much like dancer’s choreography and they show the pulse of the music.

WHEN THE MUSIC IS IN A FEELING OF 2 BEATS PER MEASURE (time signatures of 2/4, 6/8, cut-time, etc.), the conducting pattern is simply down then up. Beat 1 is always down, and it often feels a bit “heavier” than 2. Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” march is an example of music felt in 2. Watch conducting in two here: http://youtu.be/NEs8yqhavtI (Bernstein’s “Mambo - West Side Story”)

MUSIC FELT IN 3 BEATS PER MEASURE (3/4, 3/2, etc.) has a pattern of down, right, and up on beats 1, 2, and 3. Again, many times (though not always) the “heaviest” beat is the downbeat. Waltzes like Strauss’ “Blue Danube” are a great example of music in 3 and the emphasis in the music corresponds a great deal to the dance steps. Some music in three is so quick that it is conducted in 1 (down and up in the same beat).Watch conducting in three here: http://youtu.be/Jt1ihVeZznI (Mozart’s “Jupiter Symphony, 3rd Mvt.”)

A COMMON PULSE IN MUSIC IS 4 BEATS PER MEASURE. The time signature 4/4 is so natural that it is also called “common time”. The conducting pattern for a feeling of 4 is down, left, right, and up. The nursery song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” is felt in 4. Watch conducting in four here: http://youtu.be/5Zcxx7fNqIs (Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger Overture”)

Sometimes, it’s not enough information for the players if the conductor only “beats time” (shows the pattern). Not all of the musicians in an orchestra play at the same time, so sometimes the conductor needs to cue their entrance. He or she can do this by making eye contact with them, pointing or gesturing in their direction, etc.

SHOWING HOW THE MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO SOUNDSome conductors move a lot when they perform, using their entire bodies to show the music. Others stand very still, only moving their hands and arms in the patterns above. Just like dance, conducting is a form of expression – not only of self, but also of the music being performed. The conductor’s personal style affects this a great deal in how they show the music, as does the type of music being performed.

Non-verbal communication is where someone tells you something without using words. Body language is a special type of non-verbal communication where a person’s body shows how they are feeling. Conductors use this to portray the mood of the music being performed. Like actors and actresses playing characters, conductors must “become the music”. For happy music, a smile on their face and an energetic beat might do the trick, while for sad or lonely music an upset face with raised eyebrows would help. A lady attending a concert for the first time once said, “If you watch that man in front, you can almost tell what the music is going to sound like before it happens!” That was an effective conductor.

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ACTIVITIES AND RESPONSESACTIVITIES:

1. Teach students the basic conducting patterns. Have them practice to recordings, the sample video resources, or, if they are learning to sing/play songs in class, leading other students.

a. If students have difficulty conducting the beat from the rhythms (i.e., trying to conduct the fast notes), have others clap the beat while one conducts.

2. Have students experiment with showing different moods while conducting.a. Without music, have them conduct and show an emotion. Have other students guess what type of music the

“conductor” is conducting.b. Sing a happy song while the “conductor” tries to convey sadness and vice versa. Have them experiment

with other emotions.3. If your students attend the Lexington Philharmonic Discovery Concert, please don’t discourage them from conducting

along if it does not distract other students.

RESPONSES:1. Have students look at

the included photos of conductors at work. Ask them to write a description of the music they are conducting, just based on the emotion in the picture. Also, ask what the conductor seems to be saying. Discuss why they chose the adjectives they did.

2. If your students attend the Lexington Philharmonic Discovery Concert, have them watch Maestro Terrell. Ask them to pay attention to his patterns and watch for when he cues instruments. Afterwards, ask them to write about what they saw.

a. How did the conductor’s gestures affect the music?

b. Were the pieces in feelings of 2, 3, 4, or a combination?

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Frank X Walker, Narrator, Icarus: At the Edge of TimeFAST FACTS

Native of Danville, KY and a graduate of the University of Kentucky and Spalding University

Poet, lecturer, and exhibitor at over 400 international conferences and universities

Founding member of the Affrilachian Poets and Message Theater

Appointed as 2013-2014 Kentucky poet laureate

First African-American and youngest poet laureate in Kentucky

Poems have been converted into stage productions presented by the University of Kentucky Theatre department and Northern Kentucky University’s Department of Dance and Theater

Presently a full professor in the Department of English at the University of Kentucky

Photo by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Love Letter To the Worldby Kurt Gohde and Kremena TodorovaLove Letter To the World is a public artwork that intertwines poetry, tattoos, photography, spoken word, storytelling, and music as a way to foster global connections. Born from our desire to call into being a world-wide community, it begins with the words of a poem written as a love letter to the world by Kentucky Poet Laureate and 2014 NAACP Image Award winner Frank X Walker. Through the words of the poem, it engages issues at the core of our contemporary lives: the environment, sustainability, and world peace. Because it manifests itself through permanent tattoos, many of them in visible places, Love Letter To the World is also a living artwork that continually fosters dialog across categories of identity, such as gender, race, age, religion, and nationality. When the project participants travel, both the artwork and the conversations it starts travel with them. In this way, Love Letter To the World is a dynamic, ever-changing work of art.

Love Letter To the World was inspired by the tremendous critical success of and support for the Lexington Tattoo Project (http://lexingtontattooproject.com/).

The website for Love Letter To the World—www.lovelettertotheworld.com—will go live on September 1, 2014. Please visit it, again and again.

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Love Letta to de Worl’By Frank X Walker

I love you world.Love your seven different faces.Love your healing waterswide and deep.Love the thing you havewith the sun and the moonand what it teaches usabout companionship,about change,about revolution.

Love the mirror at your navel,how it shows off your hemispheres,illustrating important lessonsabout balance,about reflection,about centering ourselves.

Love how much like little worldswe are. How our earthquakeis your shiver, your sneeze a tsunami,an avalanche, a mudslide.

When you have hot flasheswe call it drought.You once covered your whole bodywith ice to cool a fever.

When you weep, daily,over our continued ignorance,our epic failures and petty squabbles–our every transgression,your watersbreak and we are born again.

Love your outreach, our mutual attraction,your gravitational pull.

For every treasure we stealfrom your wombyou send us hail and thunderstorms.When we invent poisons and no antidotesand build monuments to ourselvesyou send tornadoes and hurricanesto remind us of how small we truly are.

And yet, every day you continue to humble, inspire, and move us to tearswith your natural beauty.

Our own efforts to mimic your vistasare what we dare call art and dance,music and poetry,architecture and language,and love.It is the only thing we have ever gotten right.

We can’t pass the course on humanityif we keep failing the lessonson harmonyand until we unlearn fear and hate.

Thank you, world, for thisopen-book exam before us,for still believingwe are worthy of your love.

We who love you black already knowthat everything we do to youwe also do to ourselves…

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WHAT IS POETRY?

POETRY [poh-i-tree] comes from the Greek for “I create.” Poetry is a collection of words that express an idea or emotion, often

with rhythm, rhyme, imagery and personification. Through poetry, authors can use words and imagination to tell a story that expresses their emotions and feelings.

THE MUSIC IN POETRY

• Music helps children develop rhythmic intelligence and notice rhythm in language, which are valuable skills in learning how to read and developing fluency as readers.

• Much like music, poetry contains rhythm, accents, beats and emotion. We can express ourselves artistically in various ways - music, dance, poetry, painting, etc. These artistic expressions can be related, connected or inspired by the other.

• For example, a music piece can inspire a choreographer to come up with new dance moves, or a painting can inspire someone to write poetry.

• Over time, we’ve heard music that has been partly or greatly inspired by poems. These two art forms possess certain similar elements, such as meter, rhyme and emotion.

ACTIVITY #1

Materials: Access to audio playback equipment and speakersUsing America, the Beautiful and The Star-Spangled Banner as examples, explain the origin of each poem, and

demonstrate how each is related to the music. Read both poems aloud, followed by their musical accompaniment

• Compare and contrast the ways in which each poem was set to music. • How are the poems similar? How are they different? • For America, the Beautiful, would the poem be any different if the music was written first? • Select an excerpt from a poem and have students clap to the strong beats of the poem and/or music. Explore other

methods of keeping the beat (ie snapping, stomping, tapping). Use percussive devices to engage students in activity.

ACTIVITY #2

Read aloud “Love Letta to de Worl” by Frank X Walker to the class. Encourage discussion using the following questions:

What do you see in your mind when you listen to this poem?What kind of sounds do you hear?Can you hear a beat in the words of the poem?Why do you think the poet wrote the poem this way?

When you finish reading the poems, ask students to compare them using the following questions:

How is this poem different from America, the Beautiful and The Star-Spangled Banner? How is it different?Which poems have the strongest rhythm? How can you tell?Which poem is your favorite, and why?

Choose a student to demonstrate the main beat by clapping their hands while you read a poem with a strong rhythm. Have the rest of the students join by clapping their hands or tapping their feet.

Connecting this activity with Activity #1:Ask students if either poem would sound better if sung. What if one phrase or verse was sung instead of read?Would the poem be reflective of the music played (ie, happy/sad & major/minor).

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America, the Beautiful (1913

Version)

O beautiful for spacious skies,For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majestiesAbove the fruited plain!

America! America!God shed his grace on theeAnd crown thy good with

brotherhoodFrom sea to shining sea!

The Star-Spangled Banner

O say can you see by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

1770 – 1827

FAST FACTS

• Began losing his hearing at the age of 25

• Wrote his first composition, a set of nine variations, at the age of 12

• First symphony was performed at age 30

• Composed his symphonies while deaf

• Three compositional periods: Early, Middle (Heroic) and Late

• Briefly studied with W.A. Mozart at the age of 17

Born in Bonn, Germany in 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven had a miserable childhood. He was one of seven children, three of whom survived to adulthood. At the age of 17, Beethoven made his first visit to Vienna, where he briefly studied with Mozart. Following the death of his father in 1792, Beethoven returned to Vienna permanently. It was in his mid-twenties that Beethoven began losing his hearing. As time passed and his hearing decayed, he became more and more absorbed in his music. All of his nine symphonies were performed while he was deaf.

Beethoven’s Third Symphony (“Eroica”) laid bare his dreams, his fears, and at its climax, his rediscovered heroism. From his early musical rivalries in Vienna, to his terrifying duel with deafness, Beethoven reveals the roots of his genius in his Eroica Symphony.

“Keeping Score” – Featuring Beethoven’s Third SymphonyPresented by the San Francisco Symphony and PBS Video

TRY THIS!Can you concentrate on music the way Beethoven did without actually hearing music in the air? Try thinking through a familiar song in your head. Do not hum, whistle or sing. Can you think through the entire song?

Now try singing a song with the rest of the class. This could be a familiar song – “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Everyone starts by singing aloud, then continuing the song by thinking it through in their head. Did everyone end the song at the same time?

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CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS The lessons, activities and response opportunities contained within the Education Guide align with Kentucky Department of Education standards as indicated in the Program of Studies and reflected by the Program Review Guide. If you have any questions regarding the curricular connections, please contact Operations & Education Associate Manager Jason Spencer at education@lexphil.org or 859-233-4226. Kentucky Core Academic Standards

http://education.ky.gov/curriculum/docs/Documents/KCAS%20-%20June%202013.pdf

KDE Program Review Guides http://education.ky.gov/curriculum/pgmrev/Pages/default.aspx

EDUCATION GUIDE CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

The Education Guide lessons, activities, and response opportunities incorporate the following Curriculum Connections: ARTS AND HUMANITIES

o Big Idea: Structure in the Artso Big Idea: Humanity in the Artso Big Idea: Purposes for Creating the Artso Big Idea: Processes in the Artso Big Idea: Interrelationships Among the Arts

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTSo Big Idea: Forming a Foundation (Reading)o Big Idea: Developing an Initial Understanding (Reading)o Big Idea: Interpreting Text (Reading)o Big Idea: Reflecting and Responding to Text (Reading)o Big Idea: Writing Contento Big Idea: Speaking, Listening, and Observing

PRACTICAL LIVINGo Big Idea: Psychomotor Skills (Physical Education)

SCIENCEo Big Idea: Structure and Transformation of Matter (Physical Science)o Big Idea: Motion and Forces (Physical Science)

SOCIAL STUDIESo Big Idea: Cultures and Societieso Big Idea: Historical Perspective

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CONCERT CHECKLIST

• Beginning of August – LexPhil Discovery Concert Education Guide available online

• August 15 – Kentucky Arts Council TranspARTation Grant Application due

• End of September – KAC TranspARTation Grant notification

• October 1 – LexPhil Supplementary Bus Funding Application due

• October 9 – LexPhil Supplemental Bus Funding decisions

• October 9 – Deadline to turn in LexPhil Reservation Forms

• October 15 – Deadline to make changes in number of seats reserved to LexPhil

• October 17 – Discovery Concerts, 10 & 11:30am at the Lexington Opera House

• October 20 – Discovery Concerts, 10:30am at the EKU Center For The Arts AND Planetarium

• After October 20 – Return Discovery Concert Evaluation Form to LexPhil

• November 17 – KAC TranspARTation Grant Final Report DUE

Please feel free to contact education@lexphil.org or 859-233-4226 with any questions.

Forms and more information on the Discovery Concerts available at: www.lexphil.org

More information on the KAC TranspARTation Grant available at:www.artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TranspARTation.htm

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R. Scott King, President Scott Terrell, Music Director & Conductor Allison Kaiser, Executive Director

OCTOBER 17, 2014 DISCOVERY CONCERT RESERVATION AGREEMENT

School / Group: ______________________________________________________Date: _____________________Address: ___________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________City __________________________________________________ State______________ Zip Code______________Contact Phone: _______________________________ Contact Fax: ______________________________________Contact Name: ________________________________________ Grade Levels Attending: ____________________

Transportation: (please check one)o Bus o Van/Car o Walk # Of Buses _____Please list any special needs: _______________________________________________________

Music BuildsDate: # of Seats Requested:o October 17, 2014 # Students ___ # Adults ___ Total # of Seats ___

Time: Amount Due:o 10:00 a.m. Total # of Children ______ x $4.00 = _______o 11:30 a.m. Total # of Adults _______ x $5.00 = ______

Method of Payment:o Visa o MasterCard o Discover o American ExpressCard Number:___________________________ Expiration Date:____________________ Signature:______________________________o Check included - Please make checks payable to: Lexington Philharmonic

Performance Location: Lexington Opera HouseLocated at the corner of Short St. and Broadway, Lexington, Kentucky

Agreements must be signed and returned to the Lexington Philharmonic as soon as possible to ensure your reservation. Deadline is October 9, 2014. Late forms will be accepted as space allows. Invoices will be sent upon receipt of this agreement. Payment in full will be required by the performance date. Cancellation of a reservation or alterations to the seat count will only be accepted until October 11, 2014 as available.

The individual listed below acknowledges his/her authority to legally enter into this agreement on behalf of his/her school or organization.

____________________________ _______________________________ ____________________Signature Title DateSubmit agreement via regular mail, fax, or e-mail to tickets@lexphil.org

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R. Scott King, President Scott Terrell, Music Director & Conductor Allison Kaiser, Executive Director

OCTOBER 17, 2014 DISCOVERY CONCERT LEXPHIL SUPPLEMENTAL BUS FUNDING FORM

Deadline: October 1, 2014 | Teachers will be notified of their funding status by October 9.

Contact Name: __________________________________________________________School:_______________________________ Date: ___________________________Address:_______________________________Email:____________________________City __________________State___ Zip Code_________________________________School Phone: _______________ School Fax:__________________________________Grade Levels Attending: _____ # of Buses: _____ # of Students Attending: ______

Cost per bus: _________ Total funding needed: _________

Did you apply for funds from the Kentucky Arts Council TranspARTation Grant? Y / N If yes, how much were you awarded? __________ (Reminder: The deadline is AUGUST 15, 2014 for the KAC Grant Application. You are strongly encouraged to apply for the KAC grant before submitting this application. More information at www.artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TranspARTation.htm)

Please explain how your school would benefit from these additional funds:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Return this form to education@lexphil.org.

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R. Scott King, President Scott Terrell, Music Director & Conductor Allison Kaiser, Executive Director

OCTOBER 20, 2014 DISCOVERY CONCERT LEXPHIL SUPPLEMENTAL BUS FUNDING FORM

Deadline: September 29, 2014 | Teachers will be notified of their funding status by October 12.

Contact Name: __________________________________________________________School:_______________________________ Date: ___________________________Address:_______________________________Email:____________________________City __________________State___ Zip Code_________________________________School Phone: _______________ School Fax:__________________________________Grade Levels Attending: _____ # of Buses: _____ # of Students Attending: ______

Cost per bus: _________ Total funding needed: _________

Did you apply for funds from the Kentucky Arts Council TranspARTation Grant? Y / N If yes, how much were you awarded? __________ (Reminder: The deadline is AUGUST 15, 2014 for the KAC Grant Application. You are strongly encouraged to apply for the KAC grant before submitting this application. More information at www.artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TranspARTation.htm)

Please explain how your school would benefit from these additional funds:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Return this form to education@lexphil.org.

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LEXINGTON PHILHARMONIC DISCOVERY CONCERTS: OCTOBER 17, 2014 & OCTOBER 20, 2014

MUSIC BUILDS GUIDE AND CONCERT EVALUATION FORMWe hope that you enjoyed the Discovery Concerts and/or the accompanying Education Guide. Your input is important to us! Please fill out the evaluation form below so that we may continue to develop our Discovery Concerts and other educational programs in ways that meet your needs. If you have any questions or comments that you would like to discuss, please contact the Operations & Education Associate Manager, by email at education@lexphil.org or by phone at 859-233-4226.

Name:__________________________ School / Group:___________________________

Subjects and Grade Levels Taught:___________________________________________

Email:_____________________________________ Phone:_______________________

Education GuideHave you used the Education Guide? (Check one) __ Yes, in conjunction with attending the LexPhil Discovery Concerts __ Yes, separately from the Discovery Concerts __ Not yet, we have attended the Discovery Concerts and plan on using the guide __ No, we did not use the Education Guide

Which sections did you use? (Check all that apply) __ Program / Concert Etiquette __ An Introduction to the Orchestra__ Music Listening Guide __ Who Is the Conductor? __ An introduction to Frank X Walker __ What is poetry?

Were the activity ideas and response opportunities appropriate and useful for your classroom? Please explain. __ Yes __ No_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Were you able to use one or more activities in the guide in relation to another non-music subject? __ Yes __ No Please check all that apply:__Science/Technology__Math/Engineering__Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Discussion)__History__Social Studies/Geography/World Studies__Art__Other: __________________________

What result(s)/impact(s) do you expect from participation in this program? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________________

Which activities and responses were the most beneficial to your class? The least?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What were this guide’s strengths and weaknesses? How may we continue to improve the guide so that it serves your needs?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Discovery Concerts

Which concert did you attend? __ October 17 10AM __ October 17 11:30AM __ October 20 10:30AM

Were your students engaged throughout the entire concert? __ Yes __ No

Please elaborate:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was the best part of the concert experience for you and your students? The least enjoyable?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How was your parking experience? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is the day and/or time of the concert a good fit for your schedule? If not, please explain why and check the preferable time below.____Yes ____No Why not? ___________________________________________________________

Preferred time:____9am____10am____11:30am

Preferred Day:____Monday____Tuesday____Wednesday____Thursday____Friday

Is the cost of the Discovery Concert an obstacle for your students to attend? __ Yes __ No

If Yes, what do you feel would be a reasonable cost?___________________

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The following websites were consulted as resources in the creating of this Education Guide:

http://www.frankxwalker.com/

http://oldcove.com/?projects=black-box-poems-by-frank-x-walker

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/2000

http://www.atlantasymphony.org/aso/asoassets/downloadcenter/Soul%20of%20Music%20Students%20Guide.pdf

http://www.artsalive.ca/pdf/mus/beethoven_e.pdf

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/connection-between-poetry-music-808.html

http://musiced.about.com/od/famousmusicians1/a/The-Poetry-And-Music-Connection.htm

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ICARUS AT THE EDGE OF TIME

Educator’s Guide

worldsciencefestival.com/icarus

Have you ever dreamed of setting out on a heart-thumping adventure?Greek mythology tells the story of Icarus, a boy who defied his father, flew too close to the sun on wings of wax, and plummeted to the sea when the wings melted. Icarus at the Edge of Time is about a different boy, one who dares to fly close to a black hole and lives to tell the tale.

The Greek myth suggests that it’s too dangerous to try something new. But doing what has never been done before, even if there are risks, is exactly what scientists need to do to make great breakthroughs.

Physicist Brian Greene rethought the Icarus myth to inspire people and encourage scientific exploration. He began by writing Icarus at the Edge of Time as a children’s book and then transformed the story into a multimedia show. “My intention was to make a performance piece that would have the same wonderful drama, music, and edge-of-the-seat quality as some of the greatest works,” Greene explains, “but where the narrative would be driven by science.”

AFTER THE SHOWBEFORE THE SHOW

To find information on directions

and reservations, or to download

a PDF of this guide, visit:

worldsciencefestival.com/icarus

Review The Science

Behind the Story and

Correlation to Standards

to see how the show

connects to your

curriculum. Pre-show

activities focus on basic

physics related to black

holes, such as density,

gravity, and the lifecycle

of a star.

Review the main content

points from the show with

your class. Post-show

activities focus on the

effects of a black hole

on time, and encourage

creative expression of

what it would be like to

visit one.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Use the background material and activities in this guide to integrate Icarus at the Edge of Time into your classroom curriculum.

1

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

to the Sun. A 25-trillion-mile journey that

will take over a century, it began with

Icarus’ great-grandfather leading the

mission and will end when Icarus’ own

children arrive.

Icarus yearns to be something more than

just a link in a chain. When the ship nears

an uncharted black hole, he jumps at the

chance to explore it. His father refuses to

let him go, saying that it’s too dangerous,

but Icarus slips away. He flies close to the

black hole, circling it at a safe distance,

delighted both by the marvelous sight and

by his own daring. After an hour, Icarus

heads back to the Proxima to share his

triumph with his father.

But the Proxima is gone. Instead Icarus

sees an interstellar highway busy with

hundreds of starships. He docks aboard

one, discovers that thousands of years have

passed, and realizes that he had forgotten

about the effect of gravity on time. He has

achieved his goal at the terrible cost of

losing everyone that he cared about.

In the ship’s library, he learns about the

original Proxima’s journey, the creation of a

galactic government, new discoveries. And

about the legend of a boy, who, despite his

father’s warning, flew close to a black hole

and never came back. Except that he did.

THE STORY

2

When the story begins, Icarus is on the powerful spaceship Proxima, headed toward an earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the star closest

How can a “short trip” to the edge of a black hole have such a huge impact on Icarus, effectively sending him thousands of years into the future? To understand what black holes are, and how they warp space and time, it all begins with gravity.

Before the 17th century, gravity was a mysterious force to most people. They knew that an

apple falling from a tree would always fall to the ground. They also knew that the Moon would stay in its orbit without falling to Earth. But they didn’t understand that the same physical force—gravity—affects both the apple and the Moon.

Then along came the English scientist Isaac Newton, who united the heavens and Earth. He explained that gravity is the force of attraction between any two objects, and the strength of the attraction depends on the mass of the objects and the distance between them.

Newton believed that gravity is the glue of everyday life, affecting objects on Earth and in space alike, and he came up with a mathematical equation to predict everything from how baseballs fly through the air to the paths of

planetary orbits.Underlying this theory was Newton’s

view of space. It might look like nothing, but space was actually something—an immense, unchanging stage on which objects existed and action happened, including gravitational attraction.

What is Gravity? THE SCIENCE

BEHIND THE STORY

3

An artist’s rendering of the Milky Way. Stars stud its spiraling arms.

(Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.)

How Does Gravity Work Across Space?

Newton’s theory lets us make accurate predictions about the strength of gravitational attraction,

but it doesn’t explain how gravity actually works. For example, how does the Sun reach across 93 million miles of seemingly empty space to affect Earth? Newton was well aware of this problem, but left it to the work of future thinkers.

In the early 20th century, Albert Einstein took up the challenge, beginning with the question of how we think about space. For Newton, space was a passive background, unaffected by the objects within it. But Einstein suggested instead that space was active and dynamic, that it could bend

and twist and ripple. Without any objects in it, space would be flat. The presence of an object, however, would cause space to warp around the object, like the indentation created by putting a bowling ball on top of stretched fabric. This warp of space communicates the force of gravity, affecting other objects. What this means is that Earth creates a gravitational well in space, and the less massive Moon is kept in orbit because it rolls along the edge of that well—and Earth rolls along a similar but much larger gravitational well created by the more massive Sun. So what makes gravity work through space is actually the warping of space itself.

An artist’s drawing of a satellite orbiting Earth. Its mission? To

measure the universe in four dimensions: height, width, length

and time. (Courtesy NASA.)

THE SCIENCEBEHIND

THE STORY

4

Einstein published his explanation

of gravity in 1916, at the height of

World War I. That same year, German

astronomer Karl Schwarzschild was fighting

on the Russian front, where he was in charge

of calculating artillery trajectories—that is,

thinking about how small, heavy cannonballs

travel through space. When he came across

Einstein’s theory, he got excited. He soon

realized that if an object were sufficiently

small and dense, such as a compressed star,

it would warp space so severely that objects

that came too close would be unable to

escape its gravitational grip. It would be like a

whirlpool or a waterfall pulling everything into

it. Not even light would be able to escape, so

Schwarzchild called this phenomenon a “dark”

or “frozen” star. Later, physicist John Wheeler

gave it a catchier name, a “black hole”—black

because it would emit no light, a hole because

anything too close would fall into it. Only

objects that stay beyond the event horizon,

the boundary where the gravitational pull

becomes irresistible, would be able to escape.

Schwarzschild sent his theory to Einstein,

who thought the idea was interesting and

mathematically valid. But not everything that

is true mathematically is true physically, and

Einstein was skeptical that black holes existed

in reality. What evidence was there? And how

could something become that small and dense?

For our own Sun to form a black hole, it

would need to be crushed to only a couple of

miles across, at which point a teaspoonful of it

would weigh as much as Mount Everest. How

could such a thing happen?

Caption Bis qui nimus quatiustio vid quis rehendio

desti officil

What is a Black Hole? THE SCIENCE

BEHIND THE STORY

A computer-generated image of a black hole shows

light bending inward.(Courtesy Alain Riazuelo.)

5

There is growing evidence that

black holes are real, from two main

sources. First, by studying the lifecycle

of stars, scientists now understand how a black

hole could form. When a star is born, its core

ignites, starting a process of nuclear fusion

that can last for billions of years. Fusion

produces streaming radiation that pushes out

toward the surface of the star, which balances

the inward pull of gravity and prevents the

star from collapsing under its own weight. But

this hydrostatic equilibrium is altered when

the star eventually burns through the fuel in

its core and the outward push can no longer

balance the inward pull of gravity.

When the core of a super massive star

collapses, it releases so much energy that it

blasts itself apart. What survives depends on

the mass of the tiny, dense core. If it is less than

about three times the mass of the Sun, it will

shrink into a dense neutron star. But if it has a

greater mass, it collapses into a black hole.

The second type of evidence comes from

observations. Since black holes emit no light,

we can’t see them directly. But we can see their

effect on objects around them. For example, as

dust and gas from stars fall toward a nearby

black hole, they accelerate to nearly the speed

of light and heat up, giving off visible light

and X-rays. This light is produced beyond the

event horizon, so it can escape and we can see

it. Astronomers have also seen stars whipping

around a central object, which they conclude

must be a black hole, because no other object

would exert enough gravitational pull.

Unlike what Einstein thought, evidence

suggests not only that black holes exist, but

that they are plentiful.

THE SCIENCEBEHIND

THE STORY

Do Black Holes Actually Exist?

A snapshot of fiery star birth. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/

Harvard-Smithsonian.)

6

An illustration of the Cygnus X-1 black hole. Scientists believe its

event horizon—the point of no escape for objects hurtling toward

it—spins around more than 800 times a second. (Courtesy NASA/

Digitized Sky Survey.)

The more we learn about black holes, the more amazing they seem. We now know that black holes not only

warp space dramatically, but also warp time.Einstein believed that space and time

are really a combined unit he thought of as space-time, so the gravitational pull caused by a massive object would distort both space and time. The closer you are to the object, the more slowly time passes; the further away, the faster time passes. This is called time dilation. Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado have been able to measure this effect. Using two of the world’s most precise clocks, they discovered that a clock placed one foot higher than another clock ticked a little bit faster, because it was slightly

less affected by Earth’s gravitational pull. This means that if you lived at the top of the Empire State Building, you would age faster than someone on the ground. But the difference would be only 104 millionths of a second over the course of an entire lifetime.

In contrast, the time dilation that could occur near a black hole is immense, because the gravitational pull is so strong. The closer you came to a black hole, the more time would slow down relative to the passage of time for someone far away. Depending on the size of the black hole, how close you were to it, and how long you stayed there, what might seem like a short time for you could be hundreds or even thousands of years for someone on Earth!

What Time is It? THE SCIENCE

BEHIND THE STORY

7

Much More to Discover . . .Our understanding of black holes has come a long way in the last century, but there’s still a lot we don’t know. One big one is what’s at the center of a black hole. Some scientists think that a black hole’s core is where time comes to an end, or is possibly even a portal to another universe. Finding the answer to mysteries like these is one of the great remaining challenges we face.

An illustration of a black hole shooting out jets of

radio waves. (NASA/JPL-Caltech.)

8

CORE: The center of a star, where nuclear fusion occurs.

DENSITY: How much mass exists within a given volume.

EVENT HORIZON: The boundary surrounding a black hole beyond which nothing can escape the black hole’s gravitational pull.

GRAVITY: The force of attraction between objects. The strength of attraction is determined by the mass of the objects and the distance between them.

HYDROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM: In a star, the balance between streaming radiation (produced by nuclear fusion) that pushes out toward the surface of the star and the inward pull of the star’s own gravity.

MASS: How much matter an object contains.

NUCLEAR FUSION: The process at work in the core of a star, in which atoms combine at high temperature and pressure, releasing intense energy and light.

STAR: A huge ball of hot gas with nuclear fusion at its core.

SUPERNOVA: An explosion that happens when a high mass star can no longer maintain hydrostatic equilibrium and its core collapses in on itself.

TIME DILATION: The warping of time due to the influence of gravity. The stronger the gravitational pull, the slower time passes.

GLOSSARY

BLACK HOLE: A region of space whose

gravitational pull is so strong that anything

that gets too close, even light, cannot escape.

9

ABOUT BRIAN GREENE

Brian Greene

is co-director

of Columbia’s

Institute for Strings,

Cosmology, and

Astroparticle

Physics (ISCAP), and is recognized

for a number of groundbreaking

discoveries in the field of superstring

theory. His books—The Elegant

Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos,

and The Hidden Reality—are widely

read, inspiring The Washington

Post to call Greene the “single best

explainer of abstruse ideas in the

world today.” He has also had many

media appearances, from Charlie

Rose to David Letterman, and his

three-part NOVA special based on

The Elegant Universe won an Emmy

Award and a Peabody Award. He

is co-founder of the World Science

Festival with Emmy award-winning

television producer Tracy Day.

ABOUT THE WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL

The World Science Festival is a

production of the Science Festival

Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit

organization headquartered in New

York City. The Foundation’s mission

is to cultivate a general public

informed by science, inspired by

its wonder, convinced of its value,

and prepared to engage with its

implications for the future.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

worldsciencefestival.com/Information about the full festival schedule, participants, and more.

worldsciencefestival.com/icarusInformation about Icarus at the Edge of Time, tickets, and teacher guidelines.

Monster of the Milky Way (NOVA): nypl.org/locations/tid/65/node/58071A NOVA episode about black holes.

HOW THE SHOW WAS

CREATED

PHYSICIST BRIAN GREENE worked

with playwright David Henry Hwang to

adapt Icarus at the Edge of Time for live

narration, and invited renowned composer

Philip Glass to write the music that would

bring the story to life. To round out the

experience, making it as immersive as

possible, Al + Al (Al Holmes and Al Taylor)

created a vibrant film to accompany the

narration and full orchestra.

10

National Science Education StandardsA1: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

A2: Understanding about scientific inquiry

B1: Properties and changes of properties in matter

B2: Motions and forces

B3: Transfer of energy

D3: Earth in the Solar System

G1: Science as a human endeavor

G2: Nature of science

New York State Intermediate Level Science Core Curriculum Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.

1.1b: Other stars are like the Sun but are so far away they look like points of light. Distances between stars are vast compared to distances within our solar system.

3.1h: Density can be described as the amount of matter that is in a given amount of space. If two objects have equal volume, but one has more mass, the one with more mass is denser.

5.2a: Every object exerts gravitational force on every other object. Gravitational force depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are. Gravity is one of

the forces acting on orbiting objects and projectiles.

New York City Science Performance StandardsS1b: Demonstrates understanding of position and motion and forces.

S3c: Demonstrates understanding of Earth in the Solar System.

S4d: Demonstrates understanding of impact of technology.

S4e: Demonstrates understanding of impact of science.

S5b: Uses concepts from Science Standards 1 to 4 to explain a variety of observations and phenomena.

S5f: Works individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.

S6a: Uses technology and tools to observe and measure objects, organisms, and phenomena, directly, indirectly, and remotely, with appropriate consideration of accuracy and precision.

CORRELATION TO THE

STANDARDS

Icarus at the Edge of Time and accompanying classroom activities can be correlated to the following standards for grades 5-8:

11

Learning Objective: To explore objects with different mass and volume in order to visualize and understand the principle of density (ratio of mass to volume).

Materials: (per group of 4 students)

Scales

5 large plastic cups

5 different materials to be weighed (cotton balls, marbles, Legos, Styrofoam “peanuts,” paper clips, pennies, etc.)

Instructions:

1. As a class, review the concepts of mass, volume and density.

2. As a group, predict which material will occupy the most space at one gram and which one will occupy the least. Record your results using the chart below. Next, measure one gram of each material and rank them according to their results. How accurate were your predictions? What do you notice about the volume of the different materials?

3. Now fill one cup full with each material. Before you weigh the cups, predict which materials will weigh the most and which the least. Then weigh the cups, record the masses, and rank them according to their results. How accurate were your predictions? What do you notice about the masses of the different materials?

4. As a class, discuss your results. How is the density of the materials related to their volume and mass? How would you rank the materials from least dense to most dense, and why?

ICARUS ACTIVITY

GUIDEActivity: Density

Visit worldsciencefestival.com/Icarus for more ways to teach the science of black holes.

BEFORE THE SHOW

Material

A.B.C.D.E.

Density: Rank from least (1) to most (5)

Predicted volume: Rank

from least (1) to most (5)

Actual volume: Rank from least (1) to most (5)

Predicted mass: Rank from least (1) to most (5)

Actual mass: (in grams)

Actual mass: Rank from least (1) to most (5)

ICARUS ACTIVITY

GUIDE

5. Dramatic density: Hold a cotton ball in your hand. Imagine that it weighs as much as the following:

• A baseball (142 grams)• A small bowling ball (2.7 kilograms)• An average-size man (65 kilograms)• Earth (6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms)

Density is one important factor in the creation of black holes. For Earth to become a black hole, it would have to be crushed to approximately the size of a cotton ball—the same mass at a much smaller volume with a much, much, much greater density!

Activity: DensityBEFORE THE SHOW

Learning Objective: To explore the lifecycle of stars with different masses, and learn which stars become black holes.

Materials:

Balloons: 12 red, 12 yellow, 4 white, 2 blue (1 balloon per student for a class of 30)

White beads (place 1 inside each red or yellow balloon)

Marbles (place 1 inside each white balloon)

Ball bearings (place 1 inside each blue balloon)

Pin (to pop balloons)

Red, yellow, and black markers for writing on balloons

Instructions:

1. As a class, review how stars are born, the role of nuclear fusion in a star’s core, and how stars vary from each other. Even though stars look similar in the night sky, they can differ from each other in their mass, size, temperature, color, brightness, age, distance from Earth, and what will happen to them when the fuel in their core runs out. A star’s mass determines its temperature, color, and lifecycle. [See “Do Black Holes Actually Exist?” in the Teaching Guide]

2. The teacher will pass out the balloons, one to each student, and will tell everyone the approximate mass of their stars. Write down your predictions for the following:

• Which color star do you think is the hottest and which is the coolest?

• Which stars do you think will live the longest and why?

• Which stars will become black holes?

3. Model the lifecycle of a star by following the instructions below, depending on the color star you have. The teacher will call out the different “ages” so that all students can age their stars at the same pace.

ICARUS ACTIVITY

GUIDEActivity: Lifecycle of Stars BEFORE THE SHOW

Birth

5 million years

10 million years

500 million years

1 billion years

5 billion years

10 billion years

50 billion years

200 billion years

Red Star: (2/5 the mass

of the Sun)

Blow up to about 3” diameter

Blow up to about 3” diameter

Blow up to about 3” diameter

Blow up to about 3” diameter

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Stay as is

Blow up a little more

Blow up a little more

Blow up a little more

Deflate and remove the bead. The star dies, leaving behind a white dwarf!

The nebula spreads out, so that you’re left with only the bead. A white dwarf!

The white dwarf burns out (color it black).

Blow up a little more. As it expands, it cools (color it red). A supergiant!

Blow up a little more, then cut up the balloon to show that the outer layer of the supergiant dissolves, creating a nebula.

Blow up a little more

Blow up as much as you can, and then pop it. Supernova explosion!

Blow up as much as you can, and then pop it. Supernova explosion!

Throw the balloon remnants into space, so that you’re left with only the marble. A neutron star!

Neutron star

Neutron star

Neutron star

Black hole

Black hole

Black hole

Black hole

Black hole

Yellow Star: (same mass as

the Sun)

White Star: (8x to 20x the mass

of the Sun)

Blue Star: (over 20x the mass

of the Sun)

ICARUS ACTIVITY

GUIDEActivity: Lifecycle of Stars BEFORE THE SHOW

Blow up a little more. As it expands, it cools (color it yellow).

Throw the balloon remnants into space, so that you’re left with only the ball bearing. A black hole!

4. As a class, review the lifecycle of each of the types of stars modeled—when and how they expand, shrink, transform, etc. Discuss these questions: Which color star lived the longest and why? How did the actual results match your predictions? Which color stars became black holes? Why? What kind of star is our Sun? Will the Sun transform into a black hole someday?

This activity is modeled on one created by the Adler Planetarium (adlerplanetarium.org/educate/resources)

Learning Objective: To understand the effects of a black hole on time and space, and what would happen if you travel close to one.

Instructions:

1. As a class, discuss the following questions related to the show Icarus at the Edge of Time:

• What is gravity and how does it work?

• What did you know about black holes before the show?

• What did you learn about black holes from the show? What were you most surprised to learn?

• How does a black hole warp space and time?

• How do we know that black holes really exist?

2. In the show, as Icarus moved closer to the black hole, his father could see his actions slowing down more and more — a dramatic time dilation caused by the strong gravitational attraction of the black hole. To simulate the effect of time dilation, students will break into groups of at least four people each. Each group chooses a simple activity to perform, such as tying shoes, singing the ABCs, doing a short series of dance moves, etc.

3. Each group practices doing their activity, all students beginning at the same time, but at different speeds, as if they were at different distances from a black hole. The first student does the activity at a normal speed, the second one more slowly, the third more slowly still, and the fourth slowest of all.

4. After the groups have practiced, they present their simulations to the class as a whole.

5. As a class, discuss what you have learned about time dilation. Compared to how you experience time here on Earth, would someone in space experience it faster or slower? How about someone on the edge of a black hole?

ICARUS ACTIVITY

GUIDEActivity: Black Holes and TimeAFTER THE SHOW

Learning Objective: To use creative expression to imagine what it would be like to visit a black hole.

Instructions:

1. Icarus at the Edge of Time used film, music, and storytelling to imagine what a black hole is like. How would you envision a black hole — how it is born, how it warps time and space, how it gobbles up objects that come too close to it, etc.? Use music, dance, drama, or art to bring a black hole to life.

Students can do this project independently, in pairs, or in small groups.

2. Students should share their visions of black holes with the class. Afterwards, discuss the following questions:

• How were the visions of a black hole similar?

• How were they different?

• What do you find most interesting about black holes?

Learning Objective:To use creative expression to imagine what it would be like to travel into the future

Instructions:

1. In the show, Icarus traveled into the future accidentally, because he had forgotten about the effect of the black hole’s gravitational pull on time. But what if you yourself had the chance to travel to the future? Use creative writing to answer the following questions:

• Would you travel into the future?

• How far into the future would you go?

• What do you think the future would be like?

Your writing can be in the form of a poem, a story, or a diary of your trip to the future.

ICARUS ACTIVITY

GUIDE

BONUS ACTIVITY

Activity: Envision a Black HoleAFTER THE SHOW

Activity: Travel into the Future