HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Marian Anderson Story DARE TO TAKE THE OPEN-HEARTED AND COURAGEOUS WAY

DISCOVERY CONCERT SERIES 2017-18

Classroom Guide for Teachers

Copyright © 2017 Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s

THE MARIAN ANDERSON STORY DARE TO TAKE THE OPEN-HEARTED AND COURAGEOUS WAY

From humble church choir to world stage, Marian Anderson's perseverance in the face of great adversity made her one of the

greatest opera singers and most memorable civil rights activists of her time. (Grades 1-5)

Original production by Miriam Engel and Adam Kerry Boyles

World premiere October 31, 2017 Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Conducted by Adam Kerry Boyles The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Concert Program 5

Meet the Conductor 7

Classroom Activities 11

Field Trip Day! 17

3

Meet the Orchestra 8

ADAM KERRY BOYLES conductor and host HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

AIDA: Giuseppe Verdi ACT II TRIUMPHAL MARCH 1813—1901, Italy HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS Traditional spiritual

Arr. Margaret Bonds 1913—1972, United States

DER TOD UND DAS MÄDCHEN Franz Schubert

1797—1828, Austria DEEP RIVER Traditional spiritual

Arr. Daniel Powers 1866—1949, United States

DUKE ELLINGTON FANTASY: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington TAKE THE “A” TRAIN 1899—1974, United States 4 LIEDER, OP. 27: Richard Strauss MORGEN! 1864—1949, Germany HUNGARIAN DANCES: Johannes Brahms NO. 5 IN G MINOR Arr. Albert Parlow

1833-1897, Germany DIDN’T MY LORD DELIVER DANIEL Traditional spiritual

Arr. Mark Hayes b. 1953, United States

MY COUNTRY, ‘TIS OF THEE (AMERICA) Samuel Francis Smith

Arr. Elliot Del Borgo 1808—1895, United States

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA: Verdi RE DELL’ABISSO LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING James Weldon Johnson

Arr. Roland Carter 1871—1938, United States

5 CONCERT PROGRAM 6

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7 8

ADAM KERRY BOYLES Conductor and Host HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Percussion

Brass

Woodwinds

Violin 2

Violin 1

Viola

Cello Conductor

MEET THE CONDUCTOR

Adam Kerry Boyles is a dynamic and versatile conductor, and a notable figure in the musical life of New England. Boyles is currently Director of Orchestras at MIT, Assistant Conductor of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director Emeritus of the Brookline Symphony Orchestra. Boyles has held Music Director positions with the Southern Arizona Symphony

Orchestra, MetroWest Opera, and Opera in the Ozarks, and has served on the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Arizona. Also an accomplished vocalist, Boyles has performed in numerous operas and with many professional choral ensembles across the country, including as a guest soloist with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

D.M.A. University of Texas at Austin

M.M. University of Arizona B.M. Indiana University

The CONDUCTOR stands front and center onstage and leads the orchestra.

He or she uses a BATON to show the instruments when to play, as well

as how loud or soft, fast or slow, choppy or smooth, aggressive or gentle. Keyboards These instruments don’t belong to any of the four traditional orchestral families, so they are often grouped together as “Keyboards.” Some people say that they belong to The String Family, however. Can you guess why?

MEET THE ORCHESTRA

Harp Piano Celesta

First public

performance at

West Middle School

in Hartford

THE FAMILIES OF THE ORCHESTRA

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The String Family

Violin Viola Cello Bass

These musicians use a bow with hair from my tail to play these string instruments!

The Woodwind Family

Piccolo

Flute

Clarinet Oboe Bassoon

The oldest instrument

in the world is in the

woodwind family.

Archaeologists once found

a flute made of bone that was carved 43,000 years ago!

The Brass Family

Trumpet

French Horn

Trombone

Tuba

The Percussion Family

Xylophone

Maracas

Drumset

Triangle

Bongos

Congas

Tambourine

Snare drum

Cymbals

Tubular bells

Timpani

Bass drum

There are 2 main categories of percussion:

PITCHED, meaning that it makes

a sound on a specific note,

and UNPITCHED, which means

it makes noise without sounding

a specific note.

Can you guess which of these instruments

here belong in each category?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES BIOGRAPHY OF MARIAN ANDERSON

Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897 in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania. She and her mother and her two little sisters used to sing together

at home, just for fun. After her sixth birthday, she began singing with the junior

choir at Union Baptist Church, a weekly activity she loved dearly. She

gradually became well-known in Philadelphia for her singing voice, and soon was

accepting invitations to sing solos at other churches and at community centers.

By high school, Marian had so much work both in Philadelphia and out of town that she started charging for an appearance, keeping a little for herself and giving

the rest to her mother and sisters. Still, she had no formal vocal training, singing

naturally and freely.

When she was 15 years old, Marian began to study singing with a vocal

teacher for the first time. Marian also approached a music school in Philadelphia

to ask about enrollment and was coldly informed, “we don’t take colored.” It was

the first time she had encountered such overt racism, though she had heard her

relatives and friends talk about it; she had grown up in a humble, mixed

neighborhood where white and black children grew up side by side. Shortly

afterward, she and her mother took their first long train trip together for one of

Marian’s performances, and they were placed in the segregated car for black

passengers. It was dirty, stuffy, and dark, and smoke and soot from the train’s engine rained down on them through the night.

Marian recalled a performance at Howard University in Washington,

D.C. as the turning point in her career. She was in the middle of singing her

program when she realized, all of a sudden, that the audience was mixed, and

that for the first time, black and white listeners had crowded together to share

the music she had brought them.

Motivated by this success, Marian committed herself to a concert at New

York’s Town Hall, but the performance did not go smoothly and only a handful

of people showed up to see her. Marian was deeply embarrassed and upset by

this experience, and for a little while, she swore she would never sing again.

Only a year later, though, at the age of 28, Marian entered the Lewisohn

Stadium competition and won, beating 300 rival singers. Her prize was to sing a

full concert, accompanied by the prestigious New York Philharmonic. Three

years after that, on the heels of a long tour of the eastern and southern states,

Marian performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City, one of the

most famous performing venues in the world.

In 1930, Marian went to London on a scholarship through the National Association of Negro Musicians. Her first international concert was a great

success, and over the next eight years, she toured Europe, Russia, and Latin

America, as well as a full coast-to-coast tour of the United States.

These tours had elevated her professionally among music-loving

audiences all over the world, but it was her concert at the Lincoln Memorial in

1939 that catapulted her to broad international fame. Marian tried to rent

Washington, D.C.’s famous Constitution Hall for a concert but learned that the

venue, run by the Daughters of the American Revolution, would only permit

concerts by white performers. The public was outraged, other prominent

musicians protested, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt even resigned from the

DAR. In response, a free outdoor concert was arranged on the steps of the

Lincoln Memorial for Easter Sunday 1939. On April 9, Marian sang for 75,000 people, stretching from the lawn in front of the Memorial all the way back to the

Washington Monument, as well as millions of radio listeners.

The Lincoln Memorial was her biggest stage, but she continued to

perform in prestigious venues all over the world, starting with a private concert

at the White House for President Roosevelt, King George VI and Queen Eliza-

beth. In 1955, following years performing for troops during World War II and

the Korean War, Marian finally broke the color barrier at the Metropolitan

Opera in New York City, becoming the first black soloist to perform on that

stage. Although this was the only time she performed at the Met, she changed

the company forever by opening the door to other black singers.

Marian retired from singing in 1965, and though she continued to make

public appearances, she spent most of the remainder of her life with her hus-

band on her farm in Danbury, Connecticut. In 1992, she moved to Portland,

Oregon to be with her nephew, conductor James DePriest. She died on April 8,

1993 at age 96.

National Core Arts Standard MU:Cn11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.

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ACTIVITY 1

Identify and learn about important periods in black history in the United States, which may include:

Objectives:

Students will be able to place Marian Anderson in the context of black history in the United States. Students will be able to define segregation and racism and understand them as injustices.

Timeline of Black History

The Middle Passage Slavery in America Civil War and Reconstruction Abolition Great Migration Harlem Renaissance

Jim Crow Segregation Era Civil Rights Movement Post-Civil Rights Era Modern Times

Working alone, with a partner, or in small groups, have students each study one of the time periods. After conducting research, students can undertake one or more of the following projects to demonstrate their learning:

Create a mini timeline. Provide biographical information about important people of the time. Draw or paint portraits of important people and events and write a placard

that goes along with the portrait. Create a mini documentary. Write and perform a skit. As a class, create a timeline of black history in the United States. Then,

discuss the life of Marian Anderson and place her on the timeline.

Reading—Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. Writing—Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Speaking & Listening—Comprehension and Collaboration: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Speaking & Listening—Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: Present information, findings, and support-ing evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

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Connecticut Common Core State Standards (Grades K-5)

History—Change, Continuity and Context: Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped a significant historical change. History—Change, Continuity and Context: Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time. History—Perspectives: Compare different accounts of the same historical event. History—Historical Sources and Evidence: Explain how historical sources can be used to study the past. Civics—Participation and Deliberation: Identify the beliefs, experiences, perspectives, and values that underlie their own and others’ points of view about civic issues.

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IAL

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ACTIVITY 2

Describe an iceberg:

SIZE? HOW MUCH ICEBERG IS ABOVE THE WATER? SHAPE? HOW MUCH ICEBERG IS UNDERWATER?

Objectives:

Students will identify the aspects of their own cultures that are visible and invisible to others. Students will consider the interaction of visible and invisible aspects of other cultures.

Cultural Iceberg

Only a small part of an Culture has some aspects iceberg is visible above the that are visible, but many water. The majority is below. others can only be learned as cultural understanding grows. Consider these cultural aspects:

Reading—Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. Speaking & Listening—Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: Present information, findings, and support-ing evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. E

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Connecticut Common Core State Standards (Grades K-5)

Civics—Participation and Deliberation: Identify the beliefs, experiences, perspectives, and values that underlie their own and others’ points of view about civic issues. Geography—Human-Environment Interaction: Places, Regions, and Culture: Identify the beliefs, experiences, perspectives, and values that underlie their own and others’ points of view about civic issues.

SOC

IAL

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DIE

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Music Foods Clothing Beliefs about

role of family Holiday customs Religious beliefs and rituals Etiquette

Etiquette Greetings Languages Beliefs about child raising Attitudes about privacy Beliefs about fairness Beliefs about friendship Work ethic

Which of these aspects are visible and invisible? Have

your students draw an iceberg, then determine

which aspects belong above the water and which

aspects belong underwater.

Physical Science—Structure and Properties of Matter: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties. Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science—Engineering Design: Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.

SCIE

NC

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ACTIVITY 3

After the Daughters of the American Revolution told Marian Anderson that she couldn’t perform at Constitution Hall because of her skin color, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, among thousands of other DAR members, protested publicly, and many resigned from the organization:

“I am in complete disagreement with the attitude taken in refusing Constitution Hall to a great artist […]. You had an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way and it seems to me that your organization has failed.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

Objectives:

Students will be introduced to activism and good citizenship through letter-writing. Students will be able to name and describe the efforts of student civil rights leaders from history, as well as how

they themselves can be leaders in social change.

The open-hearted and courageous way

Writing—Text Types and Purposes: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. Writing—Production and Distribution of Writing: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. Writing—Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. E

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Connecticut Common Core State Standards (Grades K-5)

Civics—Civic and Political Institutions: Explain how all people, not just official leaders, play an important role in a community. Civics—Processes, Rules, and Laws: Illustrate historical and contemporary means of changing society. History—Participation and Deliberation: Compare their own point of view with others’ perspectives. History—Causation and Argumentation: Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments. Economics—Economic Decision-Making: Compare the benefits and costs of individual choices. Economics—Economic Decision-Making: Identify positive and negative incentives that influence the decisions people make.

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Resistance to injustice can have powerful consequences, and with this defiant letter, Eleanor Roosevelt, Walter White of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, Marian Anderson’s commitment to taking “the open-hearted and courageous way” won her the opportunity to perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for 75,000 people. The audience stretched from the lawn in front of the Memorial all the way back to the Washington Monument, and also included millions of radio listeners. Marian Anderson raised her voice, and it rang out all across the country.

Have your students write letters involving causes that are important to them. Emphasize that they have the power to make a difference; after all, students have been catalysts for social change throughout history! To illustrate this point, teach a lesson about key student leaders in the civil rights movement, such as Ruby Bridges, the Little Rock Nine, or the peaceful protestors in Greensboro, North Carolina.

REFLECTIONS

In our own lives Objectives:

Students will understand prejudice as an ongoing modern issue. Students will be able to see how injustice is operating in the context of their own lives.

1. What are some rights and freedoms that you have in your family, classroom, school, and community? Do you know if those rights always existed?

2. As a society, have we achieved full equal rights yet? What would it look like to have achieved full equal rights?

3. Do you see any injustices around you—in your school, in your community, or in this country?

INCLUSIVE TEACHING

Please take note Consider the racial composition of your classroom. You might think differently about your curriculum if you have no black students, a few or if they are the majority of your class.

Do not assume all black students know about and are interested in talking about black history and be careful not to put black students in the position of being the “authority” or main possessor of knowledge about black history. Do not ask or expect them to speak for all black students.

Balance the positive exploration of culture and history with the important but sometimes difficult learning about the struggles of black people in history. It is important not to send the message that black history is all about oppression and the fight for rights and freedom, which can feel like a deficit-centered approach. On the other hand, the struggle is an important part of black history. Make connections to other members of minority groups, people of color and oppressed people and find ways to incorporate their history, culture and struggle with the history and culture of the black experience.

Source: ADL.org

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FIELD TRIP DAY! TRANSPORTATION

TICKETS

All students, regardless of age, need an escort to leave the auditorium to use the restroom or for any other purpose. Ushers will not allow unattended students to exit without an adult chaperone.

Anyone leaving the auditorium during the concert will have to wait for an appropriate break in the program to re-enter. People re-entering may not always be able to go back to their original seats depending on the pro-gram and may be asked to take available seats in the back.

Groups arriving after the start of the concert will be seated at the discretion of House Management.

It is absolutely prohibited to use cameras, audio-video or other recording devices, cell phones, digital games, and music players in the hall.

A chaperone will be required to sit in the front row with any group seated on an upper level.

Please arrange children in a desired seating order prior to entering the building. Once seating load-in begins, students must quickly move straight across, down the rows. The high number of audience members does not leave time to accommodate traffic jams caused by “boy/girl seating” or for certain classes to sit with each other, etc. Once a group is seated, teachers may move individual students within the section.

No one is allowed to sit on the floor or in the aisles at any time.

No hats may be worn inside the building.

No food or beverages are allowed in the building.

Please plan to arrive no later than a half hour before the start of the performance. Students are seated by school, and it will take a long time to get everyone into their sections of the auditorium. If you are late, you may not be able to be seated.

Students are to disembark where their bus parks. Parking meters will be bagged along neighboring streets: Trinity, Capitol, and Buckingham. The meters will be bagged or designated with a “no parking” stake. Please make a mental note of where you are parked.

Please enter the Bushnell complex through Mortensen Hall via Trinity Street or via the brick courtyard on Capitol Avenue.

Buses with handicapped students should stop at the Trinity Street entrance, where the ramp is, and drop off only the special-needs individual(s), along with at least one chaperone.

The bus should then proceed to one of the bagged meters and park, at which time the other students will walk to the theater.

HOUSE RULES

Ushers will be posted everywhere to guide you to your seats; let one of them know from which school you have come.

You will not receive actual tickets. When you ar-rive, we will direct you to your seats based on your school, which we will have already allotted a certain location in the hall. Seating is determined based on special needs and group volume.

Please remain seated at the end of the performance. An usher will dismiss students by school from the stage.

MORTENSEN HALL

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You’ll be seeing your concert in Mortensen Hall, the 2,800-seat theater and original building of The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the premier performing arts center in the region. The building was designed by the same architects as that of New York's famous Radio City Music Hall, and opened in 1930, right at the beginning of the Great Depression.

Named in honor of William H. Mortensen, The Bushnell's first managing director, Mortensen Hall is renowned as one of the world's greatest examples of the Art Deco style, an artistic style of the 1920s and 1930s that is recognizable by its bold geometric shapes and bright colors.

When you go into the theater, look up! You’ll find the largest hand-painted ceiling

mural in the United States, measuring 187 feet by 40 feet. That’s 4 school buses

long and 1 school bus wide!

The artist Barry Faulkner and his team called the piece “Drama,” named for its artistic centerpiece, the Muse of Drama.

Surrounding the goddess are vivid representations of performance, progress, and hope from ancient mythological times to the 20th century.

You’ll find older symbols such as ancient images of the sun, moon, and stars — symbolizing light, knowledge, constancy, and eternity — as well as more modern icons like airplanes. Try to spot as many of these symbols as you can!

© 2017

Hartford Symphony Orchestra

hartfordsymphony.org/education-community