Vida Guitar Quartet

Introduction

What’s Inside

Dear Educator, As you make plans for your students to attend an upcoming presentation of the Arts for Youth program at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center, we invite you to prepare your students by using this guide to assure that from beginning to end-- their experience is both memorable and educationally enriching. The material in this guide is for you, the teacher, and will assist you in preparing your students before the day of the event, and extend the educational value beyond the walls of the theatre when the show is over. We provide activity and/or discussion ideas, and other resources that will help to prepare your students to better understand and enjoy what they are about to see, and to help them connect what they see on stage to their studies. We also encourage you to discuss important aspects of the artistic experience, including audience and theatre etiquette. We hope that your students find their imagination comes alive as lights shine, curtains open, and applause rings through the Lancaster Performing Arts Center. As importantly, we hope that this Curriculum Guide helps you to bring the arts alive in your classroom! Thank you for joining with us to make a difference in the lives of our Antelope Valley youth. Bobbi Keay Arts for Youth Program Specialist Lancaster Performing Arts Center, City of Lancaster

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 PRE-PERFORMANCE Overview of the California Content Standards for Public Schools .................................................................... 3 Theatre Etiquette .............................................................................................................................................. 4 About the Show……………………........................................................................................................................... 5 What’s Important to Know?.............................................................................................................................. 6 POST-PERFORMANCE Activities ............................................................................................................................................................10 Resources ......................................................................................................................................................... 11

PRE-PERFORMANCE

Overview of the California Content Standards for Public Schools

Applicable California Content Standards Samples

Our Arts for Youth program is aligned with the California Content Standards for K-12 education.

Curriculum Connections: Visual & Performing Arts: Music. History. Music History. Math. Creativity.

Applicable California Core Curriculum Content Standards samples:

Visual and Performing Arts: Music

Grade 5-12: 3.0 Understanding the historical contributions and cultural dimensions of music. 3.1 Role of Music, Identify the sources of musical genres of the United States, trace the evolution of those genres, and cite well-known musicians associated with them.

Grade 5: 3.4 Describe the influence of various cultures and historical events on musical forms and styles.

Grade 6: 3.5 Classify, by style and genre, a number of exemplary musical works and explain the characteristics that make each work exemplary. 5.1 Describe how knowledge of music connects to learning in other subject areas.

Grade 8: Derive Meaning: 3.3 Diversity of Music, Describe the differences between styles in traditional folk genres within the United States. 4.3 Explain how and why people use and respond to specific music from different musical cultures found in the United States. 4.4 Compare the means used to create images or evoke feelings and emotions in musical works from two different musical cultures found in the United States.

Grade 6-12: 4.0: Students critically assess and derive meaning from works of music and the performance of musicians in a cultural context according to the elements of music, aesthetic qualities, and human responses.

History:

Grade 11: 11.8 Discuss forms of popular culture, with emphasis on their origins and geographic diffusion (e.g., jazz and other forms of popular music).

LESSON PLAN IDEA #1: Older students research and assume the identity of a key musician in the

history of Classical Music for a monologue prepared for the class.

LESSON PLAN IDEA #2: Discuss the four instrument families (brass, string, percussion, and wind) and identify instruments from each by sight and sound.

LESSON PLAN IDEA #3: Discuss Audience Etiquette from the Study Guide provided, emphasize what was learned, at LPAC; review and provide feedback regarding student audience behavior upon return to school. Write a summary of appropriate audience behavior.

LESSON PLAN IDEA #4: Students research and report on traditions and/or cultures in America, including a focus on music.

Content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/

Theatre Etiquette

• Please arrive on time.

Plan for possible travel and parking delays; arrive a minimum of 30 minutes prior to show time.

• Students: Leave recording devices of any kind at home or in your backpack at school.

Video or audio recording and photography, including camera phones, are often prohibited by law and may

disrupt the performance. They are not permitted and are considered very rude to the performers and to

those around you.

• Teachers: Turn off or silence all personal electronics.

Beeps, clicks, tones, buzzes and light pollution emanated by personal electronics such as watches, Bluetooth

devices, cell phones, etc. interrupt the performance and spoil the theatre experience.

•Observe the instructions of the ushers.

The ushers are present to offer assistance, ensure rules are observed and provide guidance in the case of an

emergency. Please show them consideration. You will be asked to exit to the right of the theatre at the end

of the performance.

•Be Respectful.

While entering and exiting the theatre: Please enter quietly. Once seated: Do not talk. Keep your feet on the

ground and put your hands in your lap or fold your arms.

•Abstain from eating or drinking inside the theatre.

Crackling wrappers and beverage containers in the auditorium are unwelcome. Food, candy, gum and drinks

should never be brought inside the theatre.

•Avoid talking, waving and shouting during the performance.

Laughing and applauding are encouraged at appropriate times. Shouting to actors/friends is disrespectful to

others. Save personal conversation for after the show. If you must speak, please whisper very quietly.

•Please avoid exiting the auditorium during the performance.

Teachers, please arrive early enough to escort students to the restroom prior to the start of the show.

If you must leave during the show, please wait for an appropriate break in the performance.

•Do not get onto the stage or place items on the edge of the stage.

To ensure the safety and security of performers and audiences, this behavior is strictly prohibited unless

expressly permitted by a performer or staff member.

•Dispose of garbage in proper receptacles.

Help preserve a pleasant environment by depositing all debris in appropriate receptacles.

•Extend common courtesy and respect to your fellow audience members.

Civility creates a comfortable and welcoming theatre experience for all.

•Bring very small children only to age-appropriate performances.

Small children easily become restless at programs intended for older children, and may cause distractions.

About the Show

Vida Guitar Quartet

Mark Ashford is an internationally renowned performer and teacher. A former scholarship student at

both Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, Mark finished his studies with the eminent guitarist David Russell in Vigo, Spain. He is a prize winner at many national and international competitions including the Guitar Foundation of America, Alessandria International Guitar Competition, Scandinavian International Guitar Competition, Julian Bream Prize, and BBC Radio 2 Young Musician. He has performed as a soloist at major concert halls including, the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Bridgewater Hall, Queens Hall (Edinburgh), St George’s Bristol and the Guildhall London. Mark’s latest solo CD is of Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Cleobury. He teaches at the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music and in 2003 was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for his achievements in the music profession.

Mark Eden and Christopher Stell are well known as the Eden Stell Guitar Duo, one of the

most innovative guitar ensembles in the world. They formed in 1990 while studying at the Royal Academy of Music, and continued their studies with Sérgio and Odair Assad in Brussels. The duo’s career was launched as winners of both the South East Young Musicians Platform and the Park Lane Group young artist concert series. Since then they have recorded eight CDs on the BGS, Docker and Hänssler Classic labels, their latest ‘Music for an Island’ is a multimedia CD. Mark and Christopher have performed in over 20 countries at venues including London’s Wigmore Hall and Southbank Centre and Germany’s Stuttgart and Beethoven Halle. Concerto engagements have included performances with renowned ensembles such as the Prague Chamber Orchestra, and the duo are the only guitarists since Julian Bream to receive an ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone Magazine. They hold teaching positions at the Royal College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music and Drama Junior department, and give classes all over the world. They were elected Associates of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of their performing achievements and are D’Addario strings sponsored artists.

Helen Sanderson studied guitar at the Royal College of Music with Charles Ramirez, graduating with

both the Madeline Walton prize for guitar and the prestigious Anthony Saltmarsh Bursary. Her active concert career has included concerts at major international guitar festivals and recitals at the Purcell Room, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Barbican Hall, in Berlin, the British Embassy in Vienna, Bath International Guitar Festival and Winchester Guitar Festival. In addition to her solo performances, Helen is in demand as an adjudicator, recording artist, and accompanist for voice and guitar repertoire, working in partnership with Mark Wilde, ‘Ancient Melodies’ (Docker Records), Susan Legg , and the eminent countertenor James Bowman.

The VIDA Guitar Quartet brings together four guitarists of exceptional artistry who share a passion for

chamber music. After their spectacular debut at the first World Youth Guitar Festival in 2007, the Quartet

has rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most dynamic and exciting guitar ensembles in the UK,

performing at venues including Kings Place (London), the Sage (Gateshead), St George’s (Bristol) and other

events such as the London Guitar Festival in the Fall, Bath International Guitar Festival, Dilllington Guitar

Festival, and Winchester Guitar Festival.

‘Love, the Magician’ is the VIDA Guitar Quartet’s debut CD recording with the BGS label with a program of

distinctly Andalucian flavor.

What’s Important to Know?

About Chamber Music

Chamber music is performed by a small group (such as a strong quartet) for small audiences. Originally, chamber music referred to a type of classical music that was performed in a small space such as a house or a palace room. The number of instruments used were also few without a conductor to guide the musicians. Today, chamber music is performed very similarly in terms of the size of the venue and the number of instruments used. Typically, a chamber orchestra is composed of 40 or fewer musicians. Because of the limited number of instruments, each instrument plays an equally important role. Chamber music differs from a concerto or a symphony because it is performed by only one player per part.

About String Instruments

String instruments are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings (also called chordophones). Some common instruments in the string family are guitar, sitar, electric bass, violin, viola, cello, double bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, bouzouki, and harp. String instruments can be divided in groups focused on either how the strings are contained structurally, or how the instrument is played.

Types of structural string support

1. Lutes are instruments in which the strings are supported by a neck and a bout ("gourd"), e.g., a guitar, a violin, a saz.

2. Harps are instruments in which the strings are contained within a frame. 3. Zithers are instruments with the strings mounted on a body, such as an autoharp, or a piano.

Types of Playing Techniques

All string instruments produce sound from one or more vibrating strings, transferred to the air by the body of the instrument (or by a pickup in the case of electronically amplified instruments). They are usually categorized by the technique used to make the strings vibrate (or by the primary technique, in the case of instruments where more than one may apply.) The three most common techniques are plucking, bowing and striking. For guitars, it is more common to learn strumming before plucking (finger-picking).

Strumming: The equivalent of a bow for guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles. The musician simply takes the fingers of their right hand, or holds a small plastic or metal plectrum or pick between thumb and middle finger, and brings their hand down over all the strings of the instrument. This is usually repeated in a rhythmic fashion to provide a melodic rhythm to a song or other piece of music. Strumming is fairly easy to understand, but can be used to great effect, and should be practiced diligently even by advanced musicians.

Plucking: Used as a method of playing on instruments such as the banjo, guitar, harp, lute, mandolin, oud, sitar, and either by a finger or thumb, or by some type of plectrum. This category includes the keyboard instrument the harpsichord, which formerly used feather quills (now plastic plectra) to pluck the strings. Instruments normally played by bowing may also be plucked, a technique referred to by the Italian term pizzicato. The double bass is either plucked (pizzicato) or bowed (Arco) depending on the genre and piece.

Bowing: Method used on some string instruments, including the violin, viola, cello, and the double bass (of the violin family) and the old viol family. The bow consists of a stick with many hairs stretched between its ends. Bowing the instrument's string causes a stick-slip phenomenon to occur, which makes the string vibrate. The hurdy gurdy is bowed by a wheel. Rarely, the guitar can be played with a bow (rather than plucked) for unique effects.

Striking: Violin family string instrument players occasionally strike the string with the side of the bow, a technique called col legno. This yields a percussive sound along with the pitch of the note.

What’s Important to Know?, continued

The Guitar

The Guitar is a stringed musical instrument with a long neck, a flat body shaped like a figure eight, and a rigid

neck to which usually six strings are attached that are plucked or strummed, usually with fingers or a pick.

Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with

either nylon or steel strings. Some modern guitars are made of polycarbonate materials. Guitars are made

and repaired by Luthiers.

There are two primary families of guitars: acoustic and electric.

Acoustic guitars with hollow bodies have been in use for over a thousand years. There are three main types

of modern acoustic guitar: the classical guitar (nylon-string guitar), the steel-string acoustic guitar, and the

archtop guitar (steel-stringed acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top;

sound popular with blues and jazz players). The tone of an acoustic guitar is produced by the vibration of the

strings, which is amplified by the body of the guitar, which acts as a resonating chamber. The classical guitar

is often played as a solo instrument using a comprehensive finger-picking technique.

Electric guitars, introduced in the 1930s, rely on an amplifier that can electronically manipulate tone. Early

amplified guitars employed a hollow body, but a solid body was found more suitable. Electric guitars have

had a continuing profound influence on popular culture. Guitars are recognized as a primary instrument in

genres such as blues, bluegrass, country, flamenco, jazz, jota (a fast Spanish dance performed with castanets

in 3/4 time, usually to voice and guitar accompaniment; the traditional dance of Aragón), mariachi, metal,

reggae, rock, soul, and many forms of pop.

What’s Important to Know?, continued

Words to know:

Common terms used to discuss particular pieces.

Notes: an abstraction that refers to a specific pitch and/or rhythm, or the written symbol.

Melody: a succession of notes heard as some sort of unit.

Harmony: the relationship between two or more pitches.

Counterpoint: the simultaneity and organization of different melodies.

Rhythm: the organization of the durational aspects of music.

Chord: a simultaneity of notes heard as a unit.

Chord progression: a succession of chords (simultaneity succession).

Repertoire: all the songs (or “pieces”) performed by a company.

Phrasing: the fitting of music notes to the rhythm and/or melody of the music.

Quartette: a composition for four voices or four instruments; a group of four singers or four instrumentalists.

Improvisation: playing music without sheet music, with little advance preparation; used to explore ways of expressing ideas in

sounds or experimenting with techniques.

Guitar instrument terms:

Headstock - holds the tuning pegs in place.

Tuning pegs - tunes the strings.

Nut - section where the strings are held tightly near the headstock and holds the strings in alignment with the neck.

Neck - where your thumb rests behind the fret board.

Fingerboard/Fret board - where your fingers press against the strings.

Fret - metal strips on the fret board that the strings press against.

Fret Markers - a visual aid to help with finger positioning.

Body - the main part of the guitar where the sound is generated.

Soundhole - the hole in the soundboard of an acoustic guitar that allows the sound to escape.

Pickups - strong magnets that convert the physical vibrations of the strings into electric impulses.

Pick Guard - protects the body from wear and tear.

Saddle - the bridge rests in the saddle.

Bridge - the strings rest on the bridge.

What’s Important to Know?, continued

History of Classical Music

Composers throughout the ages have written in a wide variety of forms, and for an even wider range of musical

instruments and combinations. How did this mountain of musical material come into existence, and how does it

all interrelate? The following brief outline provides an introductory overview of musical history, from Gregorian

Chants to the present day, highlighting the major composers along the way.

Medieval (1150 - 1400): This is the first period where we can begin to be fairly certain as to how a great deal of

the music which has survived actually sounded.

Renaissance (1400 - 1600): The Renaissance (literally meaning "rebirth") was a time of great cultural awakening of

the arts, letters, and sciences throughout Europe. With the rise of humanism, freedoms were increased. Sacred

music began to break free of the church, and composers trained in the Netherlands mastered the art of what is

actually perceived as 'harmony' and 'polyphony' (the simultaneous movement of two or three interrelated parts)

in their settings of sacred music. Secular music thrived during this period, and instrumental and dance music was

performed in abundance, if not always written down.

Baroque (1600 - 1750): During the Baroque period, the foundations were laid for the following 300 or so years of

musical expression: the idea of the modern orchestra was born, along with opera (including the overture, prelude,

aria, recitative and chorus), the concerto, sonata, and modern cantata.

Classical (1750 - 1830): The Baroque era witnessed the creation of a number of musical genres which would

maintain a hold on composition for years to come; yet it was the Classical period which saw the introduction of a

form which has dominated instrumental composition to the present day: sonata form.

Early Romantic (1830 - 1860): As the Classical period reached its high point, it was becoming increasingly clear

(especially with the late works of Beethoven and Schubert) that the amount and intensity of expression

composers were seeking to achieve was beginning to go beyond that which a classically sized or designed

orchestra or piano could possibly cover.

Late Romantic (1860 - 1920): With the exceptions of Brahms and Bruckner, composers of this period shared a

general tendency towards allowing their natural inspiration free rein, often pacing their compositions more in

terms of their emotional content and dramatic continuity rather than organic structural growth.

Post 'Great War' Years (1920 - Present): Composers have pulled in various contradictory and opposing directions.

As world cultures have combined with other cultures, their native musical styles have often merged into new

styles. For example, the US-American bluegrass style contains elements from Anglo-Irish, Scottish, Irish, German

and some African-American instrumental and vocal traditions, and could only have been a product of the

twentieth century. This mixing of styles has been named World Music. It has covered diverse destinations from

Haiti to the Himalayas, and musical styles from arabesque to samba. Big successes have included Salsa, Paris Café

Music, Cajun & Zydeco, Highlife, African Rap, and Bellydance. Some producers see a clear connection between

world music and social change, and have established good relationships with many development and human

rights organizations.

POST-PERFORMANCE

Activities

Study Questions to consider

1. What instruments are used in VGQ? If you could (or do) play any instrument which one would (or did) you choose, and why?

2. What is chamber music? What are instruments typically seen in a traditional strings band?

3. What genre of music does VGQ play? Where would you expect to hear VGQ perform?

4. How is VGQ different from other quartettes or Chamber Music groups you have watched? How is VGQ the same?

5. How can learning to read and play music benefit you in your everyday life? What types of skills must a person know in order to be successful in a quartet like Vida Guitar Quartet?

6. Learn to compose your own music: http://www.wikihow.com/Compose-Music .

7. Write to the group. Ask them questions about music, and their education.

8. Discuss how string instruments produce song.

String instruments make sound when the strings vibrate. The pitch of the sound is modified or controlled by 3 things: Thickness of the string Thick strings produce low sounds and thin strings produce higher sounds. Tension of the string Tight strings produce high sounds and loose strings produce low sounds. Its length A longer string will produce a lower tone and a short string will produce a high tone.

Tidbit :

You know that the guitar and violin rely on strings,

but did you know that the piano does too?

Study guide created by:

Lancaster Performing Arts Center Staff

Other Resources:

www.vidagq.com

helium.com

musiced.about.com

en.wikipedia.org

www.answers.com

markashford.com

helensanderson.co.uk

edenstell.com

bing.com/Dictionary

guitarmusicacademy.com

newworldencyclopedia.org

wikihow.com/Compose-Music

encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com