TiGaia by Kulcha (Singapore) - Esplanade

TiGaia by Kulcha (Singapore) in collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay with support from National Arts Council 12– 15 July 2016 (Tue – Fri)

Dear Educators, This Feed Your Imagination (F.Y.I) resource pack contains pre and post-visit lesson plans as well as attached slides to be used in class. If you have any queries or feedback, please feel free to get in touch with the team – we hope you find the pack useful and relevant.

Warmest Regards, The Children & Youth Team The Esplanade Co Ltd 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981 DID: +65 6828 8354 Email: [email protected]

No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.

PRE-SHOW LESSON PLAN Topic: Introduction to the Gambus & Pipa Recommended Subjects: Music Recommended Level: Upper primary and above *The pre-show lesson plan and slide content are contributed by Programme Consultant, Dr Ruth Rodriguez Key Knowledge (Lesson Objectives) By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

Duration 15 mins

Activities 1. Introduce students to the world of plucked instruments Refer to slides. Show students slide 3 and start by asking students to name some of the instruments that students might know (e.g. guitar). Ask students to look at the instruments and guess what they have in common (stringed instruments).

a) Recognise the sounds of the pipa and gambus/ plucked instruments b) Describe in words the sounds of the pipa and gambus instruments c) Learn important Chinese music characteristics: melodic embellishment/ pentatonic scale d) Recognising the rhythmic and melodic patterns of the gambus – introduction to improvisation

Discuss with students the different effects of making sounds on the guitar – plucking/ picking, strumming, melody & accompaniment. Compare and discuss with students how the pipa and gambus produce sounds through two videos. Introduce students to the pipa – the Chinese guitar/lute – its brief history and the playing techniques. Introduce students to the gambus – the Arabic guitar/lute – its brief history and the playing techniques. 15 mins

Resources 1. Pre-show slides 2. Traditional pipa solo: https://youtu.be/V4yhxczzyug (play for 30s) 3. Traditional gambus solo: https://youtu.be/XvmQn9Ewnc (play for 30s) 4. Solo pipa video: Give me a Rose / 《送我一支玫瑰花》: https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=W65r_CnPlKg 5. Pipa in an Ensemble video: Habanera https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=vRu_vl-WMq4 6. Gambus video: https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=X-vmQn9Ewnc

2. Listening to the pipa individually and within an ensemble a) Solo Pipa Play the video of Give me a Rose /《送我一支玫瑰花》Have students take notes during the screening of the video, with the following questions in mind Discuss the answers as a class: -

How would you describe the sound of the pipa? Are there any instruments you can compare the sound with? Do you think the pipa plays in a range similar to the human voice? What is your overall impression of the pipa? No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.

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b)

Pipa in an ensemble

Play the video of Habanera. Have the students take notes during the screening of the video, with the following questions in mind: - What are the special ‘effects’ used by the pipa that is different to the playing techniques used by the guitar? - Identify some characteristics of the melody (Repetition and additional notes) Discuss answers and explain that melodic embellishment is one of the characteristics of Chinese music. If the class is able, explain how Chinese music is characterized by the pentatonic scale. 15 mins

3. Listening to the gambus and identifying its unique features Play the gambus recording. As the recording is being played, get the class to tap a steady beat and ask them to identify if there is a steady pulse and unique melodic and rhythmic patterns used by the gambus. - What are the main differences between the gambus and pipa melodically and rhythmically? Are students able to hear that there is an improvisatory element to the gambus melody? Explain the concept of improvisation.

5 mins

4. Conclusion and Concert Etiquette Conclude the lesson by going through the main concepts of the pipa and gambus, and what they will be observing during the performance. Go through basic concert etiquette with the students. Refer to slides.


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POST-SHOW LESSON PLAN Topic: Woodwind and Percussion Instruments Recommended Subjects: Music Recommended Level: Upper primary and above *The post-show content is contributed by Programme Consultant, Dr Ruth Rodrigues Key Knowledge (Lesson Objectives) By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

Duration 10 mins

g) demonstrate how percussion instruments contribute towards rhythm, melody and pulse

Review Review what students have watched. Go through the Tuned In – Performance Guide with students. Summarise key points.

e) recall what they have watched in the FYI show f) gain a basic understanding of how sound is produced on woodwind and percussion instruments

Activities

15 mins

Refer to post-show lesson slides. Key Concept 1: Woodwind Instruments a. Point out the woodwind instruments on the slide (Answer: It can be found as notes in slide 4) i. How are they similar? (Answer: They are all basically narrow cylinders or pipes some are held horizontally and some vertically, with holes, an opening at the bottom end and a mouthpiece at the top.) ii.

Resources Note: Teachers are encouraged to use the slides to carry out the suggested lesson. 1. Powerpoint slides 2. Video 1: Rajendra Prasanna – Marwa, Indian Bamboo fluteBansuri https://youtu.be/F3lyYz19mEU 3. Video 2: Zeng Ming,Gu Su Xing 姑苏行 (Dizi solo) https://youtu.be/EeXE_VhwoH4 4. Video 3: Top 10 Darbuka Rhythm - https://youtu.be/md_CqRqH6zQ 5. Video 4: Indonesian Gamelan Medley from Java, Sunda and Bali: https://youtu.be/sZZTfu4jWcI?t=4 m2s

How are they different from the other instruments? (Answer: Sound is produced through a mouthpiece)

Note: Teachers may want to explain to students that the term woodwind instruments came about because these instruments used to be made out of wood. However, today, they are made of wood, metal, plastic or some combination of these materials.

b. Direct the students to listen to the first 45 seconds of the Bansuri recording (video 1) c. Direct the students to listen to the first 45 seconds of the Dizi recording (video 2). No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.

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d. How would you describe the sound of the Bansuri and Dizi? (Answer: Bansuri – woody, airy sound; Dizi: brighter in tone, producing a sound that is similar to a bird call) e. Which of the instruments have a lower timbre? (Answer: Bansuri) f. Which instrument between the two do you like more? Why? 15 mins

Key Concept 2: Percussion Instruments, Rhythm and Pitch a) Can a percussion instrument like the Darbuka have melody, or does it purely play rhythmic elements? i. Introduction to pitched and unpitched percussion instruments ii.

Watch the first minute of the Darbuka video (video 3).

iii.

Is the Darbuka a pitched or unpitched instrument? How would you explain the different sounds you hear on the Darbuka? (Answer: The Darbuka is an unpitched percussion instrument. The different sounds are created using different touch and strokes when hitting the drum. For example, sometimes the Darbuka is played using rolls (by ‘tickling’ the drum skin), and sometimes the sounds are like snaps when the player hits his palm hard on the drum)

b) How are rhythms and pitch related? i.

Teacher to clap a rhythm for the class (choose one bar below)

ii.

Ask the class to tap back the rhythm using anything (hands, body or tap a pen against the table).

iii.

What is difference between each person’s clap? (Answer: Pitch) No part of this material may be reproduced in any other form without permission from The Esplanade Co Ltd.

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iv.

So how are rhythm and pitch related? (Answer: Rhythmic repetition leads to co-coherence and unity, and to predictability and boredom if not enhanced by other melodic or accompaniment components)

c) Function of Percussion instruments

5 mins

i.

Explain that percussion instruments do not just provide rhythmic elements or pitch to a piece of music.

ii.

Kendang is used for emphasis in the gamelan ensemble

iii.

Watch video 4.

iv.

Here, the Kendang emphasizes the pulse of the music. Play the video again for students to listen out for the pulse of the music if needed.

Conclusion and Summary Summarise the key learning points. Encourage students to find out more about the art form and different instruments they have learned about.


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