copyright © by judith spitzberg ( ). all ... · pdf fileand slides of pictures from books...

COPYRIGHT © 2007 by Judy Spitzberg

THE SEASON OF SPRING

Discipline: Music, Dance, Drama, Language ArtsGrade Level: 4-8Materials Needed: Play and music of “Persephone”, percussion instruments, projectorand slides of pictures from books on Greek mythologyGoal: Students will dramatize a story from Greek mythology of how spring came to bewith music, dance, instruments, and song.Concepts: orchestration, percussion technique, part-singing, phrasing, and improvisation

Paul Klee’s “Young Tree”

COPYRIGHT © by Judith Spitzberg (judyspitzberg.com). All rights reserved. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.


A typical song for this time of year is the Japanese song “Sakura” Cherry BlossomsThere is a festival in Japan each year at this time to celebrate the blossoming trees. TheKoto instrument that is played with this song. The koto is plucked with the thumb and theindex and middle fingers. It is also played by pressing, scraping and striking the strings.

As the children sing this music, they can improvise patterns on the xylophones set in Cpentatonic. The children can also dance to the music with streamers. The song can beperformed in a rondo form.A-all sing B-improvise on the xylophones the length of the song A-sing- C-play a recording of the song and move with streamersA-singD-play the melody on the recorder with xylophone improvisation A-all sing E-read a Japanese Haiku about Spring A-All sing

THE STORY OF SPRING in Greek Mythology

Persephone, is a young girl in Greek mythology who is lured to the underworld by Hades.She can only come back from the underworld to her mother half the year, and at that



time, nature is in bloom. But the other half of the year she must return as Hades’ wife andeverything in nature dies and it is winter.The following is a play describing why we have spring and winter. The script includesoriginal lyrics, dance, recorder music and Orff orchestration. Enclosed are photos of theplay being performed by a fourth grade class which studied Greek mythology as part oftheir social studies curriculum.Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. Persephoneaccompanied her mother to gather flowers in the field and accidentally strayed far away.Hades, who was visiting earth, fell in love with Persephone, seized her, and took her inhis chariot back to the underworld. He decked her with precious jewels and robes, butPersephone was sad, and longed for the sunlit world. She ate nothing but pomegranates,the fruit of the dead. On earth, everything turned cold, and bitter, and all nature grievedwith Demeter. The trees and flowers began to die, and the soil became icy and barren.The first cold winter in the world came. People and animals starved. Zeus did not wantmankind to perish, so he ordered Hades to release Persephone.For six months he allowed Persephone to return to earth. Demeter was so happy, that sheblessed the land and it blossomed anew. Red poppies appear among the golden wheat andthe tress bear apples, pears and figs. It was the first springtime in the world and everyonewas happy.

Demeter with her daughter KoreChildren can act out the play holding masks made from paper plates held with a ruler.Study faces of Greek characters and copy their images onto the plates. Crays pas are goodfor blending skin tones and accenting lips, eyes, cheeks. Use yarn for beards and use

ornaments to decorate the hair. Simply belted white sheets can be draped as togas. Headwreaths can be made with silk flowers for the girls and a strings of green paper leaves forthe boys.



Grade four students in a dance for Persephone. Notice the wreaths and laurels.

Assign parts to each student, and use groups to read the chorus in unison. Masks and achorus were used in Greek plays at the theatres on the Acropolis. Hades can wear a blackcape. Props of a chariot and a throne are helpful. For background scenery, project theimages from the disk enclosed of Greek scenes on a wall behind the actors. Floweringplants can be placed on the stage front to show a garden.



THE MOTHER WHO LOST HER DAUGHTER

Chorus:Demeter was the goddess of green and growing things.She was good and kind and beautiful,and she had a young daughter named Kore.

KoreNo mother ever loved a child as much as Demeter loved her Kore

ChorusIn those day, it was always summertime, and people on earth were never cold or hungry.But they did not know how to plant seeds.Only Demeter could make things grow

DemeterWithout me, people would have no fruit to eat or flowers to smell. I make the wheat andbarley grow so people can make their bread.

ChorusOne day, Demeter’s daughter was picking flowers in a meadow.(Kore dances and sings as she picks flowers)

KoreOhhh, how beautiful. I’ve never seen such a strange flower before.

(Kore runs over to pick it, singing and dancing as she adds it to her bouquet)

ChorusFar down below in the chilly, dark underworld, Hades, the god who ruled the land of thedead, heard Kore’s sweet singing and sound of her dancing feet.

All sing



“Sing now Kore,”Here is the music and the orff instrumentation

sing now Kore and sing for me sing now Kore in the morning

sing now Kore and sing for me, sing now Kore in the morning

Now is the time to sing, lift up your voice Lift up your voice now in song(repeat)This melody is in the Greek mode of the DORIAN scaleThis accompaniment should be layered adding each xylophone after two measures. Usethis as an introduction to the song, then continue playing as the class sings the song. Usethis music as an background for when the class enters the stage.



HadesWho’s singing up there? It’s not fair. I am so lonely in this dark and dismal kingdom withonly the dead for company and she is so happy. I’ll steal this girl away and make her myqueen. Perhaps she will sing and dance for me.

The earth cracks open. Hades rises up in his chariot and pulls Kore back down to theunderworld. Children can play a variation of percussion instruments to create theopening earth-gongs, xylophones etc.

KoreMother, Mother, help me.

ChorusBut Kore had danced so far from where her mother was, that Demeter could not hear hercalling. Day after day Kore sat, sad and silent, next to Hades on the throne he had givenher in the land of the dead.

Let children play this sad melody, an archaic Greek mode on the recorder



She ate nothing until one day when she tasted a pomegranate and swallowed one of itstiny, blood-red seeds. Back on earth, Demeter searched everywhere for her daughter Kore.

(Demeter travels around the world searching for Kore. In her grief, she forgets to tell thewheat and barley to grow, and the trees to bear fruit. Everything dies)

ChorusThe first cold winter in the world cameAll the people were hungry.Their children cried because they had no bread or fruit to eat and they were so very, verycold.

All sing “Zeus the King” with instrumentation. Children can choreograph a dance to thephrases of the music. Alternate singing once with instruments, then dancing withinstruments



ZEUS THE KING

Verse I:



Zeus the king of all gods help us now,We have no food and are waiting for thou.Our crops and our stock have no life left to giveFree Kore now so that people may live.

Verse II:Zeus the king of all gods help us now,We have no heat and are waiting for thou.Our hands and our feet are too cold now to move,Free Kore now so that we can still groove.

Verse III:Zeus the king of all gods help us now,We have no light and are waiting for thou.Our kids and our pets are too scared now to play,Free Kore now so that winter won’t stay.

CHORUS:Winter is ending, Spring is so nearHades is weak, so do not show fear.

DemeterHas anyone seen my lovely child who is lost? Has anyone seen dear Kore with her goldenbraids and dancing feet?



(mask of Kore made by Whitney Baumiller)

ChorusBut everyone said no until at last the goddess met a boy called Triptolemus

TriptolemusI have not seen her, but I know where she is. My brother, the swineherd saw the earthCrack open. He said he had never seen anything like it. Hades rose from the underworldand carried you daughter away.

DemeterZeus, Zeus, your wicked brother Hades has stolen my child. Make him give her back tome.

ChorusSo Zeus sent Hermes down to the underworld to command Hades to return Kore to hermother.

Hades(to Kore) Urrr. All right. I’ll let you go since Zeus commands me. But don’t forget-youate the blood-red pomegranate, the fruit of the dead. Anyone who tastes it must return tothe underworld sooner or later. You will come back for part of the year to sit beside meas my wife and queen. And your new name will be Persephone. Kore is a name for achild, not a queen.

ChorusSo Kore, who was now called Persephone, returned to her mother. Demeter was so happyto see her daughter again.

Demeter



My daughter has returned. I’ve been so upset that I’ve let everything turn cold and die.Now I fill fix that. Grow, wheat and barley, grow. Look at the trees. They will soon bearapples and pears and figs. I will provide everything that the people need again. Welcomethe first springtime in the world.

ChorusBut after eight months, Persephone had to say goodbye to her mother and return to herthrone beside her husband, Hades.

KoreOh, Mother, I hate to leave you. Four months is such a long time. I won’t see you againtill then.

DemeterThen I will mourn for you these four months every year. Winter will come. Nothing willbear fruit and my tears will fall as cold rain and sleet until at last the happy day arriveswhen you return home to me and springtime begins.

KoreBut what will the people do? Everyone will be so cold and hungry again.

DemeterTriptolemus will help the people. He is the only one who helped me find you, and willsurely help us now. Triptolemus-Here is a chariot pulled by dragons, a bag of seeds, andA wooden plow. Come close, I’ll whisper to you the secrets of how to make things growand how to harvest them and save them so that people will have food to eat through thelong winter months.

TriptolemusDon’t worry, Demeter, you can count on me. I’ll travel all over the wold in my dragonchariot and teach any who will listen to me how to plant and how to harvest and preservewhat they have grown.

ChorusAll over the world, people planted the seeds Triptolemus gave them-the gifts of DemeterThe people had bread for the long winterWhen springtime comes, people on earth rejoice with DemeterPersephone returns to her mother and sings and dances through the fieldsDemeter is filled with joy, and all the green things sprout and grow again.



All dance to this music with instrumental accompaniment.DANCE OF SPRING

Add percussion instruments of the vibraslap, tambourine, xylophones, triangle, drums



-DANCE-SHIBBOLETH BASADEH



This is another great dance for any section of the play. It is a middle eastern song in themode of this region, in Hebrew called Shibboleth BasadehA recording of this music can be found on the CD collection “Teaching Folk Dance”Rhythmically Moving 5 by Phyllis Weikhart-High/Scope Press

This is a song of the harvest of sheaves, heavy with ears of corn, bending in the wind.The sun rises over the hill…villagers are called to work…”the world is born again.”

The choreography is two concentric circles of partners facing in to each other. Handsare held up palm to palm with the person on either sidePart A: all slide right-R together L together- for the first phrase and turn half turn to facein and continue sliding right.On part B: measures 17-24-skip toward the partner facing you in two beats and twirlpartner around then skip back two beats and turn in place.: measures 25-29 hop in place four times then jump up, pause, touch the floor and clap.onthe last beat.

This song can be played on the piano or the recorder with orchestration.



PLANTING SEEDS FOR SPRINGTwo great books on gardening for children are:



- Kids Gardening-a Kid’s Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt by Kevin Raftery andKim Gilbert Raftery-Klutz Press, Palo Alto, CA 1989 ISBN 0-932592-25-2-Busy Little Gardener by Helen Barden and Penny Dann –Derrydale Books, NY-1990ISBN 0-517-03603-7

Growing Seeds Indoors: You will need: Alfalfa seeds Watering can Margarine Tubs Cotton or potting soill. Put some cotton in the bottom of the margarine tub. Soak the cotton with water. Makesure it is really wet2. Shake some seeds on the cotton and spread them out. You can form letters in thecotton for fun. Put the cotton near the light of a window to help them grow.3. Look at the seeds every day. Make sure the cotton stays wet. Your seeds need water togrow.4. After about a week your sprouts will be ready to eat. They will have grown about twoinches. Cut the sprouts off near the bottom of their stalks and add them to yoursandwiches.5. Other seeds that are fun to grow this way are bird seed, mustard and flower seeds.

A Giant Sunflower RaceYou will need:Gardening fork, trowel, garden string, sunflower seeds, tape measure, garden stakes.Giant sunflowers grow very fast if you plant them in a sunny spot. In spring, have a racewith a friend to see who can grow the tallest and biggest sunflower.l. Prepare a site near a fence or wall. Pull up any weeds and then dig and rake the soilwith your fork.2. Push the seeds into the soil. Leave about 12 inches between each one.3. Shoots will appear in about ten days if you water the seeds every day.4. When the seedling are about 2 inches tall, pull out the weak ones. Leave the strongones to grow. Take any snails or slugs off the leaves.5. Tie each sunflower to a garden stake to keep it from falling over. Measure your flowerevery day. It might grow 10-12feet high.Gardening Tips: If you save some seeds you will be able to plant them next year



THE SEASON OF SPRING



Discipline: Music, Dance, Drama, Language ArtsGrade Level: 4-8Materials Needed: Play and music of “Persephone”, percussion instruments, projectorand slides of pictures from books on Greek mythologyGoal: Students will dramatize a story from Greek mythology of how spring came to bewith music, dance, instruments, and song.Concepts: orchestration, percussion technique, part-singing, phrasing, and improvisation

Paul Klee’s “Young Tree”



A typical song for this time of year is the Japanese song “Sakura” Cherry BlossomsThere is a festival in Japan each year at this time to celebrate the blossoming trees. TheKoto instrument that is played with this song. The koto is plucked with the thumb and theindex and middle fingers. It is also played by pressing, scraping and striking the strings.

As the children sing this music, they can improvise patterns on the xylophones set in Cpentatonic. The children can also dance to the music with streamers. The song can beperformed in a rondo form.A-all sing B-improvise on the xylophones the length of the song A-sing- C-play a recording of the song and move with streamersA-singD-play the melody on the recorder with xylophone improvisation A-all sing E-read a Japanese Haiku about Spring A-All sing


copyright © by judith spitzberg ( ). all ... · pdf fileand slides of pictures from books...

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