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MATH, SCIENCE & NATURE - GRADES K-6

EXPLORING NATURE & THE SEASONS THROUGH MUSIC

Grades K-2
3 performing/teaching artists - 3 presentations/day
$550 + $350 + $225= $1125

While exploring themes of Nature and the Seasons, this program activates children's verbal, visual, kinesthetic and musical imaginations. The goal is to link these intelligences in support of active learning. The program begins with Copland's “Simple Gifts” and the children's first impressions of the people and landscape depicted in this music. Children then hear the famous opening scene of The Sound of Music and learn to "tune in" to the mental pictures inspired by music. Then, the children play a musical game in which they verbalize their musically inspired mental pictures of animals and the seasons. Extending their imaginations a step further, the children create pantomimes, coordinated with music, depicting each of the seasons. Children and artists then perform a song entitled “The Seasons of Peace,” some children singing, others pantomiming the images of the seasons. The program concludes with the whole class participating in the hilarious Copland song “I Bought Me A Cat.”

SOUND THINKING: MUSIC & SCIENCE

Grades 3-6
2 performing/teaching artists - 3 presentations/day
$475 + $350 + $225= $1050

In this program, music becomes a curious and fascinating tool through which students enlarge their understanding of scientific thinking. As students explore the physical properties of sound, they are encouraged to make thoughtful observations, form hypotheses and then test their theories before drawing conclusions. Elements of performance are mixed with numerous acoustical demonstrations and experiments designed to spark critical thinking. The presenters—both trained scientists and musicians—work with a variety of musical instruments and common objects to bring several basic acoustical concepts to life: vibration, frequency, pitch, resonance and overtones. The beauty and pleasure of music are linked to the wonder and satisfaction found in exploring the world through science.

EARTHSONG: THE MUSIC OF BIRDS, WHALES, DINOSAURS & HUMANS

Grades 3-6
3 or more performing/teaching artists plus an accompanist - 3 presentations/day
$550 + $350 + $225= $1125

This program celebrates the music of many species, seeking an appreciation of music-making as a universal activity of our planet. Students deepen their understanding of our human connection to the fragile natural environment. Birdsongs, whale songs and nature sounds are heard along with live performances of music by master composers as well as original works by the performers, including "Callings," based on the poetry of Robert Frost, "The Blue Whale's Song" from The Imaginative Planet, and "Dinosaur Maiasaura" and "In My World" from The Great Dinosaur Rescue. Children learn and perform birdsongs, identify images of dinosaurs while debating theories of dinosaur extinction, and participate in a brainstorming session on proactive measures for protection of endangered species.

NUMBER SENSE & TELLING TIME

Grades 3-6
3 performing/teaching artists - 3 presentations/day
$550 + $350 + $225= $1125

This residency combines music, theatre, and movement activities to enliven and physically realize students’ grasps of basic math and time-related concepts. How does counting help us to understand our world?  Where do we find numbers in nature, music and art? What’s the difference between telling time on the clock and feeling time in our bodies? Each session is full of hands-on activities for students, including: musical experiments exploring the feeling of elapsed time and how we remember rhythms and beats; storytelling exercises that explore our daily habits and how they are associated with time; and counting challenges based on the features of animals, geometric objects, and our own bodies. Big ideas and fundamental skills brought to life through the imaginative energies and motivating power of the arts! Number Sense and Telling Time supports math curriculum components such as mathematical symbols, counting as inquiry and description, rhythm, and visual recognition of quantities, object clusters and patterns. It also supports such science curriculum components as time literacy, numbers systems on the clock, observing time in the body and in nature, time scales, and sun and earth rotation.

This program expands to a 2, 3, or 4-part residency. Talk to us about the possibilities!