Aaron Copland Writing Across the Curriculum

This week we are reading and writing across the curriculum.  We are reading about Aaron Copland, the great 20th century American composer who created that inimitable wide open spaces sound with open fourths and fifths, lots of brass, intense and sudden dynamic changes, and folk songs to tell the great American stories- Appalachian Spring, Fanfare for the Common Man, and Billy the Kid, just to name a few.

This morning I have asked the students to write twenty words to describe the excerpts of these pieces that we are listening to: Now I have to do it too.  1) Quintessential American, 2) dynamic changes, 3) fortissimo, 4)pianissimo, 5)folk songs, 6)stories, 7) chasing notes, 8)bangs and booms, 9)horses, 10)clip clopping, 11)bells, 12)rhythms, 13) syncopation, 14)jazzy, 15)romantic, 16)freedom, 17)contrasting brass with strings 18) poignant 19) orchestration classic, 20) high and low
21) thoughtful 22) welcoming 23) accessible 24) repetition 25) legato/staccato contrasts 26) Crescendo/decrescendos subito! 27) solos/duets 28) dance with instruments 29) Billy's plight 30) Gift to be simple 31) Folksy 32) Western movies 33) Movie music 34) Disney

Children say: 1) Original, 2)Inspiring 3)soft 4) Light-hearted 5) soothing 6) amazing 7) Loud 8) Slow
9)distinctive 10) peaceful 11) joyful 12) jumpy 13) complicated 14) flute 15) trumpet 16) calming 17)quaint 18)snug 19) breezy 20) intense 21) chime 22)violin 23) trombone 24) gleeful 25) spirited 26) Somber 27) piccolo 28) calm 29) magical 30)

Appalachian Spring - from Youtube 

 Fanfare for the Common Man- youtube- James Levine conducting



Billy the Kid Ballet Suite