Aaron Copland Essay another one for your comparison..

A few things that contributed to Aaron Copland’s success as a musician are when he went to concerts in places such as New York City and Brooklyn. Also, when he learned he was a naturally gifted musician, he might have thought that he would be a great composer when he was older.

Some things that Aaron Copland had to do to get to be a composer was to try really hard to do his best and to impress and teachers or composers that he saw around. Also, he practiced really hard to become a famous composer.

Some things that people did along the way to help Copland is his parents (after a lot of begging) let him have music lessons. Another person who helped him is Nadia because she taught him a lot of things he had to know when he was a composer. Koussevitzky always supported Aaron Copland. Aaron Copland’s sister taught him how to play the piano when he was around the age of 12.

Those are some things that contributed to Aaron Copland’s success as a musician and people who helped him come to be a composer. They encouraged him throughout his life. When he was older he helped encourage many other young composers with their music career. He was a great inspiration to many people. Something that I think that I have been successful with is in soccer. I think this because I am pretty good at defence and goalie. Ella Hickey says, “You can play any position that the coaches put you in on and your best positions are defence and goalie.”

Changes to Aaron Copland Project from last year

Last year I used information that was written for middle school students, but it was clearly not accessible to my fifth graders.  I re-wrote it, so that it would be in language that my students could understand.  I also re-wrote the questions that went with the information.  These questions scaffolded better the essential question in the end, that the essay should be based on.  I introduced rubrics, like the funnel, the hamburger and the RACE model which the students were already familiar with.  They knew how to create a five paragraph essay already using these models, and they knew how to use information in a way that would not cause them to plagiarize.  They have learned how to quote from the text, and they have learned already how to back up their statements with details and quotes from the text.

Students this year have much more experience with the informative writing than they ever had before, so this work so much better than last year.  They just had not had any practice in informative writing last year and they weren't familiar with any of the rubrics or important mnemonic devices for their organization.  All of the organizational tools they are using work perfectly with my project on Aaron Copland.

I spent the first day when I was introducing the project discussing the idea of "influences".  I had students discuss the meaning of the word, and talk about the influences that a musician might have which would cause them to be successful.  Some influences might be places or situations or ideas, and some of the influences might be people.  Sometimes we need help with success, but success can never happen without essential things that we would do to help ourselves, like practice, and perseverance, and listening to our audiences.

I would check the first answers to the first nine questions, and that made a difference when the essay was going to be written.  I could make sure that all the answers were correct before they used these notes to create their essay.  I re-iterated several times the importance of solid, longer, more detailed answers to the first nine questions to make the essay that much easier to write and better for us to read.  I also re-iterated the importance of answering the original essential question, "What contributed to the success of Aaron Copland?" not just taking the answers to the questions and putting them into the essay.  Creating questions that support the final essay is also a key element in the success of the students.  This made a huge difference from last year as well.

This goes to show you that if you introduce writing in all the classes, not just ELA, it will always help students become better writers all the way around.  You can also assess the standard in music as well as have students write using the correct style and rules without taking that much away from the importance of the music standard.  I would like to not be torn in my pursuit of excellence across the curriculum, and I would like my music colleagues to understand the essential nature of writing in the discipline, not just teaching notes, rhythms and other disciplinary literacy standards.  More on this in another blog!!

Exemplar for next year..

The Life of Aaron Copland
By Sophia Kellogg

Have you ever heard of Aaron Copland. Aaron Copland wrote lots of ballets and music that you may know. Some of the things he wrote were, Billy the Kid, and The Fanfare of the Common Man, you may have heard this at presidential inaugurations. Copland was a musician and a composer. Some of the reasons for his success were his fight for lessons, his influences, and Nadia Boulanger.

One of Copland’s reason for success was when Copland fought for lessons when he was a child. The text states, “The two parents got lessons for their older four children, and decided against it for their youngest son, Aaron.  However, Aaron begged for lessons and finally won them over.” This example shows that Copland fought for lessons as a child.

Another reason for Copland’s success were his influences. The author says, “The second break came when Koussevitsky, a very famous conductor, gave the second performance of the work.  Best of all, Koussevitsky continued to support Copland by having his pieces played for the next few decades by his symphony orchestra.” This is one of Copland’s influences. Other influences of Copland were, his audience, Europe’s music, American jazz, Broadway music, and the young composers Copland taught. These are a few examples of Copland’s influences.

My last reason for Aaron Copland’s success is Nadia Boulanger. Nadia gave Copland lessons in compositions. The author states, “There he met Nadia Boulanger, a brilliant teacher with great musicality.  With the help of his family, Aaron remained in France and took private lessons from her for three years.” Another piece of evidence is, “ Later he said meeting Nadia was the most important event of his life.” These two examples show that Nadia was one of the reasons for his success.


The examples I listed show some of Copland’s reasons for success. The fight for music lessons, the influences, and Nadia Boulanger. Now go and listen to Aaron Copland’s beautiful music.

Aaron Copland Essays

Have you ever wondered who Aaron Copland is? Aaron was a
famous classical composer from the twentieth century. He was born in
Brooklyn, New York 1900. He died in Sleepy Hollow, New York
December 2nd 1990. Have you ever wondered what contributed to
Aaron Copland’s success as a musician and composer? In this essay you
will learn all about him and his interesting life. If you do know who he is
you probably would know that he was a famous composer, but you
should still read this essay because you probably would find out new
and cool interesting facts. Some of those cool interesting facts are
going to be about Aaron and his life, his compositions, and his
inspirations. So read on!
These are some ways Aaron contributed to success. One way is
that when Aaron turned fifteen he decided not to go to college so, he
saved up his money to go to Paris by helping out his dad at his store,
having a part time as a Wall Street Runner,as well as an allowance. My
second fact is that Aaron Copland was the youngest of his siblings.
Aaron has four siblings so he was the fifth. Aaron Copland was born in
Brooklyn, New York in 1900 and that his parents were both immigrants
from Russia. Aaron was the first student who was accepted to a school
call Fontainebleau which was near Paris specifically for American
musicians. Another fact is that Aaron won a scholarship in 1921 and
headed off to France. When Copland was eleven, he wrote his first
notated melody, seven bars of an opera he called Zenatello. There are
many more ways, but these are just a few.
Some ways to success about Aaron’s compositions is that Copland
spent three years in Paris studying with composition teacher Nadia
Boulanger. Aaron also studied composition in Fontainebleau Paris. Aaron
made many compositions. He even was a composition teacher for a few
years.
Some inspirations that leaded to Aaron success were Nadia
Boulanger. Nadia Boulanger was a big inspiration to Aaron because she
is the one who taught Aaron for about a few years. Aaron was not
skeptical about studying with a woman, but found that he very much
liked her. Another inspiration was his parents and Fontainebleau which
was his school.
Many things inspired Aaron Copland, some things that he was
working towards, and some things that were given to him. I actually can
relate to this when I was in third grade I started softball. I could not
catch the ball or hit I usually either striked out, hit the ball and got
out, or I got a walk, but I never gave up. Now that I am in fifth grade I
made the majors and I can hit the ball/catch the ball.

Some Excellent Answers to the Aaron Copland Questions

QUESTIONS ABOUT AARON COPLAND

Write answers in full sentences on your chromebook.

1.  WRITE FIVE IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT AARON COPLAND AND HIS MUSIC.

One important fact about Aaron Copland and his music is that he, as the text states, “He composed music that uniquely reflected our land and history.” Secondly, another important fact is that “He went to a public school, and studied music theory with a private teacher.” Thirdly, another important fact about Aaron Copland and his music is “Aaron was the first student who was accepted to a school called Fontainebleau which was near Paris specifically for American musicians.” Fourthly, another fact is “He won a scholarship in 1921 and headed off to France. There he met Nadia Boulanger, a brilliant teacher with great musicality. With the help of his family, Aaron remained in France and took private lessons from her for three years.” And lastly, the fifth important fact about Aaron Copland and his music is “After the 1940’s he experimented with the twelve tone techniques, but mostly, he spent his later life organizing concerts and performances for young musicians, as well as conducting and playing his own works throughout the world.”

______________________________________________________________________________

2.  WHAT WERE COPLAND’S PARENTS LIKE?

Copland’s parents were most likely caring for their children. They were immigrants from Russia which most likely made it a little bit harder to live a good life, but they cared for their children, and as the text states, they “Worked hard to make a secure and safe home for their large family.”

______________________________________________________________________________

3.  WHERE DID COPLAND STUDY COMPOSITION?

Copland studied composition in a school called Fontainebleau which was near Paris.

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4.  WHAT DID COPLAND THINK WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF HIS LIFE?

Copland thought that meeting Nadia Boulanger, his teacher, and as the text states “a brilliant teacher with great musicality.” was the most important event in his life.

______________________________________________________________________________

5.  WHAT DID NADIA BOULANGER DO FOR COPLAND TO HELP HIS CAREER?

Nadia Boulanger helped Copland’s career by “persuading him to write an organ symphony for a concert she was going to play in New York.”

______________________________________________________________________________

6.  WHAT WERE COPLAND’S INFLUENCES IN HIS WRITING OF COMPOSITIONS THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE?

Copland’s influences in his writing of compositions throughout his life were his teachers. They influenced him to pursue what he wanted to do, especially Nadia.

______________________________________________________________________________

7.  WHY DID COPLAND START WRITING SIMPLER, EASIER MUSIC TO LISTEN TO?

Copland started to write simpler, easier music to listen to because, as the text explains, “His audience didn’t like the dissonant, hard to listen to music, so he started to write music to please his audience.”

______________________________________________________________________________

8.  HOW DID COPLAND CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF EARLY AMERICA IN LINCOLN PORTRAIT?

Copland captured the spirit of early America in Lincoln portrait because in the text it states “He composed music that uniquely reflected our land and history.”

______________________________________________________________________________

9.  HOW DID COPLAND SPEND MUCH OF HIS LATER LIFE?

Copland spent much of his later life “organizing concerts and performances for young musicians, as well as conducting and playing his own works throughout the world.” as the texts states.

______________________________________________________________________________

10. AFTER READING THE INFORMATION ABOUT AARON COPLAND I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION AND ANSWER IT IN THREE PARAGRAPHS, USING AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH AND A CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH.  

WHAT WERE  ALL THE THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO AARON COPLAND’S SUCCESS AS A MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER?  WHAT DID HE HAVE TO DO, AND WHAT DID OTHERS DO FOR HIM TO HELP HIM ALONG THE WAY?

Aaron Copland was an American musician and a composer in the early 1900s. Some things that contributed to Aaron Copland’s success (in my opinion) were Copland’s parents, his teachers, and European music. Here are some reasons of why I think this.

Copland’s parents contributed to how successful Aaron was as a musician and a composer. One reason of why I think this is because in the text it explains to us that “The two parents got lessons for their older four children, and decided against it for their youngest son, Aaron. However, Aaron begged for lessons and finally won them over.” This shows that Copland’s parents contributed to how successful he was because if they finally didn’t give in and give Aaron those lessons, than he most likely wouldn’t have been such a great composer that he was, or maybe he wouldn’t have been a composer at all. Another reason of why I think this is because in the text it also says that “His parents were immigrants from Russia. His parents worked hard to make a secure and safe home for their large family.” This shows that  Copland’s parents contributed to how successful Aaron was because if they didn’t work hard to make sure their children are safe and secure, than they might be successful, and they’d be taught to just not try because of their parents.

I think Copland’s teachers also contributed to how successful Aaron was as a musician and a composer. One reason of why I think this is because in the text it states “Boulanger persuaded him to write an organ symphony for a concert she was going to play in New York.” This shows that Copland’s teachers contributed to how successful Aaron was because one of his teachers in college, Nadia Boulanger, offered him to do a big job for her by composing a piece for a concert in New York, contributing to how successful Aaron is. Another reason of why I think that Copland’s teachers also contributed to how successful Aaron was is because in the text it states that “Best of all, Koussevitsky continued to support Copland by having his pieces played for the next few decades by his symphony orchestra.” This shows why Copland’s teachers contributed to how successful Aaron was because Koussevitsky supported Copland and had him play his pieces in orchestras.

I think that European music inspired Copland, and contributed to how successful Aaron was as a musician and a composer. One reason of why I think this is because in the text it explains to us that he was inspired by Debussy, and Schoenberg from Europe. This shows that European music contributed to how successful Aaron is is because he was inspired by European musicians that contributed to his success. Another reason of why I think this is because in the text it explains about how at first, he played European music, but everybody thought that the music was too hard to listen to, so he modified it to the music we know that he played today, contributing to how successful he was. This shows why European music inspired Copland, and contributed to how successful he was as a musician, and a composer.

These are some of my reasons of what I think contributed to how successful Copland was. I think that Aaron’s parents, teacher, and European music contributed to Copland’s success. That is why I think Aaron Copland is successful.

QUESTIONS ABOUT AARON COPLAND

QUESTIONS ABOUT AARON COPLAND

Write answers in full sentences on your chromebook.

1.  WRITE FIVE IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT AARON COPLAND AND HIS MUSIC.

2.  WHAT WERE COPLAND’S PARENTS LIKE?

3.  WHERE DID COPLAND STUDY COMPOSITION?

4.  WHAT DID COPLAND THINK WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF HIS LIFE?

5.  WHAT DID NADIA BOULANGER DO FOR COPLAND TO HELP HIS CAREER?

6.  WHAT WERE COPLAND’S INFLUENCES IN HIS WRITING OF COMPOSITIONS THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE?

7.  WHY DID COPLAND START WRITING SIMPLER, EASIER MUSIC TO LISTEN TO?

8.  HOW DID COPLAND CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF EARLY AMERICA IN LINCOLN PORTRAIT?

9.  HOW DID COPLAND SPEND MUCH OF HIS LATER LIFE?

10.  

AFTER READING THE INFORMATION ABOUT AARON COPLAND I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION AND ANSWER IT IN THREE PARAGRAPHS, USING AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH AND A CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH.  

WHAT WERE THE ALL THE THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO AARON COPLAND’S SUCCESS AS A MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER?  WHAT DID HE HAVE TO DO, AND WHAT DID OTHERS DO FOR HIM TO HELP HIM ALONG THE WAY?

Aaron Copland, American Composer- 1900-1990

More than a hundred years ago the United States was only just beginning to be the country we know it to be today.  In the early 1900’s we were growing economically, geographically, and with technology.  We were still dependent on Europe when we were composing classical music, very much using European ideas as our guide to how to write good music.

Aaron Copland, however, did a great deal to create “American music” in the classical tradition.  He composed music that uniquely reflected our land and history.  He also helped younger composers become famous in their own right.  He encouraged them in personal ways, organized concerts for them and other performances for them, and formed networks and organizations to help support their efforts.  He had an easygoing and positive attitude which won people over and helped everyone get along.  As a result, he was the beloved leader of American classical music for more than fifty years!

Aaron Copland was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1900.  His parents were immigrants from Russia.  His parents worked hard to make a secure and safe home for their large family.  The two parents got lessons for their older four children, and decided against it for their youngest son, Aaron.  However, Aaron begged for lessons and finally won them over.  He was a naturally gifted musician and got really good at the piano with regular practice, and he used the piano for his compositions for the rest of his life.

He went to public school, and studied music theory with a private teacher.  He went to many concerts in New York City and Brooklyn, and also to operas.  By the time he was fifteen he knew he wished to become a composer.  He decided not to go to college, and he worked hard to save money from a part time job as a Wall Street Runner, and at his father’s store, as well as allowance from many years, and began to make plans to go to Paris to study composition.

Aaron was the first student who was accepted to a school called Fontainebleau which was near Paris specifically for American musicians.  He won a scholarship in 1921 and headed off to France.  There he met Nadia Boulanger, a brilliant teacher with great musicality.  With the help of his family, Aaron remained in France and took private lessons from her for three years.

Two lucky breaks changed his life.  Boulanger persuaded him to write an organ symphony for a concert she was going to play in New York.  He returned to America and began his climb to fame.  Later he said meeting Nadia was the most important event of his life.  The second break came when Koussevitsky, a very famous conductor, gave the second performance of the work.  Best of all, Koussevitsky continued to support Copland by having his pieces played for the next few decades by his symphony orchestra.  

Copland was being exposed to jazz, Broadway, and other American styles of music, while also listening to composers who were pushing the limits of the old traditions of composition.  Copland eventually found his own “American voice.” Between 1925-1935 he put jazz elements into his pieces and then he also tried to use dissonance in his pieces as well.  His audience didn’t like the dissonant, hard to listen to music, so he started to write music to please his audience.  His audience had grown up around the radio, so they wanted to listen to easier pieces, not the hard, complicated harmonies of Debussy and Schoenberg from Europe.  He tried to create sounds that captured wide open spaces of our huge continent, and the tremendous rhythmic energy of our big growing nation.

One of the first pieces in this new style is called El Salon Mexico (1936) and the music sounds like folk songs being played with great energy in a Mexican dance hall.  Copland was so successful with that piece that he wrote “Lincoln Portrait” after that, which blends music and narration.  He also composed Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and Appalachian Spring, all of which portray the wide open landscape of the American West and are ballets with stories and great characters.  He used American folk songs and story lines to capture the spirit of Early America with these pieces.

After the 1940’s he experimented with the twelve tone techniques, but mostly, he spent his later life organizing concerts and performances for young musicians, as well as conducting and playing his own works throughout the world.  He also gave lectures and helped young musicians personally, like Leonard Bernstein.  

Copland’s most frequently played work is Fanfare for the Common Man, in which the brass section resounds for the democratic tradition.  This is often played at inaugurations of presidents, and for great speeches by politicians for the United States.  

Aaron Copland did more for American composers and American music than anyone else before him.  The New York Times critic Harold Schonberg called “the urbane, respected symbol of a half century of American Music.”  Ned Rorem said he “was a wonder and a triumph.” Thanks to Copland, America began to share the spotlight for Western Classical music with Europe.  

I enjoy playing the piano...

Matthew Youngś Music Reflection

I enjoy music class. I love doing the piano. One thing hard for me though, is that it is hard for me to read notes off the paper. So, when I get my songs, I have to write in the notes for all my papers. When I do that, I use the sheet of paper on where the notes are located on the staff. One of the easiest notes I know is the middle C. Otherwise, I can get any notes.

Another difficult part about music for me is playing the piano. Iḿ not very good at doing double hand. I can do one at a time, but not the best. Plus, having to write in the notes and doing both hands isn't very easy.

Overall, I love music class but there is some challenges for me to work on. Piano is fun and I hope to improve my skills.

More posts about playing piano for the first time!!

Jakob’s Music

Reflection

I think music is very fun and enjoyable. I really like the piano too.

I thought that learning how to use three of my fingers on my same hand was hard because my fingers are not coordinated. I also thought that learning the piano was hard, but then I got it!

One thing I thought that was easy was making my own song because I’m really good at creating ideas. Also, I thought that doing the ta ta was really easy.

Thank you!

-Jakob  

Piano Reflection by Olivia Coite

Piano Reflection

By. Olivia Coite

In the past few weeks, I have learned many different things on the piano. One of these things is how to read the notes on the staff. One of the ways I read notes on the staff is remembering “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” and “FACE”. Another way I can read the notes on a staff is by remembering that the notes are in alphabetical order. The notes are A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Lastly, I can remember the notes on a staff by counting the line or space that they are on and remembering the note that is on the line or space. To go into further detail, if I noticed that a note is on the second line on the treble staff, I can remember that it is G. To conclude, I can read the notes on a staff by using “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” and “FACE”, by remembering the notes are in alphabetical order, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, and also, I count the line or space that the note is on.

While doing the piano unit, I also learned how to know which keys are which note. One way I did this is by finding “Middle C” on the piano. After I found Middle C, I could just put the rest of my hand on the piano. Secondly, I knew how to figure out which keys were which note by remembering that the bass notes started two keys away from Middle C. Lastly, I knew how to figure out which notes were which keys by finding Middle C, and then counting up. For example, I would find Middle C, and count up, “C, D, E, F, G.” or, “C, B, A, G, F, E, D.” As you can see, I learned how to figure out which keys were which notes by finding Middle C, remembering that the bass notes were two keys away from Middle C, and also that counting the notes.

More reflections on piano playing and the levels of difficulty..

Learning to play piano was tough at first. As I moved from song to song I saw how more challenging each one got. Autumn,  my friend helps me to position my hands so that I could play the song without straining them. Mrs. Frank listened to my work and helped me fix the notes I did not play right.

Learning to play skipping frogs was a challenge Skipping Frogs is played with two hands at first using two hands was very hard. My friend Autumn helped me position my hands in the right way I practiced the song over and over again.I tried the song at  least 17 times Autumn and Mrs. Frank  helped me a lot this song was hard because halfway through the song you have to switch your fingering and switch to the other hand.