Thorp Elementary

Title: A Musical Museum at Thorp Elementary

Group Inquiry: What elements make up most classical music? How does Mussorgsky use these elements to create different scenes in Pictures at an Exhibition? How can different performance styles bring these scenes to life?

Process: Through a partnership with Ravinia, Fifth House Ensemble brought students at Thorp Elementary a thorough exploration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Students learned about the titles and imagery associated with each of the movements, beginning with creating lyrics to the opening Promenade.Through studies of other classical works, students learned how to evaluate the mood, animal, action, and color of different pieces, and how a musician uses this information to tell a complete story. Through creative activities such as becoming a live art exhibition and new twists on “Old McDonald”, students understood musical aspects such as dynamics, tempo, rhythm, and performance practice.
 

A Musical Sandwich Herine and Deaunn teach about musical form through the image of a grilled cheese sandwich.

 

Instruments and Song Herine and Deaunn show their instruments, then introduce the Promenade from “Pictures at an Exhibition”.

 

Final Project: For the final project, each class participating in the residency created their own “exhibition” of a movement from Pictures at an Exhibition. Students demonstrated their new knowledge of music by walking in time, creating characters that represented their movement, and writing a simple story reflecting on the titles of the movements. The presentations were then strung together with the help of the teachers and accompanied by members of Fifth House Ensemble. The performance was open to the entire school community, including students, teachers, administrators, and families.
 

Final Projects at Thorp Elementary Students at Thorp Elementary perform their interpretations of “Pictures at an Exhibition,” accompanied by members of 5HE.