Friday, May 20, 2011

8th Grade Homework

Comment on this post with an intro to one of the 3 songs we're singing at the concert. Good intros TELL THE AUDIENCE SOMETHING INTERESTING, such as the background of the artist/composer, a story about the song, insight into our process of learning the song, or something interesting to listen for when we sing the song.

Alternate Homework option: Draw a beautiful cover for the program.

Good luck!

7 comments:

  1. “Becoming a Man”, written by Jason Robert Brown and from the Broadway musical “Thirteen” is about the typical thoughts of a teenager. In the show, the song is sung by the protagonist, a thirteen year-old boy named Evan Goldman. He is going off on a tirade about how much higher the demands get as he is growing up, whether it be in school or in his social life. The change in the boy’s mood, which very worried and annoyed to excited and eager, reflects the fast pace and lively way that our chorus sings and performs the song. We can assure you that you will really get into this amusing tune. Enjoy!
    -Lucine B.

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  2. 13's lyrics and music, is written by Jason Robert Brown. The musical is about the life of a 13-year-old. He moved from New York City to, Indiana. But he is having the most trouble with his Bar Mitzvah. The musical showed in 2007 in Los Angeles and then went to Broadway on September, 2008.

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  3. Each concert, we have a theme for the songs we sing. Sometimes they're a bit out there, so I'll give you some help on this concert's selection: music from musicals.
    The first song we'll be singing is from the musical _______.
    P.S. What song are we doing first?

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  4. The next song we will be singing is Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind from the musical Spring Awakening. At this point in the play, the main character, Moritz, is fed up with everything around him saying that he "doesn't do sadness." Meanwhile, Ilse is trying to convince how good life really is in the part entitle "Blue Wind." Listen especially for the combination of these two parts at the end and for the beautiful metaphors in the lyrics. We hope you enjoy.
    Julia F

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  5. Hey, I wonder why it didn't go through... I sent it twice. Hmmm... but here it is again!:

    "Make Our Garden Grow" is the finale of "Candide," the 1956 American operetta with music by Leonard Bernstein and text mainly by Lillian Hellman, Hugh Wheeler, and one of the most prominent writers of our time, the incomparable Richard Wilbur. The show tells the story of young Candide, a German boy sent around Europe in search of the best of all possible worlds, and this song reflects Candide and his love Cunegonde's regretfulness, considering how ignorant they were to think that a perfect world was possible. In the words of original librettist Lillian Hellman, "No, we won't think noble because we're not noble. We won't live in beautiful harmony because there's no such thing in this world, nor should there be. We promise only to do our best to live out our lives; my God, that's all we can promise in truth. Marry me, Cunegonde."
    -Peter D.

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  6. The extremely wonderful song Don't Do Sadness was mixed with another song called Blue Wind. The two songs make for a wonderful combination and create a wonderful melody that hypnotizes the audience while listening to it. Unfortunately the song is about suicide of a young man, even though the lyrics may not make it that obvious to the listeners. Please enjoy.

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  7. Our next piece is from the musical "Spring Awakening." It's actually two songs that are very different but are sung at the same time (I know there's a fancy word for this, but I can't remember at the moment).

    At this point in the plot of the musical, one character, Moritz, feels bitter and hopeless because not only has he failed out of school, his father's just kicked him out of the house for being a failure. He sings "Don't Do Sadness" as he contemplates suicide. Meanwhile, one of his childhood friends, Ilse, sings "Blue Wind" to try to make him lighten up. But Moritz rejects her, and when she leaves he kills himself.

    As you may have guessed, "Spring Awakening" isn't exactly lighthearted.
    The original "Spring Awakening" was a German play written in 1891, and has often been banned for its controversial content. So sorry folks, but there's no hope of "Spring Awakening" being next year's school musical.

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