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2 0 1 8 - 1 9 U M S L E A R N I N G G U I D E

Echo in the Valley

Béla Fleck & Abigail

Washburn

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Table of Contents

07 Why?09 Artist11 Art Form13 Performance

06LEARN

05THE DETAILS

04ATTEND

17 Being an Audience Member20 Arts Online21 Recommended Reading23 Writing About Live Performance with Your Students26 About UMS38 Credits and Sponsors

16 CONNECT

Echo in the Valley

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn

U M S S C H O O L D AY P E R F O R M A N C EFebruary 7

Thursday, February 7 // 11 am Hill Auditorium

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7 3 4 . 7 6 4 . 2 5 3 8 ——— U M S. O R G

Coming to your email inbox!

Map and Driving DirectionsLogistical Details (drop-off/pick-up locations)Venue Information

Attend

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The Details

VENUE ADDRESS Hill Auditorium, 825 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBER734.764.2538

ARRIVAL TIMEBetween 10:30-10:50am

TICKETSWe do not use paper tickets for School Day Performances. We hold school reservations at the door and seat groups upon arrival.

FOODNo food (including school lunches), drinks, or chewing gum are allowed in the theater.

CELL PHONESWe ask that all audience members turn off their cell phones during the performance.

ACCESSIBILITYWe aim to maximize accessibility at our performances, and below are details regarding this performance’s points of accessibility. If you have further questions, e-mail umsyouth@umich.edu or call 734.615.0122.

PARKINGThere is handicapped parking very close to the Power Center on Fletcher Street and in the parking structure behind the Power Center on Palmer Drive. The first three levels of the Palmer Drive structure have 5 handicapped parking spaces on each level next to each elevator. There are a total of 15 handicapped parking spaces in the garage.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITYCourtesy wheelchairs are available for audience members. Hill Auditorium is wheelchair accessible and has 12 seats for audience members with special needs.

BATHROOMS ADAADA-compliant toilets are available in the green room (east corner) of the Hill Auditorium for both men and women.

ENTRYThe front doors are not powered; however, there will be an usher at that door opening it for all patrons. There is a ramp entrance on the west side of the auditorium.

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn – Banjo

Learn

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7 3 4 . 7 6 4 . 2 5 3 8 ——— U M S. O R G

L E A R N

Why?

The banjo is an often-misunderstood instrument. While the circular-bodied, guitar-like instrument is most often associated with folk music of the American South, bluegrass, and the Beverly Hillbillies, the banjo’s roots originated with slaves from Africa who brought their music and instruments to the Americas. The banjo has since evolved to find a place in many styles of music, from bluegrass to jazz, in an effort led by several virtuosos of the instrument. Throughout their musical careers, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, a husband-and-wife team, have each pushed the instrument’s technical abilities into new territory and placed the banjo in unexpected contexts.

Echo in the Valley is the follow-up to the acclaimed, self-titled debut that earned Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn a 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album. This time around, their mission was to take their double-banjo combination of three-finger and clawhammer styles to the next level. Their rules for the recording: all sounds must be created by the two of them, the only instruments used were banjos (they have seven between them, ranging from a ukulele to an upright bass banjo), and they had to be able to perform every recorded song live. Echo in the Valley connects us to our past through wild re-imaginings of traditional Appalachian tunes, with original songs inspired by a man who ferried Syrian refugees to safety and by Native American voices lamenting a distancing from nature.

UMS invites audiences to bask in the colorful, soulful, and unexpected sounds of the banjo duo and partake in the musical stories they tell. We hope that Béla’s and Abigail’s virtuosity and soulfulness will inspire students to view the banjo in a new light — as an instrument bursting with color, depth, and character.

U M S E D U C AT I O N A R T I S T S I C S TAT E M E N T

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Why?

Listen to Béla Fleck’s and Abigail Washburn’s self-titled debut album on Spotify.

O N L I N E : C O N N E C T I N G T O T H E P E R F O R M A N C E

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L E A R N

Artist

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L E A R N

B É L A F L E C K A N D A B I G A I L WA S H B U R N : F I V E T H I N G S T O K N O W

01Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn met at a square dance and began playing music together over a decade ago, marrying shortly thereafter. Fleck had long been interested in the banjo, but Washburn’s path to a music career was more roundabout: a record deal in the halls of a bluegrass convention in Kentucky changed her trajectory from becoming a lawyer in China to a traveling folk musician.

02Echo in the Valley is the follow-up album to Béla and Abigail’s acclaimed, self-titled debut that earned the 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album. Currently, Abigail and Béla are touring the world as a “trio” with their little boy, Juno.

03An undisputed virtuoso of the instrument, Béla Fleck has virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the world on a range of solo projects and collaborations. Béla has collaborated with Chick Corea, the Marcus Roberts Trio, Brooklyn Rider, and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, to name a few, on projects ranging from original jazz duos to arrangements of classical music by Bach, Debussy, and Paganini.

04The recipient of multiple Grammy Awards and nominations going back to 1998, Béla Fleck’s total Grammy count is 15 Grammys won, with 30 nominations. He has been nominated in more categories than any instrumentalist in Grammy history.

05Abigail Washburn was named a TED fellow and gave a talk at the 2012 TED Convention in Long Beach about building US-China relations through music. In March 2013, she was commissioned by New York Voices and the NY Public Theater to write and debut a theatrical work, Post-American Girl, which draws from her 17-year relationship with China and addresses themes of expanding identity, cultural relativism, pilgrimage, the universal appeal of music, and opening the heart enough to fold it all in. Abigail was recently named the first US-China Fellow at Vanderbilt University.

Artist O N L I N E : G E T T I N G T O K N O W B É L A F L E C K A N D A B I G A I L WA S H B U R N

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L E A R N

In this video, watch Abigail Washburn’s TED talk about building US-China relations… through banjo.

In this video, watch and learn about the differences between Béla Fleck’s Three-Finger style and Abigail Washburn’s Clawhammer style of banjo playing, which they combine to create the duo’s unique sound.

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Art Form

L E A R N

I N S T R U M E N T S : T H E B A N J O FA M I LY

The banjo is a four-, five-, or six-stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame (or cavity) as a resonator, called the head. The body, or pot, of a modern banjo typically consists of a circular rim generally made of wood, though metal was also common on older banjos, and a tensioned head, similar to a drum head. The membrane, or head, is circular and typically made of plastic or animal skin. Most modern banjos also have a metal “tone ring” assembly that helps further clarify and project the sound. Modern banjos are typically strung with metal strings. Usually, the fourth string is wound with either steel or bronze-phosphor alloy. Some players may string their banjos with nylon or gut strings to achieve a mellower, old-time tone.

The modern banjo derives from instruments that had been used in the Caribbean since the 17th century by enslaved people taken from West Africa. However, the banjo is frequently associated with folk, Irish traditional, and country music. Historically, the banjo occupied a central place in African-American traditional music before becoming popular in the minstrel shows of the 19th century. The banjo, along with the fiddle, is a mainstay of American old-time music. It is also very frequently used in traditional jazz.

5 - S T R I N G B A N J O

The modern five-string banjo is a variation on the instrument popularized by Joel Walker Sweeney, an American minstrel performer from Appomattox, Virginia. The fifth string is usually the same gauge as the first, but starts from the fifth fret, three quarters the length of the other strings. This allows the string to be tuned to a higher open pitch than is possible for the full-length strings. Because of the short fifth string, the five-string banjo uses a re-entrant tuning — the string pitches don’t move from lowest to highest across the fingerboard. Instead, the fourth string is lowest, then third, second, first, with the fifth string as the highest.

Two techniques closely associated with the five-string banjo are rolls and drones. Rolls are accompaniments of right-hand fingering patterns that consist of eighth notes that subdivide each measure. Drone notes are usually played on the fifth (short) string and fill in around the melody notes. Both of these techniques are idiomatic to the banjo in all styles, and their sound is characteristic of bluegrass.

Bluegrass music, which almost exclusively uses the five-string resonator banjo, is played in several common styles. These include “Scruggs” style, named after Earl Scruggs; “melodic,” or Keith style, named for Bill Keith; and “three-finger style” with single-string work, also called Reno style after Don Reno. In these styles, the emphasis is on arpeggiated figures played in a continuous eighth-note rhythm, known as rolls. All of these styles are typically played with fingerpicks.

4 - S T R I N G B A N J O – “ O L D T I M E ”

Four-string banjos are typically used for chordal accompaniment (as in early jazz), for single-string melody playing (as in Irish traditional music), in “chord melody” style (a succession of chords in which the highest notes carry the melody), in tremolo style (both on chords and single strings), and a mixed technique called duo style that combines single-string tremolo and rhythm chords.

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Art Form

L E A R N

T E C H N I Q U E : B A N J O P L AY I N G S T Y L E & T E C H N I Q U E

There are many ways to play the banjo, and slight differences in playing styles vary greatly by region. Each style is characterized by its unique technique and method of sound production. Two widely popular styles are the “clawhammer” (or “frailing”) style and the “three-finger” (or “Scruggs”) style. It is very rare for a single person to play both of these styles because the techniques are so different from each other.

C L AW H A M M E R ( “ O L D -T I M E ” O R “ F R A I L I N G ” ) S T Y L E – A B I G A I L WA S H B U R N

Historically, the banjo was played in the clawhammer style by the enslaved Africans who brought their version of the banjo with them to the Americas. Clawhammer consists of downward striking one or more of the four main strings with the index and/or middle fingers while the drone or fifth string is played with a “lifting” (as opposed to downward pluck) motion of the thumb. The notes typically sounded by the thumb in this fashion are usually on the off-beat. Melodies can be quite intricate, adding techniques such as double thumbing and drop thumb. Although much traditional clawhammer banjo playing is highly rhythmic, it typically includes elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, and percussion. The possibilities include sounding individual melodic notes, strumming harmonic chords, strumming and picking to produce rhythmic and percussive effects on the strings, as well as making percussive effects by brushing or thumping the thumb or fingers upon the banjo head or skin. This range of musical sounds and effects gives clawhammer banjo its artistic solo potential in addition to its traditional role as a rhythmic accompaniment to other musicians. In

particular, the duo of a fiddler playing melody alongside a driving clawhammer accompanist once served as a basic Appalachian dance band, as recalled by Ralph Stanley in his autobiography, Man of Constant Sorrow.

T H R E E - F I N G E R ( “ S C R U G G S ” S T Y L E ) – B É L A F L E C K

Scruggs style is the most common style of playing the banjo in bluegrass music. It is a fingerpicking method, in which the player usually wears picks on their thumb, index, and middle fingers. It is named after Earl Scruggs, whose innovative approach and technical mastery of the instrument have influenced generations of bluegrass banjoists ever since he was first recorded in 1946. The strings are picked rapidly in repetitive sequences or rolls; the same string is not typically picked twice in succession. Melody notes are interspersed among arpeggios, and musical phrases typically contain long series of staccato, or short, notes, often played at very rapid tempos. The music is generally syncopated, meaning that musical emphasis is often placed on the off-beat. Earl Scruggs introduced a vocabulary of “licks,” short musical phrases that are reused in many different songs. Because these licks were widely copied (with variations) by later players, they have become one of the defining attributes of the style, and give it its characteristic sound. These licks often contain fretting-hand embellishments such as slides, chokes (bends), hammer-ons, or plucking the strings with the fretting hand (left hand pizzicato), which add to the harmonic and rhythmic complexity.

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Performance

L E A R N

My whole drive is to make sure that music is a common space where we search for beauty and share it. It needs to be louder than any conversation. That’s where we have to go as a human race.

– A B I G A I L WA S H B U R N

B É L A F L E C K A N D A B I G A I L WA S H B U R N

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L E A R N

Echo in the ValleyBéla Fleck and Abigail WashburnThursday, February 7 // 11 amHill Auditorium

Banjo players Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, who met at a square dance over 10 years ago, have been playing music together ever since, touring the globe and performing with musicians such as Chick Corea, Chris Thile, and Wu Fei. Echo in the Valley is the follow-up to their acclaimed, self-titled debut that earned the duo a 2016 Grammy for Best Folk Album. This time around, their mission was to take their double-banjo combination of three-finger and clawhammer (rhythmic strumming) styles to the next level. All of the musical sounds were created by them, and the only instruments used were banjos (they have seven between them, ranging from a ukulele to an upright bass banjo). Echo in the Valley connects us to our past through wild re-imaginings of traditional Appalachian tunes, with original songs inspired by a man who ferried Syrian refugees to safety and by Native-American voices lamenting a distancing from nature.

Performance

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Watch the banjo duo’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert, featuring songs from their newly released album, Echo in the Valley.

O N L I N E : B É L A F L E C K A N D A B I G A I L WA S H B U R N

L E A R N

Performance

Being an Audience Member

Arts Online

Writing about Live Performances with Your Students

About UMS

Credit and Sponsors

Connect

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7 3 4 . 7 6 4 . 2 5 3 8 ——— U M S. O R G

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C O N N E C T

Being an audience member A U D I E N C E E T I Q U E T T E 1 0 1

• No talking, unless audience participation is requested by the performers.

• Avoid fidgeting and moving around in your seat during the performance. Slumping sideways blocks the view for audience members behind you, and extra movements can be distracting to your neighbors.

• Do not take flash photography. The flash can be distracting to the performers on stage.

• Turn off and put away cell phones and other electronic devices.

• If you need to cough during the performance, wait for the pause between movements of a piece or try to “bury” your cough in a loud passage of music.

• If you need assistance, please speak to a UMS usher.

• Most importantly, relax and enjoy the performance!

WHEN SHOULD I CLAP?

The audience claps to welcome the performers as they come on stage.

The audience also claps at the conclusion of each piece on the program, but not between movements of a single piece. This can be tricky, because many musical works have several movements with pauses in between. A work’s movements will be listed in the program or announced at the performance. Not sure when the piece is over? Watch the conductor, who will lower their hands at the end of the piece.

When in doubt, it’s always safe to wait and follow what the rest of the audience does.

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E N G A G I N G W I T H T H E P E R F O R M A N C E

C O N N E C T

Encourage your students to engage with and reflect on the performance by asking these questions:

• How did the performance make you feel?

• What does this performance remind you of?

• What was the most memorable part of the performance for you?

• How does this performance relate to where you live?

• During the performance, close your eyes and imagine a “mind movie” using the performance as a soundtrack. What did you see in your mind?

• Did the performance tell a specific story?

• Do you have any questions about the performance?

GLOSSARY: ELEMENTS OF PERFORMANCE

Space – venue/building, stage, distance between objects

Lighting – location of light, use of darkness, color, movement, light in the audience

Sound – sound created by voices or movements of performers and audience members, the location of the sound (behind the stage or offstage), use of musical instruments or recorded music

Movement – movement of performers, images, objects, or audience members; speed, size, or shape of movements

People:

• Dancers

• Actors

• Musicians

• Stage Crew

• Ushers

• Audience Members

Being an audience member

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C O N N E C T I N G T O O T H E R A R T F O R M S

C O N N E C T

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn will perform songs from Echo in the Valley, connecting us to our past through re-imaginings of traditional Appalachian tunes. Banjos are derived from instruments that had been played in the Caribbean and Africa. Their instruments and music recollect folk traditions, just as this watercolor represents a visual folk style. This painting was made by an unknown artist, likely a woman, by placing stencils of leaves and fruit in a pattern and then filling them in with watercolor.

United States, Artist Unknown Basket of Fruit, ca. 1825 Stenciled watercolor Gift of the Daniel and Harriet Fusfeld Folk Art Collection, 2002/1.184

Being an audience member

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Arts Online: Explore and Discover S I T E S W E S U G G E S T

C O N N E C T

UMSums.org

UMMAumma.umich.edu

THE KENNEDY CENTER, ARTSEDGEArtsEdge.org

ANN ARBOR DISTRICT LIBRARYaadl.org

NEW YORK PHILHARMONICnyphil.org

AMERICAN THEATREamericantheatre.org

DANCEMAGAZINEdancemagazine.com

NPR: NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIOnpr.org

MICHIGAN RADIOmichiganradio.org

PBS: PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICEpbs.org

NEW YORK TIMESnytimes.com

2018-19 SCHOOL DAY PERFORMANCES: ARTIST WEBSITES

JAKE SHIMABUKURO jakeshimabukuro.com

WYNTON MARSALIS wyntonmarsalis.org

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER www.jazz.org

CAMILLE A. BROWN & DANCERS www.camilleabrown.org

ABIGAIL WASHBURN www.abigailwashburn.com

BÉLA FLECK AND THE FLECKTONES www.flecktones.com

LAS CAFETERAS lascafeteras.com

MARTHA GRAHAM www.marthagraham.org

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The following listing of literature for teens and youth was developed by the Ann Arbor District Library to connect to the 2018-19 UMS School Day Performance Series. All titles are in circulation at the library. For more information about the Ann Arbor District Library and their programs for youth, teens, teachers and schools, visit aadl.org.

TEEN/ADULT

The Ukulele: A Visual History by Jim BeloffThis unique text offers a history of the ukulele, how it has entered popular culture, and a resource guide for learning the instrument.

Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings (DVD)Follow Shimabukuro on his musical tours and see his hometown on Hawai’i.

Island World: A History of Hawai’i and the United States by Gary Y. Okihiro Okihiro depicts an eclectic cultural history of Hawai’i and its history of interaction with the United States.

A Woman Like Me by Bettye LaVetteBettye LaVette emerged as a talented teen from Detroit who quickly discovered the turbulent world of music, enjoying success one minute and conceding defeat in another.

African American Dance: An Illustrated History by Barbara S. GlassDiscover the various ways that African culture interacted with European influences to mold African American dance in the 20th century, complete with large photographs and illustrations.

Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty CopelandJourney into the daunting world of ballet with Misty Copeland, who began dancing from a humble background in Los Angeles at the age of 13 and emerged as a professional dancer within just one year.

Jazz (DVD)An extensive Ken Burns documentary explores the history of jazz from its beginnings through the 1990s, with narration by Wynton Marsalis and others.

Throw Down Your Heart (DVD)Béla Fleck travels to Uganda, Tanzania, the Gambia, and Mali searching for the roots of the banjo.

The Banjo: America’s African Instrument by Laurent DuboisLaurent Dubois traces the banjo from humble origins, revealing how it became one of the great stars of American musical life.

Chicano Rock!: The Sounds of East Los Angeles (DVD)A look at the generations of young Mexican-Americans who express their heritage through music.

Goddess: Martha Graham’s Dancers RememberFeatures interviews with dancers who worked under Graham, revealing the inner life of a great dance era.

Martha Graham: Dance On Film (DVD)A sampling of the work of one of the great artistic forces of the 20th century, who was a performer, choreographer, and teacher.

Recommended Reading

C O N N E C T

B E P R E S E N T 22

Continued.

C O N N E C T

KIDS

Ukulele Hayley by Judy CoxWhen the school board decides to stop funding the music program, Haley decides to join together with her band friends to keep it afloat.

Roots and Blues: A Celebration by Arnold AdoffRead about the blues style and its reflection of American history through powerful poetry and paintings.

Musical Instruments by Ade Deane-Pratt (How Things Work Series)This hands-on book introduces main instrument families with a “How does it work?” section for each group and provides instructions for making your own instruments with household objects.

Firebird: Ballerina Misty Copeland Shows a Young Girl How to Dance the Firebird by Misty CopelandAccomplished ballerina Misty Copeland encourages a young dancer to follow her aspirations.

I See the Rhythm: A Story of African American Music by Toyomi IgusAppreciate the history of black music in America with poetic descriptions of musical styles.

Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm by Karen DeansTravel back in time to 1939, when the all-female jazz band Sweethearts of Rhythm emerged from a school in Jackson, Missouri, and quickly became internationally recognized.

Jazz A-B-Z by Wynton MarsalisLearn about 26 great jazz musicians through alphabet poetry.

Marsalis on Music by Wynton MarsalisFun analogies memorably teach fundamentals of music.

Banjo Granny by Sarah Martin BusseBaby Owen’s grandmother learns that he is wiggly, jiggly, and all-around giggly for bluegrass music, so with her banjo, she travels by curious means to visit and play for him.

Danza!: Amalia Hernandez and El Ballet Foklorico de MexicoCelebrate Mexico’s rich folk dancing history and the woman who founded El Ballet Folklorico, combining traditional Mexican folk dancing with modern dance and ballet.

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan GreenbergAn introductory look at the work of Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Isamu Noguchi’s Appalachian Spring.

Continued.

Recommended Reading

B E P R E S E N T 23

Writing about Live Performance with Your Students

C O N N E C T

A LETTER TO PERFORMERSGrade Level: Elementary School Students (K-5)

Students will compose a personal letter to a performer from the School Day Performance. The student will write about their feelings, observations, and questions from the performance. With a teacher’s assistance, students may send these letters to the performers.

BEFORE THE PERFORMANCEDiscuss the following with your students:

1. Live Performances2. The Art Form3. The Artist4. Origin of the Art Form or Artist

DURING THE PERFORMANCETo help students organize their thoughts during the performance, encourage them to consider the following:

I Notice...I Feel...I Wonder...

Once the performance is done, have students write down their notes, observations, and reflections. They will use these notes to help them write their letters.

AFTER THE PERFORMANCEInstruct students to write a letter to the performers. In completing this exercise, students should:

• Use standard letter-writing conventions (“Dear…,” “Sincerely,”)• Mention when and where the performance took place• Use the notes they took to share their experiences, observations, and

questions with the performers

B E P R E S E N T 24

C O N N E C T

TWO THUMBS UP: WRITING A PERFORMANCE REVIEW Grade Level: Middle and High School Students (6-12)

BEFORE THE PERFORMANCEHave students, in groups or as individuals, conduct background research on the performance they will be attending. Students should research and take notes on the following:• Art Form• History of the Art Form• Terminology• The Artist• Comparisons to similar artists and art form

Some of this information may be found in this Learning Guide. For more information on artists and art forms, follow the sources in the “Sites We Suggest” and “Recommended Reading” sections of this Learning Guide.

Before the performance begins, consider the following questions:• What expectations do I have for the performance?• Do I already have an opinion about what I will experience at the performance?

DURING THE PERFORMANCEAsk students to take mental notes during the performance. As soon as the performance ends, have students write down thoughts and words that come to mind related to the performance.

Encourage students to consider these prompts:• What is striking to me? • Is it vastly different from what I thought it would be? • Has the venue transformed into something else during the performance? How? • Are there images or ideas popping into my head? What are they? • Is there something about the performance I may remember forever? What made

it so? • Is the audience quiet and drawn in to what is happening? Are they loud? Are

they interacting directly with the performers? Are the performers directly interacting with the audience?

AFTER THE PERFORMANCEInstruct students to compare their pre-performance notes to their post-performance observations and write a 2-3-page review.

Things to consider when writing a review: A critic’s job is to:

1. Share an experience – what did it feel, sound, look like? 2. Provide context – a broader frame of reference around what

happened to help the reader understand importance or significance of the experience

3. Evaluate – was it any good?

A strong review answers these three questions:1. What is the artist trying to do?2. How well are they doing it?3. Was it worth doing in the first place?

Critics typically use two modes of thought when writing a review:1. Analytical – describing the grammar of the art, its execution and

interpretation by the performers, and its historical, cultural, and social relevance; using concrete language, terminology, and facts

2. Impressionistic – describing the overall experience; using abstract language, feelings, and emotions

Encourage students to take a strong stance on aspects of the performance, just so long as they can back up their argument with evidence. If a student writes, “I didn’t like…” or “I particularly enjoyed…,” ask them to elaborate.

Writing about Live Performance with Your Students

B E P R E S E N T 25

C O N N E C T

MORE WRITING PROMPTS FOR REFLECTION, EXPLORATION, AND DISCOVERY:

• What was your overall reaction to the performance? Did you find the production compelling? Stimulating? Intriguing? Challenging? Memorable? Confusing? Evocative? Bizarre? Unique? Delightful? Meaningful? Explain your reactions.

• What themes of the play especially stood out in production? What themes were made even more apparent or especially provocative in production/performance? Explain your responses.

• Is there a moment in the performance that specifically resonated with you either intellectually or emotionally? Which moment was it, and why do you think it affected you?

• Describe the pace and tempo of the performance (e.g., slow, fast, varied). Did it feel like the pace of the production maintained your interest throughout? Were there any moments in which you felt bored, rushed, lost, or confused? What elements of the work or interpretation led you to feel this way?

• Was there a moment during the performance that was so compelling, intriguing, or engaging that it remains with you in your mind’s eye? Write a vivid description of that moment. As you write your description, pretend that you are writing about the moment for someone who was unable to experience the performance.

• How did the style and design elements of the production (e.g. sets, costumes, lighting, sound, music, if any) enhance the performance? Did anything in particular stand out to you? Why?

• What was your favorite musical selection from this performance? Why?

• During the performance, imagine a story or movie playing out in your mind, set to the music or action on stage. After the performance, write a story based on the narrative you imagined.

• All of these performances involve one or more performers on stage at any given moment. Which performer did you relate to the most? Why?

Writing about Live Performance with Your Students

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About UMS

C O N N E C T

UMS was selected as one of the 2014 recipients of the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest public artistic honor, awarded annually by the president of the United States at the White House to those who have “demonstrated a lifetime of creative excellence.” The National Endowment for the Arts oversees the selection process.

One of the leading performing arts presenters in the country, UMS is committed to connecting audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences. With a program steeped in music, dance, and theater, UMS presents approximately 60-75 performances and over 100 free educational activities each season.

At UMS, diversity is embraced as both a powerful educational resource and a guiding value for all our work. Our educational philosophy is dedicated to multidisciplinary artistic and educational experiences that represent a range of cultural traditions and viewpoints. Understanding our similarities and differences informs our culture, our values, and helps us navigate the world. By learning together, we can discover something new and extraordinary about each other. Throughout our K-12 Education Season, we invite educators and students to celebrate diversity in order to inform, strengthen, and unite us as community.

UMS EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

STAFF

MATTHEW VANBESIENUMS President

JIM LEIJADirector of Education and Community Engagement

SHANNON K. FITZSIMONS MOENCampus Engagement Specialist

TERRI PARKEducation Coordinator

EMILIO RODRIGUEZCommunity Programs Manager

ALLIE TAYLOR Student Staff

LEVANA WANGStudent Staff

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Las Cafeteras by Rafa Cardenas

2 0 1 7 - 1 8 S C H O O L D AY P E R F O R M A N C E S

C O N N E C T

Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele Wednesday, November 7, 11 am

Big Band HolidaysJazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Wednesday, November 28, 11 am

inkCamille A. Brown & DancersFriday, January 25, 11 am

Echo in the ValleyBéla Fleck and Abigail WashburnThursday, February 7, 11 am

Las CafeterasThursday, February 21, 11 am

Martha Graham Dance CompanyFriday, April 26, 11 am

Wynton Marsalis by Joe Martinez

Camille A. Brown & Dancers by Marina Levitskaya

About UMS

B E P R E S E N T 28

UMS YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM SUPPORTERS: ($5,000 OR MORE)

Reflects donations to UMS education programs recognized at $5,000 or more, made between July 1, 2017 and May 1, 2018

Anonymous

Arts Midwest Touring Fund

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Jim and Patsy Donahey

DTE Energy Foundation

David and Jo-Anna Featherman

Eugene and Emily Grant Family Foundation

David and Phyllis Herzig Endowment Fund

Richard and Lillian Ives Endowment Fund

Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, PLC

THE MOSAIC FOUNDATION (of R. & P. Heydon)

National Endowment for the Arts

New England Foundation for the Arts

PNC Foundation

Mary R. Romig-deYoung Music Appreciation Fund

Prudence and Amnon Rosenthal K-12 EducationEndowment Fund

Stout Systems

UMS Ambassadors

University of Michigan Credit Union

University of Michigan

Thank You! C R E D I T S A N D S P O N S O R S

C O N N E C T

WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY Sean Meyers

EDITED BY Terri Park

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY Pamela Reister (UMMA) & Kayla Coughlin (Ann Arbor District Library)

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

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U M S. O R G