Band 9-12 (Anderson)

Teacher Name – Brian Anderson
School - Fremont High School

9-12 Band – Performance with Understanding
Using “Suite Francaise” by Darius Milhaud

National Standards:
#2 - Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
#6 - Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
#8 - Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
#9 - Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Objectives:
Students will be able to demonstrate geographical knowledge of the five French provinces used in Suite Francaise.

Students will be able to display an understanding of background information regarding each of the five provinces: agriculture, industry, historical background, etc.

Having a previous knowledge of the folk songs used in Suite Francaise, students will use information obtained from the first two objectives to analyze the folk songs used in relation to the province from which they originated.

Materials used:
The band masterwork Suite Francaise by Darius Milhaud.

The Masterworks Instructional Series book Suite Francaise: A
Teaching-Learning Unit by Robert Garofalo. The book is distributed by Hal
Leonard Publishing and is around $17.

Background information regarding the five provinces taken from a variety of encyclopedias and various geographical materials.

A map of France.

Student prior knowledge and experiences before this plan:

Each student needs a working knowledge, but not a perfect performance, of his/her individual part of each movement of Suite Francaise.

A knowledge of each folk song used in Suite Francaise (including singing through each folk song). Related folk songs can be found in the Garofalo Suite Francaise: A Teaching-Learning Unit.

Procedures: May take place over more than one day if needed.

Handout a map of France to each student. Ask them to find the five provinces used in the piece.

Short class discussion of characteristics of each province (students should take notes). Example: Normandie - NW France, main commerce entities are agriculture, fishing and iron producing, site of WW II Allied invasion, main cities - Le Havre, Rouen. Alsace-Lorraine: most invaded French province, taken by Germany but restored after WW I. It is the most direct route for
invading armies to get to Paris.

After short class discussion of each province play through the related movement for that particular province.

Based upon previously learned information in combination with the geographical/historical/cultural background of each province students will form opinions as to whether the folk songs used fit the character of each of the French provinces.

Indicators of success:
Assessments for success can include, but are not limited to:

Class discussion
Written quiz
A short writing assignment for students to share and relate their opinions as to whether or not the folks songs used fit the character of each province.
Improved musical insight and sensitivity in individual and ensemble performance.

Interdisciplinary extensions include possibilities in geography, culture, and history. Collaborative efforts with fellow staff members in social studies and guest may could yield numerous benefits.