Performances for Young Audiencesis made possible by

David M. RubensteinChairman

Michael M. KaiserPresident

Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education

Christoph EschenbachMusic DirectorNational Symphony Orchestra

Additional support forPerformances for YoungAudiences is provided by AdobeFoundation, The Clark CharitableFoundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey;The Macy's Foundation; TheMorris and Gwendolyn CafritzFoundation; Park Foundation, Inc.;Paul M. Angell Family Foundation;an endowment from the Ryna andMelvin Cohen Family Foundation;U.S. Department of Education;Washington Gas; and by generouscontributors to the Abe FortasMemorial Fund and by a majorgift to the fund from the lateCarolyn E. Agger, widow ofAbe Fortas.

Education and related artisticprograms are made possiblethrough the generosity of theNational Committee for thePerforming Arts and thePresident’s Advisory Committeeon the Arts.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

Cuesheets are produced byARTSEDGE, an education programof the Kennedy Center.

Learn more about education atthe Kennedy Center atwww.kennedy-center.org/education

The contents of this Cuesheet have beendeveloped under a grant from the U.S.Department of Education and do notnecessarily represent the policy of the U.S.Department of Education. You should notassume endorsement by the FederalGovernment.

© 2014 The John F. Kennedy Center for

the Performing Arts

Connections:

MusicMatters

CuesheetP

ER

FO

RM

AN

CE

GU

IDE

Developed and hosted by

Yvonne Caruthers

Performed by

National Symphony Orchestra members

Natasha Bogachek, violin

Yvonne Caruthers, cello

Stephen Dumaine, tuba

Eric Shin, percussion At the performance, join

National Symphony Orchestra (NSO)

cellist Yvonne Caruthers and three of her

musician friends to learn some surprising

connections between music and the world

around us—and how music matters by making

us smarter, healthier, and happier.

Listen closely! Musical sounds

are everywhere.

David and Alice Rubenstein are thePresenting Underwriters of the NSO.

Music to Your EarsAt the performance, you will hear:

“Lullaby”by Johannes Brahms (yoh-HAH-nuhs brahmz)

“Flight of the Bumblebee”byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (NICK-o-leye Rim-skee KOR-suh-koff)

“American Souvenir: Variations on Yankee Doodle”by Henri Vieuxtemps (ahn-REE vyuh-TAHN)

“Habanera” from the opera Carmenby Georges Bizet (Bee-ZAY)

“Music for Pieces of Wood”by Steve Reich

Sounds for HappyCustomersEver notice that most stores at themall have music playing? And thatdifferent stores play different typesof music? For example, stores thatsell clothes for young people oftenplay current hits at a relatively highvolume. The thinking goes: If themusic makes you happy, you’ll stay inthe store longer and buy more clothes!

Sound can also play a role in whatpeople choose to buy. Take, forexample, cars. Manufacturers believethat customers (whether they know itor not) expect certain sounds—like asmooth engine in an expensive caror that zoom-zoom sound in a sportycar. So engineers design and buildcars to create specific sounds thatthey hope will be music tocustomers’ ears.

Of course, musicians and instrumentmakers know a lot about buildingsomething—instruments, of course!—to create a good-quality sound.

During the performance, listen forthe difference between music playedon an inexpensive instrument and ona more expensive, finely crafted one.

Think about…What are some ways music andsound can make you smarter,healthier, and happier? Share yourideas with your friends and family.

A Good Audience…� Stays seated� Stays quiet� Watches and listens carefully� Claps at the end

For Web links related tothe topics covered inthe performance, see

www.yvonnecaruthers.comand click on “Connections”

REMEMBERIT

Think of your favorite song from acouple of years ago. Replay it in yourhead or on a music player. What doyou remember about the time whenyou first heard and liked that song?What were you doing and who waswith you? Share your memories withfriends. Some people describe songsas soundtracks to a little movie in theirminds. What do you think?

Let’sTalkAbout SomeWaysMusic MattersWhat Is Sound?Before we can talk about music, it helps tounderstand sound—which is created when anobject vibrates (moves back and forth quickly).For example, when your finger plucks a string,the string vibrates and disturbs the air around it,making an invisible sound wave. You hear thesound when the wave travels through the air toyour ear. Sound waves vary in speed (also knownas the frequency) and are measured in unitscalled Hertz (waves per second).

Nature’s SymphonyThink about a volcano. It’s loud when it explodes,but otherwise it’s quiet…or is it? Surprise! Involcanoes, there can be a whole symphony goingon—you just can’t hear it. That’s because the soundsfall below or above the range of human hearing.

Scientists have begun to discover that thesesounds are worth listening to. Thanks to advancedtechnology, researchers now can hear the innerworkings of volcanoes, which make sounds likepops and buzzes, and even “screams.” Scientistshope to determine whether changes in themusical aspects of the sounds—like tempo andpitch—can tell us something important.

During the performance, learn more aboutvolcanic and other natural sounds…and howmusical know-how makes us smarter when itcomes to understanding our world.

Humans can hear from about20 to 20,000 Hertz. Lower-frequency sounds havea low pitch, like thunder. Higher-frequency soundshave a high pitch, like bird chirps. Instrumentsalso have different pitches, and the smaller theinstrument, the higher the sound it makes.Guess which instrument from the performance—marimba, violin, tuba, and cello—will sound thehighest and which will sound the lowest?

Tune in to the exploration ofsound and pitch by using yourown musical instrument—yourvocal cords. Place your fingersgently on the middle of your throat.Hum quietly. Feel that? You can feelvibrations coming from your vocal cordsas you hum. Now hum at a high pitch(like a bird) and then at a low pitch (like afoghorn). In music, the shorter or tighterthe string on a musical instrument,the higher the sound.Discuss with friendshow this idea workswith your vocal cords.

tuba

marimba

violin

cello

“Doctor Music” Will See You NowMusic and sound can help improve your health.For example, by analyzing the sounds of cells,scientists hope that one day they will be able totell whether disease cells are present before aperson shows any sign of illness.

Music also works like medicine. Live music helpscalm and soothe babies born prematurely (tooearly). Researchers believe music comforts theseinfants and helps them get strongerfaster. Some doctors find that musiccan also distract older kids from thepain of certain medical procedures,like shots. And finally, older peoplesuffering from illnesses that causethem to lose their memory canbetter recall past events whenthey hear music from their youngerdays—improving their happiness and well being.

During the performance, learn more aboutmusic and health.

PITCH IT

REMEMBERIT

Think of your favorite song from acouple of years ago. Replay it in yourhead or on a music player. What doyou remember about the time whenyou first heard and liked that song?What were you doing and who waswith you? Share your memories withfriends. Some people describe songsas soundtracks to a little movie in theirminds. What do you think?

Let’sTalkAbout SomeWaysMusic MattersWhat Is Sound?Before we can talk about music, it helps tounderstand sound—which is created when anobject vibrates (moves back and forth quickly).For example, when your finger plucks a string,the string vibrates and disturbs the air around it,making an invisible sound wave. You hear thesound when the wave travels through the air toyour ear. Sound waves vary in speed (also knownas the frequency) and are measured in unitscalled Hertz (waves per second).

Nature’s SymphonyThink about a volcano. It’s loud when it explodes,but otherwise it’s quiet…or is it? Surprise! Involcanoes, there can be a whole symphony goingon—you just can’t hear it. That’s because the soundsfall below or above the range of human hearing.

Scientists have begun to discover that thesesounds are worth listening to. Thanks to advancedtechnology, researchers now can hear the innerworkings of volcanoes, which make sounds likepops and buzzes, and even “screams.” Scientistshope to determine whether changes in themusical aspects of the sounds—like tempo andpitch—can tell us something important.

During the performance, learn more aboutvolcanic and other natural sounds…and howmusical know-how makes us smarter when itcomes to understanding our world.

Humans can hear from about20 to 20,000 Hertz. Lower-frequency sounds havea low pitch, like thunder. Higher-frequency soundshave a high pitch, like bird chirps. Instrumentsalso have different pitches, and the smaller theinstrument, the higher the sound it makes.Guess which instrument from the performance—marimba, violin, tuba, and cello—will sound thehighest and which will sound the lowest?

Tune in to the exploration ofsound and pitch by using yourown musical instrument—yourvocal cords. Place your fingersgently on the middle of your throat.Hum quietly. Feel that? You can feelvibrations coming from your vocal cordsas you hum. Now hum at a high pitch(like a bird) and then at a low pitch (like afoghorn). In music, the shorter or tighterthe string on a musical instrument,the higher the sound.Discuss with friendshow this idea workswith your vocal cords.

tuba

marimba

violin

cello

“Doctor Music” Will See You NowMusic and sound can help improve your health.For example, by analyzing the sounds of cells,scientists hope that one day they will be able totell whether disease cells are present before aperson shows any sign of illness.

Music also works like medicine. Live music helpscalm and soothe babies born prematurely (tooearly). Researchers believe music comforts theseinfants and helps them get strongerfaster. Some doctors find that musiccan also distract older kids from thepain of certain medical procedures,like shots. And finally, older peoplesuffering from illnesses that causethem to lose their memory canbetter recall past events whenthey hear music from their youngerdays—improving their happiness and well being.

During the performance, learn more aboutmusic and health.

PITCH IT

Performances for Young Audiencesis made possible by

David M. RubensteinChairman

Michael M. KaiserPresident

Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education

Christoph EschenbachMusic DirectorNational Symphony Orchestra

Additional support forPerformances for YoungAudiences is provided by AdobeFoundation, The Clark CharitableFoundation; Mr. James V. Kimsey;The Macy's Foundation; TheMorris and Gwendolyn CafritzFoundation; Park Foundation, Inc.;Paul M. Angell Family Foundation;an endowment from the Ryna andMelvin Cohen Family Foundation;U.S. Department of Education;Washington Gas; and by generouscontributors to the Abe FortasMemorial Fund and by a majorgift to the fund from the lateCarolyn E. Agger, widow ofAbe Fortas.

Education and related artisticprograms are made possiblethrough the generosity of theNational Committee for thePerforming Arts and thePresident’s Advisory Committeeon the Arts.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

Cuesheets are produced byARTSEDGE, an education programof the Kennedy Center.

Learn more about education atthe Kennedy Center atwww.kennedy-center.org/education

The contents of this Cuesheet have beendeveloped under a grant from the U.S.Department of Education and do notnecessarily represent the policy of the U.S.Department of Education. You should notassume endorsement by the FederalGovernment.

© 2014 The John F. Kennedy Center for

the Performing Arts

Connections:

MusicMatters

CuesheetP

ER

FO

RM

AN

CE

GU

IDE

Developed and hosted by

Yvonne Caruthers

Performed by

National Symphony Orchestra members

Natasha Bogachek, violin

Yvonne Caruthers, cello

Stephen Dumaine, tuba

Eric Shin, percussion At the performance, join

National Symphony Orchestra (NSO)

cellist Yvonne Caruthers and three of her

musician friends to learn some surprising

connections between music and the world

around us—and how music matters by making

us smarter, healthier, and happier.

Listen closely! Musical sounds

are everywhere.

David and Alice Rubenstein are thePresenting Underwriters of the NSO.

Music to Your EarsAt the performance, you will hear:

“Lullaby”by Johannes Brahms (yoh-HAH-nuhs brahmz)

“Flight of the Bumblebee”byNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (NICK-o-leye Rim-skee KOR-suh-koff)

“American Souvenir: Variations on Yankee Doodle”by Henri Vieuxtemps (ahn-REE vyuh-TAHN)

“Habanera” from the opera Carmenby Georges Bizet (Bee-ZAY)

“Music for Pieces of Wood”by Steve Reich

Sounds for HappyCustomersEver notice that most stores at themall have music playing? And thatdifferent stores play different typesof music? For example, stores thatsell clothes for young people oftenplay current hits at a relatively highvolume. The thinking goes: If themusic makes you happy, you’ll stay inthe store longer and buy more clothes!

Sound can also play a role in whatpeople choose to buy. Take, forexample, cars. Manufacturers believethat customers (whether they know itor not) expect certain sounds—like asmooth engine in an expensive caror that zoom-zoom sound in a sportycar. So engineers design and buildcars to create specific sounds thatthey hope will be music tocustomers’ ears.

Of course, musicians and instrumentmakers know a lot about buildingsomething—instruments, of course!—to create a good-quality sound.

During the performance, listen forthe difference between music playedon an inexpensive instrument and ona more expensive, finely crafted one.

Think about…What are some ways music andsound can make you smarter,healthier, and happier? Share yourideas with your friends and family.

A Good Audience…� Stays seated� Stays quiet� Watches and listens carefully� Claps at the end

For Web links related tothe topics covered inthe performance, see

www.yvonnecaruthers.comand click on “Connections”