Pre-Show Activity: Sound Design

Warm Up: Spectrum of Time

1. The teacher plays short clips of a few songs from different time periods
2. The students listen to the song clip and try to identify the time period the song may come from and/or a time in their life of which they are reminded
3. Students share and defend their responses

Main Activity: Music Inspired Tableaux

1. Working in small groups, the students select a song or lyric from the warm up and create a tableau based on it
2. The teacher may need to provide lyrics from the songs or replay them
3. The students share their tableau
4. Spectators reflect on the tableau using a “See/Think/Wonder” protocol

Discussion Questions

• What elements of songs/music remind you of certain time periods? Why?
• Discuss differences in tableaux → may lead to discussion on differences in time periods.
• Do the lyrics affect the song’s impact on the listener more than the beat or rhythm? Why or why not?

After viewing the play, ask students to think about their discussion about sound and experience participating in these activities. In what way did the sound effects and music in the play impact the experience?

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