Russian Duo

SL1 – Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Russian Duo models and discusses collaboration by playing chamber music, and then preparing students to listen, sing and play so we can all make music together.

SL2 – Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. Our group’s participatory performance helps students with cultural, musical, and historical literacy by introducing them to Russian vocabulary, geography, composers, then using this during the program for informed listening and decision-making.

SL4 – Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Students learn musical concepts such as "beat" "phrase" "accelerando" as they perform with us using Russian Percussion instruments. We use these terms freely as we present several musical situations and “difficulties” for the audience to solving a puzzle so we can have a final performance together.

Musical Response K-8.MR.1 – Understand the interacting elements to respond to music and music performances. Our interactive performance demonstrates form and structure of music so students can understand where to listen, where to join in singing.

Musical Contextual Relevancy K-8.CR.1 –  Understand global, interdisciplinary, and 21st century connections with music. We compare and contrast our upbringing (American, Siberian), our musical instrument (balalaika & piano, voice, body percussion, Russian percussion) and teach children the Russian names of instruments. Through our group’s performance, students gain an appreciation of how music develops differently out of different cultures by discussing and demonstrating how the same song can be known and sung in both America and Russia. We discuss how composers and folk musicians are part of a continuum.

Musical Literacy K-8.ML.1 – Apply the elements of music and musical techniques in order to sing and play music with accuracy and expression. In our final performance, students learn how to follow a conductor, listen and watch for start/stop signals, perform percussion in a specific tempo, They participate in loud/soft, fast/slow and learn musical some musical terminology (beat, phrase, cut-off, verse, chorus, solo, chamber music). Students experience the interlocking roles of audience, composer and performer.