This is what one of my students asked me only two weeks shy of the holiday in question. My response was, "That would be tons of fun, unfortunately we only have two weeks! There's no way we can get something together that fast". These are second year students after all. They are still a little uncertain with anything outside the D major scale. The class completed and after the students left my room, the wheels in my brain started turning. Could we get something together that fast?
I determined that with a simple enough part and dedicated enough students willing to give up some of their free-time, it could be done. I also wanted to make sure that whatever we did was not too scary for elementary school listeners. What I've come up with is a musical accompaniment for a dramatic reading of a Dr. Seuss story- "What was I Scared of". It is part of the "Sneetches and Other Stories" Collection and features a pair of pale green pants with nobody inside 'em. "And there I was! Caught in the Snide! And in that dreadful place, Those spooky, empty pants and I were standing face to face!"
The music includes repeating A minor ostinato parts, building in intensity, and the "Mysterioso pizzicato" theme, which I previously knew only as "that creepy, sneaky song". Sounds effects include tremolo, glissando pizzicato for upper strings, heartbeat pounding on lower strings, and a whimpering cry for solo violin. The words have been written out with musical cues.
My group of eight 6th grade students have been rehearsing during recess and will be performing this on stage in the lunchroom on Halloween. The student whose idea it was to do something special for Halloween- he will be the narrator. I could have left my answer at "no" but I have made the choice to say "yes" as much as I can. This performance may have a glitch or two, but I believe that it will be worth it. Validating student ideas- even risky ones- is important. Encouraging kids to put themselves out there and take chances develops their confidence and creativity. I also feel like it increases their ownership of the music program. This is THEIR performance. How much more likely is it that a student will continue playing in junior high school because he knows that he is empowered to make decisions in music class?
