For ten years, people have escaped to an alpine village in Switzerland for a few weeks each summer, to attend the Verbier Festival. Artists and music lovers meet to share their love of classical music in this inspirational setting, which in 2003 hosted several of the world's top pianists for a multi-piano concert. In this lesson students will develop an appreciation for the impact the piano has had on society. They will read a letter written by Ludwig van Beethoven to piano maker John Broadwood, create an information packet about the festival, and write a skit about what life was like before recorded music.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will design an information packet to educate people about the various elements of the Verbier Festival.
2. Students will construct a skit that exhibits an understanding of the special role the piano played before recording devices were invented.
Materials:
Copy of GREAT PERFORMANCES' ALL-STAR PIANO EXTRAVAGANZA: THE VERBIER FESTIVAL & ACADEMY CONCERT
Internet access
Paper
Writing implements
Language Arts http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Standard.asp?SubjectID=7
Writing: Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Viewing: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.
Reading: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.
Listening and Speaking: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.
