Ravi Shankar

2. Ravi Shankar Symphony – finale (excerpt) Primary / KS2 / 2nd Level Classroom Lesson Plan Written by Rachel Leach

3. Trailblazer Passionate sitar performer Ravi Shankar shared his love of Hindustani classical music by exploring it using the instruments of a large western orchestra

4. Lesson outcomes After this lesson, pupils will be able to: • listen and reflect on a piece of orchestral music • create their own piece of music using instruments and voice • perform as an ensemble • learn musical language appropriate to the task

5. Curriculum checklist Learners will: • play and perform in ensemble contexts, using voices and playing musical instruments • improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the interrelated dimensions of music • listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory

6. Glossary of music terms

7. Lesson 1 Watching, listening and researching

8. Background – the composer Ravi SHANKAR (1920–2012) • Indian musician and composer • Known as a sitar maestro • Brought Indian classical music to a western audience in the 1960s and was a huge influence on George Harrison from the Beatles, US composer Philip Glass and classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin

9. Background – the music Symphony – finale (excerpt) • This 2010 work is a cross between a symphony and a concerto – it has four movements like a symphony and a prominent concerto-like solo part for sitar • Much of the sitar part is improvised • Uses traditional Indian ragas (modes) rather than major or minor scales and keys • Towards the end, there is a vocal section which uses Indian drum syllables as text

10. Watch the orchestral performance

11. List the instruments you have seen in the performance Draw one of these instruments (you can use the internet to see what they all look like)

12. Lesson 2 Ragas, drones and solos

13. Pat your knees quickly – this sounds like a ‘drone’ Hum a low sound too – a ‘vocal drone’

14. A RAGA is a scale used in Indian music Play notes from the Raga on a xylophone

15. Lesson 3 Two-note patterns

16. Warm up!Remember your drones from last lesson

17. Use these two pitches to play a game of ‘call and response’ Make up your own call and response – add words to help, if you like

18. Lesson 4 Vocalisation, Indian drum syllables

19. Warm up your voices! Raising left hand = long ‘hmmmmm’ sound Raising right hand = short, horrible ‘urgh’ sound

20. Learn the Indian drum syllables that Shankar uses in his music Use these to make a class version of this tune, featuring: • Singing • Woodblock pulse • Drone

21. Lesson 5 Massive coda

22. Massive coda Listen to the Coda again, which is at the end of the piece. You can hear: • Raga running up and down • Pulse and spiky rhythms

23. Three tasks! • Pitched instruments:create a short section that wanders up and down the raga notes • Unpitched instruments:a constant, steady pulse, but other sound effects may be added • Fit these together to make your own Coda!

24. Lesson 6 Performance time!

25. Recap • Improvised solos with drone • Call and response • Sung syllables • Massive Coda

26. Practise and perform!

27. Taking it further – cross-curricular activities MUSIC: Listen to traditional South Indian Carnatic music and see how it compares and differs from Ravi Shankar’s piece. Listen to how Ravi Shankar inspired the Beatles and American composer Philip Glass. RESEARCH: Continue your research by taking a closer look at the other Indian instruments featured in a Carnatic orchestra, or instruments from other places around the world. Maybe someone in your class has family members who can play one of these instruments. DANCE: Indian music is often danced to. Record your new piece and create a dance to go with it. Or choreograph Ravi Shankar’s piece. UPLOAD: Showus what you’ve created! Submit your creative responses using our Uploader for a chance to be featured on the Ten Pieces website .