The Red Balloon

Anne McGinty

Kaitlyn Laprise
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background Information.................................................3
Analysis..........................................................................4
Individual Instruments: Ranges, Challenges, and
Suggested Doublings or Substitutions............................6
Resources.....................................................................10
Student Learning Objectives and Teaching Strategies. .11
Student Materials.........................................................14
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About the Red Balloon, the composer writes:
THE RED BALLOON is an original composition based on a painting the
composer saw just once. The painting showed a small child and a
grandfather, facing away. The two people and the background were done in
white on white. The only color in the painting was the red balloon, held by
the child. The music depicts the balloon floating in air.

About the Composer:

Anne McGintys over 225 works for band, string orchestra, flute, and flute
ensemble make her the most prolific female
composer of music for concert band. 40 of
these works were commissioned by bands
across the United States including Hall of
Heroes, the piece she wrote as the first
woman ever commissioned by a United States
Army Band.

She has won numerous awards including the Golden Rose award from the
Women Band Directors National Association and an Outstanding Service
to Music Award from Tau Beta Sigma. In addition to composing, she also
serves as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States
and Canada, and gives speeches at state and national conventions about
the performance and enjoyment of music and the value of music
education.
ANALYSIS
Melody
All of the melodic material for this piece is based on two 8-measure themes
presented in the first 16 bars of the piece.

The A theme is a floatingly lyrical, mostly stepwise melody in the

Lydian mode. It has a parallel period structure, and any fragments of
this theme throughout the piece use just the antecedent phrase (first
four bars).

The contrasting B theme is made up of perfect fifth leaps throughout

various scale degrees in the Mixolydian mode. When fragments of this
theme are found throughout the piece, often just the leaping motive in
the first two bars is used.

Though only the pitched percussion presents any melodic material, it is

worth mentioning that the unpitched percussion instruments Triangle,
Snare Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Claves, Tambourine, and Bass Drum are
used artfully throughout the piece to add color and contribute to the ethereal
quality of the melody.

Rhythm
The rhythms used in this piece include:

, , , , , and ties over the bar line

 Form, Dynamics, Key, Tempo, and Meter
M Form and Texture Dynamics Key Temp Met
Area o er
1- A theme: Fl/Ob mf C Lydian 112 3/4
8 o Ostinato: Cl p
o Sustain: Asx, Perc Color p
9- mf C
B theme: Fl/Ob
16 p Lydian /
o Accompaniment: Cl
p Mixolydi
o Sustain: Asx, Perc Color
an
17 A: Fl, Ob, Tsx, HN, Bells mf G Lydian
- o Sustain: Asx, LBr, LWw, Perc mf
24 Color mf
25 A: Tpt mp Db Lydian
- o Ostinato: Cl, Asx, Perc Color p
32
33 B fragments: mf D Major
- First: Cl, Asx, Tpt, LBr, LWw
36 Second: Fl, Ob, Cl
o Perc Color

mf

37 A: LBr, LWW mf Eb Major

- o Accented Eb7 Chords: All mf
42 others p
43 Phrase ext. (A): Fl, Ob, Cl, HN, Tutti G Lydian poco
- Tsx, Bells mf rit.
46 o Sustain: Tpt, LBr, LWw p
47 A: Asx mf Bb Lydian A
- o Ostinato: Cl p Temp
54 o Sustain: LBr, LWw, Perc color p o
55 B (first full B since opening) Tutti Bb Lydian
- o Woodwinds/Brass 2 bars mf
62 each f
o Tutti 4 bars
63 Climax Tutti F Lydian
- o A: Fl, Ob, Cl, Asx, Tsx, HN, f
70 Bells mp
o Sustain: Tpt, LBr, LWw
71 A (incomplete): Tpt (optional mf Eb Lydian
- solo) p
74 o Sustain: Cl, Asx, LBr, LWw,
 Perc Color
75 B: Ww, then Br, then Tutti mp
-
80
81 Return of opening C Lydian
- o A: Fl, Ob mf
84 o Ostinato: Cl, Sustain: Asx, p
Perc Color
85 A (fragments): All Br, then All Ww mp C Lydian
-
88
89 A: Bell Solo mf C Lydian
- Sustain Fl, Ob, Cl, Asx, LBr, LWw p
92 p
INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENTS : RANGES, CHALLENGES, AND
SUGGESTED DOUBLINGS OR SUBSTITUTIONS

Flute

Exposed melodic material in unfamiliar keys

Oboe

Optional part (either in unison or octaves with flute at all times)

o If you want both octaves, it can also be covered by additional
flute players since there is no flute divisi

Clarinet 1

Multiple fingerings required for the same note:

Back and forth over the break

Melodic and motivic material in unfamiliar keys
Extensive range (larger than any other instrument)
Ties over the bar line

Clarinet 2

Melodic and motivic material in unfamiliar keys

Ties over the bar line
Rhythmic independence from Cl 1

Bass Clarinet

Three notes over the break

 Optional part could be covered by any low brass or low woodwind
instrument
Alto Saxophone

Piano dynamic on low D, D#, E

Potential unfamiliar notes

Tenor Saxophone

Melodic and motivic material in unfamiliar keys

Optional part could be covered by HN or omitted

Baritone Saxophone

Optional part could be covered by any low brass or low woodwind

instrument
Potential unfamiliar notes in upper range

Trumpet 1

Range, dynamic control in upper range

Occasional 3 part harmonies
Rhythmic independence from Tpt 2 part
Optional solo

Trumpet 2

Range, dynamic control in upper range

Occasional 3 part harmonies
Rhythmic independence from Tpt 2 part
HN (opt)

Optional part could be covered by Tsx or omitted

Melodic and motivic material in unfamiliar keys

Fg, Tbn, Bar

Optional part could be covered by any low brass or low woodwind

instrument
Potential unfamiliar notes in upper range

Tba

Optional part could be covered by any low brass or low woodwind

instrument
Dynamic control in low register

Percussion

Unpitched:
All parts extremely independent
Every entrance after long rests
Bells:
Melodic material in unfamiliar keys
Eighth notes on non-repeating pitches
Solo
Large range of unfamiliar notes

Additional performance considerations listed by the composer:

 It is essential to maintain the four-bar phrasing. The tune is always
slurred. The last note of each phrase should be held full value so there are no
gaps or unwritten rests in the music. The idea is to keep the balloon afloat as
the melody passes from instrument to instrument. The piece is written with
no key signature, so caution the students about B natural and E natural.
The opening section, featuring woodwinds and percussion, should have
an ethereal quality. The phrasing across the bar lines in the clarinets will add
continuity to the phrasing. Please observe the indicated dynamics
throughout the piece. The percussion effects should be subtle and add color.
At m. 17, those with the tied notes must keep the tone well supported
so the pitch and tone quality remain unchanged for the duration. There must
be life and energy to these sustained notes as the melody rises and falls. The
cornets/trumpets should enter softly but with great confidence and exactly
on beat at m. 25. Check the balance of the four-part chords at m. 37, et. al.,
and again at m. 40.
The A tempo at m. 47 beings with the first note of the alto
saxophone, which should be played with great confidence. The clarinets and
bass line in octaves remain soft and need to enter exactly on beat two.
At m. 81, those with the quarter notes should hold them full value, and,
as they release on beat two, the ethereal woodwind version returns. There
should be no gaps here or anywhere, as the tune is passed around the band.
The final chord should be soft enough that the bell part can easily be heard
by everyone.
RESOURCES
Suggested Listening Examples:
Nuages by Claude Debussy
Arctic Dreams Movement IV: Polar Night by Michael Colgrass
Pictures at an Exhibition: The Great Gate of Kiev by Modest
Mussorgsky/Ravel
Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev

Other resources
Teaching Music Through Performance in Band: Volume I
Noteflight composition software
New world encyclopedia article: Program Music
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Program_music
BBC article: Compositional Devices in Program Music:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/western_tradition/programme_mus
ic1.shtml
Dvorak: Best Music for Young Band
Garofalo: Instructional Designs for Middle/Junior High School Band
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND TEACHING
STRATEGIES
Student Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Identify and perform dotted quarter and eighth note rhythms (Perform:
CA 5)
2. Perform a chromatic scale the full range that is required for their
instrument (Perform: CA 5)
3. Identify and define enharmonic pitches
4. Aurally analyze the compositional elements that various composers
use to express specific ideas or characters (Respond: CA 7, 8, 9)
5. Improvise music in 3/4 time (Create: CA 1)
6. Improvise and compose music to represent a specific visual stimulus
(Create: CA 1, 2, 3)
Additional learning objectives that are expected with every piece:
Students will be able to:
7. Play their part to The Red Balloon (Perform: CA 4, 5)
8. Define composition-related terms
9. Give background information about the piece and the composer

Teaching Strategies:
Identify and Echoing rhythmic patterns starting from familiar
perform dotted rhythms and moving to dotted quarter/eighth note
quarter and rhythms
eighth note Rhythm exercises (sequence included in student
rhythms materials)
Identify and play in melody transposed for every
instrument on the board
Identify and play in the piece
Journal question: How would you explain dotted
quarter and eighth note rhythms to a younger band
student?
Perform a Discussion using a piano diagram of half steps and
chromatic whole steps
scale the full Students identify aurally the half steps in their Bb major
range that is scale
required for Work as a group to fill in all of the notes of a one
their octave chromatic scale starting on concert Bb.
instrument Fingering charts and teacher instruction to learn
fingerings for any new notes. Play the scale as a class
Students work in small groups (2-3 students) with like
instruments (as teacher rotates throughout the groups
for assistance) to learn the rest of the required
fingerings for their range on their fingering charts. This
work can be spread out across multiple classes with
just a few minutes per session
Students submit individual recordings of their
chromatic scale
o Required range: indicated on instrument range
list
o For instruments with a smaller range required for
the piece, the chromatic scale range will be
expanded to match what is required of the other
instruments (approx. 1 octaves)
Journal question: How did your group approach
learning your new notes? What challenges did you face
and how did you find solutions for them?
Identify and Using a piano visual as a model, explain that it is
define organized as a chromatic scale: the black keys to the
enharmonic right of a white key are labeled as sharps and black
pitches keys to the left of a white key are labeled as flats.
Students discover that each black key has two possible
names
Ask students how they think it would work with E/F and
B/C (no black keys in between)
Notecard game: every student is given a note card
with the name of an enharmonic pitch on it. Students
have 30 seconds to find their partner who has the
enharmonic respelling of the pitch they were given.
Reshuffle the cards and play the game several times
for reinforcement.
Game variation: divide the deck so that there are no
repeated enharmonic pairs in one pile. Distribute the
cards and have one half of the classroom close their
eyes and the other half find their pair without help
from their peers. Switch roles.
Journal question: Using a piano is a great way to figure
 out enharmonic pitches. What other ways can you
think of that you could use to figure them out?
Aurally analyze Students draw what they think the painting of The Red
the Balloon looks like
compositional Project these drawings for parents throughout the
elements that performance
various During listening examples of character pieces,
composers use students make lists of how the composers used specific
to express musical elements to convey a particular character
specific ideas
or characters
Improvise Intended as a warm up for the next
music in 3/4 improvisation/composition exercise
time Teacher-led call and response with melodic patterns in
3/4 time
o For each example, students clap and count the
pattern before playing it
Student-led call and response with melodic patterns in
3/4 time same process
Journal question: Does music feel different in 3/4 time
than in 4/4 time? Why do you think Anne McGinty
chose 3/4 time for The Red Balloon?
Improvise and Using a variety of images, project two pictures on the
compose board at the same time. Students take turns
music to improvising a short excerpt to represent one of the
represent a pictures while other students try to guess which picture
specific visual they chose.
stimulus Improvisations do not have to be melodic
Brief discussion after each example about what
elements the students used and heard that were
associated with the particular picture
Assignment: choose any image and compose a short
melody for your instrument (at least 8 measures) that
represents the image. Write a brief reflection on the
compositional decisions you made in order to express
the image more effectively
Perform compositions for the class and some at the
concert
Journal question: Did your classmates use any of the
same compositional devices as you did in their
compositions? Did any classmates use an idea that you
hadnt thought of? How might you use this idea in
future compositions?
STUDENT MATERIALS

The Red Balloon: Anne McGinty

About the Red Balloon, the composer writes:
THE RED BALLOON is an original composition based on a painting the
composer saw just once. The painting showed a small child and a
grandfather, facing away. The two people and the background were done in
white on white. The only color in the painting was the red balloon, held by
the child. The music depicts the balloon floating in air.

About the Composer:

Anne McGintys over 225 works for band, string orchestra, flute, and flute
ensemble make her the most prolific female
composer of music for concert band. 40 of these
works were commissioned by bands across the
United States including Hall of Heroes, the piece
she wrote as the first woman ever commissioned
by a United States Army Band.

She has won numerous awards including the

Golden Rose award from the Women Band Directors National Association
and an Outstanding Service to Music Award from Tau Beta Sigma. In
addition to composing, she also serves as a guest conductor and clinician
throughout the United States and Canada, and gives speeches at state
and national conventions about the performance and enjoyment of music
and the value of music education.

By the concert, you will be able to:

1. Identify and perform dotted quarter and eighth note rhythms

2. Perform a chromatic scale the full range that is required for your
instrument
3. Identify and define enharmonic pitches
4. Aurally analyze the compositional elements that various composers
use to express specific ideas or characters
5. Improvise music in 3/4 time
6. Improvise and compose music to represent a specific visual stimulus
Plus, as always, you will be able to:
1. Play your part to The Red Balloon
2. Define composition-related terms
3. Give background information about the piece and the composer

Required scale for your instrument:

 Terms for the Red Balloon

Start the unit by filling in the definitions you already know, then add to your
definitions as we learn them in class:

Program Music
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chromatic Scale
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Enharmonic
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Give two examples: ___________ and ___________ __________ and

__________

Legato
______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Poco ritardando
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

A
tempo_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

In class, we will listen to:

Nuages by Claude Debussy

Arctic Dreams Movement IV: Polar Night by Michael Colgrass
Pictures at an Exhibition: The Great Gate of Kiev by Modest
Mussorgsky/Ravel
Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev
For more listening, try:
Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks by Richard Strauss
Der Erlkonig by Franz Schubert
Helpful Resources:
Noteflight composition software
New world encyclopedia article on Program Music:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Program_music
BBC article on compositional devices in program music:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/western_tradition/program
me_music1.shtml
What does The Red Balloon look like??
Anne McGinty says she wrote The Red Balloon based on a painting she saw
once. Based on the music that she wrote, draw what you think the painting
looked like in the space below. Be creative! Your drawing will be used in our
concert!

Describe three decisions you made in designing your picture and how they
relate to musical elements in the piece:
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
 Now its your turn to be the composer!
Step 1: Choose any image. This could be a favorite piece of art, a
photograph, or any other picture you find.
Step 2: Compose a short melody for your instrument that expresses the
image you chose.
Things to remember:
1. You must be able to play your piece
2. Your piece does not have to be written in standard notation; graphic
notation is okay as long as you can consistently demonstrate the
meaning of each symbol

Step 3: Write a brief reflection (5-10 sentences) on the compositional

decisions you made in order to express the image more effectively

Step 4: Email me your completed project. The email must contain:

1. Your composition (either a link through Noteflight or a scanned image

of your graphic notation)
a. If you use graphic notation, be sure to include a description of
what each symbol means
2. The image you chose
3. Your reflection
Additional materials needed for the unit:

Dotted Quarter / Eighth Rhythm Sequence: (To be written or projected

on the board)

Journal questions: (To be answered in the order they are presented in the
teaching strategies)
How would you explain dotted quarter and eighth note rhythms to a younger
band student?
How did your group approach learning your new notes? What challenges did
you face and how did you find solutions for them?
Using a piano is a great way to figure out enharmonic pitches. What other
ways can you think of that you could use to figure them out?
Does music feel different in 3/4 time than in 4/4 time? Why do you think
Anne McGinty chose 3/4 time for The Red Balloon?
Did your classmates use any of the same compositional devices as you did in
their compositions? Did any classmates use an idea that you hadnt thought
of? How might you use these new ideas in future compositions?
 Grading:
Journal Rubric:
Scale for each criteria:
0 Not yet 1 Some evidence 2 Emerging
3 Competent 4 Very Good 5 Powerful
Journ Student Student Student used Studen Score
al # answered all presented appropriate t uses ___/20
parts of the thoughtful music several
question and terminology exampl
thoroughly creative es
ideas
1 ___/20
2 ___/20
3 ___/20
4 ___/20
5 ___/20
Total:
______/100
Chromatic Scale: Students are scored out of 100 points, and lose two
points for each note error made. If more than 10 errors occur, the student
must re-do the assignment.

Drawing Activity: This assignment will be graded on thoughtfulness of the

connections they made between the music and their drawing as evidenced in
their list of three decisions they made at the bottom of the assignment.

Composition Rubric: Students create criteria and scoring