CMP Teaching Plan

Joe Krause

A Prairie Portrait
Robert Sheldon
Alfred Music Grade 3/5:30*
*Composers website says 6:10 but most recordings Im finding are around 5:30, and the published score
says 5:15.

robertsheldonmusic.com/about-robert/

Broad Description
A recently composed, characteristic work for concert band that evokes the journey and hope of the
pioneers and prairie.

Composer Biography
 Born Feb 3, 1954. He received a Bachelors of Music in Music Education from the University of Miami
and Masters of Fine Arts in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Florida. He taught instrumental
music in Florida and Illinois public schools, and taught conducting and instrumental music ed at Florida
State, in total for 28 years.
He is a distinguished clinician, and the lead author of the Sound Innovations for Band method books.

Background Information
Commissioned by Illinois Music Educators Association District 2 High School Band, Chorus and
Orchestra for their 2003 Honors Festival in Rock Island, Illinois. It was initially scored for voices, strings,
and winds, but was published in 2006 as a concert band piece.
Its inspired by a poem by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967,) Prairie, from the collection Cornhuskers
(1918.) Sandburg wrote the poem while living in Chicago, working as an editorial writer for the Chicago
Daily News and publishing his poems in Harriet Monroes Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. Cornhuskers, along
with Chicago Poems (1916) and Smoke and Steel (1920) were all portrayals of industrialism in America
that he became known for.
The lyrics of the original version of the piece were derived from the poem:

I was born on the prairie and the milk of its wheat, the red of its clover, the eyes of its women, gave
me a song and a slogan.

Here the water went down, the icebergs slid with gravel, the gaps and the valleys hissed, and the
black loam came, and the yellow sandy loam.
Here between the sheds of the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians, here now a morning star
fixes a fire sign over the timber claims and cow pastures, the corn belt, the cotton belt, the cattle ranches.
Here the gray geese go five hundred miles and back with a wind under their wings honking the cry
for a new home.
Here I know I will hanker after nothing so much as one more sunrise or a sky moon of fire doubled to
a river moon of water.

The prairie sings to me in the forenoon and I know in the night I rest easy in the prairie arms, on the
prairie heart.

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Elements of Music

Measures173

BIG FormSomething along ABCDA, with some themes reused throughout. Its a character piece that has
no strict form.

FormThe piece starts out Allegro Moderato, 4/4 time at 120 bpm, in Eb, with a short A section that
serves more as an introduction.
At measure 14, it slows down to introduce the B sectionAndante 76 bpm [AND] changes key to Ab. A 10-
measure phrase follows the ostinato that introduces the key and beat, and is then repeated poco pi
mosso and in Bb, with other instruments repeating each idea in canon.
The C section is in 2/4, Allegro Giocoso bpm = 116, starting m. 45. After a transition and a new ostinato,
theres a bright and energetic trombone melody, followed by a transition back to Eb and an upper
woodwind round that uses ideas from the A section.
The D section, starting m. 114, is still in 2/4, but Gently bpm = 72. It starts with a section without any real
melody, just texture and motive color. Then the horns begin a slower melody modified from the trombone
melody in the C section.
The A section at m. 147 brings it back to Tempo I and 4/4, bringing back material from the A section intro,
restating ideas Andante Moderato bpm=96, and then again in Tempo I.

MelodyThroughout the piece, melodies are pentatonic, with occasional passing tones. The fanfare-like
beginning and driving motion contribute to the feelings of hope and excitement, whereas the tuneful
slower melodies stepwise motion and frequent accented 6-5 and 2-1 gestures lend a folksy atmosphere of
peaceful simplicity.
The B sections melody, specifically, is 10 measures long; the extension gives it more time to breathe and
leads to a more satisfying resolution. The climax of the melody is the 8th measure, reaching scale degree
10 as the 7th of a IVM7 chord, arpeggiating down to 6 and then descending by pentatonic scale to 1.
When the melody is restated, the faster tempo, higher key, and especially the ideas being repeated in a
round produce the image of others joining in on a journey. Each time, its preceded by a short trumpet call,
like a send-off.

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The C section trombone melody offers contrast with its liveliness, staccatos and accents, although it uses
nearly the same arpeggiating figure at the end. The transition is much more decorative than melodic, with
many 16th note runs.
The D section, at first, just passes around a motive, taking time to appreciate the scene. The following horn
melody is shortened, having its climax in the 5th measure and sustaining 5 at measure 8, letting other
instruments take over with short motive statements from the melody. The section ends with a rallentando
as flutes play an ascending scale (and clarinet I descending) over bIII and bII, resolving to Eb with a 4/2-5/3
retardation that could end wars. (Well, maybe not. But its powerful.)

RhythmOne of the most common rhythmic figures across all melodic sections is the on-beat 8th note
followed by another 8th note tied to a longer note, often with a downward step motion. This acts as a cap to
many phrase endings. Dotted-eighth sixteenth-eighth-eighth occurs frequently in faster sections, both
melodically and in the ostinatos, providing much of the drive that these parts rely on. In the B section, the
ostinato is two-partslow syncopated chords, and a constant back-and-forth quarter note figure that
together provide a compelling sense of walking or riding along.

HarmonyFor most non-transition sections, harmonies are mainly diatonic, with the inclusion of bVII in
the A material. Harmonic rhythm varies widely, moving as fast as quarter notes in the C section, sitting on
a chord for as many as 8 beats in the B section. As opposed to the more triadic faster sections, the B
section chords are very lush, featuring 7ths and especially 9ths in abundance, as well as the constant 5-6-
5-6 quarter note ostinato adding further color. The war-ending moment leading back into A is harmonized
with an unusual bIII9 bIIM7 I, melodically dipping into the parallel minor until returning to major on the I
chord, which makes it all the more miraculous. This will likely be a favorite moment of students, even
those that dont play there. In general, the focus is less on the harmonies themselves, and more on the
melodies and motions that occur above and within those harmonies.

TimbreBrass is used for fanfare melodies and swelling chords, and low brass for slower, gentle chords
with the help of some woodwinds. Low brass also handles the ostinatos of the faster sections. Percussion
lends itself to the beat-driving typical of snare parts, and suspended cymbal rolls when entering new
sections. Xylophone often doubles woodwind melodies, giving them a more exciting quality. Woodwinds
take on slower main melodies and faster decorative lines. They frequently pick up motives and ideas
dropped by other parts of the band, acting as echoes in rounds or canons where they occur. There are also

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several isolated moments, with the endings of several sections seeing most percussion and brass drop out,
if not all, while the woodwinds sustain a chord or finish an idea.

TextureLots of melody with accompaniment, especially ostinato.

A sectionBrass fanfare with percussion driving along and woodwind decorative lines.
B sectionFirst statement: Flute melody with clarinet doubling an octave below over brass, sax, and
alto/bass clarinet ostinato. Second statement: Trumpets have melody, often splitting to harmonize in
thirds, with flute, clarinet, and horn imitating melody 1 measure behind. Saxes and low brass continue to
provide an ostinato, but with denser rhythm for each chord. A constant down-up-down-up eighth note
wood block pattern gives more direction to the whole section and enhances the journey idea. At measure
40, all parts come together for 2 measures in a nearly homophonic, augmented restatement of the
melodys climax.
C sectionTrombone moment of glory: Percussion drops out, leaving trombones accompanied by energetic
movements of chords from the bassoon, tuba, bass clarinet, and saxes. In the transition that follows,
woodwinds are doubled by xylophone while the brass take over the ostinato that was just accompanying
trombones. Next is a canonical woodwind section accompanied by two individual trumpet players
alternating 4ths and 6ths, then 2 measures of homophonic brass and saxes, then all winds but flute and
clarinet park on an Eb chord.
D sectionLow/mid brass and low woodwinds provide a sustained environment of chords for other voice to
pass around a motive on top of. The following horn melody is doubled by clarinets over slow-moving
homophonic chords by the saxes and low brass/woodwinds. The war-ending moment sees everything but
the flutes and upper clarinets drop out, with a mark tree (notated as wind chimes) adding effect to that
final chord before a gong roll ushers in the A section.

ExpressionThis piece features a mostly slow and gradual dynamic pattern. Many of the ostinato
patterns serve to soften or draw out transitions between dynamicsonly rarely does it change more than 1
dynamic level in 8 measures, the main exceptions being the decrescendo from ff to p during the B
sections coda, and the ff at the return of the A material. Even that is forecasted with a gong roll. This suits
the idea of the prairiegentle hills and slopes, rather than stark mountains, characterize the landscape.
The most tender moments go to the woodwinds.
The notable difference in articulation between the legato slow sections and the staccato/accented faster
sections provides a useful teaching ground for this type of expression.

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The Heart Statement
The heart of A Prairie Portrait is its use of the pentatonic scale, charming ostinatos, constant gentle
motion, and gradual changes in style and mood to depict the hope, excitement, and rest of a journey, seen
here in the prairie and the pioneer spirit.

Introducing the Piece

Affective Outcome: Students will reflect on what gives them hope, and how music can inspire or
designate hope.

Strategies
1. When they can play the piece well, read through the poetry again and instruct the students to think
about what gives them hope as they play through the piece this time. Give a short writing assignment or
have a class discussion asking what they thought of and what part of the piece speaks most to them and
why. (Auditory)
2. Go through the music section by section, asking students to tell what images they imagine might be
happening with the prairie. Draw a road map out of the images to create a visual representation of the
meaning/content of the piece. Discuss what aspects of the music portray these things. (Visual)

Assessment
1. Journal Assessment A journal written after playing through the piece with a focus on the emotional
aspect will give me a sense of how students are emotionally interacting with the piece, and how (or
whether) they interpret affective elements in music. Do they find meaning in the music theyre making?
The prompt would be approximately like so:

What were you thinking of as we played the piece? What in your life is a source of hope? In what ways
does this music connect to that/why did you think of it when we played this piece? What section of A
Prairie Portrait is the most hopeful, or most emotionally powerful for you? What elements in the music
do you think contribute to that effect?
Rubric:
5 4-3 2-1

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 Organization Student Students Students
answered all thoughts are thoughts are
parts of the somewhat fragmented and
prompt in a difficult to scattered,
coherent follow, 1 or 2 significant
manner. questions left portion of
unanswered prompt
unaddressed.
Connection to Student Student Student did not
Music identified a identified a make
specific musical element connections
instance of a but didnt between music
musical address its use and emotional
element and in the piece, or meaning, in the
discussed its identified a piece or in
affective value. meaningful general.
section of the
piece but
omitted the
musical
element(s) that
make it
effective.
Thoughtfulnes Students Students Students
s answers are answers are answers are
open, somewhat short, careless,
descriptive, and guarded, vague, and uninvested
meaningful. or brief. in the content.

Skill Outcome: Students will compose short melodies using a pentatonic scale.

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Strategies
1. Have students line up shoulder to shoulder, and take between 0 to 2 steps forwards or backwards,
whatever they decide, and then use their positions as the contour for a pentatonic melody by going down
the line and having them play their corresponding note. (Kinesthetic.)
2. Using notation software, assign students to write an 8 measure melody in Eb pentatonic, beginning and
ending on Eb. Listen to the playback, and have a few students volunteer to play their composition for the
class. (Auditory)

Assessment
1. Observational Assessment Students write short (8 measure) melodies using notation software and turn
them into me electronically. This lets me see how students are developing composition abilities and
making sense of the pentatonic scale as a compositional device. Before giving the assignment I would go
over the rubric in class and ensure everyone understands each criterion. I grade them according to the
following rubric:
5 4-3 2-1
Use of The melody uses all One or two notes Multiple notes
Pentatonic 5 notes of a go outside the outside the
Scale pentatonic scale and pentatonic scale. pentatonic scale,
does not go outside or the melody
it. doesnt use all 5
notes.
Rhythm The melody uses a Rhythm is varied Rhythm is not
variety of note but awkward, or used as a
lengths to create an sensible but compositional
interesting and contains little device (i.e.
sensible rhythm (i.e. variety. entire piece is
long notes when the quarter note.)
phrase comes to
rest.)
Shape The melody flows The melody The melody has
nicely and moves begins and ends unclear structure
gradually with some on Eb but and does not

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 skips. Begins and doesnt have a flow well.
ends on Eb with a clear high point.
high point near the Flows fairly well
center. but may have
jarring moments.

Knowledge Outcome: Students will define what a pentatonic scale is and be able to identify
whether or not a given melody uses a pentatonic scale.

Strategies
1. Verbally explain the pentatonic scale and show how you can make one using the circle of fifths. Look at
the different melodies in A Prairie Portrait and figure out which ones use a pentatonic scale. (Visual.)
2. To show contrast with the major scale, have students play a major scale, but for scale degrees 4 and 7,
stomp or clap instead of playing the note. (Kinesthetic)

Assessment
1. Written test This would allow me to test students understanding of what the pentatonic scale is, how it
is built, and what it looks like in music. A possible layout for the test might be as follows:

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Recommended Recordings

References
http://robertsheldonmusic.com/about-robert/
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/carl-sandburg

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