• Nico Muhly’s Set Me as a Seal

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Meet the Artists

Composer: Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly is an American contemporary classical music composer and arranger who has worked and recorded with both classical and pop musicians. He currently lives in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, in New York City.
Conductor: Scott Ellaway
A British conductor and Artistic Director of OpusYou. Named by BBC Music Magazine as one of the UK’s Top Ten Emerging Talents.
Orchestra: Orchestra Europa
Orchestra Europa is, above all else, dedicated to creating a future for Classical Music. We believe education is the single most effective way to achieve this. Our musicians are educators, whether they are performing in an educational broadcast, concert, or on tour. The priority is to re-understand the relationship between musician and listener, in doing so we disrupt the status quo.
Dancer: Jonah Bokaer
A choreographer and media artist who works on live performances in the U.S. and elsewhere, including choreography, digital media, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and social enterprise.

Preparatory Materials

This lesson should take 45 minutes.

The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten provides a fantastic introduction to the instruments your students will encounter in our regular broadcast series or as a general introduction to OpusYou. We recommend you complete all of the activities below in advance, drawing particular attention to the instruments we will feature in our sessions. Alternatively, before each broadcast you could focus on the instruments your students are about to hear by playing the relevant sections of the music as detailed below. Please note that the performance is recorded in two parts.

Worksheet Downloads

Introductory Worksheet
You can prepare your students before each broadcast by downloading this preparatory worksheet. All suggestions can be adapted and are tailored to your individual requirements.
Support Worksheet
Download and print out these pictures of orchestral instruments and create a set of sixteen instrument picture cards.

Videos to Watch

Musical Excerpt
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Part 1) composed by Benjamin Britten provides an introduction to the instruments your students will encounter in the live streaming sessions.
Musical Excerpt
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Part 2) composed by Benjamin Britten provides an introduction to the instruments your students will encounter in the live streaming sessions.
Bonus Material
The piano belongs to the keyboard family. Introduce your students to this Intermezzo for Piano, Op. 117 No.1 composed by Johannes Brahms.
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