Ten Pieces Secondary Live Lesson: Additional video clips

Alex James:
Music is a universal language that everyone throughout the world connects with. It can stir a whole range of emotions. But why and what actually happens to our brain when we're listening to music?

Narrator:
The brain controls everything we do, from the way we communicate with each other, to the way we're feeling emotionally or even our daydreams. The brain is made up of many parts, the largest being the cerebrum which is split into two sections, the left and the right. The left side of the brain is highly activated during tasks to do with language and verbal memory, while the right side is more engaged when it comes to performing tasks connecting to emotions and feelings. But when we listen to music both the left and the right hemispheres light up. Within a millisecond of hearing a piece of music our brain takes in that information and breaks it down into three basic forms, melody, rhythm and timbre, the tone of the sound, and matches them back together to create music. Music can even change the way we feel. Researchers found that minor chords are often associated with feelings of sadness, while major chords are associated with feelings of happiness. And composers use the power of music and its ability to influence emotions to tell stories. Listening to music has even been found to affect your blood pressure, pulse rate and breathing. And when you listen to music that you enjoy, the brain boosts serotonin levels making us feel happier. So how's music making you feel today and what will those feelings inspire?

Naomi Wilkinson:
Well to get our creative minds working, we're gonna introduce our first guest. Not only did he write the official 2012 Olympic poem, and this year's FA Cup Final poem, he's also chancellor of the University of Manchester. One of the UK's leading poets. Please welcome, Lemn Sissay: MBE. Welcome to our Live Lesson. Hiya Lemn.

Lemn Sissay:
Hiya.

Naomi Wilkinson:
So tell us, how can music inspire poetry?

Lemn Sissay:
Well I mean, how can music inspire poetry, how can music not inspire poetry? Adele was a poet.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Was she really? What before she became a singer?

Lemn Sissay:
Yeah, she began as poetry. Yeah. Amy Winehouse began as poetry. Cats the musical is based on T.S Eliot's poetry, so music has been inspiring poetry since music was around and poetry was around, the two are kind of bedfellows.

Naomi Wilkinson:
So do you think that when you're listening to music, you should be trying to find a story in there or you should be finding the imagery that it brings to mind?

Lemn Sissay:
It's a really good question. And I think that, whether you come to the poem through the imagery or whether you come through to the poem through the story, it doesn't really matter as long as you arrive at the same place, don't worry about that.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay. Well we are about to hear the first of our three live performances today.

Lemn Sissay:
Yes.

Naomi Wilkinson:
What creative challenge would you like our studio audience here and everybody watching online around the country to do, while they listen?

Lemn Sissay:
Well it links directly with what you said about poetry and image. Let's imagine that we are the toreador, which is right at the heart of this piece, the proud bullfighter, and so each line is going to begin with, I am. So, I am.

Naomi Wilkinson:
I am.

Lemn Sissay:
Like that. And then what I want is an image that describes the toreador, the bullfighter. Not a literal image, like I am the lather of the volcano. I am the fire to the uh, sun. I am the… Does that make sense? Do you get that?

Naomi Wilkinson:
I am something to the something.

Lemn Sissay:
Absolutely. Choose an image which will describe the proud greatness of the toreador.

Naomi Wilkinson:
How the music is making you feel?

Lemn Sissay:
Absolutely. It will come through the music as well.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay. Thanks, Lemn. Alex, you're up with our audience, are you ready?

Alex James:
We are poised, pens and poetry, worksheets in hand. Ready guys? And teachers watching around the country, please do email us your classes work at [email protected].

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay. It is time to get creative as the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Alpesh Chauhan performs, Bizet's Toreador Song.

Naomi Wilkinson:
I absolutely love that piece of music, that sounded so fantastic. Thank you very much. So Lemn, what was, have you written up on the board. I know you are very familiar with that piece of music.

Alex James:
I am.

Naomi Wilkinson:
And what do these words mean?

Alex James:
I chose nature quite a lot, but I have, I am the march on the battle field. I am the cliff against the sea. I am the swell of the storm. I am the current beneath the river. And remember, you can put in adjectives here to strengthen them, so I am the broken cliff against the silent sea.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Ooh.

Alex James:
Do you know what I mean?

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah.

Alex James:
I am the careful cliff. I am the clenched cliff against the silent sea. Do you know what I mean?

Naomi Wilkinson:
So it just gives it more meaning?

Alex James:
It then gets exciting, it then starts to become more original, yes.

Naomi Wilkinson:
I think, Alex is up with our audience. What words have they sent in?

Alex James:
Lots of furious scribbling going on here, all sorts of things. What have you got there?

Schoolboy 1:
I am a horse in a race.

Alex James:
I am a horse in a race. Well it's a starter. What's your name, what have you got?

Schoolgirl 1:
I am the crash of the waves.

Alex James:
I am the crash of the waves. That's very powerful, isn't it? And I couldn't help noticing this one. What have you written?

Schoolgirl 2:
I am the sun to the stars.

Alex James:
The sun to the stars. And what have you got?

Schoolboy 2:
I am the cheese to the cracker.

Alex James:
I think that's my favourite.

Naomi Wilkinson:
I think that was only the crash of the waves. We've got Natalie has sent one in watching virtually. I am the drops of the ocean. I am the bounce in the ball. I am the love to my heart. Aw w, so good.

Lemn Sissay:
I mean, fantastic. I don't want love to my heart though. I actually want an image to represent it. I want you to stay with an image, if that's alright.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay. So once we've got these images, how do we then turn it into a poem?

Lemn Sissay:
Well the poem is already being created. It's really important that you know that. The moment you write one line, the poem is starting to talk back to you, you know. So, what I would do to build this into a poem, is I would take out the I am's altogether, and I would call it the bullfighter or I'll call it the toreador.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Toreador, yeah.

Lemn Sissay:
Thank you. And I would, I would simply have it as a list poem. List poems have been around for as long as poets have been around. The march on the battle field by the cliff against the sea, amongst the swell of the storm. The current beneath the river. Can you see that? And I would end it with a direct statement from the toreador.

Naomi Wilkinson:
So that's…

Lemn Sissay:
Like not an image, but a statement.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Absolutely amazing.

Lemn Sissay:
Absolutely.

Naomi Wilkinson:
We get poetry from music. Lemn, you're gonna be back with us in a little while, but for now please show your appreciation to Lemn Sissay: .

Lemn Sissay:
Thank you. And thank you.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Next up. How to compose your own music and give it your own unique sound. To inspire you, we've got a piece that features a very unusual solo instrument. Alongside the world class musicians of the BBC Philharmonic, you're about to see four times world DJ Champion, Mr Switch in action in a piece called, Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra.

Alex James:
But before that, let's meet the man who came up with this incredible composition, mixing two very different musical styles together. Welcome, Gabriel Prokofiev: .

Naomi Wilkinson:
Gabriel, welcome. Lovely to see you. Thank you for joining us for our live lesson. Now, you are not auditioning for the apprentice with that music. It has a very different meaning for you, doesn't it?

Gabriel Prokofiev:
Yeah. Well I knew that piece long before it was used for the apprentice 'cause actually it was written by my grandfather, Sergei Prokofiev.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Wow.

Gabriel Prokofiev:
And yes, I've heard that a lot. And yes sometimes it's like, oh not again, but it's, no I'm really inspired by his work, sometimes intimidated, and it took me quite a while to get in to composing classical music. I actually started doing music by playing in bands and doing electronic music and hip hop. And that's what led me to actually composing a concerto for turntables, because I was really interested in bringing different genres into the classical world.

Alex James:
And concerto's are usually written for a solo instrument like a cello or a violin in an orchestra, not turntables.

Gabriel Prokofiev:
Exactly, yeah. It's not your typical classical instrument, but I think when you have a great musician like, Mr Switch playing, it actually rivals the violin or the piano. The thing is, it doesn't have any of it's own sounds, so you have to find new sounds for the turntable to play. So we had to record samples, for Mr Switch to actually scratch with and manipulate.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay. Alpesh, can I just ask you, because it sounds like, Gabriel might be keeping you on your toes with this piece. Is it quite a tough one to conduct a DJ?

Alpesh Chauhan:
Well as Gabriel said, often we have a soloist here, who's a violinist or a clarinettist or anything, Instruments that you see in front of you now playing the concerto. We just treat the DJ as one of those instruments, as a soloist. And he does, we still want to give him his freedom to do what he wants to do. And it's a great instrument in that he can improvise so freely and do so many different things.

Naomi Wilkinson:
So you just have to keep a close eye on each other?

Alpesh Chauhan:
Exactly, yeah.

Alex James:
Okay, well it's time to get you lot involved. Gabriel, what task are you going to set for our audience here in the studio and for everyone watching around the country?

Gabriel Prokofiev:
Well I would like everyone to listen to the piece, and particularly focus on what Mr Switch is doing, and try and work out what are the sounds that we've recorded and put on the turntables. Now, the piece begins with one sound, that is the kind of main sound he uses throughout, and then in the middle of the piece he starts taking new sounds, and has almost a battle with the orchestra. So I want everyone to really listen and try and work out what are the original sounds that he samples.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay, identifying those instruments?

Gabriel Prokofiev:
Yeah.

Alex James:
Okay everyone, you can make notes about what samples you think Mr Switch is using on the composition worksheets or you can just listen. So here it is, Gabriel's Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra. This is the fifth movement featuring, Mr Switch.

Naomi Wilkinson:
That was totally fantastic. What a unique, unusual sound. Mr Switch, I have no idea how you do that, but hats off to you, that was amazing. So do you think you might have nailed what instruments were used there? There was a few confused faces, a few confident nods. Tell us, what instruments were sampled there?

Gabriel Prokofiev:
Well it is difficult, because once you start scratching with the sounds and manipulate them, they do change quite a lot.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah.

Gabriel Prokofiev:
The main sounds that, Mr Switch uses at the beginning comes from the strings, all of the strings playing pizzicato, that's when they pluck. And that's you hear them play at the very beginning. And he's actually playing the same material as them, just kind of stopping it and starting it, and then reversing it.

Naomi Wilkinson:
What here?

Gabriel Prokofiev:
And then he slows it down backwards, and that suddenly creates a very different sound.That's the [INAUDIBLE] That's reversed. And then after that in the middle section, you hear, he starts using a drum sound, a bass drum, then there's a cymbal crash, and then there's a snare drum, and then little bits of brass. A bit of brass hits from the trumpets, the trombones and the horns. And he kind of mixes them together and does that battle against them.

Naomi Wilkinson:
So it's quite a lot of instruments. If you put any of those, you got it right. Well done. But you don't have to just use traditional musical instruments, do you?

Gabriel Prokofiev:
No, not at all. I mean for this piece, I felt the best way for the turntables to work nicely with an orchestra, would be to use the sounds from the orchestra, so they really are in the same sound world. I think, you know, with an orchestra, if you use sounds that are too different, it might not really sit together properly, but you can actually put any sound into turntables or a computer or sampler. So yeah.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah, a little bit.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Well it's funny you say that, because Alex is with some members of our audience who have got some everyday household objects, haven't you Alex?

Alex James:
Yes indeed-y. Rosie has some Velcro, Spike has a ballon, and what have you got Verity?

Verity:
A whistle.

Alex James:
A whistle.

Naomi Wilkinson:
And a whistle.

Alex James:
So can we make it work do you think?

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay. So, Mr Switch you're gonna record these sounds into your turntables, and then see what you can do with them.

Mr Switch:
Indeed.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Right, so one at a time we're gonna play your instrument.

Alex James:
Up to the microphone. Give it a…

Mr Switch:
Lovely, wonderful.

Alex James:
Good job. You are mental.

Mr Switch:
And last sound, please.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay. So, we are thinking that by sampling one of these sounds, and then adding it to part of your concerto, it'll give it a completely different overall sound.

Gabriel Prokofiev:
Yeah, I mean, because the sound here you normally use in the concerto will work in harmony with the orchestra, they compliment it, but here you've got something from, from a different sound world and it's gonna really change the mood of the piece. His instruments almost changed really, and it's still the turntables, but his core sound is totally different. So, you know, you really will change it a lot.

Alex James:
So what's the verdict then, what do you think is gonna sound the most different from the orchestral samples that we've heard?

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah, let's have a listen.

Mr Switch:
Well they're quite a selection of sounds, so I'm just gonna play with each one and see what I would do with them. So first we have the whistle.

Naomi Wilkinson:
I like that.

Mr Switch:
Yeah, it's quite a nice sound, so you can kind of start to scratch it and make different rhythms out of it.

Alex James:
Barn birds.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Ooh, it's like a mad bird.

Mr Switch:
And you can kind of play with the notes. Yeah. I'll turn it down a little bit.

Naomi Wilkinson:
I like that.

Mr Switch:
So next we have the balloon sound, which is quite nice.

Alex James:
This was heavy.

Mr Switch:
This was heavy. So, it's a little bit distorted in the microphone. So we have a little bit. Then you have like an earth destroying.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Ooh, I like that.

Mr Switch:
That is actually quite nice. That's kind of a traditional scratch sound, where you have a big loud sound. And then last, I think we have the Velcro.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Velcro.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Okay, classic scratch, so they say.

Mr Switch:
Yeah, quite a nice smooth sound.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Which is your favourite then? Which one do you think would work best with the orchestra?

Mr Switch:
Well I think for sheer, sheer power, I'm quite enjoying the devastating energy of the balloon.

Alex James:
Yeah, man.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Shall we try the balloon?

Mr Switch:
What do you think, should we go balloon?

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah. Okay. So, if the orchestra are willing, we're put it together with a few bars from Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra and see how it changes the sound.

Gabriel Prokofiev:
Yeah, scary.

Alex James:
Yes, you can hear a different though.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Oh, excellent, amazing. That was so good.

Alex James:
So you can go away and find your own sounds, experiment and be creative. You could sample them like, Mr Switch and scratch with them. There are loads of apps you can use for that or you could simply use them as instruments in your composition to change the sound of your piece.

Naomi Wilkinson:
You'll find links on the website to help you get started, if you'd like to have a go at recording your own samples or if you'd like to learn more about how to scratch.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Now, it is time to see what happens when music and art collide. And to help us, is an artist who never reveals his full identity. In fact, he's never revealed his real name publicly, but you've probably seen his work. His giant murals of human figures are specially commissioned on the walls of buildings all over the world. Like this one, called Union, painted on a water tower in New York. His fans include the likes of Brian May and Sir Elton John, so please welcome the artist, Stik. And Stik, before we go on, we should probably just quickly say, that it's very important not to break any laws, don't go spraying paint on any old building out there, but you do work outside a lot. Do you find your environment that you work in, inspires your painting? Do you listen to the sounds that you hear and things?

Stik:
Yeah, that's right. I see-- I say that about 50% of street art is the street, so I always take my environment into consideration. I try to comment on what's going on in that neighbourhood, and what's going on in society in general.

Naomi Wilkinson:
You're in a slightly different environment today, the BBC Philharmonic studio. And you've very kindly accepted our challenge of creating an artistic response to one of the ten pieces, which is Shostakovich Symphony No.10. While you're listening to that you're gonna paint. What would you like everybody else to get creative with it artwork.

Stik:
Well I've been listening to this piece, and it made me feel quite on edge. When you hear it, you'll probably understand what I mean. It feels quite an angsty piece.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah.

Stik:
And I think it was coming from a place of trying to overcome something or work under an oppressive regime. So for me, I felt it was, it evoked that sort of feelings. I'd like you to listen to the music, and try to interpret it and make something about, something that you are struggling with, maybe socially or something that you would like to change in the world. And use whatever you've got around you, pens, pencils here. If you're in the classroom, get with your paints, glitter, rubbish or whatever you've got lying around. Grab what you can and try to express what you feel about the world or about your community.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Great. You haven't got very long to do it either. So just–

Stik:
Let's do it.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Are you in position ready to paint?

Stik:
I'm ready to paint.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Alright. So, pens and worksheet number three at the ready everyone as we hand over to, Alpesh conducting the fantastic BBC Philharmonic.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Oh goodness, the drama around me. I think I saw smoke coming off your bows there, that was absolutely superb. Now, your stick figures are so simple, yet they're so effective. I mean, you were just adding the dots for the eyes at the end there, just changed the whole look of it completely. Are you all out of breath?

Stik:
Yeah, I am.

Naomi Wilkinson:
That was brilliant. Could you talk me through what you've done here?

Stik:
Well that took longer than I thought it would.

Naomi Wilkinson:
You did great.

Stik:
It was really easy in the studio. What I've done is, I've used just six lines and two dots per figure, a really, really fast way of painting. This is how I usually paint, when I'm painting out in the streets, it's become my style. And it's a quick and easy way of displaying something with a minimal form, but with a maximum amount of expression so.

Naomi Wilkinson:
And here, what's going on in your painting then?

Stik:
Putting these little wiggles in and everything, just gives it the expression.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Who are you portraying here, what's the idea?

Stik:
This was, this is what I felt that Shostakovich was trying to talk to me through his music about, which is this figure here is representing a new way of moving forward. It's the same figure, as this figure at the back here. It's the same size and shape, it's the same person really going into a new future. And this figure escaping from some sort of old past that he's afraid of. And this is all the stages in between, the whole family moving forward.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Well that is just superb. Well done, Stik. Alex, what have our audience come up with?

Alex James:
Well it's a terrifying piece of music, I've got to say, I couldn't have listened to that until I was about 30, but I loved what everyone did, but I picked out a few of my favourites.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Right, let's have a look.

Alex James:
Alex has done. This is very clever isn't it?

Stik:
Oh yeah, that's nice.

Naomi Wilkinson:
And wow.

Alex James:
Kind of an infinite hall of mirror.

Alex James:
It uses perspective here, it's like really going somewhere.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Alex James:
A scary Mary.

Stik:
Shooting into the future there.

Alex James:
Terrifying city scape.

Stik:
That's nice, that's the giant next to these tower blocks, I like that.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Good work, Will.

Alex James:
That was. Yeah, well done Will. And someone's getting eaten by a monster.

Stik:
That's fantastic, that's like a crocodile. That's yeah.

Alex James:
And laughing.

Stik:
Yes.

Naomi Wilkinson:
So, now obviously this is a very quick piece of art, but this is a good starting point you think?

Stik:
These, I would say that these are starting points maybe for murals, for things on a larger scale. So, my friend [Terinwah] described the Berlin Wall as a crocodile, that's lied silently, but then something turns round and almost kills somebody. So, I would use these for, say that these are the beginning points for murals, for a mural and they seem very emotive. And I would say this is, these are brilliant.

Alex James:
That's brilliant ain't it?

Stik:
Look at that, that is pure expression. Fantastic.

Naomi Wilkinson:
Yeah, that's right, is what the music tells you and makes you feel.