NOTES TO THE CONDUCTOR

In Lessons from Mother Earth, I was inspired by the First Peoples Principles of Learning, with a particular focus on the principles centered on mentoring:

• Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities.

• Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.

• Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).

So often, we overlook the power of mentoring, at any age. Hence, in addition to cross-curricular prospects, this work also offers an opportunity to build a relationship between local ‘feeder’ elementary schools and the middle school/high school band program. 

The melody used in this piece has been deliberately written in an easy singing range for young students. The goal being that K-2 students learn to sing the melody used in the work, and do this whilst also studying the book and learning about sustainability (teaching resources linked below).

The culmination of the unit would be to attend a concert given by their local middle/high school band, hearing ‘Lessons from Mother Earth’ performed live (a piece they are already familiar with). Students could participate in the ‘windy soundscapes’ and potentially connect after the performance, either by reading books together, demonstrating instruments or some other activity that promotes mentoring and connectedness.

Teaching Resources