“Bird Flight Patterns and Music”

Virtual Concert and Curriculum

Explore the exciting connection between bird flight and musical motion in this concert video with accompanying teacher’s guide and curriculum. The video features performances by the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and NBSO Education Trio with special guests Heloise Degrugillier, Recorder Soloist performing the world premiere of Jamie Allen’s Nightingale Concerto. The video also includes a special interview with Xavi Bou, photographer for the Ornitographies Project, a video featuring David Lentink from Stanford University’s bird flight and robotics lab and a visit with Sam Claggett, Conservation Education Specialist from the Buttonwood Park Zoo with a special bird guest. The orchestra and trio will perform works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams, Strauss and Derek Bermel’s Murmurations.

While the concert video is appropriate for both children and adults, the online activities, lessons, experiments and extra video content are specifically geared toward students in the elementary grades. Teachers will find a large collection of music, science, writing and visual art activities that further the bird flight pattern and music exploration. Activities include a starling murmuration interactive lesson with student-made “starlings on a stick,” play-along flap and glide melodies with the NBSO trio, thermal currents soaring experiment, music composition and improvisation activities, NBSO musician videos and much more.

The teacher’s guide will be released with the Video on a password protected page. The page will have the concert video and the teacher’s guide with clickable links to music videos, activity demonstrations etc.