Leonard Bernstein, an American-born, American-educated musician of Ukranian-Jewish heritage, made significant contributions to American music, culture, and education that continue even decades beyond his death.
This set of lessons is designed for an enrichment activity for grades 9-12 students who have varying degrees of experience with music performance and may have limited music vocabulary. This set of lessons will discuss the extraordinary career of Leonard Bernstein, whose career flourished as a composer, conductor and performer in the mid-20th century. While, of course, the majority of Bernstein's career deals with music, much of what he dealt with in his career also reflected some degree of social-emotional learning.
Students will be asked to make connections between Bernstein's career or life experience and their own through a series of comment and update questions in each lesson. These comments and updates will draw on the Illinois State Social/Emotional Learning Standards, as follows:
GOAL 1: DEVELOP SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-MANAGEMENT SKILLS TO ACHIEVE SCHOOL AND LIFE SUCCESS.
1A — Identify and manage one's emotions and behavior.
1B — Recognize personal qualities and external supports.
1C — Demonstrate skills related to achieving personal and academic goals.
GOAL 2: USE SOCIAL-AWARENESS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS.
2A — Recognize the feelings and perspectives of others.
2B — Recognize individual and group similarities and differences.
2C — Use communication and social skills to interact effectively with others.
2D — Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and resolve interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways.
GOAL 3: DEMONSTRATE DECISION-MAKING SKILLS AND RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIORS IN PERSONAL, SCHOOL, AND COMMUNITY CONTEXTS.
3A — Consider ethical, safety, and societal factors in making decisions.
3B — Apply decision-making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations.
3C — Contribute to the well-being of one's school and community.
The American icon Leonard Bernstein created not only a legend surrounding his skills as a conductor and composer, but also as a gifted performer on the piano. Bernstein's singular talents as a musician were only matched by his congeniality and celebrity, and his contributions to the American cultural and educational landscape are still being considered today, nearly thirty years after his death.
Leonard Bernstein--originally named Louis at his grandmother's insistence--was born in 1918 near Boston to Ukranian-Jewish parents. While he grew up, he took piano lessons on a cast-off piano acquired from a relative. Young Louis (who at age 15 legally changed his own name to Leonard) showed an early aptitude and interest in classical music, particularly piano music. He and his younger sister played played piano works on the family piano, including transcriptions of Beethoven symphonies written for piano. This early study of classical music shaped an interest in musical form and piano technique, and both aspects would interest the young Bernstein in years to come. While his parents were not initially supportive of their son becoming a career musician, they soon realized that his interest was much more than a passing interest.
Bernstein's family's location allowed him to attend prestigious schools while growing up, including the Garrison Grammar School and the Boston Latin School, a public school still in existence, from which he graduated in 1935.
Comment: What activity, pursuit or study have you taken on that you have found so interesting that it completely engages you?
Update: What activities and/or interests from your childhood have shaped the ways in which you currently spend your time?
Notes for Lesson 1:
Have the students fill out this survey HERE prior to the first lesson. Chances are, they have not heard of Leonard Bernstein. By the end of the unit, they will not only know about his career and his prolific body of work, but they will see their own connections and similarities with Bernstein and other leaders in their fields.
Many times, we find ourselves developing new interests accidentally. Leonard Bernstein's family acquired their first piano from an aunt who was going through a divorce and needed the piano to be stored by someone in the family. They quickly learned that young Lenny was extremely interested in playing the piano and begged for lessons.
Students often assume that they are unable to achieve something simply because they are who they are, or that they are nothing special. Bernstein's family was not particularly wealthy, nor did they approve of music as a pastime for young Leonard. However, this did not stop the interest of the young boy, and his parents realized he was very serious about his desire to study music.
The Comment and Update questions are to guide the students toward their own areas of natural interest and aptitude; what do they love? How are they like young Leonard Bernstein?
Bernstein began his studies at Harvard in 1935. In his days as a college student, he studied music and aesthetics. While his studies in music encompassed performance (again in piano), accompaniment (of the Harvard Men's Glee Club), Bernstein also spent time studying conducting and composition. During his time at Harvard, Bernstein met some of his most influential mentors, including composer Aaron Copland, with whom he would have a lifelong friendship, and conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos, whose influence on conducting and rehearsal style influenced him for his entire career.
Bernstein's friendships and mentorships in that time produced lifelong influence on his career. Bernstein studied the composition of his friend Aaron Copland, whose studies focused exclusively on composition. Bernstein had tremendous respect for Copland's work and his personality, and the two were close friends throughout their lives.
Bernstein was also heavily influenced during his Harvard years by the Greek composer, pianist and conductor, Dimitri Mitropoulos. From Mitropoulos, Bernstein adopted the habit of conducting from the piano, and playing phrases on the piano to model what he wanted musicians to emulate in terms of sound, phrasing, and other musical ideas.
Comment: What role has a mentor played in your life?
Update: Why is modeling important (as demonstrated in the photo of Dimitri Mitropoulous) for musicians of all experience levels?
Notes for Lesson 2:
This lesson focuses on mentorship, which is something that Leonard Bernstein's career was built upon. From his time at Harvard until his last years, he always had friends who also served as advisors and mentors to him, even when his own considerable intellect would serve him well.
Focusing heavily on Social Emotional Learning Standard 1 (DEVELOP SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-MANAGEMENT SKILLS TO ACHIEVE SCHOOL AND LIFE SUCCESS), students will identify the role that mentors play in their own lives and future careers through the Comment and Update questions.
1A — Identify and manage one's emotions and behavior.
1B — Recognize personal qualities and external supports.
Leonard Bernstein continued his studies at prestigious Tanglewood, the summer institute for conductors at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with renowned conductor Serge Koussevitsky. Koussevitsky became another major mentor in Bernstein's life, and Bernstein later dedicated his Symphony No. 2 (The Age of Anxiety) to honor Koussevitsky.
Bernstein was appointed as an assistant conductor to a new orchestra in New York City, the New York Philharmonic. Perhaps the greatest break of Bernstein's young professional life occurred on November 14, 1943, when he conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in concert, without rehearsal and with almost no notice, in a nationally broadcast concert on CBS radio from Carnegie Hall. The original conductor, Bruno Walter, had fallen ill with the flu, and was unable to conduct. Bernstein stood in for the ailing conductor, and became an instant sensation with his ability to navigate the program successfully, without rehearsal or with almost no preparation time. The press recognized him for his last-minute endeavor, as shown in this November 15, 1943 notice.
Comment: Why do you think Bernstein was able to step in so successfully into Bruno Walter's position for the November 14, 1943 concert? What attributes of his character, musicianship and work ethic do you see as most important in his success for that event?
Update: As a musician, you know that there are many qualities, musical and non-musical, for musicians to display in a music-oriented work setting. Choose one quality of each (musical and non-musical) and describe why it is essential.
For the Instructor:
Most people who excel in sports, performing arts and entertainment often have a pivotal event that allows their talent, hard work and persistence to be demonstrated, often to the surprise of the public.
This lesson will focus on Leonard Bernstein's last minute conducting debut, which was critically extremely well received, and the discussion will focus on the preparation needed to be successful in a sudden opportunity such as Bernstein's.
Standard addressed: 3B — Apply decision-making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations.
While Bernstein was experiencing great success in conducting, he was still also working on compositions and performing. Bernstein's compositions included two symphonies, multiple orchestral works, musical theater, choral works, film scores, and many other musical works. In addition, Bernstein was much sought-after as a piano performer.
Leonard Bernstein was known as a composer who fused together stylistic elements from many types of music, such as jazz, ballet, and symphonic genres. While he was not confined to one stylistic format, it often frustrated Bernstein that he felt that he was taken less seriously as a composer, or less favorably received by critics, because of his blended style. Critics, however, were immediately impressed at Bernstein's 1957 release, West Side Story, which blended jazz, symphonic music, and musical theater in a way that had never been heard before that time.
**Same music as pictured in manuscript above, scene from West Side Story
Comment: How did Leonard Bernstein's flexibility as a musician contribute to his career continuing to flourish through decades?
Update: What do people who are masters of their craft--music, sports, acting, academia--keep their skills up and continue to refine their craft? Choose one person from one field and describe his or her process of staying active in the field.
Bernstein's career continued to grow because Bernstein continued to work in every domain of his career: as a conductor, performer, and composer. Bernstein was equally able to work in any one of these domains, and continued to refine his skills well into his career.
Often, students perceive that once an artist, actor, author, musician, or athlete becomes well-known, they no longer pursue opportunities to grow because they have reached the pinnacle of their fields. But Bernstein's career continued to grow because he continued to work in every domain of his career: as a conductor, performer, and composer. Bernstein continued to refine his skills well into his career.
Students will recognize and discuss possibilities of how a leader in the field continues to grow. This lesson works heavily with standard 1C — Demonstrate skills related to achieving personal and academic goals.
"We musicians, like everyone else, are numb with sorrow at this murder, and with rage at the senselessness of the crime. But this sorrow and rage will not inflame us to seek retribution; rather they will inflame our art. Our music will never again be quite the same. This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before. And with each note we will honor the spirit of John Kennedy, commemorate his courage, and reaffirm his faith in the Triumph of the Mind." ---Leonard Bernstein, November 25, 1963
"The 20th century has been a badly written drama, from the beginning. The opposite of a Greek drama. Act one: Greed and hypocrisy leading to a genocidal world war, a boom, a crash, totalitarianism. Act two: Greed and hypocrisy leading to a genocidal world war, a boom, a crash, totalitarianism. Act three: Greed and hypocrisy … I don't dare continue."--Leonard Bernstein, The Gift Of Music
Leonard Bernstein was known for combining his politics and his art, and allowing personal feeling to imbue his music, interpretation and performance with meaning from the world around it. Never was that sentiment more clear than in his speech of November 1963, just days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was a close friend of Bernstein.
For as well-known as Leonard Bernstein was for his musical achievements, he was also known to high-ranking government officials for his left-leaning political activities.
From an August 2017 news story:
"J. Edgar Hoover was monitoring Bernstein since at least 1949 — an internal FBI memo which made its way to Hoover’s desk cited the conductor’s involvement with several groups as prime areas of concern. Among them: the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief, the Civil Rights Congress, the Southern Negro Youth Congress and the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee. These groups were considered especially notable with respect to the reach of Executive order 9835 (the “Loyalty Order”) signed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. The order was meant to eliminate Soviet and Communist influences throughout the United States Government. This happened just before Bernstein was scheduled to conduct a concert for President Truman and Israeli President Chaim Weizmann, and his affiliation or direct involvement with these apparently insidious groups was enough to ring some alarms."
"Nothing came of that first FBI memo, but in time, Bernstein’s leftist stances became the target of another powerful political figure: Joseph McCarthy. The Wisconsin Senator had a maniacal obsession with finding as many communists and Soviet sympathizers as he could, even if it meant trumping up ludicrous charges. Being on his radar didn’t just subject you to senseless braying in the upper chamber of the U.S. Legislature; it was a professional death knell to workers in the arts and entertainment industry. In 1950, Bernstein's music was banned at overseas State Department functions, and 1951 Bernstein found himself — alongside other creatives, including fellow composer Aaron Copland — in the FBI Security Index, unambiguously marked “Communist.” He had his passport revoked in 1953, and even after he got it back, he was subject to intense FBI investigation."
While the temporary restrictions on Bernstein's travel and the accusations of Communist activity definitely created something of a shadow on Bernstein's reputation, it seemed to be only temporary, as Bernstein returned to conducting, composing and performing. He continued to voice strong anti-Vietnam war sentiments. However, in 1970, Bernstein and his wife hosted what he termed a "meeting" for the Black Panther Party, which was determined to be fundraiser for legal expenses, and the action was roundly criticized across all of America by conservatives and liberals alike. Bernstein was accused of indiscriminately lending his name to whatever liberal cause was most popular in the moment, and he never fully recovered his political credibility after the Black Panther incident.
Comment: Do you feel that the FBI investigation of Leonard Bernstein was warranted? Why or why not?
Update: Many celebrities in a public setting often state political views, even when they are not specifically asked to share. Do you think this is a useful or helpful practice? Why or why not?
Celebrities have long contributed to public conversation about politics, even in times when such conversation may be politically risky. This lesson focuses on Bernstein's political statements, how those statements drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the current climate in which various figures from industries offer their opinions on current events, politics and culture, solicited and unsolicited.
This lesson speaks to these aspects of Standard 2:
2A — Recognize the feelings and perspectives of others.
2C — Use communication and social skills to interact effectively with others.
2D — Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and resolve interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways.
Discussion:
On what topics have celebrities recently spoken out in the media? Do you feel that their input is useful?
In this particular forum, a written response may be most appropriate, as some students may not be comfortable answering in a spoken discussion.
In 1958, Leonard Bernstein began a series of concerts with the New York Philharmonic to be televised on CBS. The title of the concert series, the Young People's Concert, was a continuation of a series that had begun many years earlier. Bernstein's72 effort in these concerts was to bring classical music to a young audience, and to develop both understanding and appreciation for classical music. As he had done as a conductor and performer, Bernstein held these concert-classes from the piano, delivering engaging lectures (even quoting popular music of the day) while using the orchestra as a demonstration tool.
The televised Young People's Concerts ran on CBS from 1958-1972.
Click HERE to view a segment of Bernstein's Young People's Concerts.
Comment: Many view Bernstein's Young People's Concerts as a way for Bernstein to restore his public image after knowing he was under investigation by the FBI. Do you think that this activity would be effective in improving his public perception? Why or why not?
Update: Many celebrities, when faced with difficulties, accusations or other challenges, often engage in behaviors designed to rehabilitate their public image. Describe one example from any form of entertainment, sports, government or performing arts. Was the public relations effort effective, and why?
Leonard Bernstein's commitment to education had much to do with his role as a father. It also had to do with the fact that he was frequently under scrutiny from the federal government for perceived Communist activity, and his public image may have needed some reinforcement. Whatever the motivation, Bernstein helped to create a series of televised concerts with CBS, filmed at Lincoln Center in New York City.
The purpose of the concerts was to introduce classical music to a wide audience, specifically to children, and to make classical music both accessible and enjoyable to children. Since that time, orchestral conductors (with varying success) have attempted to relate their program to young audiences, when appropriate.
Students in this lesson will discuss connections to Bernstein's modern counterparts, and ways that leaders in modern society reach out to young people in their craft. In addition, they will comment on ways in which leaders in modern society work to rehabilitate their own images after controversy in this era, compared to Bernstein's era.
The standard addressed in this lesson and the next lesson: 3C — Contribute to the well-being of one's school and community.
Leonard Bernstein had continued to write music, conduct and perform throughout the decades of the 1950s and 1960s. He developed a series of televised concerts for children, and in the early 1970s returned to Harvard University for a three-semester visiting professor tenure. In this series, Bernstein delivered a series of six lectures about the construction of music, its connection to poetry, linguistics, and aesthetics in general, to an audience of students with and without musical experience. These lectures were nicknamed the Norton Lectures, after the position Bernstein held, the Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry.
Click HERE to see and hear Bernstein's first lecture in the series, "The Unanswered Question."
Comment: What three elements would you consider to be the most important to describe to a non-musician? Why are these elements important?
Update: Celebrities often find themselves in new dimensions of their careers later in life. Describe one such person from the world of sports, entertainment, music or academics, and describe how that person's career changed, and whether or not you feel that person's career benefitted from the new position. (i.e., professional athlete who becomes a sports commentator, author who becomes political commentator)
Late in Leonard Bernstein's career, he found himself back at Harvard University as a lecturer and advisor. He created a series of lectures about music for non-music students, and he also continued his work as a composer, conductor and a performer.
The comment section will focus on what three musical elements students would find most important in a lecture for beginners. As this course is for students with or without musical background, this comment section should yield some interesting results.
The comment section allows students to identify and discuss prominent people in their fields who have taken on a different aspect of their craft, particularly later in their career. This can mean singers who become actors, athletes who become authors, or other such moves.
Standard addressed: 3C — Contribute to the well-being of one's school and community.
Bernstein made one of his final statements as a conductor in Berlin, where he conducted a concert of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on Christmas Day, 1989. He made a key substitution of the word "Freiheit" (freedom) for the word "freude" (joy) in the performance. In that time, the Berlin wall began to be dismantled, and key Communist ideologies began to shift toward democracy in Europe.
Below is a video of Bernstein conducting the Berlin Celebration Concert. (Observe the ending of the concert at 1:25:45 and onward.)
This concert was considered to be one of the most symbolic victories of the arts in human society. It was one of the last major concerts that Bernstein would conduct before his death, less than a year later.
Leonard Bernstein's multidisciplinary study of music--as a composer, conductor and performer, as well as an educator and as an academic--provided a template for academic curiosity for not only musicians after him, but all Americans. His interdisciplinary approach to learning, his constantly shifting status as performer, conductor, composer and educator, and lifelong approach to learning provides a model for all disciplines.
Final Assessment:
Working with a partner, create a timeline as a Google Slides presentation with six to eight slides which represent what you consider Leonard Bernstein's most important contributions as a composer, conductor and performer. Your slides should include video links or photos, and no more than 14 words of text per slide. Be ready to present these slides to the class. You may use notecards to remember more information about your slides, if necessary.
For the final lesson, students will see footage of the Berlin Wall and photos of Bernstein taking it down. Bernstein remained active not only as a musician, but also as a humanitarian into his last year of life. Students will watch footage of one of Bernstein's last concerts, a concert in Berlin that was groundbreaking from both and artistic and a political standpoint.
The culminating activity for this unit is the creation of a presentation, with a partner, of Bernstein's most prevalent works and performances. Undoubtedly, students will have some differences of opinion about which performances will be most important and why. They will present these projects, created in Google Slides, with their partners to the class.
(n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2017, from http://www.classicalnotes.net/features/bernstein.html
P. (2012, November 07). Bernstein, The greatest 5 min. in music education. Retrieved October 8, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt2zubHcER4
Blacklisted: The Political Life of Leonard Bernstein. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2017, from http://www.wqxr.org/story/blacklisted-politcal-life-leonard-bernstein/
Leonard Bernstein at 100. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2017, from https://leonardbernstein.com/about/timeline
Leonard Bernstein: the gift of music[Video file]. (n.d.).
A. (2011, May 30). Leonard Bernstein: Young People's Concerts | What is Melody? (Part 1 of 4). Retrieved October 7, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AFovpvDRCI
Ross, D. (2013, July 02). Leonard Bernstein Quotes. Retrieved October 1, 2017, from http://www.classicfm.com/composers/bernstein-l/guides/leonard-bernstein-quotes/technique-communication/
Somewhere. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2017, from http://www.westsidestory.com/site/level2/archives/score/somewhere.html#
S. (2013, March 30). The Berlin Celebration Concert - Beethoven, Symphony No 9 Bernstein 1989. Retrieved October 4, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IInG5nY_wrU