Aurora
Traditional Japanese Lullaby
Country:
Scandinavia
Region:
Europe
Composer:
Juhi Bansal
Language:
Lativian
Genre:
Accapella
Voicing:
SATB
Difficulty: Intermediate
Duration:
~4 minutes
About the Piece
Juhi Bansal is a composer who seeks to weave together themes celebrating musical and cultural diversity, and natures and the environments. This song brings these themes to life by using multiple cultural perspectives of the aurora borealis. Inuit cultures tell many legends about the aurora borealis, aksarnig. In some tribes, the spirits are believes to be carrying torches to guide us to the sky, in others these incredible lights are manifestations of spirits playing, dancing, moving in joy and play. This arrangement draws upon the Indigenous Scandinavian (Sami) traditions of kulning, which means to celebrate ice, winter, and the spectacle of natural play of light. The Inuit and Sami cultures are distinct traditions and this song brings them together to encapsulate the wonders of the sky.
Lesson Plan Outline
Before Rehearsal
- Look at a map of Northern Scandinavia and find areas where Inuit and Sami communities live
- Discuss the Northern lights and how natural phenomena’s can inspire stories, music and artistic traditions
- Introduce Inuit storytelling traditions connected to the aurora
- Introduce the Same people and the traditional practice of kulning
During Rehearsal
- Listen to authentic recordings of kulning
- Develop independence between vocal lines
- Practice transitions between contrasting musical textures
- Examine the imagery of ice, fire, spirits, light and movement
Reflections
- How does the composer use vocal timbre to represent the natural world?
- What is the difference between learning about a vocal tradition and attempting to recreate the tradition?
- How does learning the cultural context of the arrangement change the wat you hear/perform the piece?
Extension Activities
- Elementary: Create a nature inspired sound scape. How can we embody rain? Birds? Light? And make all these ideas work collaboratively together.
- Middle School: Write a short story about why a natural phenomena may occur.
- High School: Have half the class present on Inuit culture and the other on Sami. How do they overlap and why would the composer combine them into one piece?
Teaching Resources
Recording- Juhi Bansal Music, L.A Choral Lab
Available Arrangements –
Kulning Technique- Kulning for Aurora
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SOURCES
- www.juhibansal.com
- resources.arctickingdom.com
- aurora-nights.co.uk