•CHOICE•
Improvisation for Spring 1999 Elementary Schools by St. Louis Community College at Meramec students.
_________
Definition: funk n. 1. Music. a. An earthy quality appreciated in music such as jazz or soul. b. A type of popular music combining elements of jazz, blues, and soul and characterized by syncopated rhythm and a heavy, repetitive guitar and trumpet line. 2. Slang. An unsophisticated quality or atmosphere of a region or locality. (From The American Heritage Dictionary) _________
Funk with a touch of circus music for what follows.
The pre-show begins when Faranak, videographer, turns the video camera from Barretts students and parents to Shawn then Bill and Robert O working the audience.
Shawn in formal attire greeting students as they enter. Musicians are warming up then begin to play slightly more organized music that has a funky beat. Bill and Robert O emerge from the back stage area and Shawn stops chit chatting with students to look up and see what antics Bill and Robert O are doing then she points toward them. Shawn then stands in front of the audience but faces Bill and Robert O - other Meramec students remain hidden until Shawn opens with "Good Day students... " Band plays entrance music while Meramec students walk out and stand behind Shawn as she slowly finishes opening sentence.
Shawn, Robert O and Bill end up in the center stage.
All others end up in back of or to the sides of Shawn, serious looks, give impression of a serious show. Others are wearing "shape" shirts and blue jeans and hats.
Shawn - "Good evening students, parents and teachers and WELCOME to our Ten Ring Surface Circus presented by these St. Louis Community College Math Students."
Carlo gives "ta-da" and changes to a slow drum beatabout every 30 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, not to dominate in any way.
Robert O holds up sign that reads Ten Ring Surface Circus presented by ..... He walks in front of everyone flashing the sign.
Shawn - "Today we will be showing you different shapes that we have been studying in our Calculus and Algebra classes and how they apply to everyday events. First we will look at the sphere."
Bill searches in big duffel bag for a poster board with a picture of a sphere. Before he finds the poster, he throws things such as balls, juggling pins, real egg(!?!), hacky sacks, dancing ribbons, and other things. Bill hands the sign to Robert O to show Barretts Elementary Students.
Shawn goes on to describe a sphere and demonstrates how a sphere is sort of a three dimensional circle.
Shawn-"A sphere is a three dimensional surface but round like a circle, just like a beach ball."
___________ will be wearing a shirt with a circle on it and will bring a beach ball to the front for a model of a sphere. He will also have a hula-hoop which he spins around as Shawn describes how a circle spun around it's axis is a sphere. Carlo moves to a slow drum beatabout every 20 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, not to dominate in any way.
Shawn- "One way to see a sphere is to take a circle such as a hula-hoop and spin it around a line through its center which gives the illusion of a sphere."
In the meantime, other STLCC students will grab some of the balls or pins that Bill threw and start playing with them. Carlo starts a slow drum beatabout every 15 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, not to dominate in any way.
Shawn goes on to describe three more shapes, a parabola(parabaloid), torus(ring), and hyperboloid(Planetarium).
Bill continues to throw more and more balls and other things out of his bag. Robert O keeps showing the signs of the shapes but seems to be distracted. After each person has presented their model, they join in on the juggling in the background.
__________ will bring a model of a parabola.
Shawn-"A parabola is similar to the letter "U." Another name for a parabola is an "arch". The McDonald's sign is made of two arches joined together. A three dimensional parabola is a paraboloid. A paraboloid can also be made by spinning it around its center line."
Carlo starts a slow drum beatabout every 10 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, not to dominate in any way.
__________ will have an innertube and a hula-hoop to demonstrate the torus.
Shawn- "A torus is simply a circle rotated around a circle. Two examples of a torus are a donut and an inner tube."
pause, Carlo starts a slow drum beatabout every 5 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, not to dominate in any way.
Shawn- "Can you think of any more examples?" . . . SPINGO JUGGLE . . .
Shawn- "Rob has an example of a hyperbolic paraboloid. What a cool NAME - RIGHT!"
XXXX's model for .....
pause, Carlo starts a slow drum beatabout every 2 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, not to dominate in any way.
Shawn- "In real life, an example of a hyperbolic paraboloid is a saddle. Raise your hand if you know what a saddle is. How many of you have ridden a swayback horse? So you know that a horse's back looks like a saddle too!" XXXXXX's model for demo . . .
pause, Carlo starts a slow drum beatabout every .25 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, not to dominate in any way.
Shawn- "Did you know there can be saddles on the Earth's surface? Take a look at my model of the hills around your school. Does everyone see the hyperbolic paraboloid/saddle here? "
XXXXXX's model demonstration where each wire is a different position of the rotating wire.
Meanwhile, the drum beat picks up tempo and more people start tossing balls and playing with dancing ribbons behind Shawn. During the last presentation, Shawn gets drowned out by the juggling and talking.
Shawn- "... ellipsoid.... , .... football !"
Shawn- "... slinky ... helix.... , .... !"
Carlo now drums about every .01 to .005 seconds in synchronization with a note from Jim, Jeff and Jimmy, however, start to dominate funk style. [I.E. characterized by syncopated rhythm and a heavy, repetitive guitar and trumpet line]
Bill joins in on the action in the background as Shawn gets enticed by background commotion during the last model, she fumbles with her papers and eventually drops them. She acts silly and plays with her papers as she picks them up.
After a minute of Meramec students playing, the jugglers walk over to the Barretts Elementary Students and teachers to give each a ball and invite them to come march in a parade with Bill. Marching to music (maybe Entry of the Gladiators) All Meramec students give support to, foster and stimulate Barretts Elementary Students and teachers to join in with the march then as they march - - -
Meramec students go set up THE TEN RING SURFACE CIRCUS with 25 foot ropes made into large rings and each circus troop (from group one, two, three ....) places the props in their ring.
Barretts Elementary Students and teachers march around the room as each tosses one ball from hand to hand.
Bill will then lead the all students and teachers around the room as everyone juggles one ball from hand to hand. After a few laps, he will march them into their "RING" with the Meramec students taking ten or twelve students (1/10 th of the students) from Bill's line as they pass their RING. Shawn may talk about it saying:
________________________________________________________________________
John, Christina and Stuart keep an eye out for skit students while they get a chance doing their ring stuff.
Shawn: "Okay, Barretts Elementary Students we are here to share our math experience! That's right, You just did the GRAND ENTRY march. Bill will take you to RING ONE, RING TWO or ... RING TEN to perform and experiment with our MATHEMATICAL TOYS. There are a few rules we have to play it safe.
Robert O can show a list of the following
1. Have fun! 2. When it is time to switch groups, do it in an orderly way. 3. If you pay attention to the shape of the curves or surfaces, then you will have more fun. 4. Keep a lookout for each other's safety. Lob a toss rather than throwing. 5. And - above all - have fun!
At this point, Carlo, Jim, Jeff and Jimmy begin to play a rhythmic beat and the groups get their Barretts Elementary Students and spread out in their areas. Then they join into their rings.
The ring groups will rotate: 1 and 6, 2 and 7, 3 and 8, 4 and 9, and 5 and 10 after about 8 minutes. Estimated total time: 16 to 20 minutes
See "RING ONE, TWO, ... ALL TEN Staging." for this script. . . . .
Pre Act Three Stuff
From the end of the group activities, John, Christina and Stuart will 13 eight Barretts Elementary Students that excel in one or more of the show events out of the room. 6 Barretts Students for Carlo, James and Jeff, 3 for Craig and Michael K, 4 for Christina and John follow Stuart to given locations in the hall away from the question-answer group. Barretts Elementary Students with the help of Meramec students put together a short - short skit to improvise the last act. Pass around the model topographic map of Barretts Elementary School area for a focal point to the dramatic or musical work each team will portray before this Barretts - Meramec Student audience.
QUESTION SESSION (Meramec Students: Jason, Steven, Michael G, Jordan, Ryan, Robert O, Atoosa, Robert R, and Michael W need to have a few questions each - move forward with your example in your hands and ask the question when Shawn calls on you!)
One topographic map in the Question Session and one in the hall for skit preps.
Shawn-"Okay, how was that...fun?"
lean over with hand up to ear to hear them and say a little louder. Shawn-"Did you have fun!!! all right. We know you learned something in the process. We are going to play a game to find out. When you are asked a question, see if you have an answer."
Shawn-"Did you have fun!!! all right. We know you learned something in the process.
We are going to play a game to find out. When you are asked a question, see if you have an answer."
Look astonished like "what - a test today?!?!"
Shawn-"Well all right, let the game begin."
Each Meramec student not working in the hall with Stuart will take a turn to ask Barretts Elementary Students a question - QUESTION # XX . . . Please have your question written on a 3 by 5 card - with answer too!
Faranak spends half the time in the skit preparation area and half in Q&A session for some video tapping of each.
The students John and Christina picked are in the hallway with their partners getting a short skit together. Barretts elementary school area topographic map should play some role in the act.
Shawn: Well, our Third Act is about ready. We hope you are enjoying yourselves, we sure are.
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Stuart leads Barretts Elementary Students and partners back into the room while Meramec students take the front row floor seats forming a semicircle stage area with one of the 25 foot ropes. (Not every skit group needs to return but Stuart needs to que them in ahead of time needed.)
Stuart gives list of each skit student and name of skit to Shawn for their introduction. We need 3x5 cards for this.
Meramec students stand and show approval expressed especially by the clapping of hands (do a round hand motion round).
- - - - - - -
Shawn-"Okay, ladies and gentlemen now we have ...(Shawn interviews Barretts student for name and skit description) ... XXXXXX and XXXXXXXX and their sponsors Carlo, Jim, Jeff and Jimmy with their ..."xxxxx"... SHOW.
Shawn hands the Barretts elementary school area model topographic map to:
XXXXXX and XXXXX do their thing!
Shawn - "Great performance lets have a round (do a round hand motion round) of applause for XXXXX and XXXXXXX!"
Meramec students stand and show approval expressed especially by the clapping of hands (do a round hand motion round). - - - - - - - -
Shawn-"Okay, ladies and gentlemen now we have ...(Shawn interviews Barretts student for name and skit description) ... XXXXXX and XXXXXXX with Craig and Michael K with their ..."xxxxx"... SHOW.
Carlo, Jim, Jeff and Jimmy do their thing!
Shawn - "Great performance lets have a round (do a round hand motion round) of applause for XXXXX and XXXXX!"
Meramec students stand and show approval expressed especially by the clapping of hands (do a round hand motion round.)
- - - - - - - - -
Shawn-"Okay, ladies and gentlemen now we have ...(Shawn interviews Barretts student for name and skit description) ... XXXX and XXXXXX with Christina and John with their ..."xxxxx"... SHOW.
XXXXX and XXXXX do their thing!
Shawn - "Great show for today. Thanks for letting us treat you to a look at our math interests!"
This time Meramec students stand then turn around and face the Barretts Elementary Students to show approval expressed especially by the clapping of hands (do a round hand motion round) as Shawn walks down the line giving each Meramec student time to say their name!
Shawn - "...Names..." then Shawn gets it too!
