Education Guide The Flying Dutchman by ... - Edmonton Opera

Activity: Teacher Resource
What’s your Theme Song?
Background:
Wagner’s use of leitmotifs are in the same vein as popular musical themes in plays and
movies today. Indiana Jones and Darth Vader always get their own refrain played
when they are doing something particularly “them” – For example when “Indy” is
escaping from an impossible situation, or whenever Vader marches in. In these cases,
the music reminds the audience about something important in the story (in the case of
Vader’s entry it usually means bad news for whoever is in the room). These are easily
identifiable examples of leitmotif, and clearly demonstrate how it is not just the title
track from the soundtrack that makes the theme, but something musical that speaks to
the character that makes this a leitmotif.
Activity:
Play some popular theme songs (“Jaws”, “Darth Vader’s March,” “Indiana Jones” etc.)
and discuss with students what they’re hearing and why it reminds them of the
character or idea. For music students, this is an opportunity to discuss how, in Western
music, ascending chord progressions can represent inspiration or triumph (among other
feelings) and how descending progressions and minor keys remind us of sadness or can
give us a sense of foreboding (Scarpia’s theme from Tosca is a great example of this). Of
course, in non-Western cultures and musical traditions, these musical “clues” may
signify something very different.
Discuss with students which aspects of each theme speak to them, and why (or why
not) they think the music works as part of the character, idea, or story it is meant to
represent.
Then pick your own! This can be done as a class, or individuals, depending on the level
of students. Identify a theme, character, idea, or person from, history, popular culture,
or another class unit, and either compose a theme on instruments available in the
classroom, or choose one from other music studied. Discuss what elements are
important to represent, and how each musical choice answers to those needs.
Education Guide
The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
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