Dame Evelyn Glennie - A Master of Sound PDF

STAGE 4 Unit focus: Sound Text focus: Biography Dame Evelyn Glennie - A Master of Sound Evelyn Glennie is the world’s first person to make a career as a solo percussionist. She is a highly talented musician who has performed around the world. She has won hundreds of awards and was made a Dame by Que...

STAGE 4 Unit focus: Sound Text focus: Biography Dame Evelyn Glennie - A Master of Sound Evelyn Glennie is the world’s first person to make a career as a solo percussionist. She is a highly talented musician who has performed around the world. She has won hundreds of awards and was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 in honour of her contribution to the arts. As someone who has made their career in the world of sound, it sometimes surprises people to learn that she is deaf. However, Evelyn Glennie never let this stop her. Indeed, she has a thing or two to teach people about listening. Evelyn grew up in the north-east of Scotland. She was surrounded by traditional music which she loved. Her first instrument was the piano. However, at aged 12, she started learning the percussion and fell in love with it. Evelyn started going deaf at a young age but nonetheless went on to study music. At the age of 16, she was accepted into the Royal Academy of Music in London. While she was studying, she was already winning competitions and impressing audiences with her playing. Until Evelyn Glennie set about changing things, being a percussionist mostly meant playing in orchestras. Percussion was used to add rhythm, colour or drama to symphonies. It seemed outrageous to think of percussion as being front and centre as a solo instrument. However, Evelyn challenged this convention. She became famous for her stunning solo percussion playing. She commissioned more pieces for solo percussionists and wrote some herself. In her career, she has performed with the world’s top orchestras and conductors and o en plays more that 100 concerts a year. As well as classical music, she has worked with musicians from different styles including jazz, folk and pop. She has written for films and even made an appearance at the opening ceremony to the London Olympic Games in 2012. Outside of composing and performing, Evelyn inspires new musicians with masterclasses and she raises money for charities. Rea e um http://www.literacyshedplus.com C u r r ic ul Th all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed und Evelyn o en plays barefoot. This is because she has learnt to hear using all of her senses. She has explained that, ‘Deafness does not mean that you can’t hear, only that there is something wrong with the ears.’ Instead of relying on her ears, Evelyn feels the vibrations from the music through her body, including through her feet. She can A ding ro feel the different pitches and volumes just as well, if not better, than most hearing people. In fact, she has said that losing her hearing made her a better listener. So, for Evelyn Glennie, her deafness is relatively unimportant and uninteresting. She knows people find it puzzling and are curious but she hopes that they can forget about it and just enjoy her music. Ultimately, Evelyn Glennie is a remarkable musician who delights and entertains audiences. She is a true master of sound. RETRIEVAL FOCUS 1. When was Evelyn Glennie made a Dame? 2. Where did Evelyn Glennie grow up? 3. How old was Evelyn Glennie when she started studying at the Royal Academy of Music? 4. How does Evelyn Glennie support new musicians? 5. Why does Evelyn Glennie play barefoot? V V S VIPERS QUESTIONS What is a convention? What does commissioned mean? Using the whole text, decide if these statements are true or false: Evelyn Glennie helped draw attention to percussion music. Evelyn Glennie plays a wide range of music. I E Evelyn Glennie finds her deafness a challenge. Why might Evelyn Glennie feel annoyed about being thought of only as a deaf musician? Match each paragraph number to its main content: Evelyn Glennie’s deafness and how she adapts to it. Evelyn Glennie’s early life. An introduction to who Evelyn Glennieis and her main accomplishments. Summing up Evelyn Glennie’s philosophy. Evelyn Glennie’s career. all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com