HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 2-Lesson 12When Marian Anderson was young, she was known as the little girl with a
great big voice. Little Marian could sing any song beautifully. What amazed
people more was that she could sing any part of a song. She could sing parts
usually sung by men as well as parts usually sung by women.
Marian Anderson was born in Pennsylvania in 1897. When she was just six
years old, Marian joined the junior choir at a local church. People loved to
listen to her sing. When Marian was a teenager, she decided that she wanted
to learn how to sing even better. For one year Marian went to music school for
vocal lessons. That was the beginning of her great career.
After her year at music school, Marian studied with a great Italian music
teacher. The teacher was so amazed by her voice that he taught her for a year
and did not make her pay for the lessons.
Later, Marian entered a contest to sing with the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra. This was a very popular group of musicians. Lots of people wanted the
chance to sing along with the different instruments that made up the orchestra.
After auditioning, or trying out, Marian won. She beat three hundred other singers!
Marian spent many years traveling around the United States and Europe,
where she performed in concerts. Many people gathered to hear Marian sing.
She was not just a singer in a band. Marian’s voice was pure and perfect for
singing opera.
Even though Marian had an amazing voice that everyone loved to listen to,
some concert halls at the time would not let her perform. This was because she
was African American. One of these halls was Constitution Hall, in Washington,
D.C. The hall was owned by a women’s group called the Daughters of the
American Revolution. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a member of this group.
Eleanor was so upset that Marian was not allowed to sing at Constitution Hall
that she left the group. Eleanor got Marian a chance to sing outside at the
Lincoln Memorial. This was Marian’s debut in Washington, D.C. It was her fi rst
public concert there. A huge crowd of 75,000 people came to hear her sing.
Marian Anderson continued to sing for many years. She won many prizes and
awards. Today she is remembered as having one of the most beautiful voices ever.
COMPREHENSION Which words in this passage are about singing and
music? How did Marian’s love of music help her become a great singer?
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Long ago in Germany, there lived a donkey who wanted to be a musician. He
told his friends, the dog, the cat, and the rooster, that he was leaving. He said,
“I am going to Bremen because it’s a good place for musicians to work. You
should come with me because you sing as beautifully as I do. We can form a
band and call ourselves the Bremen Town Musicians!”
The dog, the cat, and the rooster thought this was a great idea. So they
started walking to Bremen with the donkey. But by nighttime the animals were
only halfway to Bremen, and they were deep in a strange forest.
“I see a cottage,” said the donkey. “Let’s see if we can sleep there tonight.”
The animals peeked in the window of the cottage. They saw a man and a
woman making dinner.
The cat said, “I know! Let’s sing for the people. They might thank us by
giving us food and a place to sleep.”
So the animals got ready to sing. The dog jumped onto the donkey’s back. Then
the cat jumped onto the dog’s back, and the rooster fl ew onto the cat’s back.
At the count of three, the animals began to sing. The donkey brayed. His
braying sounded like a trumpet blaring off-key. The dog barked. His barking
sounded like the pounding rumble of drums. The cat meowed. Her meowing
sounded like a wailing police siren. The rooster crowed. His crowing sounded
like a tree splitting in half. As the animals sang, the volume of their singing
became louder. Soon the singing was so thunderous that the people in the
cottage covered their ears.
“What is that horrible racket?” yelled the woman.
“I don’t know, but let’s get away from the noise and go someplace quiet and
peaceful,” answered the man. And he and the woman ran away from the cottage.
When the animals fi nished singing, they saw that the cottage was empty.
“I think our music amazed the people, because they left us their dinner,”
said the donkey.
“They probably want us to sleep here, too,” said the dog. And that is just what
the Bremen Town Musicians did. The next morning, the animals continued on their
way to Bremen, well rested and well fed.
COMPREHENSION What do the four animal friends like to do together?
What words help you understand how the animals’ music sounds?
The Bremen
Town Musicians
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