Grades: 	Middle (6–8)
Subjects: 	Visual Arts, Music, History–Social Science
Time Required:	Five to six 50-minute class periods, plus independent work
Author: 	J. Paul Getty Museum Education Staff

Lesson Overview
Students will discuss the form, function, and decoration of an ancient Greek wine cup. They will learn about the importance of music in the daily life of ancient Greeks. They will discuss a page from a late-medieval choir book and compare and contrast the role of music in antiquity, the Renaissance, and today. They will create cups for a social gathering inspired by ancient Greek symposia, and create and perform a song, poem, or story.

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
•	understand how music played a key role in the daily life of ancient Greeks.
•	analyze the form and function of an ancient Greek wine cup.
•	discuss a late-medieval manuscript page.
•	compare the roles of music in ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and today.
•	design and create cups inspired by red-figure kylikes used for symposia.
•	create and perform a song, poem, or story about ancient Greek education, music, or art. 

Featured Getty Artworks
Wine Cup with a Boy Holding a Lyre, painted by Douris, and potted by Python
http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=14163

Initial R: The Resurrection by Antonio da Monza
http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=3455

Materials
•	Reproductions of interior and exterior views of Wine Cup with a Boy Holding a Lyre by Douris, painter, and  Python, potter
•	Reproduction of Initial R: The Resurrection by Antonio da Monza
•	Background Information and Questions for Teaching about the wine cup and manuscript page
•	Student Handout: “Ancient Greek Symposia”
•	Audio recordings of reconstructions of ancient Greek music, such as Music of the Ancient Greeks by Ensemble De Organographia (Pandourion, 1997) or the “Ancient Melodies” section of Music of Greece: The Past Is Present on ARTSEDGE (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/multimedia/series/AudioStories/music-of-greece.aspx)
•	Student Handout: “Music in Ancient Greece”
•	Student Handout: “Assignments for a Symposium”
•	Materials for making musical instruments (see “Assignments for a Symposium” handout) (optional)
•	Internet access
•	Video: “Making Greek Vases” in the “Multimedia” list on the Getty website at http://getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/performing_arts/multimedia.html
•	Paper and pencils
•	White, uncoated paper bowls
•	Thick and thin black markers and black pens
•	Materials for creating the handles and stem for wine cups, such as poster board and paper towel rolls
•	Glue or tape

Lesson Steps

Music in Antiquity

1.	Ask students what subjects they are required to study in school. What subjects do they think should be required and are not currently? Ask them how they would feel if they were required to also study music for several years. Explain that a boy in ancient Greece was required to be educated in music as well as literacy and mathematics.

2.	Display a reproduction of Wine Cup with a Boy Holding a Lyre by Douris and Python without revealing the name of the object. Have students take the time to look closely at the work of art, and then ask them to describe what they notice about the object. Prompt further discussion with the following questions:
•	What do you notice about the people depicted in the center of the work of art?
•	What objects are they depicted with? (The man is leaning on a walking stick; the boy is holding a kithara, a type of lyre.)
•	Based on the gestures, size, and physical appearance of the people, as well as the objects depicted with them, what do you think is the relationship between the two individuals? (The figures could be a student learning to play the kithara with his teacher, or a young musician with a parental figure.)

Display a reproduction of the wine cup from another angle and then ask the following questions:
•	Look closely at the form of the object. Does it remind you of anything in your home?
•	What does the form of the object reveal about how the object may have been used? (The bowl shape of the interior could hold liquids, and the handles would have enabled someone to easily hold and lift the object.)

3.	Tell students that this cup was designed especially for ancient wine-drinking parties called symposia. The form of the cup—a bowl shape on a footed stem with two handles slanted upwards—is called a kylix. Pass out the student handout “Ancient Greek Symposia” and discuss information with students as appropriate.

4.	Ask students to share examples of special cups or plates that they or their families like to use at parties. Discuss what makes these objects special. For example, are they expensive, rare, beautiful, well crafted? How are they decorated? How would they be used (i.e., to serve favorite dishes or beverages)? Inform students that the ancient Greeks considered wine to be one of the most important gifts of the gods, so it was not uncommon for wine cups to be elaborately decorated. Tell students that the Greeks liked to decorate their ceramics with repeated patterns, such as the pattern in the circular frame around the two figures.

5.	Ask students why they think an object used at a drinking party would be painted with a scene of a music teacher and student. Inform students that schoolroom scenes showing boys with their teachers were popular in the early fifth century until about 450 B.C. This popularity may have stemmed from the increasing number of Athenian citizen families who were investing in formal education for their sons. Remind students that formal education at this time included music lessons. In fact, music was essential to Greek life. Play selections of reconstructions of ancient Greek music for students.

6.	Use the student handout “Music in Ancient Greece” to provide additional information as appropriate. Depending on your students’ grade level and your comfort level, you may also address the fact that education in antiquity involved not only lessons in music and philosophy but also included introducing boys to what was significant for social acceptance, including politics, athletic training, social gatherings such as symposia, and mentorship by older male citizens. 

7.	Have students compare the role of music in education in ancient times versus today. Ask them how they would feel if only boys were allowed to attend school and study music. Also ask whether they think music should be a required component of their school curriculum. Allow them to describe why or why not. 

8.	Inform students that the potter Python and painter Douris, who made a specialty of education scenes, collaborated on making the cup. Douris was so widely regarded that there is evidence of another artist copying his work and forging his signature. Inform students that it is very rare to know the names of artisans who created cups and vases in ancient Greece because they did not typically sign their wares. In fact, artists were considered tradespeople and, therefore, of a lower class. 

Antique Made Medieval

1.	Discuss the long-lasting impact of the arts and culture of ancient Greece and Rome on generations to come. Point out that many instruments used in antiquity have similar characteristics as instruments used today. For example, the kithara, like a harp, has plucked strings; the aulós, like a clarinet or oboe, consists of a tube of wood (or ivory) and a mouthpiece with a reed.

2.	Display a reproduction of Initial R: The Resurrection by Antonio da Monza and complete steps 1–4 of “Day 2: Medieval Music for a Holiday” from the Beginning-Level Lesson (see http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/performing_arts/lesson04.html) 

3.	Explain to students that Antonio da Monza was inspired by antiquity, as were many artists during the Renaissance—a period of rediscovery of ancient philosophy, art, and literature. Surrounding the music on the manuscript page are decorative and figural motifs of fantastic animal and human forms interwoven with foliage. These decorative motifs, known as grotesques, are derived from classical antiquity and reveal its profound influence on Renaissance artists. These motifs are reminiscent of those that decorated ancient Roman villas. In Rome in about 1480, the Golden House built by the emperor Nero (A.D. 37–68) was rediscovered accidentally by a young boy who fell into a hole, revealing a cave filled with wall paintings decorated with grotesques and candelabra motifs. After this villa was rediscovered, many artists incorporated these motifs into their works of art.

4.	Complete steps 5–6 of “Day 2: Medieval Music for a Holiday” from the Beginning-Level Lesson. Discuss the similarities and differences between how music could be accessed and experienced—and by whom—in the medieval period versus ancient Greece. Point out that only men sang in both societies. Discuss how the advent of new technologies over time (i.e., the printing press, the stereo, radio, TV, the Internet, YouTube, iTunes) has changed the ways people access and experience music.  

Class Symposium

1.	Just as Renaissance artists were inspired by antiquity, students will participate in a celebration inspired by ancient symposia. The modern-day symposium, however, will be accessible to anyone, regardless of class or gender. Remind students that citizens would gather at symposia for food and drink, conversation, and entertainment. Also remind them of the importance of music in symposia, and in Greek life in general. Students will provide the entertainment for each other by performing with musical instruments. 

2.	Play again an excerpt of reconstructions of ancient Greek music. Ask students if they can identify any of the instruments being played. Do any of them remind students of modern-day instruments? Tell students that they will work in teams of three to write a song, poem, or story about an aspect of ancient Greek life, such as music, education, or art. Distribute the student handout “Assignments for a Symposium” and tell students to choose an assignment and delegate roles as instructed. Give students the rest of the class period to work with their teams. For homework, have students refine their individual contributions to the team’s project.

3.	Allow class time for students to practice their performance and refine as necessary. For the remaining class period, students will design the cups that will be used for the symposium. Display again the reproduction of Wine Cup with a Boy Holding a Lyre by Python and Douris. Show the video “Making Greek Vases.” Explain the red-figure technique, which revolutionized vase-painting around 530 B.C.: 
•	After the form of a vase was shaped and its surface smoothed, the painter would create a preliminary sketch on the surface. 
•	Black gloss was used to outline the figures and decorations and fill in the background, leaving areas of orange-red spaces reserved for details on the figures and decorations.
•	Details such as decorative patterns, draped fabric, and facial features were carefully added within the reserved orange-red spaces.
 
Painters using the red-figure technique had a much greater freedom of expression than those using the earlier black-figure technique, which relied on incised rather than painted lines. Ask students to describe the ways different types of lines were used to create details on the wine cup. (long, straight, and wavy lines to depict the folds of fabric; curvy lines to denote muscles; short, thin lines for eyebrows, toes, and mouths; cross-hatched lines on the cushion of the stool; repeated spiral lines in the circular pattern) 

Point out the line across the circle under the figures’ feet. Explain that it was challenging for ancient painters to depict figures in the limited, curving space of the tondo, the circular area in the interior of the cup. Some artists drew a line across the circle in order to create an artificial ground line for their figures.

4.	Remind students about the grotesques they viewed on the illuminated manuscript page. Pass out paper and pencils and allow students time to sketch out ideas for designs inspired by these grotesques. Students should also create a circular frame containing a pattern, as seen in the ancient wine cup. Inform students that they will have only black pens and markers to create their designs on paper bowls. Students should consider how to design grotesques that would work well in a limited, curving space. 

5.	Once students have completed their final sketch for a design, pass out paper bowls. To create their designs, have students follow the red-figure process described in step 3 above, but substitute black markers and pens for the gloss. Inform students that they will have to use their ingenuity to create a footed stem and handles that slant upwards. They will attach the stem and handles to their bowl so that its form mimics a kylix. They may use poster board, paper towel rolls, or recycled materials found at home to create the stem and handles, and use glue or tape to affix the parts to the bowl. Have students complete their one-of-a-kind cups for homework, and tell them to sign each cup as Douris did. 

6.	For the symposium, students can display their wine cups, enjoy Greek food brought by you and your students, and listen to each of the group’s performances.  

Assessment
Assess students based on their participation in class discussion, including their analysis of two works of art and whether they are able to compare the roles of music in ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and today. Students’ cups should reflect the form of a kylix and include a circular frame with a pattern, a variety of lines denoting details, and negative space filled in with black marker.

Assess students’ understanding of ancient Greek music, education, and art by evaluating their original songs, poems, and stories as follows:
•	Evidence of thoughtful consideration about the piece based on completion of brainstorming worksheet
•	Songs should have the following components: be written from the perspective of a figure who lived in ancient times; include a conflict that emotionally affects the speaker; be performed with changes in volume based on how the speaker feels; and accompanied by an adaptation of the original music. 
•	Poems should have the following components: be written from the perspective of a figure who lived in ancient times; include a conflict that emotionally affects the speaker; be performed using different voices and pitches for emotions; and be accompanied by a simple melody or rhythm.
•	Stories should have the following components: be written from the perspective of a main character; include a conflict and setting; be performed using different voices and pitches for characters; and be accompanied by a simple melody or rhythm.

Extensions
1.	Have students create a symposium cup out of self-hardening clay. View the art activity “A Cup for a Modern-Day Symposium.”

2.	Now that students have studied the role of music in education in ancient Greece, have them conduct research about other required subjects in Greek schools—athletics, rhetoric, reading, and writing. Have students use sources such as “Ancient Greeks” on the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/) and then write a report on their findings.

Standards Addressed

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts

Grades 6–8

READING 
Key Ideas and Details 
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 

Craft and Structure 
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. 

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

WRITING 
Text Types and Purposes
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. 

Production and Distribution of Writing 
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 

Research to Build and Present Knowledge 
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. 
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. 
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING 
Comprehension and Collaboration 
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. 

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Visual Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools

Grade 6
2.0 Creative Expression
2.4 Create increasingly complex original works of art reflecting personal choices and increased technical skill.

3.0 Historical and Cultural Context 
3.2 View selected works of art from a culture and describe how they have changed or not changed in theme and content over a period of time.
3.3 Compare, in oral or written form, representative images or designs from at least two selected cultures.

Grade 7
3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
3.2 Compare and contrast works of art from various periods, styles, and cultures and explain how those works reflect the society in which they were made.

4.0 Aesthetic Valuing
4.2 Analyze the form (how a work of art looks) and content (what a work of art communicates) of works of art.

Grade 8
2.0 Creative Expression
	2.6 Design and create both additive and subtractive sculptures.

4.0 Aesthetic Valuing
	4.3 Construct an interpretation of a work of art based on the form and content of the work.

Music Content Standards for California Public Schools

Grade 6
2.0 Creative Expression
	2.6 Improvise simple melodies. 

3.0 Historical and Cultural Context 
3.2 Listen to and describe the role of music in ancient civilizations (e.g., Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Roman).

Grade 7
2.0 Creative Expression
	2.6 Improvise melodies and harmonic accompaniments.

3.0 Historical and Cultural Context 
3.1 Compare music from various cultures as to some of the functions music serves and the roles of musicians.

Grade 8
2.0 Creative Expression
	2.7 Improvise short melodies to be performed with and without accompaniment. 

3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
3.1 Compare and contrast the functions music serves and the place of musicians in society in various cultures. 
	3.3 Explain how music has reflected social functions and changing ideas and values.

History–Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools

Grade 6
6.4 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Ancient Greece. 
8. Describe the enduring contributions of important Greek figures in the arts and sciences (e.g., Hypatia, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Thucydides). 

Grade 7
7.6 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Medieval Europe.
8. Understand the importance of the Catholic church as a political, intellectual, and aesthetic institution (e.g., founding of universities, political and spiritual roles of the clergy, creation of monastic and mendicant religious orders, preservation of the Latin language and religious texts, St. Thomas Aquinas’s synthesis of classical philosophy with Christian theology, and the concept of “natural law”).