We are all arrangers, because an arranger chooses to organize things in a way that satisfies his or her taste. The best example of this is how we choose our clothing every day. The act of pairing a shirt or a blouse with pants or a skirt is essentially the “arranging” of an outfit. What an arranger chooses to use from his closet of musical tools and instrumental colors, determines how the music is going to sound. Have your students take on the role of the arranger by rewriting Tchaikovsky’s or Ellington and Strayhorn’s titles in their own style. Ask your students listen to a selection of movements and re-write the titles based upon what they hear in the music. Ask your students to envision the suite as adapted to a different style of music, for example rock, folk, R&B or hip-hop. What kind of titles would they choose for a hip-hop-, or country-style Nutcracker?
