Skaters, a Puppet Show with Johann Strauss II

I just love skating, especially when I've got great music to enjoy as I glide, spin...and yes, CRASH!  We use 'Banditen-Gallop' (Galop of the Bandits) by Johann Strauss II for our Skaters puppet show in 3rd year.

Parents who Prohibit Practicing?!

Johann Strauss II was born October 25, 1825, in Vienna, Austria.  His father, Johann Strauss the Elder, was a self-taught musician and composer.  He hoped his son would avoid the rigors of a struggling musician's lifestyle, and encouraged his son to become a banker, instead.  But, Johann the Younger could not resist... he studied music secretly and asked a violinist from his father's orchestra to give him tips.  One day when his father caught him practicing, he gave him a severe whipping!  I ask my Let's Play Music students, "Do you only practice when your parents push you to, or are you like Strauss...so excited to learn that you would practice even if no one wanted you to do it!?"

Nevertheless, Johann the Younger eventually surpassed his father's popularity and productivity, becoming known as the 'Waltz King' and credited with the dance's enormous popularity. He traveled widely with his orchestra, and even toured the United States in the 1870's.
 
A Funny Story...
The Bandit's Galop is part of the 1871 operetta, Prinz Methusalem. Strauss planned it to be his first operetta performed in Paris, France, so he chose to write music for a political satire originally written by French authors. (Similar to how today someone might make a movie version of a book they love!) Unfortunately, the French deal fell through and the operetta was taken to Vienna, Austria (and translated into German) for opening night.  Critics did not like the story; it was too complicated, it was not funny, and there were over 35 characters to keep track of.  Nevertheless, Prinz had a good reception thanks to the Strauss score.  

It was first performed in Vienna, so I think it appropriate to check out a 2006 Vienna performance:

A short version of the operetta's plot makes it sound plenty funny to me (maybe I am partially French?): two kings of neighboring, financially-struggling kingdoms decide to have their children marry in a step toward creating international and domestic peace. 

One kingdom has too many soldiers, and can't pay them. The other kingdom has too many artists and can't pay them, either.  The prince and princess meet and fall instantly in love, but the kings distrust and dislike each other, so they decide not to go through with the marriage. They each begin to plant seeds of uprising in the other kingdom and try to keep their children apart (the princess gets locked in a tower!).  

In the scene when you hear "Banditen-Gallopp", a group of bandits come on stage to overthrow the prince. In the end, the prince and princess successfully run away together, and both kings are deposed...then become sovereigns of the opposite realms!  Confusing...but funny!

When we listened to the music, we could have made a puppet show about these silly bandits trying to fight the prince.  Instead, we imagined other actions that could go with the music- it sounds to us like wobbly skaters falling down! When YOU listen, can you imagine a different story for this tune? Whatever it is, I bet it will be funny. (I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!) 

What's a Galop?
A galop (short for gallopade) is music written for dancing, and is named after the fastest running gait of a horse (gallop).  Unlike a waltz in 3/4 time, a galop is written in a fast 2/4 time. The time signature is written next to the treble and bass clef at the beginning of the page- it tells you how many beats will be in each measure. Quiz question: Do you expect to ever see a whole note in 2/4 time? How about a dotted half note? 

The galop was a forerunner of the polka, and a very fast and lively version of the galop is the can-can. In other words, FUN!

Quiz answer: NO, you should not use whole notes (4 counts) or dotted half notes (3 counts) in a 2/4 time composition because they can't fit in a measure.  Instead, we would write two half notes and tie them together across measures (so they sound the same as a whole note).  A tie is a curved line- it looks just like a slur (legato) mark, but since it's connecting two notes of the same pitch, you don't strike the note again, just keep holding it.

Let's Play and Dance!
When I get to know a song this well, I want to learn to play it. Even if my parents tell me I'm not allowed to practice! Here is a version in the key of F you can buy for $3.50. Perhaps you'll ask your new private teacher to help you when you graduate (are you on a wait list for your new teacher yet?)

Strauss's waltz and galop music inspired the world to get up and dance- and today we can dance to a galop, too! Our Sound Beginnings students play with The Infernal Galop by Offenbach, in our froggie game. If you don't want to look like a froggie, you can dance a galop like this: stand in waltz position (see video), slide with your partner to the side, keep moving to the beat of the music, change direction when you want to, and move counter-clockwise around the room.  This dance is both easy to learn and exciting!  Add a few heel-kicks or promenade if the music inspires you.



Grab your kiddo, put on a galop, and dance around the room! If all goes well, strap on some ice skates and repeat :)

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Skating Zealot and Music-Lover

Monsters: A Dramatic Puppet Show with Prokofiev

Now that we're into our third year of classical music studies, the music gets a little trickier.  In the 'Monsters' puppet show (Dance of the Knights, AKA Montagues and Capulets, from the ballet Romeo and Juliet,  Prokofiev), there are always TWO themes running simultaneously. DOUBLE FUN.

Double Your Fun Again!
I have a fun double-scoop surprise to enhance your enjoyment of the Monsters show every day.  First, we've got some silly story lyrics to help you sing and remember the parts.   Then, for the second scoop of fun, you'll get to see seven stylistic versions, with music for each day of the week.  In one week, this will be your new favorite piece.   

Meet the Characters
My own children decided there needed to be a reason for these monsters to be hanging out together.  We decided they are all roommates, living together in a big house (like perhaps a LPM fraternity at Monsters University, yes it's good 'ol Lambda Pi Mu.) Echoing these melodic themes with voice is easiest when we add some fun words to sing, so we gave each of these characters a theme song.

Note: Even if you love singing the lyrics, make sure that you also allow everyone plenty of chances to just listen and audiate along to the music.  We don't want singing to overshadow the skill of careful listening.

Ogre:  This big, slow, guy is the only member of the house who makes a chore chart.  He simply sings "Left, Right, Left, Right" as he stomps around the house inspecting to make sure there are no messes.  He looks grouchy because he hates finding crumbs on the floor and dirty laundry in the hall. His best friend is Montague the Dragon; in fact, Ogre only comes out to sing if he knows Dragon will be singing, too.

Montague the Dragon: With a famous name like Montague, he wants to make sure everyone knows it. He sings, "Montague the Dragon, I am Montague the Dragon.  And I like flying high, yes I like flying HI-GH.  I can blow fi-re, yes, I can blow fire!"As protector of the house, Montague flies around outside to see if anyone is coming, and keep them out if they're not friendly.

Crocodile: Croc wanders about the house looking for something to eat.  He's always hungry, like some real college students I know, and all he can afford is Ramen.  He sings: "SNAP and chomp and SNAP and chomp and SNAP my teeth!"  It's fun to use your hands like a crocodile mouth to clap on each 'SNAP'. Someone get this guy a pizza!

Ghost: Ghost is the jock of the house, working toward a degree in kinesthesiology.  Right now he's doing a project to see how many pull-ups he can do.  He sings, "Up and Down and Up and Down and Up and Down and..."  We all noticed that he is fantastically fast at doing pull-ups, but that's probably because he doesn't weigh anything. Hope that doesn't mess up his data.

Capulet the Frankenstein: Capulet is the president of the fraternity, and it's no wonder; he is super friendly!  Anytime anyone comes to the house, he welcomes them and escorts them up the grand front staircase (the music sounds like he's stiffly marching up stairs, right?).  He sings, "Hello, friend, I will walk you up the stairs, I like walking up and walking down, I'm Capulet the Frankenstein."  First you'll hear him walk up and down the stairs with Ghost, then with Montague the Dragon, and later on with Skeleton.  He has more friends than any other character!

Skeleton: Skeleton is a quiet, shy, member of the house. His theme is hard to hear because he's so shy compared to someone as outgoing and loud as Capulet the Frankenstein, and Capulet is the only one friendly enough to draw Skeleton out (is there anyone softspoken in your LPM class?).  He tiptoes around, trying not to be noticed as he sings, "Bones are quiet, Bones on tiptoe, Bones are quiet, Bones on tiptoe, Bones are quiet, Bones are shy."  Since each 4 notes have an up-down pattern, I imagine Skeleton huddling down into his shoulders, then extending his neck up, and then dropping back down.  So, he's got an up-down head motion as he sneaks around.

Fall Down:  This is not a character, but you hear the distinct sound of Capulet the Frankenstein and Skeleton falling down.  I am pretty sure that Skeleton was skulking around as usual, and Capulet accidentally tripped on him (he does have rather stiff legs) and they both fell down those grand stairs!

Now to really get these melodies in your mind, I put together this little video.  Each theme plays alone so you can isolate it and get it in your mind before going on to hear them layered together. (Youtube hates me right now...I'm working on getting a better video)

Monsters Every Day
Now you're ready to put it all together.  Grab your Orange Roots Manual and flip to the map in the back.  Follow along with your puppets and manual as you listen to each of these variations and soon you'll have no problem discerning each theme.  

When Prokofiev wrote this music, many of these styles had not been invented yet.  People love this passionate music and have fun experimenting with changing how it sounds.  Let's Play Music classes are helping our students understand how they can change chord voicings and rhythms to create different styles. Hooray for the power to understand and make music your own!

Sunday: I just bet the orchestral version, from the ballroom scene of Romeo and Juliet, will make you curious to read the Shakespearean play and watch the full ballet.  This music is used to create a dark atmosphere; you can just tell the Montagues and Capulets are going to get in some trouble.

 

Monday: This piano version will inspire you to learn to play this piece, no doubt.  Here is a pdf of the simplified themes I printed above…so there's nothing stopping you from getting started today playing those (and it will knock the socks off your LPM teacher!)

Tuesday: This stylized rendition will get your toes tappin'!

 

Wednesday: This guitar cover (here) will give you great ideas for self-accompaniment.

Thursday: The full-scale metal rock version (here) will make you feel like you've been out partying in the middle of the week. 

Friday: The dubstep remix version (here) will surely get you dancing like a robot.  

Saturday: Grab your controller and invite Mario and Luigi to battle to the video game music version (here).

EVERYDAY BONUS: Musicians love to prank each other in the best, musical ways! Check out this version (here) and listen for something very funny to happen. I laughed until I almost cried! Sergei Prokofiev, 1891-1953
Prokofiev was born in eastern Ukraine. His mother, Maria, had devoted her life to music.  When Sergei was young, she would go to Moscow for 2 months each year to study piano (don't you feel lucky that your LPM teacher lives near you?).  

Sergei was inspired by hearing his mother practice the works of Chopin and Beethoven in the evenings. She helped him learn to play and she transcribed his first composition when he was five. Maria would have been a great LPM parent or teacher!

Sergei didn't slow down; he kept taking lessons, composed an opera at age 9, and was ready to write a symphony by age 11.  Of course by then he had other teachers besides Mom.  Sergei went and studied music at the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1904; that means he was only 13 and much younger than most of the other students.  

When it comes to musical rules, he was a real musical rebel. His compositions sounded original and had a sound unlike other composers.  He became well-known as the composer-performer with his own style.  Some people hated his "futuristic" music, but other listeners thought it was clever.  This month, our LPM students are writing their own music; as teachers we'll guide them to add enough structure to make the song work, but the real decisions are theirs.  If some listeners don't like my student's piece, I console the child, telling him that Prokofiev heard it a few times, too!

In 1914, Sergei entered a piano composition contest.  The prize was a Schreder grand piano. He won the prize by playing his Piano Concerto 1. All across the continent, our young composers are wondering if their song will be considered for the Let's Play Music National Composition Contest that we run each spring.  I do hope your piece does well…but I am sorry to say there is no grand piano as a prize. :(  

Prokofiev was Russian, but as an adult lived in the USA and Europe for many years before finally settling in Moscow with his family.  It was in Moscow, 1936, that he wrote his famous piece for children, Peter and the Wolf. It is definitely worth your while to hear the music that he wrote to introduce children to the voices of the instruments.  In my family, we listen to a CD version each time we take a road trip (is Spring Break coming up for you!?)

In 1940 Romeo and Juliet was finally staged for ballet.  The Moscow dancers had a really tough time with the syncopated rhythms and almost boycotted the music because it was just too tricky.  It's a good thing they decided to try dancing to it, because the show was an instant success.  I hope YOU don't give up on listening to this puppet show, because it could become one of your favorites just as it has become one of mine.

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music Teacher

Hoedown with Aaron Copland

Our second year students are getting in the cowboy groove with composer, Aaron Copland.

Aaron Copland
Two features set Copland apart from other composers we learn about in Let's Play Music: he was an American, and he lived very recently (1900-1990).  It was very important to Copland to help define a style of classical music that was truly American.  The U.S.A. is relatively young, so most of the classical music being performed when Copland was a student sounded old and sounded like it came from Europe.  Well, most of the classical music we still listen to in Let's Play Music does come from Europe!

In a television interview (WATCH HERE), Copland was asked, "why can't you write (music) in the (same styles from the)  past?"  He answered, "It wouldn't be natural! Why should we limit ourselves? We have rhythms that Chopin never thought of.  We have a wider range; a more complex, more dissonant language....the language of music has really advanced with the times."

An American Style

Copland, raised in New York, witnessed the rise and popularity of jazz music.   Jazz was genuinely American music.  He knew Americans could learn to learn to love classical music as much as they loved jazz, and he wanted them to have a type of classical music of their own.  So, he incorporated musical elements from jazz and folk music to compose classical music that was all-American. He believed it was possible to interest more Americans in classical music by writing something just for them. The piece we study,  Hoedown, from the ballet, Rodeo, is a perfect example of an exciting and sophisticated classical piece derived from folk tunes (cowboy songs).






Ballet, Radio, Movies, and More
Copland lived during a time when photographs, radio, and movies were invented and became common.  He saw that it was important to write music that people wanted to use in new formats.

 In a 1935 radio interview (listen here), he was asked, "How would you describe your music today?" and Copland answered, "I wouldn't want to describe it, because I might limit it. I think of it as different kinds of music for different reasons and purposes and media, and I hope it sounds like ME despite its variety."

Indeed, he did compose for different media: ballets (ie Billy the Kid, Rodeo, Appalacian Spring) and movies (Of Mice and Men, Our Town, Heiress) as well as classical concerts (like Third Symphony, Clarinet Concerto).  He wrote music to be incorporated into popular venues, and in doing so reached a very wide audience.  You can even see Aaron Copland, himself, conducting in this 1958 television series (watch here).

I like to challenge my Let's Play Music students to begin to notice the divers ways music is used and enjoyed in our modern society; perhaps one day these youngsters will emulate Copland's flexibility and write the music for concert halls, ballets, movies, television, commercials, cartoons, video games, and ipad apps! Next time you play a game on a phone or tablet, take a moment to notice the music; what do you think about it? Does it set the right mood for the game or scene? Would you like to write this kind of music?

Hoedown Ballet
A hoedown is a musical dancing party, featuring square dancing or country dances.  In class, our  cowboy and cowgirl puppets come together for a barn dance.  Copland wrote the music for a the ballet, Rodeo.  Although this clip is a little fuzzy and old, it's my favorite because I love the Baltimore Ballet choreography, and I love that they perform live with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.


   
Hoedown Animation
Here's a different type of video: this delightful animation from artist Eleanor Stewart is set to Hoedown. Similar to the cowboy puppets we use in class for each theme, her characters are set for each theme in the music.  You'll see them repeat as the musical sections repeat.  This animation also shows the written musical score: the pages and pages of musical notes musicians read from as they play.  Let's Play Music students will enjoy hearing themes presented in this different type of puppet show.

Hoedown from Rodeo from Eleanor Stewart on Vimeo.

So How Do You Compose A Song?
Aaron Copland wrote music in a style that was new, and he wrote music to be used in new ways.  In the biography, Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man,  he shares a bit about his own creative process.

"Somehow, suddenly, a musical idea occurs to you; either a whole phrase, or three notes, or a series of chords, something that seems pregnant with possibilities for development. Once you have the kinds of ideas that fascinate you, you're no longer in a position to decide the nature of the animal. It's going to take its essence from the musical ideas that occur to you.... Some musical ideas are too short, they don't seem long enough to carry you through ten minutes of music, so you have to start searching about for other ideas; contrasting ones that seem to fit with the original ones."

Take it from Copland: there are are many ways to begin a song.  Even if you only have a few notes that make a tune you like, or a few chords that progress in a cool way, it is enough to begin. When your student begins composing in Year 3 of Let's Play Music, encourage him to tinker and find the small bits of sound and melody that become the seeds of a composition.  It doesn't take much!

You Can Go To The Hoedown!

A hoedown is usually not for ballet dancers- it's a party regular folks. At the end of the day, the farmer puts his HOE DOWN and goes in form some music and merrymaking.  Are you sad that wild west cowboy days and barn dancing days are long past?

Well, I have great news for you: you can still attend a hoedown in your area (Click Here to Find One)! The type of dancing will be contra dancing (similar to square dancing), and the music is usually folk and bluegrass played by fiddles and banjos and piano.  The caller will teach you a few dance steps, then call them out as the music is played.  You'll learn quickly because the same few steps will be repeated many times during the song.  The caller will teach you a new pattern for the next song. 



Can young people attend contra dances? You bet! Generally the pace is a bit too quick for the four-year-olds to learn the steps, so they end up clapping on the sidelines, but if you attend a family dance, they'll have a few simpler songs to make sure everyone gets to dance (check with your local group). Tweens and teens will easily master the steps, and I have seen several children as young as seven participating just fine, too.  I hope you'll feel adventurous enough to go on a family outing and to a dance in your area.

Put Your Hoe Down and Dance
Now that you've seen some Hoedown ballet and some contra dancing, why not make up your own moves to Hoedown to dance with your family?

-Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music Teacher

Spring Bees: A Puppet Show With Vivaldi

Our Green semester students are learning the intricacies of Spring by Vivaldi through playtime with our "Spring Bees" puppet show.  

Tidbits About Vivaldi

Who was born in Venice in 1678 on the same day as an earthquake, had red hair, suffered from asthma, and wrote 500 baroque concerti?  It was Antonio Vivaldi.

Vivaldi's father taught him to play violin so they could  perform together. Do you look forward to playing piano duets in your family? 

He was ordained a priest and nicknamed "The Red Priest" for his red hair, but he left the ministry and instead spent most of his life composing and teaching music.  

Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" is a very popular piece, and you're sure to enjoy this artistic rendition illustrated with sand animation.

All About Bees

Several bees are cast in our Spring Bees puppet show, each doing its part to help make the hive successful.  Bee society is a fascinating subject, and I'd love to tell you more about each of the players in the show.

Here's a website with lots of photos of real bees at work!

The QUEEN is the mother of all the bees and can lay 1,500 eggs in one day.  She is the largest of all the bees.  She will fight any other queens she meets and can live 5-9 years.  Even though she's queen, she doesn't tell the other bees what to do. They just know! You can hear her worry about her hive in this music.

The BABY bee is not really a baby- more like a young adult.  Bees have 4 stages of development: egg, larvae, pupa and adult.  A pupa becomes an adult during metamorphosis.  Young bees do the household chores: making wax into comb, sealing cracks with wax, and feeding the larvae.  Do the youngsters in your home do the chores? In our story, this young bee finally is done with chores and gets to go outside for the first time.

The WORKERS are all females.  Honeybees are covered with fine, branched hairs that collect pollen when they crawl around flowers.  A bee gathers it from the hairs and carries it in pollen baskets on her legs.  She has a special tongue to suck up nectar and water.  Bees need water, too!

GUARD BEES are workers with the specific job of keeping an eye out for mammals or even ROBBER BEES from other bee colonies.  They all want the food inside the hive!

Guard Bees STING only if they feel the hive is threatened.  If a honeybee stings a mammal, the barb in its stinger will stick in the animal's thick skin and the bee will die.  However, the bee can sting other insects multiple times without harming itself.  Some species, like Bumblebees, have smooth stingers and can sting multiple times.

The COLONY works together like a single animal- if one part is threatened, the whole hive reacts.  In this music, you can hear how the music becomes minor when the whole hive is worried about Robber Bees.

Working in Concert

Who else besides bees are highly organized with specific roles?  Orchestras and bands! When you hear the music of the whole hive buzzing together, imagine that you are conducting a bee orchestra.

The conductor helps all the musicians work together to express the dynamics of the music (volume and stylistic expression.)  Without a conductor, the musicians might play the correct notes, but some might be playing forte (loudly) when they should be playing piano (softly).  

Even worse, some might play too fast or too slow and the group wouldn't stay together.  To help your child get an idea of the fun and power of conducing, enjoy this video of Mickey Mouse and his band. The band does a great job of following the conductor, even when silly things happen.

As I sign off, here's a table of a few more terms your young composer might want to use as he conducts his beehive puppets this week, AND he may end up using them in his piano composition in Orange semester!

pianissimo (pp) superlative of piano- very softly
mezzo piano (mp) moderately softly
fortissimo (ff) superlative of forte- very loudly
fortississimo (fff) as loudly as possible
mezzo forte (mf) moderately loudly
forte-piano (fp) loudly followed immediately by softly
forzando (fz) >  or ^ : indicate a single tone or chord is to be accented
crescendo gradually become louder
decrescendo gradually become softer
crescendo poco a poco becoming louder little by little
crescendo subito becoming louder immediately
crescendo al fortissimo becoming gradually louder until f has been reached
crescendo ed animando gradually louder and faste 
con amore (with tenderness) con bravura (with boldness) con energia (with energy)

con espressione espressivo

(with expression)

 con fuoco (with fire) con passione (with passion) con grazia (with grace)

con maesta maestoso

(majestically)

scherzando schcrzoso

(jokingly)

sotto voce (with subdued voice)

Have fun with your bees and Vivaldi!
- Gina Weibel, M.S.
Let's Play Music teacher