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

You can Play "Let it Go" from Frozen

Now that the school year is winding down, could you use something inspirational to draw your second- or third-year student to the piano?  Then make your child's day with a simple and fun version of "Let It Go," arranged by Let's Play Music teacher, Nicci Lovell in Mesa, AZ.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD PDF

Second-Year Students:
Play the chords with your right hand.  Then try your left hand.  Then try hands together!  You sound great when you sing along (I am guessing there's a good chance you already knew the words to this one.)  Now you're having a great time and giving yourself more practice with our favorite chords and one interval (see the third?).

Here's a video of a student playing. He chose to use his left hand and was too shy to sing on camera, so I did the singing:

Third-Year Students and Graduates:
Play through those chords: pretty easy, right?  Now you have the freedom to improvise!  Instead of playing long whole notes, play two quarter-notes and a half note, or two half-notes, or some other combination you like.  Here's a video of some improvisation: after you play the chords with different rhythms with the left hand, you can learn to play the melody with your right hand and put it all together.

The Power of Chords

Delightfully,  many songs can be harmonized using the I, IV and V chords (or as you know them, Red, Blue and Yellow.)  With careful listening, you and your child will learn to pick out chord progressions as you hear them in songs, and be able to play your favorite songs!  Stay tuned for more popular songs for your LPM student.

You can click here for a piano video demonstrating how just a few chords can be used to harmonize over 40 popular songs.  To our 3rd-year students: A common chord pattern you'll hear over and over in that video is I-V-vi-IV.  Hey! it's the same pattern that we saw in "Let it Go".  That 3rd in "Let it Go" (C-E) was not a full triad, was it?  Do you see we could complete it to make an A triad?  Or we could call it the vi chord, since A is the 6th step of the C scale.

Have fun exploring with chords!

-Gina Weibel, M.S.

Let's Play Music Teacher

The Gift-Buying Guide for Musical Kids

It's holiday season, and that means you have an opportunity to choose thoughtful gifts for the children in your life.  Want to encourage music learning and help create a musical environment at home?  Here are some ideas to get your shopping off to a harmonious beat:

Tuition for Music Classes

If Grandma or Aunt Betsy asks what the kids could use this year, be sure your bases are covered for tuition.  Having some or all of a class paid for is a clutter-free gift that stays with your child forever.  Don't forget how easy it is to offer a semester of Sound Beginnings to toddlers and preschoolers on your gift list, too!  Need to find a teacher for those nieces and nephews? Use our FIND A TEACHER button.

Big Ticket Instruments:

  A Piano Or Keyboard:  

If this is your first year in Let's Play Music, you'll need a piano or keyboard at home next year.  Check out our guide on how to choose a piano or keyboard.  Warehouse clubs like Costco often have deals on 88-key digital pianos during the holiday season, and Target has had Black Friday keyboard deals for the past several years.

An Autoharp: You might also enjoy an autoharp at home, especially since the portable instrument is fun to take along on camping trips and pull out at family gatherings. 

A Metronome:  Finally, by the 3rd year of Let's Play Music, your student will be ready for a metronome.  There are some fun  games you can play with a metronome, but of course it will be a tool for improving musicianship skills.  There are many economical options and even apps.  A nice traditional metronome can last a lifetime, so you might consider getting a top-notch one.

A Ukulele: New to the list in 2016! I finally decided that the uke is easy enough to learn that even kids as young as 6 and 7 years old can get some great mileage from it.  Once you learn a handful of chords, you'll be able to play lots of songs from tab sheets as well as quickly compose your own creations, and that's a fun feeling. Of course, the Let's Play Music songs will be popular favorites to play from day one.  When buying a ukulele, it's worth your while to visit a guitar shop and see what real instruments look/feel/sound like before you accidentally get bamboozled into buying a toy uke from Toys R Us for $10. I'm not saying you must spend $100, but if you do buy a $30-$50 uke, be prepared to immediately replace the strings with better strings and potentially spend more time initially getting it in tune.  You'll need a tuner, too.

Rhythm Instruments:

The Gift of Your Time: Now that you've got the piano taken care of, it might be fun to have a "rhythm box" of instruments accessible to your child.  Help him learn the rules about instruments (handle them gently, put them in the box when you're done, ask politely to use what someone is holding) while playing along to favorite songs with the family.  Of course you'll be able to recreate the rhythm games from all years of class (and even find more online) that you can play to improve rhythm and reading.  Start a rhythm tradition; build a time into your day when the family can giggle and dance to a song, using the instruments to keep the beat or play a rhythm echo game.  The instrument itself is the first gift, your instruction on how and when to use and enjoy it is the second!

Tambourines and Rhythm Sticks are must-haves in a rhythm box.  Rhythm Band is a great vendor with sets or individual instruments.  

A Gathering Drum by Remo is an all-time favorite.  They have several other drums and items for children that sound excellent, too.

Boomwhackers are fun and sturdy and can be used along with your tone bells and many additional family games and activities.

Echo-microphones encourage kids to sing (and read out loud), and don't cost much.

Kazooks and Harmonicas are just the right size to fit into a stocking.

Tiny music boxes like these make great stuffers, too. AND you might even be able to find some that play the classical songs we study in Let's Play Music and Sound Beginnings (I have seen Ode to Joy, Vivaldi's Spring, Waltz of the Flowers, Brahm's Lullaby, Over the Rainbow, Edelweiss, and Twinkle Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Baby Elephant Walk).  For a young student, cranking this thing is excellent for hand and wrist motor-skill building.  For an older student, nothing is more cool than making your OWN crankshaft music box!

Electronics:
 
CD Players, Ipod Docks, Bluetooth Speakers: If you don't already have a device for your child to operate when he would like to play his Let's Play Music songs (and other music), this would be a worthwhile gift.  Teaching your child how to operate the equipment to turn on songs he would like to hear empowers him to make music part of his day, and puts a smile on your face when you hear the sounds of your independent little one off in his room singing to his CD (and perhaps playing bells.)

During the second and third year of Let's Play Music, you'll also want a dock or CD Player near the piano so your child can play along with the recordings- here's your  chance to get prepared!


MP3 Players:  For those worried about replacement costs, MP3 players can often be found cheaply ($15 and less) and can be loaded up with carefully-chosen Let's Play Music and other songs.  It's worthwhile to choose child-safe headphones or educate your child about safe volume levels on headphones before turning him loose. 

Music to Listen To:

 

Performing Arts Tickets: Nothing sends the message "we care about music" quite as succinctly as giving your child tickets to see live musical performers.  Check your local symphonies and performance halls for performances that would be especially child-friendly (and respect age limits on those that are not), but don't overlook college, high school and community performing arts centers, too.   If there is a performing group you think your child may aspire to joining in the future, it's never to early to become a fan; find out where they will perform and take your child to check it out. 

Music CDs:
You can help your child improve musicality and music literacy by giving her opportunities to listen to lots of music.  Don't make the mistake of skipping over "kids" music in an effort to speed your little Einstein to success.  Simple, easy-to-sing songs have a definite place in your child's learning curve; she'll probably appreciate that she CAN easily discern the melodic patterns and chord progressions.   KIMBO has a huge collection of traditional rhymes and sing-a-longs; my preschoolers always especially love the "Six Little Ducks" album.

A large number of children's artists are writing songs that parents enjoy too. You can browse the CD collection at your library before you buy, or try some of my children's suggestions:


Laurie Berkner
Brady Rymer
Ralph's World
Stevesongs
Putumayo Kids :world music
Dog on Fleas
Imagination Movers
Justin Roberts
Lunch Money
Milkshake
Recess Monkey

Karaoke Machine: Encouraging your child to sing out loud during music class might be as easy as encouraging her to sing out at home!  Consider a karaoke machine for the family to enjoy with some kid and adult favorites.

Encourage Classical Music:
 

Beethoven's Wig Albums: All this children's music talk doesn't mean you should avoid classical music.   I ADORE the albums by Beethoven's Wig, which put silly lyrics to popular classical tunes.  My kids sing along with joy, then eagerly listen to the traditional tracks with no lyrics, then demand "I MUST learn to play this piece on piano!"  I cannot say enough great things about the delights of these albums, so I guess these win the EDITOR'S PICK AWARD for this entire blog post.

Maestro Classics: Listen to the London Philharmonic play and hear a familiar story to go with the music in each of the 13 Maestro Classics.  There are even activity workbooks.  Give it a look!

Books about Music: Encourage music with a few books about instruments and fun stories about the orchestra.  Here is a top ten list to get you started.

Scarves for Dancing: Encourage the experience of classical music with our Sound Beginnings "Smart Moves", or make up your own dances to go along with favorite music.  Scarves to dance with make it all the more fun.

Puppet Theaters: Pinterest can give you ideas for making your own puppet theater, or you can purchase a lovely one to showcase the many classical shows you'll know by the end of Let's Play Music!

Additional Learning :

8-Note Bell Music: If you're wishing for more songs to play on your bells (or boomwhackers), the best place to start is with these 2 songbooks from the Let's Play Music Holiday shop.

Extra Sheet Music: Peruse your local music store for sheet music that will interest your child.  I adore playing duets with my kids, so we have enjoyed Alfred's Chord Approach Duet book .  The Faber Accelerated Piano Adventures Pop Repertiore is exciting and fun and just right for our third year students.

Giant Piano: Your physically active musician will be inspired by youtube videos of giant piano performers dancing their way through the classics.  

 Educational Apps: If you have a device, your child might enjoy a few new apps all about making music.

Toy Piano: If you just can't resist the cuteness, you might give a toy piano to your preschooler.  I'm told the keys on the Schoenhut pianos are full-size, which makes me happy because your child's fingers will develop muscle memory for these distances.  The 25-key pianos will at least have enough keys to play the Red, Yellow, and Blue chords with one hand, but the 15-key pianos will frustrate your child when she tries to play Yellow with no low B.  One parent desperately wanted this toy but worried that it would somehow stunt the actual piano learning.  I'm of the opinion that anything that draws your child to play and experiment with music (and practice real chords) can't be bad! 

Giant Staff: Love games on the giant staff mat in class?  Make one of your own to play with!

If you have (or hope to have) a musical child, I hope you've been inspired to find at least one gift this season to nurture the love of music learning!  Happy Holidays!

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

Thanksgiving Fun: 5 Fat Turkeys!

Chances are good that you have a week with no music class coming up.  Don't be too sad! Here are some fun Turkey extras to keep you busy.

First Year Students

It's great fun to sing the 5 Fat Turkeys song, so you can enjoy singing along with this video that answers a few basic student questions: Can turkeys really go in trees? What do real, wild turkeys look like?

Of course you might be wanting to act it out, so craft up a felt or clay or paper version of Turkey finger puppets to play with (and make your table pretty afterward, too.)

If you happen to have an autoharp at home, you can play this song using the chord map below, or you can point along to the map while singing with your CD.  No harp?  You could download a harp app for your ipad or just tap along while listening to your CD.  (The CD is in the key of F: Red=F, Blue=Bb, Yellow=C)

One main I love using this song on harp and keyboard for years 1 and 2 is the long string of red chords that give students a chance to focus on defining a steady rhythm before tossing a few chord changes.

Second Year Students

You're not too old for the turkey song!  Print out the chord map above, and use it to play the song on your piano.  If you haven't learned the BLUE chord in class yet, you can rest silently on that beat.

As a matter of fact, you have enough experience that you might even enjoy printing out a blank chord map, then using your ear to guess which color each triangle should be colored in.  Try playing each chord and see which sounds best!  Your ear will be your guide.

Chord maps aren't all you know how to read- you can also play from the real sheet music, and color in the chords if you like.

Third Year Students

Print out the blank chord map above and color it in (use your ear to figure out which chord is best)!  Practice playing chords with both hands and singing using your newly colored map or the sheet music.

For some really third-year work, use your right hand to play the melody of this song.
Before you begin, carefully look at the melody- there is a note played that is lower than middle C.  Can you figure out which note it is?  Walk down space, line, space below middle C....take baby steps to find out it's a G!  It's a FOURTH below C.  You have some options as to how you will play that note:  with your left hand in C position, you could just let your LH play that note when you come to it.  If you are playing the chords of the song with your LH, your chord is going to strike the G anyway, so you could decide to let your RH rest instead of playing G.  Finally, you could play it as written and have your RH jump down to G and then back up to C position.

Perhaps your uncle you only see twice a year will play a duet with you and play LH while you play RH.  Piano is a very fun way to bond!

Graduates

Have some Let's Play Music graduates in the house?  Play through the assignments for the younger years, then listen to the accompaniment as played in the video above.  Can you tell what the pianist has done with the chords to make it fancy?  During the instrumental verse, the pianist really has fun! Now YOU improvise as you play and make yours sound fancy, too!

Hint #1: Review Yankee Doodle from Orange semester for two-handed marching ideas.
Hint #2: To have a broken chord fit in 4/4 time, add one extra note, ie: Do-Mi-Sol-Mi.

Put On A Show

Now that you have at least one song to sing (and play), why not round up a few of your other favorite songs and put on a show!?  Thanksgiving is a great time for family to gather and share the love of music.  If you're lucky enough to have Let's Play Music students in different levels, you can ALL enjoy this song.  Perhaps you can also teach your relatives the parts to your favorite puppet show, and perform it together while waiting for the turkey to come out of the oven.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Gina Weibel, MS
Let's Play Music Teacher