Program Packet FALL 2018
It’s the start of another Tiny Tots season! We’re so excited for everything we have planned for you this year. We’ll be performing in new venues in new parts of town (we’re looking at you Northglenn and Castle Pines) and each series -- Fall, Winter, and Spring -- will feature music around exciting themes. This fall, you’ll hear music all about animals, from fluttering birds to clumsy donkeys. You’ll get to stomp like dinosaurs, buzz like bees, and meow along with the orchestra. If your littles have animal costumes they love, Fall Tiny Tots would be a great time to wear them! This program packet will give you a look into the music you’ll be hearing and the interactive elements you’ll be doing at Tiny Tots. You’ll also find activities for each piece so that you can bring the music home and continue the fun on your own. In this packet you’ll find the full Fall Tiny Tots playlist. Any images or text that is highlighted purple links to a video or activity. Please note: for most pieces, we will be playing excerpts and not the entire piece. Tiny Tots music selection is always subject to change and pieces may be skipped based on the timing of the entire program. We can’t wait to see you as we kick off our 2018-2019 Tiny Tots seasons.
Sara Hare Program Manager PS – Check out the animal nose craft that goes along with the Concerto Grosso on page 4. Have your kiddos make those ahead of time and bring them along to wear at the concert!
Livery Stable Blues – Ray Lopez and Al Nunez •
At the concert: This piece was made famous by the “Original Dixieland Jass Band” in 1917 and was part of the first jazz record ever recorded! Get ready to join the brass quintet on the farm – listen to the trumpet squawk like a chicken and neigh like a horse while the trombone moos like a cow in response.
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At home: Learn how to make your own silly chicken noises with a chicken in a cup craft. Follow this tutorial or watch this video to get clucking.
Symphony no. 6, Movement 1 - Ludwig van Beethoven •
At the concert: Beethoven titled this symphony the “Pastoral Symphony” and it’s meant to sound like a day on the countryside. This first movement is meant to portray the “awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside.” Kids will listen along and pretend like they are exploring a beautiful, sun-warmed forest. Keep your ears out for the bird sounds making their way through the trees.
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At home: Every movement of this piece depicts a different countryside scene, from babbling brooks to raging thunderstorms. Try listening to a different movement every day for a week (the full music can be found here). There are 5 movements, so there is one for every weekday – play it for your kids while getting dressed in the morning or driving home from work in the afternoon. Depending on the age of your child, ask them what they think the movement is about or what sounds they hear. Have them draw a picture or create a dance to go along with the movement. Or, if your little one is too small to talk, get creative yourself and tell them a story that corresponds with the music you’re hearing.
The Whistler and His Dog – Arthur Pryor •
At the concert: This piece was written in 1905 and is perhaps the best-known piece of orchestra music that includes a part for a whistler, though some orchestras choose to have a piccolo perform it. Imagine you’re out on a walk with your dog, smiling and whistling and enjoying the beautiful day. Can you try to whistle for your dog and look around the room for him? Watch as our conductor whistles away at the podium.
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At home: Baking with your kids is a great way to work on their fine motor skills and teach them how to follow simple directions. For those of you with dogs at home, here is an easy recipe for dog treats that you and your little(s) can whip up together. (And the great thing is that the cookies may not be delicious for humans, but they are totally edible in case your mini-bakers want to eat a few along with the dogs). Don’t have a dog at home or want some more fun? Check out this paper spring dog that can jump around with you while you whistle along with the music.
Grand Canyon Suite, One the Trail - Ferde Grofé •
At the concert: Each movement of the Grand Canyon Suite is meant to portray a different Grand Canyon scene. On the Trail is one of the best-known movements and is all about taking a donkey ride through the canyon. Sit on your donkey and bounce up and down as you take the bumpy ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
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At home: Time to pull out those old safety goggles and get science-y! Ok, no goggles needed, but experiment this is a great way to teach your preschool-age and older children about the Grand Canyon before they hear the music inspired by it.
Theme from Jurassic Park - John Williams •
At the concert: John Williams wrote this main theme to portray the “awesome beauty” of dinosaurs in nature. Listen to the soaring strings and the majestic brass. Let’s stomp like dinosaurs before the piece begins – are you a big dinosaur or a small one? A nice or a scary dinosaur?
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At home: Universal fact: kids love dinosaurs. There are so many ways to have fun with dinosaurs at home. Check out this awesome blog post with 25 dinosaur activities for kids.
The Wasps – Ralph Vaughn Williams •
At the concert: Listen to the buzzing string players and the trilling wind instruments at the beginning of this piece and you’ll understand why it is called The Wasps! After the Wasps buzz all around, the orchestra plays a fun melody that could be hard-working honey bees flying all around their hive. Use your hands to make little stingers on your head and buzz like bees. Buzz along as we begin the piece.
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At home: Keep on buzzing at home with this fun craft for a bee hand puppet. Fly your bee around while listening to The Wasps or another bee-utiful classic, Flight of the Bumblebees.
Concerto Grosso – Archangelo Corelli (This piece is so rare that we couldn’t find a video – you’ll have to come to Tiny Tots to hear it!)
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At the concert: A concerto grosso is a piece of music that features multiple musicians or instrument sections as soloists. We’ll be joined by members of the Hannah Kahn Dance Company as they flutter around during this piece. Stay seated and enjoy their performance.
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At home: At the concert, the dancers will be dressed up as birds. Dress up at home by creating these easy paper-plate animal noses. Bring them along with you to Tiny Tots and put them on during this piece (or wear them for the whole concert if you’d like!).
Peter and the Wolf – Sergei Prokofiev •
At the concert: One of the best-known pieces of orchestra music for children, Peter and the Wolf is a symphonic fairytale that uses a narrator and musical themes to tell a story. Today we will hear small excerpts and listen to the flute sound like a bird, the oboe like a duck, the strings and the bassoon like two different people, the clarinet like the cat, and the horns like a hungry wolf.
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At home: Peter and the Wolf is such an important orchestra work for children. It is a great first experience in teaching them how music can tell a story or portray emotions. Sit down with your littles and enjoy this Peter and the Wolf animation, which includes the full story and music!
Der vogelfänger bin ich ja – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart •
At the concert: This piece of music features a bird catcher singing about all the birds he is going to catch. Listen as a member of Central City Opera joins us for this piece.
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At home: Winter is coming, so now is a great time to make some DIY winter bird feeders and talk to your kids about what happens this time of year: the changing seasons, the falling leaves, what birds and other animals do during the winter, and more.
The Waltzing Cat – Leroy Anderson •
At the concert: Leroy Anderson wrote a lot of fun programmatic music for orchestra – programmatic music is music that paints a picture or tells a story about something. Imagine a bunch of furry kittens waltzing around at a fancy party at this piece and listen to them meow. We’ll all practice our meowing. Watch the conductor throughout the piece and he’ll show you when it’s your turn to meow along with the orchestra.
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At home: Make up a song! Leroy Anderson wrote this song to sound like dancing cats, so have your kids become composers themselves by making up simple tunes that sound like (or are inspired by) some other fun things. Some song subjects could be falling leaves, stomping rhinos, or sparkly glitter.
The Bare Necessities – Terry Gilkyson •
At the concert: We’re going to end the concert with a wild number! Get on your feet and dance away.
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At home: Work on those dance moves! Check out these Youtube dance tutorials for kids to get your groove on.