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Opening Lines

10/1/2019

The first line of a story and the opening motive in a melody both serve to HOOK the reader or listener into continuing on --- to turn the page, as they say. I have been attending workshops on writing Picture Books. Today's subject was about Opening Lines or the first words of the story. Because I am a musician first, I tend to think in musical terms. I know that a HOOK is a very powerful melodic phrase where the most important idea or lyric or message of the music is found. It ultimately should be what the listener goes out of the theater whistling. In music, the HOOK can be the opening line or it can be the opening line of the refrain. It just needs to be placed at the most important juncture in the music so that it can make the biggest impact.

In writing a Picture Book, the first line may be the first and only chance to HOOK the reader into wanting to turn the page. The facilitators gave some guidelines to what a first line should do.

1. Introduce the main character and establish the VOICE.
2. Suggest the THEME of the story.
3. Establish the TONE of the book.
4. Reveal the CONFLICT.
5. Set up the STRUCTURE of the book.

Some famous first lines of books that they shared were:
1. "I'm a bad seed." from The Bad Seed by Jory John
2. "I just ate my friend." from I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon
3. "On Monday I asked my mother if I could have a dog." from
   The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle

They shared a few others, too, and discussed why these were brilliant first lines. Sometimes the art does a whole lot more to entice the reader to turn the page than just the first line. But you get the idea of how important the job of these first few words is to introduce the main character, the conflict, the tone of the story and so on.

Now that I have written four Picture Books, I wondered how the first lines of my stories held up under the 5 criteria mentioned above.

1. "It all started with the boots." from Is This Cowboy Food?
2. "When Katelyn was a baby, she only wanted Mom." from Who Will Be My
   Friend?
3. "Michael was a boy who knew just what he liked." from Too Many Sisters
4. "Some kids have wooden forts high in the trees.
Some kids have swings that they sway in the breeze." from The Wonderful,
     Marvelous, Magic Bunk Bed

Not too bad. What do you think? I have appreciated comments from friends such as "Your stories are such page turners." I hope that's true!

Singing Nice and Loud

9/10/2019

I was a substitute accompanist last Sunday for a Church group of young singers ages 4-7. They were learning the second verse of a song that I had not known before. But when I started playing it, I had to catch myself. It was written in the form of a pop power ballad --- the chord progression, rhythms, and how the melody was constructed. I really had to pull back so that I did not go into Rock Band mode. The children hardly sang on the verse, but, boy, did they let loose on the chorus! They knew how to belt out a pop power ballad. It is what they know. That type of music is all over the TV, radio, recordings, and even commercials.
The song leader had probably asked them to sing NICE and LOUD when they were first learning, but they only perfected the LOUD part. The pitches that were between Middle C up to F were pretty close to being matched, but those down around G and A below Middle C were croaked and the notes above were monotone yelled. It wasn't NICE at all. The sad part was that they were singing a sacred song about the miracle of Jesus' Atonement. I doubt that the children actually understood that they were singing words that should be sung with absolute regard and reverence for the majesty of what the Savior did for us. The song leader tried to tell them that they needed to sing NICE. But it might be too late to get them to relearn something that they are having so much fun doing.
In general, children emulate what they hear. If a child grows up in a culture that uses chants and throat clucks for their singing, that is what they think is normal and good. If children grow up listening to only their culture's pop music, that is what they are accustomed to and is how they want to sing. Singing sacred music, reverently, requires a different approach. And singing any music in tune, requires expert teaching strategies. There is a danger in encouraging children to sing along with grown-up voices on professional recordings. The ranges adults sing in are not a fit for most children. The kids end up trying to sing too low or too high which is out of their physical range.
Most children have naturally higher and lighter ranges than adults and those usually fall within one octave and a few notes either direction from Middle C up to Treble C. The problem seems to be that the vast majority of American children are growing up only matching pitches in their speaking ranges and sadly they are not finding their head voices at all which would allow them to sing above F4 (only a fourth up from Middle C!). That's a singing range of about four notes, folks. They are not matching pitches lower than middle C -- just grunting. And they are not matching pitches above F -- just screeching out a monotone. They don't realize what it takes to match pitches because they have not learned to hear by singing in their "head voice" register.
Children can learn to match pitches when encouraged to find their light, high HEAD VOICE. Once they get acquainted with vocalizing above F in a sort of "siren" type sound, they can open the pathways to matching pitches. That song leader needs to get them matching pitches in their head voice range before turning them loose on a song so familiar in style that they lapse into pop power ballad mode. I hope she can reign them back in and help them sing NICE.

Summer Loafin'

9/1/2019

Grasshopper stummin' his ukulele

Labor Day Weekend. Traditionally, the last weekend of summer. School here is already in session, but I recall that in my youth, school started after Labor Day. Many people have their last vacation get-aways on Labor Day Weekend, and some people use this time to recover from their previous vacation get-aways. I myself am taking this time to look back on all of the activities of this summer. Backyard Theater Camp, vacation at a Beach House in North Carolina, travel with kids and grandkids, going out to see shows with friends, trying to get the garden in and growing, choir rehearsals, my daughter's family moving out into their own new house, writing a new children's picture book... The list goes on and on. No summer loafing' for me!

Cute little Ants

In the mini-musical "The Ants and the Grasshopper," the Grasshopper sings a song called "Summer Loafing'" where he actually entices one of the little ants to try the easy, relaxing way of life. However, the Queen Ant knows that PREPARATION is the key to survival for the ants and she convinces the little ant that she needs to finish their work of gathering food before winter sets in. Of course, the grasshopper mocks the ants and continues his loafing ways UNTIL winter comes in earnest. He then begs to be let into the Ant Hill where he can get out of the cold and find food and shelter. The little ants beg the Queen to let him in to play music for them so they can dance throughout the winter. He joins the ants inside the ant hill, but then after a LONG time of playing his "fingers to the bone" while the ants make merry, spring finally comes and he can GET AWAY. He learns that "You can play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. But either way you'll have to pay." (quote from John Maxwell)

In some respects, I have had my share of summer loafin'. I spent some pretty relaxing days at the beach house. But, I can't tolerate doing nothing for very long. I guess "Summer Loafing'" is not for me. Looking forward to Autumn!

Program Music

8/26/2019

During the Romantic Period of Music (late 1800's through early 1900's), a form of composition became popular called the Tone Poem or Program Music. The music played by the orchestra told a story. Usually, the poem or story was also published in the program notes so that concert goers could have it to refer to while listening to the piece. One very famous example of Program Music is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (1897) by Paul Dukas (1865-1935) which breathes life into a poem by German poet Goethe (1797). The music tells the story of the old Sorcerer who leaves his young apprentice alone to do some chores. The apprentice remembers just enough magic to get himself into trouble. He repeats the conjuration he heard and causes the broom to carry pails of water to fill a large container. He just can't remember how to make it stop. You know the rest, undoubtedly because this once modestly successful piece for orchestra was later included in Walt Disney's "Fantasia" (1940). From that springboard, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" motives and themes have been used to underscore hundreds of theatrical shows, cartoons, commercials, and even a live action film by the same name. It is now considered wildly successful.

I admire composers who have such a command of the colors and sounds of the orchestral instruments that they can arrange and use them in their musical compositions to conjure up images for us in our minds. I also admire artists and animators who are especially equipped to use their imaginations and skill to give the listening and viewing public unique visual interpretations of classical Program Music. In fact, those artists can take almost any music and use it to tell some kind of visually appealing story. Musical underscoring helps move the plot along in a story or theatrical production. Directors of plays have long used the music of the classical Masters (Program Music or not) to "up" the theatrical appeal of their shows.

It's all Show Biz. We like to be entertained. And we like best what we know. We like to have the music used to underscore movies and theater be what will carry us away into the world of the story. It may be heroic and action packed. It might be spooky and suspenseful. It may transport us to exotic locations. It may reflect the popular music of the day. It may also educate us about music of a certain historic period. Modern composers may want to find their unique voices when composing scores today, but they also want to build upon the fantastic examples from the past. Even the legendary film score composer John Williams (b. 1932) used themes for "Star Wars" (1977) that sound like they are heavily influenced by Paul Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." It's all right. Composers "borrow" ideas from each other all the time.

In my own small way, I wanted to give a salute to the famous Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) when I wrote the mini-musical "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." He wrote incidental music for a play by Henrik Ibsen in 1876. These short musical pieces vary in style and help illustrate the moods and activities of the protagonist "Peer Gynt." I used little snippets of some of these pieces to add flavor to the songs from my little mini-musical. Perhaps you will recognize them. Enjoy.

Which Comes First --- the Words or the Music?

8/17/2019

Often I am asked which comes first when writing a new song -- the lyrics or the melody? I usually say that the INSPIRATION comes first. Inspiration can come from an idea, a feeling, a title, a scripture, a picture, a famous quote, a poem, an intriguing rhythm, a melodic "worm," a nugget from other music, ---almost anything can become an inspiration for a song.

When I was young, I liked to take long walks around my neighborhood. There were many interesting streets of houses and green spaces as well as a trail along a canal bank. I loved watching the trees as they changed through the seasons. I loved to hear the water rushing by. I enjoyed the views looking up to the mountains as well as looking down towards the valley. As I walked, I sang to myself. I sang lots of songs that I knew, but I also made up all sorts of songs. I guess I didn't need much to entertain myself.

(Curiously, even now, I find that going on a walk helps me think. Sometimes, I go out walking and if I am trying to come up with an idea for a song, much of the song can literally write itself by the time I get home.)

During college, I got discouraged by all of the talent I saw around me. The many teachers and students seemed so much more talented than I was. The more I learned about musical elements and poetic devices, the more I guessed that my gift was just being able to sing. Then, after graduation, I ventured out into the real world. There I learned that with the right inspiration, I could produce interesting and worthwhile music, too.

For me, which comes first? Well, I have to say that the music and the words pretty much come at the same time. If I get an idea of something that needs to be said in the lyric, then the words dictate the melodic line and rhythms. If an interesting melody starts forming in my mind, then I play catch up to try to find the words that should fit the music. Some songwriters say that they start with the title. But giving my song a title is usually the crowning detail of my songwriting efforts. I have a hard time naming my songs. The default title often comes from the song's "hook."

If I am writing a song for Musical Theater, I have to immerse myself in the story, the setting, the costumes and set ideas, but mostly I need to get into the "heads" of the characters. The words and the style of the song need to organically develop from the characters and situations they are in. One song that I remember very clearly that wrote itself on one of my walks is "I Love the City Life" from The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. As I recall, it was a rather cold blustery day. I was walking briskly through the neighborhood. Because it was a cold day, I started thinking of snow. That started me thinking of an Irving Berlin song from the movie "White Christmas." A very rhythmic melodic snippet from that song would not leave me alone. I decided that if it was harmonically dressed up differently, given a Latin beat, and different words, people would never know where I borrowed the inspiration. So, by the time I got home, I just needed to write down what had come to me on my walk. Enjoy!

In the Time Before Remembering

8/5/2019

Kazhira, the Weeping Queen from "Parizade's Quest"

Recently, I heard this line from my daughter as she was attempting to explain to her children some important events that happened previous to when they joined the family. She began, "In the time before remembering..." Now that line is every bit as good as "Once upon a time..." or "Long ago and far away..." don't you think? It sets the tone for a timeless tale. Don't know if it has been borrowed from some fantasy novel or not, but I intend to use it sometime, somewhere for some title. It is THAT good!

Don't we all feel as we go through life, that we have forgotten key elements of our history. My teachers always told me that I should keep a journal of the important events in my day to day life. My problem was that as I was living those events, I couldn't tell if what I was going through was an important event or not. And then, after time went by, I didn't really remember the details of the events as I became aware that they were actually very important. Seems that only with hindsight do we discover the meaning we should attach to events in our day to day lives. And then those days truly become "the times before remembering."

Fortunately, for me at least, I have family and friends who share enough of my life to help fill in the gaps when I forget details of the past. My sister has a good memory for people, places, and events and somehow remembers random facts from my life, too. And then, I tend to leave "breadcrumbs" strewn behind me. You know, the scribbles in notebooks or margins of papers that provide dates of past appointments, rehearsal times and locations, performances, etc. to help me remember what I was doing back then and when I did them. Eventually, when I get around to emptying out my purse, the excavations reveal a lot of archaeological evidences and clues to historical dates. If I was wise, I could make a record from those sources. I also do enough work on the computer to document many of the things I do and the computer furnishes a date for most of those activities.

But, no matter the mixed-up details of my own life, the line "In the time before remembering..." seems to open up a timeless tale. At this time, however, I just don't remember what that tale might be.

A song from "Parizade's Quest" comes to mind, though. It is sung by the weeping Queen Kazhira as she remembers the loss of her three beautiful babies. "By Morning's Light" is probably the saddest song I ever wrote for a Children's Musical. But it sets up the story of how a Family is reunited and all ends well. The Queen wishes she had something happy to remember. It is a time before her current reality, "in the time before remembering..."

Flexible Casting

7/17/2019

The Bluebirds Trio

Probably the most intimidating part of writing a new show or mounting a production is choosing the CAST. Many of the children who sign up to do a Children's Theater Show (ages 5-12) have never been in a show before. They don't even know what they can do. When writing a show for kids to perform, the author must take that fact into account. And as a director, you have to use your best intuition to look for talents that may not have surfaced yet. Sometimes, the casting choices are very obvious from the selection available. Other times, the talent pool that shows up may not provide the best options to satisfy all of the roles. So you do the best you can and hope things will work out. Creating or choosing a show that has FLEXIBLE CASTING is so important! That ensures there are built-in adaptations possible.

In Children's Theater, there are usually at least five girls who sign up for every boy who comes out for the play. And yet, I have noticed that a great majority of the stories feature a boy as the lead character. And most of the stories that the young girls like feature a princess who becomes a love interest to a youth who is out on a quest. In reality though, the young boys HATE being cast in a "love" story. They prefer battle scenes and comic situations, while the girls love to dance and wear pretty costumes. So, when designing a new production, the author must keep these things in mind. If you want to attract boys to your cast, you better NOT do a "love" story. And if you want girls to be in the show, you better have a lot of dancing and colorful costumes.

Another problem that comes about in Children's Theater is that the kids like what they know. They are very distrusting of anything else. So they will get excited about titles of shows they have seen or heard of before. With the availability of so many movies that have been made into Children's Theater shows, kids assume that the stage play will be the same as the movie. But a junior stage production cannot be like the animated movie. In a community production with a limited budget, characters cannot fly or swim, fight with real weapons on horseback through an avalanche, ride in a parade of dinosaurs, disappear in a puff of smoke or pixie dust, or many other magical effects that can only happen in animation or computer generated film making. And even if the show has the same songs, they usually have to be shortened and modified to fit the ranges of young children. (At least, they really should be!) So, kids tend to be disillusioned when they are cast in a production that they think they know, but then everything is very different.

Henny Penny, Chicken Licken, Sister Chicks, and Mister Rooster

In my own writing, I have had the most success with stories that are adapted from famous sources (Aesop or 1001 Arabian Nights), or folktales that have been retold in many ways. Since these stories have been presented in so many different and existing iterations, one more version must seem perfectly acceptable. One possible exception was my telling of "The Tale of Chicken Licken." Some of the kids thought they were auditioning to do a stage play of the Disney animated version of "Chicken Little." At first disappointed, once they got acquainted with this new production, they were fine and really enjoyed themselves.

Looking to create or produce shows that have opportunities for FLEXIBLE CASTING is the KEY to your success. (This means that the lead characters could be played by either a male or a female.) There should be enough featured characters to make it seem that every role is equal and very important. Action, comedy, dancing, colorful costumes, and NO LOVE story are also very important. The songs should be short and in vocal ranges suitable for young voices. And, the entire production should stay under 60 minutes from start to finish.

Another Summer Camp Show: Momotaro

6/29/2019

Epic Battle against the Oni Monsters

Momotaro a Tale of Bravery was performed at the Red Butte Gardens Summer Camps last week. This play is adapted from a very famous Japanese folktale about a boy who is delivered to a childless old couple inside a peach. It is an adventure story about how this boy grows up to become the hero of the village. Without the use of weapons, with just his courage bright, he fought the Oni Monsters to rid his village from their evil powers. As he goes off on his Quest, he meets a monkey, a dog and a pheasant who are brave enough to help him battle the Oni. In the end, they return victorious to a grateful village.

My daughter was the director. She and her team had just one week to help the students learn their lines, songs and dances, to make their costumes and fantasy masks, to paint the scenery and to make their props. The kids gave a very nice performance and sang, danced and acted their hearts out. This program is an example of how to do a Theater Camp show in a very minimalistic treatment. Each student had a human character and a fantasy character. They used old shirts to create "kimonos" for their human character costume. They made masks for their fantasy characters such as the Animals, Oni Monsters, and Spirits. They even made a fantasy dancing forest using twigs with tissue paper leaves. The students obviously had a lot of pride in ownership of this show. Good job, campers!

The backdrop of the amphitheater at Red Butte Gardens was beautiful. Unfortunately, the direction of the sun did not allow for very good pictures.

Animal friends returning victorious with Momotaro

The Song Is Ended, But the Melody Lingers on

6/26/2019

How does that Irving Berlin/Ira Gershwin ballad go? "The song is ended, but the melody lingers on..."

Sometimes the success of a show is measured by how long the melodies linger on. Many of my Camp Participant's parents approach me even now saying that they still hear their kids singing the tunes from the show around the house. (It has been several weeks now since our performance.) That is such a compliment. Of course, I hope that my songs and their messages linger in the minds of the children. That is the entire point of doing the show. I hope that they will remember to Be Sincere and that Everybody Works AND that these things are GOOD!

But I am floored that the most memorable song from Never Cry Wolf this summer has been the Little Lamb's dance. My daughter's little 22 month old daughter Avery goes around singing "Baa, Baa, Baa" and doing the little dance moves almost nonstop daily. Notice the very nice first position turnout in the feet, the preparatory plie', and the lovely arm position on the turn. This girl is destined to be a ballerina! She will surely become a triple threat -- she can sing (of course, right now she specializes in one word songs as long as that word is "Baa"); she certainly can dance; and here in the household we have witnessed her tendencies towards being a drama queen! To me, that definitely spells T-R-I-P-L-E T-H-R-E-A-T!

When I wrote the first iteration of this show about 20 years ago now, I just needed a little song simple enough for three five-year-old girls to perform. They had had no previous performing experience and were scared of their own shadows. Until the moment of the performance, I could not be certain these three little girls would do anything that they had been taught. But, they surprised us all and had the the audience giggling so much they nearly fell off their chairs. There simply is no arguing with CUTE FACTOR.

So, while I would prefer that "Set for Posterity" or "A View from the Highest Mountain" or "Tapestry of Life" would be the hit songs from the show, I am still pleased that "Baa Baa Baa" enjoys such longevity. The Camp might have ended, but the Song lingers on...

Taking Down and Packing Away

6/22/2019

So grateful that the Summer Theater Camp went off so well. Many people stayed after and helped take down the set, gather up costumes and props, clean up the refreshments and tidy up the audience area. I envisioned doing all of the work by myself, but with all of the help, it was organized very quickly. The only real work I had to do was launder some of the costumes, sort them and fold them into their tubs, and stack them inside the shed. The entire job was accomplished within three days. That must be some kind of a record!

I need to take a moment to thank my daughter Katelyn for all of her help. She hung the drapes, she painted the sets, she shepherded our little "Lambs" and made sure her mother got food and sleep during the 2 1/2 weeks of the the camp. She did all this with a smile on her face. It has been such a joy to hear her children sing the songs from the show and even do the little Lamb's dance over and over. The work Katelyn did for me was on top of all of her stress she has in her life. She is the mother of three busy little children; the wife of a police officer who works all kinds of strange hours; and they are in the midst of building a new house. Don't know what I would have done without her youthful strength and bubbly personality! She kept me going.

Speaking of continuing on... already I have had inquiries about next year's Summer Theater Camp. "What show will you be doing?" The answer is I don't know yet. But, I have been requested to write a new musical about "Androcles and the Lion," another Aesop Fable. Hopefully, I can get that written and all will be a GO for next summer. Wish me luck!