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Everything's Coming Up Roses

6/28/2021

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Today is June 28th, my mother's birthday.  She loved roses.  I remember how she couldn't wait for June because that was when her roses bloomed.  I watched how she lovingly tended her roses, made cuttings and arranged them for table decorations, and even sprayed rose scented perfume around the house.  Pink roses were her favorites.  Mom loved how roses were a symbol of how hopeless situations can change for the better.

One of the first musicals I ever performed in was "Gypsy."  This was at a tiny little community theater in Pasadena, Texas.  It was our first summer in Texas and my mother decided we should get involved in the community somehow.  She had 8-year-old me audition, and that's when the director discovered my mom's piano skills.  She was hired to accompany the show on the spot.

I didn't get a big part. I was just one of the many kids in the first scene.  Yet, all of us extras had to stay until the curtain call at the end of the show.  Because of questionable content in the second act, we were NOT allowed to watch the show.  So we stayed outside in back playing board games at the picnic tables.  We could hear the songs, though, and believe me, we learned them all!
PictureCarolyn Thompson Lee at the piano
One song in particular has stuck with me because it still reminds me of my mother.  In the show, the stage mother was always trying to build up her daughters' act.  She tried to be upbeat and encouraging, saying, "Curtain up!  Light the lights!  You've got nothing to hit but the heights.  Starting here, starting now, baby, everything's coming up roses!"

My mother was great at encouraging people and building their talents.  She certainly made sure I had songs prepared for any occasion and was right there to play for me any time I was asked to sing.  And I wasn't the only one.  She made herself available to help out anybody who needed her coaching help and accompanying support.  She could make even those with slim talents look good.

​How I miss her positive energy and immense talents!  Happy Birthday, Mom!

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Writing for the Changing Voice

6/21/2021

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Sometimes as a writer you have a job to do and you just have jump in and do it. Last week, I needed to write a song for a character in this summer's theater camp.  I know the kid that needs the role, and I know that he has hit that magical age where his voice is starting to change.  Poor kid.  He only has five good notes with a few others higher and lower depending on the day.

​Since I decided to model this character on Elvis Presley, I began by listening to some of his early hits like "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog" and Don't Be Cruel."  Then I listened and played through other 1960's Rock 'n Roll songs.  I decided to write a song using a basic Blues Riff.  I admit that what I came up with is not terribly original, but how many of those songs are really original anyway?
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This kid's voice is most secure right now from Middle C up to G with a few lower notes.  I decided that I would write the song in F Major so the main melodic notes would keep in that range.  I am just hoping that he'll be able to hit the A flat blue notes above and below Middle C as well.  He hasn't started his growth spurt quite yet, so I think I am safe with this plan, at least until the show debuts in 8 weeks.

My own three sons provided quite an education for me about writing for the changing voice. 

Son #1 actually sings very well and loved to sing as a child.  We sang as a family and I couldn't wait for his voice to drop enough so that he could sing tenor or bass. During the time when he had only five good notes, I eased him in to part singing by having him learn alto or high tenor.  The plan was to gradually have him sing music stretching into his lower notes through tenor down to bass. Then one day his voice suddenly dropped an octave.  It happened so fast.  (He also grew 6 inches in the space of three months.)  Over night, he could suddenly sing bass.  (I kind of forced him to sing bass because we needed someone to sing bass.  But now as an adult, he prefers singing Tenor.) 

Son #2 sang melody for a long time, but didn't like to perform in public.  (He really hated the older women who came up after the show and squeezed his dimpled cheeks telling him how cute he was.)  He had three older sisters who could sing Soprano, Alto, and Tenor, so he figured we could get along without him singing.  So, he decided to pick up the guitar.  Anyway, he prefers accompanying and he is good at it.  When we do get him to sing, he sings bass.

Son #3 has a really great voice.  He loved to sing as a child and was very willing to perform.  Because he was constantly singing, and had developed a beautiful soprano range, he had very little trouble as his voice dropped.  He could still hit the high notes in falcetto as well as sing in his natural baritone range.  He did not go through the syndrome at age
12-13 of only having five good notes.

Voice teachers say, and I concur, that if you can get a boy to develop his upper range, he will have fewer problems as his voice drops.  The trouble is getting the young boy to develop his high notes.  Apparently tough guys don't like to sound like girls.  Go figure!

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Struggling with a "Bad Guy" Character

6/14/2021

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The last time I did a Summer Camp production of "The Tale of Chicken Licken" most of the kids were under 10 years old.  They were practically all unknown to me and most had no previous acting experience.  This Summer's Theater Camp is different.  There are a few kids who have grown up doing my summer theater camps and they have proven themselves.  They have good stage presence, can sing well, and deserve a featured role with a good song.  I can accommodate the girls, but I don't have a challenging enough role or song for one boy.

The trouble is that the only character that could be developed more is the bad guy, Foxy Loxy.  In keeping with the light, comic nature of this show, I need to make him a cool dude, and minimize his evil intentions.  I have decided to model him after Elvis Presley and the "Fonz" from "Happy Days" with the manic physical comedy of Danny Kaye.  A tall order!

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So, once again I find myself rewriting my own show and adding at least one new song.  I want Foxy Loxy to do a rock 'n roll song, play a guitar solo and have the Bluebirds girl trio characters as back-up singers. 

​It can be done, right?   Wish me well!
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Changing Gears

6/9/2021

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Because of scheduling conflicts and other Pandemic related issues, enrollment was down for my Summer Theater Camp.  So, rather than cancel the camp, I decided to switch shows.  The show I have decided would work well for the number of kids that have enrolled is "The Tale of Chicken Licken."  This little story is particularly good for this time of pandemic.  It is all about being careful not to give into foolish FEARS.

While visiting with an older lady in the neighborhood several years ago, she related her story as a child of living through the fears associated with World War II.  Her story inspired me to write this play. 

She said that she lived near San Francisco near the Air Force Base.   Her house was directly under the flight lanes of the big cargo planes coming and going from the base.  She also heard the extremely loud warning sirens a lot.  As a little girl, these things gave her great anxieties.

Anxieties such as hers were common among the other children in her class at school.  She told me that her teacher often read the story of Chicken Licken to the class.  The teacher wanted the students to learn that mis-understanding often leads to assumptions that can cause fears.  But getting the facts and learning to understand them can help ease fears.  Knowledge is power.

"The Tale of Chicken Licken" is all about how one foolish fear grew all out of proportion.  It even caused the demise of those foolish birds who were caught up in the mania.  This show portrays a cautionary "tale within a tale." The hope is to help the barnyard fowl to not fall into the same trap that previous birds did.

Despite the message about fears, the songs are upbeat and fun.  The costumes are, too.  It is a very enjoyable show!

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Old Days

6/4/2021

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"Old days ____ Good times I remember.  
Fun days ____ Filled with ship of pleasure.  
Drive-in movies ____ Comic books and blue jeans.  
Howdy Doody ____Baseball cards and birthdays.  
Take me back ____ To the world gone away.  
Memories ____ Seem like yesterday."  

Heard this song on a newscast last night during the last 15 minutes of a very long drive to and from southern California.  It only intensified my already intense nostalgic feelings.  While we were there, my daughter and I had driven around Whittier to see the houses we had lived in and other important places to our family. This is where we spent the first 13 years of our marriage.  This is where I first learned that I could write and produce Children's Theater.  This is where 5 of our children were born.  This is where we still had wonderful friends. This is where my husband grew up and near where his parents are currently living.  

We had driven down from Utah with the plan to look in on my in-laws, which we did. Unfortunately, we observed signs that our suspicions were correct.  They are declining rapidly.  They do not have any family nearby to be their caregivers.  And while they have fiercely fought to stay in their house, it is time to make arrangements for their end of life care.  So sad to see once vibrant active people lose their ability to live independently.  But they had a good run --- nearly 93 years worth of comfortable, good times.

I got them talking a little bit about their old days and caught it on video.  Hopefully, these little videos can be a treasure for their posterity in days to come.
"Oh, old days ____ Good times I remember.  
Gold days ____ Days I'll always treasure.  
Funny faces ____ Full of love and laughter.  
Funny places ____Summer nights and streetcars.  
Take me back ____To the world gone away.  
Our good memories _____ Seem like yesterday.  

Old days _____ Old days ____"        (the band Chicago from 1975)
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    Author

    My name is Betsy Bailey.  I have sung, written and taught music all of my life.  I enjoy writing and directing Children's Theater shows.  This blog will be directed to topics on creating the magic of Children's Theater.  I would love to hear your comments!

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