These First and Second graders gave a darling premiere performance of "The Ants and the Grasshopper." They donned their little costumes and used their props, sang their songs, danced their dances, and delivered their lines before an appreciative audience of family and friends. Because this was an "in class" recital, we asked the audience to imagine the backgrounds and sets (particularly the Ant Hill that was just a screen). The children did not have to worry about problems that come with using a stage - lights, sound, microphones, or curtains. They just performed to their best abilities. They stole the hearts of their audience. In the end, the Grasshopper recommended to the audience that he had learned his lesson. Instead of always loafing and singing and dancing during the summer, he was going to make time to store up food for the winter. He learned that it truly is better to "Pay now and play later." The Finale song was catchy enough that the whole audience joined in singing the reprise. What a fun show! Kudos to the Kids!
Introducing the newest Mini-Musical from Bailey Kids Musicals. "The Ants and the Grasshopper" now available. This little musical came about in a burst of inspiration brought on by some desperation. One of the Theater Skills classes I began teaching this Fall had eight First and Second Graders - 7 girls and 1 boy. I was planning to just let them learn skills by working with Acting Games, short skits and songs, but it soon became clear that they needed a story that would catch their fancy in oder to develop acting skills. I quickly searched through many materials and decided that I just needed to write them a show. Obviously, I needed to tailor the parts to the personalities I had. The boy had a great voice and could move. It made sense to cast him as the Grasshopper and give him some "Gene Kelly savoir-fare." The girls needed clearly defined traits in order to bring their characters to life. So, I gave each Ant one main emotional character trait such as "Effie, Miss Efficiency," and "Winnie, the Whiner." When working with 6-7 year olds just one hour per week, there are certain things you just plan for. They will not remember directions from week to week, so you drill, drill, drill all of the LINES and BLOCKING. They tend to be shy and speak with small voices. So, you drill, drill, drill about PROJECTING the voice. They like COSTUMES, so you'd better have them! Costumes really help both the children and the audience imagine the characters and bring them to life. CATCHY SONGS are very important to a children's show. The songs are the loudest, brightest, and most unified part of the production. Better make them the best they can be. The songs must carry the setting, emotions, and message of the tale. The audience should be able to go out singing the songs with the kids on the way home. (That's when you know you've done your job as a author and director.) The message of "The Ants and the Grasshopper' is taken from a quote by John Maxwell. He said, "Play now and pay later, or pay now and play later. Either way you'll have to pay." Works perfectly for this wonderful Aesop Fable. Here it is in the Finale song. You have all heard of Choreography, of course. But "Choral"-ography is something a bit different. It is coordinated, but limited, movement for a chorus of singers. Sometimes it t is just a synchronized gesture or turn of the heads, other times actual full-bodied movement. The key is to make the movements fit the words of the song and not be too boisterous as to confuse the singers or hamper their singing.
When composing a song for young children, I try to think about it in terms of choral-ography. In other words, I always try to imagine how the children would interpret the song on stage. The words come across best when simple gestures can be used to emphasize the meaning. Words suggesting a direction such as "up" or "down" I make sure have a gesture or body movement to emphasize that. Lyrics about joy or love or happiness might have a gesture of clasping hands at the heart. Lyrics about sadness might used slumped shoulders and frowning faces. Words with abstract meanings are the most difficult to interpret. I usually save the simple generic hand and arm motions for those lyrics --- arm out left, arm out right, both arms up, one arm up in back and one down front with "jazz" hands (fingers wiggling), etc. First-time actors are generally not trained dancers. So only very simple foot movements can be used. Variations of walking, sliding, or spinning are about the extent of full body motion that can be safely used. Kids usually have trouble with Right and Left and other stage directions, so I try to remember to keep it consistent by always starting on the same foot or turning in the same direction with succeeding passages. It is crucial that when you begin teaching choreography of any kind, you continue practicing what you started. Making a lot of changes just confuses them and they don't know what to remember. Most kids tend to remember the movements you taught them first. So figure it all out before you get started. With enough practice time, it is surprising how proficient kids can get at their movements. And remember that if you work in front of the group facing them, you must "mirror" their motions. If you use your right hand, expect them to use their left hand. Be prepared to reverse that if you turn around to face the same direction as the group. Using "Choral"-ography is a great way to have your group interpret the songs and give a polished performance! Last week I had the privilege of attending a chorus concert at Alloway Creek Elementary School in Littlestown Pennsylvania. The students there were performing their end of school concert incorporating three of my Mini-Musicals. Using a few kid-produced sets and props, the chorus performed "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," "The Musicians of Bremen," and "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse." Their talented chorus teacher, Mr. Krape, taught them the songs and very simply staged the stories pulling out the costumed characters to deliver their lines at the four standing microphones. The chorus members standing behind the character actors sang the songs, provided sound effects, did some "choral-ography," and held up their own kid-created puppets as the story-lines dictated. They sang well, delivered their lines well, and had the audience laughing at the appropriate moments. All in all, they provided a very enjoyable show. I especially enjoyed how Big Bodean and Lazy Lug (country mice cousins) perfected their "country" accents!
The concert was introduced with the song "Why Is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?" which stated the common thread linking these stories together. In "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" the goats want the greener grass on the other side of the bridge. In "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse," the country mouse is tired of her country life and longs to visit the city. In "The Musicians of Bremen," the donkey, who is destined for the glue factory, sets off with other animals to make their living as singers using their very awful and annoying voices. Each story has something to do with "longing for something you want but can't get." But, as the Country Mouse learns, sometimes you do not "realize the good you've got until you've lost it!" The Country Mouse finds that the city life is filled with just as many dangers as the country life, but at least in the country she knows what to expect and how to deal with it! She decides that a Country Mouse is what she wants to be after all! One of the lead characters in the "Parizade's Quest" cast, Lili Wilson, who was Parizade, asked me if I did children's theater when I was young. I told her that I did. She asked if I ever wrote scripts and shows when I was young. I told her that I did. Then she proceeded to tell me that she was writing a show for her 4th grade class to present to the school. She was a bit frustrated that the other children did not always follow her directions even though she had spent so much time and effort preparing the script and getting the costumes ready all by herself. I told her that directing a cast of your peers is difficult, but to keep trying and they will eventually come around. Lili, I was a lot like you. When I was in 5th grade, my friends and I thought we ran the school. We worked quickly to get our regular assignments done so that we could spend time down in Mrs. Richardson's Music room. She was awesome. We would do her bulletin boards and coach the younger classes and help with folk dancing on Fridays. She especially loved having my mother available to accompany her special concerts and programs. At the end of our 5th Grade year, Mrs. Richardson let us put on our own version of "Peter Pan." I plagiarized the script, stealing from many sources, and we freely used music from both the Disney animated movie and the Broadway show. She let us create the costumes, sets, and staging and choreography. Well, she did have a group of singers sing along with us on risers to the side of the stage so that the event could qualify as a chorus concert. My mother accompanied and we put on a show! Judy played Peter Pan, Stanley played Captain Hook and I played Wendy. We danced and sang and pretended to fly and had a great time. We had wonderful support from our parents and teachers. We had the feeling we could do anything we put our minds to. We worked hard and created something wonderful. Our efforts were rewarded by the fun we had and the enjoyment we gave to those who came to the performance. Little did we know that what we did was foreshadowing our futures. Judy kept singing, working with children's choirs, and putting on shows. Stanley went on to play cello in orchestras. And I continued to write, direct and produce children's theater shows. So Lili, keep following your dreams. You may be foreshadowing your future! Pearls so rare! Pearls so rare! A family has been reunited, That's cause for joy. We are so excited! We'd be delighted If you decided to stay___ On this happy day! On this happy day! These are the words to the chorus of the Finale song of my latest Children's Musical "Parizade's Quest, a Tale from the Arabian Nights." The special message of this story is about the importance of FAMILY. As always, writing the show is a mind game, but putting it into production is an adventure! As a writer, you think and think and plan and plan and try to envision all the parts and pieces of the finished production. You design everything from the sets, to the dances, to the costumes, to how the characters talk and move. But then reality sets in. The biggest culprits are limitations of budget and time and of course the actual abilities of your very young actors. How wonderful to have some validation in getting a lot "right" about what you can actually manage to accomplish. But it is sobering to realize what simply will not fly. So, you pare down, regroup, re-imagine, and go on! The happy thing is that the kids seem to like the songs, the story, and the idea of the costumes that they haven't actually seen yet. Now to get them to memorize their lines, learn their choreography, master the singing of the songs, and accomplish some real acting to tell the story. The first few weeks are so rough. Nobody really has a handle on what to expect. They don't know each other. They don't know their characters. They have so much work to do. And as the creator and director of a brand new theatrical piece, I just don't have enough words or time to explain what is inside my head. The good thing is that they have no pre-conceived notions about the story or their characters. The bad things is that they have no pre-conceived notions about the story or any reference points for understanding the characters, setting or interpretation of the story. How come they can't just do what I see them do during my dreams at night? These are kids, after all. Ten, eleven and twelve year olds. There are just a handful who have had any experience doing a play or dancing or singing in shows. Fortunately, those kids can be the lead characters and demonstrate to the others how to conduct themselves. Now if I could just split myself into three or four extra people, we would have time enough to work with all the children on a more individual level. Don't have that kind of luxury, though. We will just go on the best we can. Perhaps, I will think of creative ways to "steal" extra time in some other ways. After all, what is the first law of the theater? The Show Must Go On! My elementary classroom teacher friends have been kind enough to offer suggestions for Lesson Plans for my new Mini-Musicals. In many states, so much of the curriculum is scripted to meet the Common Core Objectives. They find that it is exhausting to add anything beyond the well-stated goals. It is simply too hard to justify "fluff' and "fun." They are too busy trying to keep up with all of the mandated requirements. And many teachers are so overwhelmed, they rely solely on commercially prepared pre-made worksheets and packets. This is such a shame! As I have read the National Common Core Objectives, there seems to be a lot of room for creativity and fun. For example, one of the ELA objectives for 1st-3rd grades is to retell a story or fable with a moral. What better way to meet this objective than to present a class play? And if the songs reinforce the concepts of the moral plus other Language Arts ideas, that is all for the better. For example, the opening song in "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff," contains an idiom that is introduced along with many other puzzlements, "Why is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?" This song is a good jumping off point for a discussion about asking questions to get information using the words "who, what, where, when and why." In the Mini-Musical "The Tale of the Musicians of Bremen," the moral has to do with Age and Change. Children may not recognize how difficult it is for older people to grow old and feel useless. Older people often stubbornly resist change. The old farmer and his wife in the story have to face Age and Change in themselves and for their animals. This story shows the animals taking a proactive step to avoid their certain fate (death). The animals are likable and do silly things, but also allow for a discussion about important life lessons, particularly Age and Change. The City Mouse and the Country Mouse discover that both of their homes have pros and cons. The Country Mouse visits the City with her cousin and is terrified at the noise and hustle-bustle and all of the hidden dangers of the City. She decides that the "cons" far outweigh the "pros" of City Life. She races home to the Country where she already knows what to expect. "The Tale of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse" begins a discussion about Comparisons and Likes and Dislikes. Through explorations in acting and singing, the students can draw comparisons from the story and their own experiences to become better at determining their own preferences. Retelling a story or fable with a moral is what these Mini-Musicals are all about. According to the advice of my teacher friends, I have included ideas and worksheets to help meet some of the Common Core Objectives for ELA. The best accolade I ever got from mounting one of these shows came from two little boys. The confided to their dad that they did not know why I kept telling them how proud I was of their hard work. They did not feel like it was work at all. They were having so much fun! Who says learning can't be fun? My mother was a very creative person. She could sing and dance and play the piano. She also was good at making things. She could cook and sew and was quite artistic. She always had wonderful ideas for her little children when they couldn't think of anything fun to do on rainy days. I remember the little felt puppets she had made to illustrate the story of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." She taught us, my brothers and I, how to do a puppet show to act out the story. My brothers always fought over who got to play the ugly, mean troll. It was fun. As I was pondering how to write the script for my Mini-Musical of "The Tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff," this memory flooded back to my mind. I simply had to design the mini-musical around acting out a puppet show to this story. I also remembered how she used to say "the grass is always greener on the other side" whenever we wanted things that we just couldn't get right then. Seemed like the perfect moral for this story. So, I started thinking of all the kinds of things we want but simply cannot have or things that are puzzling that we wonder about. With these thoughts in mind, the opener, "Why Is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side?" was born. I also wanted to include musical themes borrowed from Norway's greatest composer, Edvard Grieg, to flavor this musical re-telling of the famous Norwegian folktale. Music teachers may want to point out these little nods to Edvard Grieg's music. I based the melody and accompaniment rhythms in "Why Is Grass Always Greener on the Other Side" on the "Norwegian Dance #2." I borrowed the sneaky minor themes and chord progression of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the Peer Gynt Suite #1 for "The Troll Song." And I used the haunting melody from the opening of "In a Morning Mood," also from the Peer Gynt Suite #1, as a motive in "The Billy Goat's Song." Elementary classroom teachers already use this story to teach many things, such as comparisons (Little, Medium, and Big), story elements, describing characters, retelling folktales with a moral, building vocabulary, idioms, and so forth. This min-musical expands the range of experiences through use of music, art, poetry, and drama, with a little about the history and culture of Norway, and possibly, through extension into science, studying about why the grass really does look greener from a distance. Now, perhaps, Classroom teachers, as well as Music and Drama teachers may use "The Tale of The Three Billy Goats Gruff" a Mini-Musical as a fun part of their curriculum.
Over the last few weeks I have been finishing up the writing of scripts to some Mini-Musicals (10-15 minutes in duration) for the Classroom setting. The first four titles are "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse," "Dick Whittington and His Cat," "The Musicians of Bremen," and "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff." These stories are very well-known and have been loved for generations, if not centuries. The challenge has been to keep their particular traits intact while giving them a few new twists and turns. When I taught General Music Classes in school, I always seemed to need a kind of culminating event to wrap all of the curriculum goals into a finished project. So what if we learned some songs and how to read some notation, and play some instruments and learned something about history or culture? Unless we could do a performance of some kind, all of those goals just seemed to fizzle and lose momentum. These classroom Musicals are designed to meet this need on as high or low a level as the teacher desires. They could even be done as part of a Chorus Concert, in a Drama Class, or for a Home School Co-Op Enrichment Activity, or in the regular School Classroom. Each story has an historical setting with songs reflecting the musical style period. The script can simply be produced during class as a Reader's Theater, or the show can be performed with simple costumes, props and scenery in the classroom or on a stage. Each mini-musical calls for a cast of 5-10 characters plus employs the rest of the class as a Chorus with jobs integral to the performance. The actors read and/or act out the lines, but the Chorus kids help sing the songs, play rhythm instruments and provide sound effects within the framework of the narration. Some of the stories teach interesting Theatrical concepts and practices from long ago. Some have comedic action and adventure. Some explore use of dialects and accents. Some provide a stepping stone to studying music from famous composers. Some employ the use of puppetry. They can even be performed with choreography. Besides, these stories are excellent entertainment! The packets include a Lesson Plan and Student Activity sheets, along with the Teacher's Script, Reproducible Scripts, Lead Sheets to the Songs, and a link to get MP3 files with both Guide Performances and Accompaniment Tracks. Piano/Vocal Scores to the songs are available separately. The scripts are geared to fit two general age-ranges: K-3rd grades and 4th-6th grades. In the story of "The Tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff," the villain is the Troll. My dilemma: Obviously, the voice talent for the Troll should be masculine in a low register. But when young children attempt to sing along with an adult male voice in a low register, they get confused about pitch. So, when I make the recording, do I follow my "Teacher instinct" and have a treble voice do the recording or do I follow my "Director's instinct" and get a deep bass to sing the Villain's part? As I was planning the songs I was hired to write for the story of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," I pondered my approach. I decided that I wanted to set the music to match the culture of the tale. Troll stories seem most comfortable in the setting of Norwegian folklore. The most famous composer I know from Norway is Edvard Grieg. I have visited his home in Bergen, Norway, and have toured the mountains and villages and sailed into the incredible fjords of Norway. His music perfectly suits the spectacular scenery and wealth of folklore of Norway. It was a simple decision to borrow themes from Grieg's music to inspire the little songs I was to write for this story. I decided to borrow the sneaky rhythmic motives from "In the Hall of the Mountain King" to inspire the Troll's song. And I decided to quote a section from the etherial opening theme of "In a Morning Mood" to create the happy freedom song for the Billy Goats. Both of these orchestral pieces are from Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite." I also tried to keep true to the orchestration flavors as much as possible. But the dilemma still remains. Because these songs are to be sung in a performance setting by young children, do I feature a gruff bass voice to sing the villain's part or not? If this story was intended just for the public's listening pleasure, there would be no dilemma at all. The Villain's Voice would definitely be sung by a bass doubled by the bassoon. But because the target performing group will be a classroom of young children, I had better stick to my "Teacher instinct" and have the Villain voiced by a treble voice Seems silly and against better judgement, but I would rather have the children model a voice in their proper range than cause them confusion of pitch! (Sigh!) |
AuthorMy 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! Archives
March 2024
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