Betsy's Blog on Children's Theater | BaileyKidsMusicals.com - BaileyKidsMusicals.com

Tweaking a Tale for Dramatic Effect

10/2/2026

New for Christmas 2026

Learning the backstories of certain popular movies or stories or biographies or anything can be enlightening. It's also pretty hard to tell what is true after all. When crafting a good story, sometimes embellishing the truth just makes it better.

"The Sound of Music" movie musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein was changed a lot for dramatic effect. The von Trapp Family members couldn't recognize themselves in it. Still, much of the original flavor remains and brings joy to millions of people.

The author of the original "Mary Poppins" books was never happy with the Walt Disney production of "Mary Poppins." But the public disagreed. Many generations have loved that film, complete with the catchy songs, extraneous characters, and animated sequences. Universal truths were depicted along with the magic and were celebrated. The movie still brings so much joy to audiences worldwide.

For ten years now I have been writing children's picture books based on our funny family stories. The dilemma is always "should I stay close to the true events" or "take a few liberties in order to enhance the storytelling?"

As much as I have tried to stay close to the facts, sometimes I've had to combine situations (sometimes characters) and simplify reactions in order to create plot flow that makes sense. And as much as I enjoy drawing and trying to illustrate, I realize my limitations. So, the artwork is definitely simple and not realistic.

But, these are my retellings of my family's stories and I do not want someone else's art reinterpreting the stories I am trying to tell. So, I will continue on and hope my skills improve. Fourteen picture books so far. Fourteen family stories preserved for the future.

Something to hand down to posterity, at any rate. I hope these bring joy...

The Target Audience

8/6/2026

Many of you are in the same position I am. You are growing older, well, not just older, growing OLD. Not only am I an empty nester and grandmother, this Fall I will become a great grandmother. Now, if that isn't cause for pause, I don't know what is.

Every year since 2016, I have endeavored to write up one of our "famous" family stories in picture book form. In some respects to bypass having to come up with individual Christmas gifts for my 30 grandchildren, but more for the idea of recording our funny family stories for posterity.

The first picture book story was "Is This Cowboy Food?" It was about our middle son who (when he was 3) would always approach meals (and life) with a scowl. He is now a father of four with the oldest daughter already a teenager. The other stories have been about our other children, most of whom are old enough to have kids in High School and College now.

When I took some workshop classes about how to write good children's books, they always said to write for your target audience. They also said to gage your story about a character who is basically the same age as your target audience. Well, this has worked out pretty well for me, since the stories I have chosen have been about my own children when they were little. Their kids were the target audience and they have thought it was fun to learn about their parents (or aunts and uncles) as kids.

Well, 13 picture books later, dredging up good stories about my grown-up children is getting harder for me now. So, for Christmas this year, I have decided to write up a story told to me by my youngest daughter about her kids. By extension, they are my kids, too, because they lived with me during the time of this story's setting. That makes it more familiar for me. (Now, if I was only a better artist...)

Anyway, writing for a TARGET AUDIENCE works the same for Children's Theater shows. If the audience (and the cast members) are ages 5-12, you'd better have matching appropriate material for that age group. The story and characters should be engaging enough to be interesting for elementary school-age children. The songs should be in ranges that fit young children's voices. Dances, costumes, props, sets, and everything having to do with the show should fit what kids these ages can work with.

Thank goodness families go on and on forever.

Perhaps, I will always have a ready TARGET AUDIENCE for my family picture books and Children's Musicals.

"Stone Soup" was heavily influenced by experiences I had raising Matthew, our little cowboy.

Enjoy this Opener "Over Yonder" sung by the entire cast.

Having a Supportive Husband

1/9/2026

At least once a day I ponder about things that blow my mind. It doesn't take much to be reminded that there are billions of people in the world, most who are smarter, more talented, and much more successful than I am. Just a quick scroll down Facebook shows you that. Seems that everybody is jockeying for position. They want to get their big ideas out there, to make money or to impress people, or become famous. I am not sure if these are any of my motivations.

Inspirational story about my husband Ellis

When I first started writing music, and then Children's Theater shows, and then Picture Books, I realized that I needed some expensive tools. I was a stay-at-home Mom to seven busy children who taught a few piano and voice lessons a week. I didn't have resources on my own to afford such expensive computer programs, musical instruments, recording equipment, art supplies, and other tools. My husband always wanted to support me, so he said to go ahead and buy what I thought I needed. His one request was that I figure out ways to recoup the outlay of funds.

So, I coached and directed Children's Theater, taught lessons, found online sales opportunities, and did Summer Camps so that I could try to at least break even financially. Fortunately, my husband understood that an artist/composer's work may never find an audience. Yet, he still wanted me to try to learn and and earn to pay my own way.

How exactly does a creative person find their niche? And how exactly is marketing done? History is rife with stories of starving artists and composers. More points to ponder...

Ellis and Betsy Bailey about 2013

I am lucky that my husband believed in my talents so much that he invested in whatever I thought I needed. He was definitely a good provider.

To honor his memory, I will continue to write and produce creative works. I thank God every day for my generous husband who funded my efforts and allowed me the freedom to continue to develop my talents.

Happy Birthday in Heaven, to my wonderful husband, Ellis.

Unforgettable Motives

10/6/2025

Some opening lines in a novel or story are so good, they are deemed unforgettable. "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times" (Charles Dickens in "A Tale of Two Cities") or "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" (Jane Austin in "Pride and Prejudice" are two of the most famous in classical literature.

But in music, those opening lines or "motives" are equally important. Nearly everybody recognizes the opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and will be able to sing them to show that they do. "Da da da dah---------, da da da dah ------."

Opening lines in literature and unforgettable motives in music are the marks of great writers and composers. The first line of a story and the opening motive in a melody both serve to entice the reader to "turn the page" so to speak. 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.

Sometimes us mere mortals can get lucky in creating a good opening line. Here are some examples from my picture books:

"Kathryn came in saying, 'I know, let's play dollies'" from Spin Around Dresses and Click Shoes 2020

"Carolyn, you go sit in the corner and think about what you did!" from Time Out for Carolyn 2021

"My dad once told me that there was a time when my aunt was so famous that she would get letters from all over the world labelled just: Janie, BYU, Utah, USA..." from The Girl from No Where Who Went Everywhere 2023

"Did you really work for NASA Grandpa?" from Johnny in the Moon 2024

Illustrations often do more to provide the "HOOK" than just the words, especially in Picture Books for children. But you get the idea of how important the job of these first few words are to introduce the main character, the conflict, the tone of the story and so on.

Now that I am finishing up my 13th Picture Book, I wonder how the first lines of my stories have held up under the criteria mentioned above. I have been learning more about illustration, too. I have learned that another crucial part of writing a page turner is SURPRISE. Page turns have to be carefully planned so that not all is revealed too soon, especially by the art.

In music, the element of surprise is quite important as well. Yes, it is nice when the melody notes flow seamlessly to the only possible next right notes, but planning surprise elements keeps the audience on the edge of their seats in anticipation.

I am so appreciative of comments from friends such as "Your stories are such page turners" or "Your songs just get stuck in my brain, I can't help singing them!"

Here are a few of my attempts at unforgettable motives in songs. "Over the Briny Sea" from "The Adventures of Dick Whittington," "A Promise Is a Promise" from "The Frog Prince," and "Good Mornin' Sunshine" from "The Tale of Chicken Licken."

Eating Pie Together in Memory

1/14/2025

My husband's mother was a great pie maker. She made the lightest, flakiest, crusts with the most delicious fillings ever. No wonder my husband grew up thinking pies were the one and only true dessert. He loved having pie especially for his birthday. Yesterday January 13th would have been Ellis' 69th birthday. We have a tradition now in our family to all eat pie in memory of Dad's/Grandpa's birthday. It was fun to get pictures and comments on the family post of all of us eating pie together in our separate locations across the country.

Kathryn's family in Pennsylvania eating peach pie and ice cream for Grandpa's birthday

The trouble has been that I did not grow up having homemade pies except pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. It was always my "birthday cake" since I was born on Thanksgiving. But my mother didn't have the knack for making pie crust. So she always bought the pre-made store-bought crusts and just filled them with pumpkin pie filling (basically pre-made from the can). I really never learned to make pies, especially the crusts. Fortunately, my mother-in-law took the time to teach my girls how to bake pies from scratch. They became quite proficient at it, and freed me from ever having to make pies for birthdays in our household. Having pie was 'way more preferred than frosted cakes for birthdays. (Nowadays, thank goodness for Marie Calendar's!)

Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about Ellis. He's been gone now for six years. We all miss him terribly. It is interesting to hear his name called out often again in my house. My daughter's family lives with me temporarily right now. My little 3-year-old grandson Peter Ellis Workman bears Grandpa's name, though they never met in this life. Whenever he is scolded for doing something naughty, his Mom calls out warningly "PETER ELLIS WORKMAN!!!!" Even so, each night he still asks for a Grandpa Ellis story before Mommy Cami tucks him into bed.

Ellis Bailey age 56

Ellis Bailey age 8

That has got me thinking that the next picture book I work on should be a Grandpa Ellis story from when he was a kid. There is a story Ellis used to tell at baptisms. The 8-year-old boys really identified with this story. Now we in the family hold it in our hearts as sacred. This story he never even told his parents. The first they learned about it was when I submitted it and it was published in the Friend magazine of July 2010. It is about how Ellis' life was spared when he heeded the promptings of the Holy Ghost. You are welcome to read this story in a much shortened version from the magazine.

Here is the link: "Turn Upside-Down and Push"
I feel like it should be my next picture book for Christmas 2025.

People are so Clever

10/15/2024

It is easy to get depressed about your own creative efforts when you compare them to other people's creative efforts. There is a children's book writer and artist who has made podcasts about illustration for years. I started following his podcasts when I was first looking for inspiration for writing my own children's books. His name is Shoo Rayner, out of the UK. Lately, after going through some hard knocks in his own life, he has been posting about getting back to the basics to find inspiration to write and illustrate again. I hope he finds his way. I have certainly learned a lot from him.

When I look at other creative people's work, I find it hard to be rational about my own work. The talent and abilities they display are so great in my estimation, and my own seem so lacking. But then again, if we don't get distracted by negative feelings, we can always learn something from them. And if we continue on a learning path, we can grow in our abilities.

The trick is to keep focused on your own goals. Your talents are not the same as someone else's. They are yours. It's up to you to work with them and develop as you can.

Over the years, I have had two big desires.

One is to write Children's Musicals for the youngest actors. But I did not want to "dumb down" the material so much that an adult audience couldn't enjoy the material. And I have especially wanted to provide songs and stories that promote good character values. So, I have been very careful to focus particularly on those things.

The costumes, props, sets designs, overly produced accompaniment tracks, and anything else just had to remain in second, third or last place. My goal was to provide pieces that the youngest actors ages 5-11 could enjoy and learn to perform well. I had to force myself NOT to be discouraged by other people's works that really excelled at all of that other stuff. That could not be my focus.

Another desire I've had is to document the funny family stories we have told in our family for years. I felt that these stories needed to be passed on from generation to generation. I may not be the best artist or storyteller, but I can do my best at passing along these stories through the medium of children's picture books.

I have toyed with the idea of trying to get these storybooks published. I have even sent in a couple manuscripts to be reviewed by editors. Two comments came back, "These are obviously family stories. They lack the general appeal for a national market." And "You should always write in simple prose, not verse."

In one of the Shoo Rayner podcasts, he also commented about how people like to send him stories asking him to illustrate them. He said how hard it is to illustrate a story that is so obviously a family story. It's all about the prospective audience. And sometimes, the only people to appreciate them are the ones who already appreciate the people in the story or understand the "inside" jokes. Obviously, a writer is sometimes not the best judge of his own work or the targeted audience.

Being a composer, I like to write in verse. And, as far as target audience goes, my family is pretty large. I guess I don't really mind keeping my focus on my posterity as my target audience.

Still, I can't help admiring clever people and their amazing works.

More Than You Can Chew

9/18/2024

So, I've been sketching like crazy trying to get ideas for illustrations down on paper for my storybook "Johnny in the Moon." The ideas have been slow in coming. The drawings for space vehicles are the hardest for me to draw, plus the depictions of a city built under the surface of the moon. It's tough trying to put together illustrations when you have very little training in art.

One of the main problems has been that I have been finishing my artwork in Photoshop using a Wacom tablet and pen. What has worked pretty well in the past seems not to be working anymore. I have researched how to get them to work better, but to no avail. There is so much technical lingo this old brain just doesn't understand. It is driving me crazy.

On top of that, I have been trying to copy pictures as much as I can of the real people in my family. However, I don't have enough pictures of the kids at the right ages to get the feel of how to put them in poses that will work. This is when I realize that I've probably bitten off more than I can chew.

My niece Amy who is the oldest of my dad's grandchildren and the one who wants me to do this storybook the most says that she approves of how I wrote the story. She said she even likes the ideas I have sketched for the book. She even told me that when her wind ensemble played the last concert of the Program Music piece based on my dad's story "Johnny in the Moon," one woman told her that it would make a charming picture book for children. Amy said, "That's the idea." She said that she would like me to get it done enough by the next concert in October so that they can start advertising it.

You see, I have the notion that this should NOT be just a retelling of my dad's story, but should be a story ABOUT how my dad told his stories. He could just talk and talk until everyone fell asleep. Most of the kids didn't even know the ending to his stories, this one in particular. So I feel duty bound to create a picture book that will document this particular one of Dad's stories for all future generations of our family complete with the ending. (NO PRESSURE THERE...)

Here is one of the first pictures I have rendered fairly well, I guess. It documents which of the older grandkids were actually privileged to hear Grandpa Tom tell this story. The younger kids don't have these memories of their grandpa.

I guess I'd better figure out how to use the Photoshop and Wacom tools better.

Wish me luck!

Planning Out Another Family Storybook

8/7/2024

For the past eight years I have produced a children's picture book to give out as Christmas gifts to all of my families. I had promised a story for each of my children, as least one in which they shared a prominent role. Then I did a couple of my own stories from when I was young. Then I wrote one about my mother's mother and then one about my mother's sister. (My mom has been in several of the stories.) Now, I have decided to write up a storybook about my Father, well, actually, I have decided to feature one of his stories that the grandchildren all loved, but let him tell it from within the story.

My dad's favorite subject was SPACE. Because my dad Thomas W. Lee was a research physicist at NASA during the Apollo program (1963-1970), he got a front row seat to the latest and greatest goings on in the Space Program. His science was hypervelocity impact physics. He built guns that could shoot very small particles at tremendous speeds to test what happened upon impact. They tested all sorts of materials that would be used to cover the space vehicles and even the space suits.

My dad's team was tasked with providing protection for the astronauts. The materials used would have to repel or absorb the meteorites so that holes in the outer cladding would not destroy the atmosphere created inside the spaceship or spacesuits.

I loved asking my dad to come to school for my "Show and Tell." He brought all kinds of cool stuff to show and when he told about something, he could really tell a wonderful story to go with it. He even had little sample squares of all of the insulating layers of the spacesuit. That was cool.

The story I am writing is about how my dad told stories. As far back as I can remember, Dad would take us outside on a starry summer night, throw out a blanket, hand out the treats, and tell us about the stars. Somehow, I always woke up in my own bed in the morning.

Over the years, I learned that my dad would just talk and talk until everybody fell asleep. Then he'd just stop. (I guess he also had to carry us into bed.) In my retelling, he doesn't have to heft kids around. Several of the grandkids are at a Cousin's Campout with Grandpa Tom and their dads up in the canyon. If they all fall asleep, they are already in their sleeping beds.

The story my dad told on those campouts was "Johnny in the Moon." But until recently, those older grandkids remembered hearing Grandpa Tom tell the story, they remembered they loved it, but no one could remember for sure the ending.

This picture book is an attempt to put in writing (for a younger audience) the story complete with the ending.

Growing Up Living in a Movie Musical

11/18/2023

Carolyn Thompson Lee at the piano

Some people have the ability to light up a room just by entering it. That was my mother. She loved people. She collected life-long friends faster than other people collect coins. Carolyn Thompson Lee never met a stranger. She had the unique ability to join a group and within minutes learn everybody's name and life story as well as get invitations to stay at their houses whenever she happened to have the need. (She actually took a lady up on that once, too. But that's another story.) She was great at parties. She could sit at the piano playing mood music while carrying on six different conversations!

My mother was a talented singer, accompanist, teacher and director. She could make excitement and magic happen. My mom was always up for creating a show. And because she was able to play the piano by ear, she could make music on the spot without the need for written scores.

Battle Hymn of the Republic Grammy Award winning single 1959

When we moved to Pasadena, Texas in 1963, we weren't sure what kind of musical adventures we'd have. For my mother, the move at first was a downer. She had to leave her association with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Really, though, my mom only had to open her mouth to sing and heads would turn. She was an instant celebrity when she mentioned that she sang the high notes on the (then) recently released popular recording of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." It wasn't long before she was leading the Church Choir, singing solos for funerals and weddings, and organizing shows for school, church, and community events.

I was so spoiled growing up with my own dedicated vocal coach and accompanist. If my friends and I wanted to plan something special for school, my mom would jump in and help us make it fabulous. In 5th Grade, we even had the idea to produce our own version of "Peter Pan" as a school musical. We never knew we couldn't, because Mom made us look so professional. The music teacher at school loved her. She was always on call to accompany for any of Mrs. Richardson's choirs.

Growing up for me was kind of like living in a movie musical. I could start singing and my mother could get to a piano and instantly jump into the accompaniment. I didn't have to suspend my disbelief when watching a musical where the characters suddenly burst into song (with full accompaniment). That WAS my reality.

Mom was such a free spirit. She was completely uninhibited. She would sing with great abandon in public places (like the grocery store). If I was with her, I would try to hide if she decided to sing along with the ambient music playing. She had trouble getting used to the extreme heat and humidity in Houston. Sometimes after dark when temperatures were cooler, she'd convince me and my sister to go out walking and singing with her. It mattered not that we were in our dainty nylon nighties. (Nowadays, we'd probably get arrested for doing that!)

Probably her greatest talent was helping other people feel confident in performing. She taught many, many music lessons each week. Parents brought their children from great distances to be taught piano or voice lessons by my mother. She explained to me once when I complained that I didn't get any lessons that, "You're no daughter of mine if you can't pick it up on your own." She was right in a way. I got the benefit of hearing hundreds of lessons just by being in the house. (I did have trouble getting time to practice on our overbooked piano, though. I guess that's why I am a singer first because I always had access to that instrument.)

When my mother was very little, she would listen to her older sister Janie practice the piano. When Janie was done, she would sidle up onto the stool and imitate what she heard Janie play. She never had any lessons either. (It helped that she had perfect pitch, though.) Here's a page from my book about aunt Janie Thompson: The Girl from Nowhere Who Went Everywhere. Janie was 8 years older than my mom. This picture depicts Janie playing piano while my mother was trying to play along, too.

Planning a Holiday Concert

11/13/2023

Bailey Kids singing "Don't Wait 'til the Night Before Christmas to Be Good" with Betsy at the piano

For many years, I was responsible for planning, rehearsing and directing the Elementary school's Holiday Concerts. When my older kids were in Elementary School, we lived in southern California. This was in the 1980's just after Proposition 13 had passed taking away funding for Music, Art, and Physical Education in the public schools in California.

Our enterprising PTA president approached me with an idea. She said that we could still put on a Holiday Concert with the kids as long as we rehearsed it after school with volunteer help. She thought that there might be 25-30 kids that would show up for rehearsals, and she assured me that it would be no trouble at all.

NO TROUBLE AT ALL?!?!?!?!?!?!

Well, weren't we surprised when 250 kids came for the first rehearsal? To say the few of us in charge were ill-prepared would be an understatement. For the next rehearsal, I called for more back-up volunteers. We even had to make arrangements with the Middle School across the street to use their Gym for the concert performance. (Unfortunately, I was always playing the piano, so I could never get good pictures of these shows.)

Fortunately, the kids and their parents were so grateful to have some kind of music in their school, that we literally had no problems getting lots of support. For the next few years (that I directed the program), the excitement only grew. I think there were 350+ kids in the later shows.

We always wrote our own scripts and found or wrote our own music. Some of the themes we used were "Holiday Harmony" (featuring standard holiday songs from around the world), "Be a Santa" (featuring songs about giving), "A Specials Christmas" (featuring songs from the TV specials we loved like "Rudolph" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"), "Under the Christmas Tree" (featuring songs about toys coming to life under the Christmas Tree) and "The Greatest Christmas Card in the Whole Wide World" (featuring songs from the heartfelt messages in Christmas cards). In those days, we were allowed to use Christmas themes and songs.

Through it all, I was lucky to have an ace up my sleeve. My aunt Janie Thompson had been doing Christmas shows forever with her BYU show groups as well as our extended family. All I had to do was ask, and she would send me music, scripts, and themes she had used.

"Holiday Harmony" and "Be a Santa" were themes I used that came from a songs Janie wrote or arranged. In those concerts we also used several of her arrangements such as "Jingle Bells" and "Christmas Alphabet."

"Under the Christmas Tree" was a theme song I wrote from one of Janie's ideas. In that show we used several of her songs like "I Want a Dolly to Wind Up," "Raggedy Ann and Andy," and "Don't Wait 'Til the Night Before Christmas to Be Good."

This year, I wrote a children's picture book about the life of my Aunt Janie.
"Janie Thompson: The Girl from Nowhere Who Went Everywhere" is now available for purchase just in time for Christmas! This book focuses on how Janie had high standards and never compromised them. (This book will be useful to help the grandchildren learn about morals and entertaining.)

I am so lucky to have had such a wonderful influence in my life!

Bailey Kids Musicals copyright 2015