Tiny Tots: Let’s Pretend
Children are welcome to move during the program. Feel free to let little ones get up, dance, and participate in the interactive moments. Adults are asked to remain seated throughout the program unless you need to take a child out of the space.
Have any questions or concerns? Find a volunteer or staff member with an Inside the Orchestra name tag and we'll be happy to help!
WELCOME! ABOUT US
Inside the Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are passionate about the world of the orchestra being a place for everyone. We work to cultivate an inclusive and equitable environment where all children feel welcome. We have a completely open door policy, providing experiences that are otherwise unavailable to many children, communities, and schools. In-person programs are open to the public and in metro Denver schools. Virtual programs are available around the world.
CONDUCTOR & ARRANGER
Dan Leavitt
Dan has a Master of Arts in Music from the University of Denver and has been the conductor and arranger for Tiny Tots for 6 years. He has written 500+ arrangements that are played all over the world. Dan has taught at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Metropolitan State University, Colorado Christian University, and Cherry Creek High School. Dan is currently the conductor of the Mercury Ensemble. Dan has a passion for conducting, performing, composing, and music education.
TEACHING ARTIST
Paola, Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Paola Miranda (She, Her, Ella) was born and raised in San Juan, PR to a family of actors and performers. She is a bilingual actor, choreographer and teaching artist in and around Denver. Most of her performance work is in Theatre for Young Audiences and she recently debuted as a playwright with her first TYA bilingual play called The Adventures of Juan Bobo.
SINGER
ChloeScullwithCentralCityOpera
Chloe Scull is a locally grown soprano with a passion for outreach work. She has worked throughout Colorado largely with small and immersive opera companies that focus on bringing music to communities that may otherwise have fewer opportunities to experience classical music and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come.
VIOLIN
Byron Hitchcock
Michael Brooks
Takanori Sugishita
Annamaria Karacson
Lionel Young
Désirée Suàrez Ward
Gyongyi Petheo
Jackson Bailey
Evan DeLong
Kay Kireilis
VIOLA
James Shaw
Lora Stevens
Sarah Richardson
MUSICIANS
CELLO
Wayne Templeman
Anna Leavitt
Jennifer Fouse
TRUMPET
Derek McDonald
Dawn Kramer
HORN
Mike Fitzmaurice
Ron Bland
Andy Holmes BASS
FLUTE
Cora Crisman
OBOE
Kathryn Simpson
CLARINET
Ian Buckstand
BASSOON
Deborah Torp
Devon Park
Ron Torp
TROMBONE
Darian Freeman
TUBA
Mike Dunn
PERCUSSION
Mark Foster
Our professional musicians are members of the Denver Music Association, a local union chapter of the American Federation of Musicians. We are committed to supporting professional musicians with fair compensation.
PROGRAM NOTES
RocketshipRun –LaurieBerkner
Chloe from Central CityOperawill join us on this Laurie Berknerhit.We’ll count down, blast off, and pretendwe’re astronauts zooming among the stars. Foran Inside the Orchestra twist,we’ll travel in ourrocket ship tovisit the families ofthe orchestra: Strings, Percussion, Brass, andWoodwinds.
FlightoftheBumblebee –NikolaiRimsky-Korsakov(1844–1908)
This speedypiecewaswritten forthe opera TheTale ofTsarSaltan by Russian composerRimsky-Korsakov. It tells the storyofa princewho magicallytransforms into a bumblebee.The quick notes are meant to sound just like buzzingwings see ifyou can flap and buzz alongwith our flutist, Cora,who plays the part ofthe bee!
SpideyandHisAmazingFriendsThemeSong –FallOutBoy
Written forthe DisneyJuniorshowabout kid-sized superheroes, this theme bythe rock band Fall Out Boyis high-energyand catchy.Just like the show, it’s full offun, action, and teamwork—perfect fordancing, posing, and slingingwebs. Chloe is back to singwith us and remind us thatwe are all superheroes! Q f h Ni h A i (D H ll R h ) f Th M i Fl b
PROGRAM NOTES, CONTINUED
IntheHalloftheMountainKing–EdvardGrieg(1843–1907)
Grieg, a Norwegian composer, wrote this music for a play based on a fairy tale. It describes a sneaky scene in a troll king’s dark cave. The music starts slowly and quietly, like tiptoes, then grows faster and louder until it bursts into a wild chase! Listen closely to how the energy and tempo meaning speed build. Can you pat your hands on your knees along with the music?
TheTortoise&TheHare
“TheTortoises”fromCarnivaloftheAnimals–CamilleSaint-Saëns(1835–1921)The slow, heavy melody of The Tortoises shows just how patient and steady these creatures can be.
“Can-Can”from OrpheusintheUnderworld–JacquesOffenbach(1819–1880).This super-fast dance is full of energy and humor. Today we’ll imagine it as the speedy rabbit racing ahead of the tortoise. We welcome a dancer from T2 Dance to show us what this music looks like!
WeAretheDinosaurs –LaurieBerkner
Another favorite by Laurie Berkner, We Are the Dinosaurs invites kids to stomp, march, eat, nap, and roar just like dinosaurs. Laurie has said she wrote this song after watching how much kids love pretending to be giant creatures Chloe will sing this favorite with us so get ready to pretend
Keep the music going at home with our supplemental Learning Resources!
Want to keep listening to Let’s Pretend music? Check out our Spotify Playlist!
Family Foundation
Kettering
Robert & Judi Newman