Fall 2019 Tiny Tots Pre-Program Activity Packet

FALL 2019

Pre-Program Packet

Welcome to the 2019-2020 Tiny Tots Season!

We could not be any more excited for everything we have in store for you this year. With Planes, Trains, and Automobiles this fall, Music of the World in the Winter, and Peter and the Wolf in the spring, we are going to be bringing you brand new Tiny Tots experiences and more guests partners than ever before!

Check out this packet for an overview of the program you’ll experience and some fun activities to do at home before or after the concert. Some helpful hints on how to get the most out of this packet: • The title of each piece links to a YouTube video. For most of these pieces, we will be performing just a small section, not the full piece as linked.

• At the Concert: this section will tell you a bit more about the piece of music. It may inspire you to dig further into its history or include facts you may want to share with your kids as you listen. It also tells you how the music will be presented at Tiny Tots and what activities or prompts children will be encouraged to do/think about to help engage them with the music.

• At Home: this section includes activities to bring the music or theme alive at home. Listen to the music as you complete some of the activities to make it an immersive experience.

• Note: Check out the “At Home” section for Overture to Candide. Have your kiddos make and bring their steering wheel to use at Tiny Tots during this piece.

Musically,

Sara Hare Program Manager

Chattanooga Choo Choo – Mack Gordon and Harry Warren At the Concert Written in 1941, this piece was first recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The music has been performed by several famous artists and is popular across the world, especially in Germany where it was translated into German by multiple singers. Pull out your train whistles or prepare your best train sound as you get to “choo choo” along with the orchestra.

At Home Let your little ones show off their writing abilities with this adaptable name train (it’s the number 6 activity on that list). Depending on the age of your child(ren), you can provide them all the pieces with the letters of their name already written on them or let them start from scratch. We think the cotton ball clouds are an especially cute touch.

Light Cavalry Overture – Franz von Suppé At the Concert This piece was originally written as the overture to an opera – though the opera is no longer popular, this has become one of von Suppé's best-known works. You can hear the hooves of the horses galloping throughout the piece as they trot to a military march. Hop on your house and bounce along as the orchestra performs.

At Home Most of us don’t have a real horse we can ride around on so we’ve got you covered with this cool tutorial to make your own. You can then play Light Cavalry overture or check out these neat songs and activities to put your new ponies to good use.

Overture to Candide – Leonard Bernstein At the Concert Similar to Light Cavalry Overture, the Overture to Candide is another piece of music that’s often performed without the opera it was written for. This piece is bright and forward-moving and really shows off how much fun orchestra music can be. This music sounds like racing around in a car. Take out your steering wheels (from the tutorial below) and drive along with this up-beat music.

At Home Let your kids take the wheel for this next activity – literally! Have them create these easy paper plate steering wheels and use it as a starting point for discussion. Where is their favorite place to go? Where do they wish they could visit? What is the farthest they’ve ever driven in a car? Then have them bring their steering wheels to the concert to drive along with the music as it is being performed.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat – arr. Daniel Leavitt At the Concert As is the case with most well-known nursery rhymes or folk songs, the true origins of the piece are mostly unknown. It first appeared in print in 1852 with similar lyrics but a different tune and a version that sounds most like the song we know today was recorded in 1881. Listen to this familiar piece as our orchestra performs it in different musical styles: classical, jazz, and rock.

At Home We think our favorite way to learn about science is to mix some sweet treats into the fun and this experiment does just that. Floating experiments are a great way to introduce kids to the scientific process. In addition to peeps, you can round up other items for the boat bases as well and guess what will and what won’t float!

Pirates of the Caribbean – Klaus Badelt At the Concert Most film scores are composed by just one composer, but the music for Pirates of the Carribean was collaborated on by approximately nine composers, with Klaus Badelt taking the lead. We’ve just heard music about small, slowly moving row boats and now we’ll hear much different music about big, speeding ships.

At Home Now that you’ve explored the concept of floating (and sinking!), it’s time to amp up the fun by making your own little pirate ship. They’re easy to make and are an especially fun addition to bathtime.

Come Fly With Me – Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen At the Concert This song is a classic Frank Sinatra tune, released in 1958 and also used in a 1963 movie. Listen as the singer sings about flying to exotic places around the world.

At Home What kid doesn’t like looking up in the sky and watching airplanes fly by? With this craft, kid(s) can make their own planes to fly. No jet fuel required here, they’ll just need a string and some running to get off the ground.

Horse and Buggy – Leroy Anderson At the Concert This piece by Leroy Anderson is a great example of how he has fun with his music. You can clearly hear the clip-clopping hooves of the horse as it pulls the buggy. We love Anderson’s music for its silly subject matter: he has music about waltzing cats, music featuring the typewriter, and music that “plink, plank, plunks” through the instruments of the orchestra. Give us your best clip-clopping, neighing horse sounds before we start this piece.

In the Classroom Check out this beautiful “stained glass” horse craft to take advantage of the bright rays of Denver sun.

You can even use this as an activity to teach your kids the difference between warm and cool color tones. Here is a template for the horse silhouettes to help you prepare.

Barcarolle – Jacques Offenbach At the Concert This piece traditionally features two singers with the orchestra. A barcarolle is a traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers and you can hear that feeling of smooth waves in its slow tempo and even melodies. Watch as a dancer from the Hannah Kahn Dance Company joins us during this piece.

At Home Barcarolle is a calming song that would be a great backdrop for rest and relaxation time for your little ones during naptime or after a long day. As you listen, pretend to sway on gently waves or imagine you’re floating on a slowly moving boat.

Copenhagen Steam Railway Galop – Hans Lumbye At the Concert This music was composed for the grand opening of the Copenhagen Danish Rail Line. Lumbye did an amazing job imitating the sound of the train slowly gathering speed as it departs from the station. Use your arms to help our train leave the station with our orchestra.

At Home A new toy for your kids that also recycles things you have laying around the house? Sounds good to me! This cute egg carton train will teach your kid(s) how fun it can be to be creative and also how to recycle the things around them to reduce waste and reuse what they have.

Rondo Alla Turca – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart At the Concert This very famous piece of music is the final movement of a piano sonata written by Mozart in 1784.

Although traditionally for piano, it has been adapted for a variety of different instrument groups. This piece sounds like speeding along on a motorcycle. Let us hear your best “vroom vroom” motorcycle sounds before we play this piece.

At Home Watch this cute animation with your kids to get them excited for this piece – it’s a silly way to introduce this famous music.

American in Paris – George Gershwin At the Concert This jazz orchestra piece depicts the sound of a busy street in Paris. You can hear the hustle and bustle of people and cars milling about. This piece has a percussion part for taxi horns, and most orchestras use authentic 1900s taxi horns during this piece. Listen for the taxi horns while the orchestra performs.

At Home These tasty fruit cars are simple and fun. You can get creative and use other fruits and vegetables for the different parts of the car (or bring out some sweet treats – marshmallow tires anyone?)

Wheels on the Bus – Verna Hills, arr. Daniel Leavitt At the Concert The Wheels on the Bus was published in 1939 and is a popular song all around the world. It has been translated into several languages- check out the song in other languages here. Sing and make the motions along with our orchestra.

At Home Get ready to join us in song and dance a Tiny Tots. Watch this video with your little ones and have them learn the moves and the lyrics.

@InsideOrchestra

www.insidetheorchestra.org 303-355-7855 info@insidetheorchestra.org