The Music Box

Timbre = the way something sounds! We'll play with different timbres, and we'll use body percussion to make our own thunderstorm.

This is the first of three episodes about timbre; this episode is aimed at the kindergarten and first grade level, but is fun for everyone.

Additional information, including lesson plans and suggestions for extending the learning, available at musicboxpod.org.

This episode was recorded in part at Carter Elementary School in Louisville, KY. Thanks to music teacher Lisa Lucey and everyone at Carter for hosting us.

Music credits: Kinda - Gettz

The Music Box is a production of Louisville Public Media and PRX, with support from PNC.

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Pitch is high, pitch is low -- and we'll use some singers you know (and a few you probably don't) to explore different pitches in the human voice.

This episode was recorded in part at Semple Elementary School in Louisville, KY. Thanks to music teacher Penelope Quesada and everyone at Semple for hosting us.

Music credits:

The Music Box is a production of Louisville Public Media and PRX, with support from PNC.

Connect with us on social media!

High pitch or low pitch or something in between? We'll use pitch to help us know which way to go, and we'll hear different members of the instrument families with high or low pitches.

This is the second of three episodes about pitch; this one is aimed at 2nd and 3rd grade, but there's something for everyone here.

For more information, including lesson plans and ideas for extending the learning, visit us at musicboxpod.org.

This episode was recorded in part at Semple Elementary School in Louisville, KY. Thanks to music teacher Penelope Quesada and everyone at Semple for hosting us.

Music:

The Music Box is a production of Louisville Public Media and PRX, with support from PNC.

Connect with us on social media!

Pitch is high, pitch is low. We'll have some fun with animal sounds that make high and low pitches, and we'll pretend to be birds and cows.

This is the first of three episodes about pitch; this one is aimed at kindergarten and 1st grade, but everyone can do an animal sound or two. (Moooooooo!)

Additional information, including lesson plans and suggestions for extending the learning, available at musicboxpod.org.

This episode was recorded in part at Semple Elementary School in Louisville, KY. Thanks to music teacher Penelope Quesada and everyone at Semple for hosting us.

Music heard in this episode:

The Music Box is a production of Louisville Public Media and PRX, with support from PNC.

Connect with us on social media!

A new season of The Music Box is coming soon! Hosted by musician and educator Jecorey Arthur, we’ll explore four fundamental music concepts — beat, rhythm, pitch and timbre — with episodes for all ages. Our website at musicboxpod.org includes extras like teaching ideas for extending the learning. New episodes coming September 5!

Don't have an instrument? Don't you worry!

Sometimes if you practice all you need is a leaf to make beautiful music.

Listen to our final episode of Season I and get inspired to make your own homemade instrument. We have special guests from the 1st grade music class at Kentucky Country Day plus we'll hear from experts Dr. Aaron Allen from North Carolina and Dr. Robin Ryan all the way from Australia!

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Sara Louise Callaway, WUOL

Curriculum design by Paul Robinson, JCPS

Photography by Tyler Franklin

Special Guests: Dr. Robin Ryan, Dr. Aaron Allen, and the KCD 1st grade music class and their teachers- LuAnne Hayes, Heather Ribblett, Rebecca Gallian, and Gregory Acker.

Music Credits:

00:00 Happiness Nuggets by Colleen

00:36 Birth Of The Blues written by Ray Henderson, Lew Brown, and Buddy DeSylva, performed by Herb Patten, Gumleaf

3:10 Sonata No. 6 (a Manuel Quiroga) performed by Rachel Barton Pine, Violin

3:56 Rain, Rain Go Away! Performed by Ms. Hayes’ 1st grade class

5:52 Waltzing Matilda by Christina Macpherson performned by Herb Patten, Gumleaf

6:24 Happiness Nuggets by Colleen

The Music Box is supported by PNC

Rachel Grimes is a composer from Carroll County, Kentucky. The ukulele class at Harmony Elementary interviewed her about what it's like to be a composer today. Listen and you'll learn that you can be a composer too! Sometimes you just need to start small. Just like you can build cities out of legos you can build symphonies out of just a few notes.

7:02 Dorothy Susan Grimes (Mama Dot)

8:35 Going to the Chapel of Love by The Shirelles

Instruments that can talk?! Mozart as a super hero?! An old time machine in the back of the UofL music library?! How did this craziness happen? Oh ya, we let the 4th grade orchestra write the script… and it’s great! What exactly is classical music, we ask. Well, answers are always more complicated than we hope but it’s worth the ride. Hop on but make sure you buckle up and have your signed permission slip!

Access our learning resources and complete music credits at wuol.org/musicbox under the activities tab

Episode Credits:

The Music Box is a production of Louisville Public Media and is made possible by PNC +

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Somewhere out in space there floats a golden record… Listen to the 2nd grade class at Lincoln Elementary school as they explore classical that’s way out there, like past the Oort cloud out there. That’s right, there are symphonies floating in interstellar space just waiting to be heard. How? Find out in our opening episode where it doesn’t matter if you’ve ever heard classical music before, or even music, or even live on planet earth! Listen, learn, and then upload your own golden records for outer space with our resources. +