The Music Box

By Louisville Public MediaKids & Family

The Music Box episodes

October 29, 2020 Global Explorations: Eastward Bound
We're taking a (virtual) trip to different parts of the world and learning about music from different places! Today, we'll learn about music from Thailand and Iran with multi-instrumentalist and composer Jon Silpayamanant.
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Born in Udon Thani, Thailand, Jon Silpayamanant is an intercultural multi-instrumentalist, composer, and music educator based in the greater Louisville area. As a biracial Thai American with musical families on both sides of the world, he has been navigating musical code switching and bimusicality for much of his life and uses that experience to inform his understanding of how music ecosystems interact, hybridize, and evolve into new styles and genres.
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More information on the Saw U
More information on the kamancheh

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12 min
October 22, 2020 Fairy Friend Feud
Getting along with friends can be a challenge, but we've got the musical solution! We’re returning to the magical land of Arpeggio for today’s adventure. Sing along with the Three Fierce Fairies!
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National Standards incorporated:
Exploring and demonstrating music concepts (such as beat and melodic contour)
Creating musical ideas (such as answering a musical question for a specific purpose)
Understanding the relationship between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life
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Additional resources:

Singing with Solfege – “Hey, Hey! Look at Me!” (Mi-So Edition)
Build Character Build Success: TEAMWORK
Activity – Can you write a melody just like our three fairy friends? Grab one other person, sing a melody you created, and see if they can sing it back to you. Then, switch places!
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10 min
October 15, 2020 Beat to the Future
It's a time-traveling musical adventure as we learn about beat and rhythm. We’ll put on a pair of magical boots that will help us save the future of music!
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National Standards incorporated:
Exploring and demonstrating music concepts (such as beat and melodic contour)
Creating musical ideas (such as answering a musical question for a specific purpose)
Understanding how a specific music concept (such as beat or melody) is used in music
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Additional resources:
Music Lesson: Beat vs Rhythm – Sing! Step! Grow!
Music Theory – Lesson 1 – Pulse and Beats
Evolution of Music - Pentatonix
Suggested activity – Listen to a group of your favorite songs, and see if you can find and clap along with the beat. Then, try it with a family member’s music from a different era.
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Featured music:
Dancing in the Street - Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Stayin’ Alive - The Bee Gees
The Power of Love - Huey Lewis and the News
Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

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11 min
October 08, 2020 Dynamics Dynamite
We'll explore the world of dynamics (how loud or soft a sound is) with a big box of fireworks! KA-BOOM! You’ll hear some very special pyrotechnics and learn some special words to describe dynamics.
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National Standards incorporated:
Understanding the relationships between music and other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
Understanding rhythmic and melodic ideas
Demonstrating knowledge of musical concepts
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Additional resources:
Music Theory for Beginners: Dynamics
Dynamics Example
Music-Go-Rounds Dynamics Activity Guide
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11 min
October 01, 2020 1+1 = Etude
You'll learn about how math is used to make music! Just like chopping vegetables in half, you can chop notes in half too.
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National Standards incorporated:
Understanding the relationships between music and other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
Understanding rhythmic and melodic ideas
Demonstrating knowledge of musical concepts
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Additional resources:
Musical Notation – The Quarter Note, the Half Note, and the Whole Note
Music Lesson – Steady Beat
How to Read Music –Episode 4: Counting and Clapping
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Featured music:
Ninja Re Bang Bang: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
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12 min
September 24, 2020 A Short Pause
So many people in our community are grieving and reacting to current events related to the Breonna Taylor case. Out of respect, we’re going to postpone today’s episode until next week. We’d rather direct your attention to what’s happening in our city now.
You can follow the news coverage from our sister station WFPL, and we’re putting some links below for how to talk with your family about racialized violence, justice, and equity. And don’t forget, there are lots of past episodes of The Music Box you can check out anytime in our podcast feed. Go listen to some music you love today, and we’ll be back with you next week.
How to talk to kids about racism, racial violence and police brutality
Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News
How to Talk with Kids About Racism and Racial Violence
1 min
September 17, 2020 Women's Writes: A History of Women Composers
So many of the composers we usually learn about in school are men -- but that's only telling half the story of who writes the music we love.
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National Standards Incorporated:
Analyzing the elements of music (including form) of musical works, relating them to style, mood, and context, and describe how the analysis provides models for personal growth as composer, performer, and/or listener
Understanding the relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life
Understanding how music is informed by the structure, the use of musical elements, and context (such as social and cultural)
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Additional resources:
The Story of Music (BBC)
History of Women in Music
The Birth of Jazz
Scat Singing Explained and Example
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Featured music:
Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61, Incidental Music, No. 9 Wedding March (Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa)
Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quarter in E-Flat Major: IV. Allegro molto vivace (Quatuor Ebene)
Igor Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (Chicago Symphony)
Ethel Smythe: The March of Women (Chorus and Orchestra of the Plymouth Music Series, Philip Brunelle)
Duke Ellington: Cottontail
Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington: Cottontail
Pete Seeger: Freight Train
Elizabeth Cotten: Freight Train
The Chicks: March, March
Beyonce: Brown Skin Girl
Annie Lennox & Aretha Franklin: Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves

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13 min
September 10, 2020 The Treble Troubadours and the Bass Balladeers
It’s our Season 4 premiere! We return to the fantasy world of Arpeggio with a tale of two very different performing groups and how they learn to get along.
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National Standards incorporated:
Exploring and demonstrating awareness of music contrasts (such as high/low, loud/soft, same/different)
Applying personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music
Understanding how to perform music with expression
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Additional resources:
The Music Show Episode #4: We’re Gonna Sing High, Low, and in the Middle
Elements of Music: Dynamics
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13 min
July 16, 2020 The Giant and The Fairy
We’re wrapping up our season with a very special story, featuring a magical land full of extraordinary creatures. And you’ll learn a few new things you can do with your voice too!
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National standards incorporated:
Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
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Additional resources:
Solfege Hand Signs
Solfege Scale with Hand Signs

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15 min
July 09, 2020 Meter Wars!
We’ll learn about meters in music, also known as time signatures, using math. You'll be able to hear the difference between 3/4 and 4/4 and understand how to read a time signature. Then… it’s an epic battle between time signatures! Who will win??
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Featured musical excerpts:
The Beatles: Yellow Submarine
Dionne Warwick: What the World Needs Now
Rodgers & Hammerstein: My Favorite Things from “The Sound of Music”
Post Malone: Sunflower
Queen: Another One Bites the Dust
Pentatonix: Waltz of the Flowers
Elton John: I’m Still Standing
Beyonce: Love On Top
Anthony Gonzalez: Un Poco Loco from “Coco”

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National Standards Incorporated:
Reading and notating music
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Additional resources:
Rhythm Lesson
Musical Meter!
Time Signatures, Bars and Barlines
Worksheet: Time Signatures
Worksheet: Note Types and 4/4 Time
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14 min

About The Music Box

From the publisher's feed

The Music Box is an interactive music education podcast for kids, exploring fundamental music concepts through performing, responding and connecting. The current season is hosted by music educators…