How does Bird learn?

via muppet.wikia.com

No, not that bird! Andrew Bird!

Two weeks ago, I was working in Chicago. Fortunately for me, being there means that I'm closer to some of my favorite children's media people, including Sabrina and Erin. After an afternoon sipping tea, talking about research and puppetry, and watching Sabrina be an awesome mom, I headed out to the Andrew Bird concert in the city with Erin.

via chicagoist.com

Andrew Bird is legend in Chicago, and I was about to find out why he was able to pack the beautiful Auditorium Theatre. Bird's musicianship was evident from the first pluck on his violin. Though I had listened to his music previously, I was unaware at what an amazing live performer he was: blending instruments and sounds, recording and looping music in the moment. His performance of It's Not Easy Being Green moved most to tears and got some of the loudest applause of the evening.

via fongsongs.blogspot.com

Beyond being a musician, Bird made it clear that he was an artist. That night, I continued to think about Bird's learning style, and what he must have been like as a student. His music was disciplined, yet free flowing; precise, yet abstract; strategic, yet spontaneous. How does an educator nurture such talent and help a student find balance to foster artistry? My inclination is that we allow students' natural abilities and interests to guide the curriculum we feed and support. You never know what may inspire the talents of young people to fulfill their greatest potential.

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Songs To Inspire...

One of my favorite sessions at Kidscreen was about leadership in children's media production. One of my favorite people in the business, Donna Friedman Meir, led the panel discussion and asked each panel member to share a song that inspires them to do the work they do. I was so excited by what they shared, and wanted to pass that on to you all...

Tim Brooke-Hunt, Australian Broadcasting Corporation


Angela Santomero, Out of the Blue


Tom Lynch, famed media creator and writer


Maggie Maguire, Scholastic


What song inspires you? This one really helps me get through the hard moments...


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Puppets, The Beach Boys, and Hipsters

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of seeing my very first Puppet Slam. I had heard about these pseudo-underground events from several sources and was continuously encouraged to attend. They were started by Heather Henson a few years back and happen across the country. Puppet Playlist is a very popular puppet slam event in New York. Each month, the Playlist highlights a different band/musician and encourages local puppeteers to develop new works around their music.

When I saw that January's featured band was The Beach Boys, I impulsively started putting a scene together but then began to hesitate. I knew nothing about these slams. I wanted to know what I was getting myself into first and move forward from there.

via
I eagerly attended on Tuesday night and was so happy to see a friend perform an interesting interpretation of the song I Know There's An Answer. I have to note that the entire vibe of the venue was light and supportive, something unique to small, New York theater. I was pleased as punch when local bands performed Beach Boys' covers in between each scene. My favorite was a very Portland, folksie version of Be True To Your School. If only my life could be set to modern Beach Boys' covers...sigh.

So how can we kids' media people learn from this? The Puppet Slam Network has it right. They provide a safe, fun environment for creatives to explore work within set limitations (theme and time). What if we start doing this? What if we have monthly screenings of kid shorts or pilots developed under financial, time, and maybe even talent limitations. Maybe it would force us to think outside of the box a bit more.

I'm hoping to put myself out there and submit a scene idea or song cover for the next Puppet Playlist. I hope to see you there.

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Big Time "Big Top" Music, Part 2

Since my last post, many readers have expressed interest in listening to John Foti's other audition tracks. Unfortunately, friends, those remain locked up in the archives to be revealed when Big Top strikes Smithsonian fame. Sorry.

BUT...

I'm so excited to feature an interview with our brilliant composer. Meet John...

Born and raised in West Caldwell, New Jersey, John started playing piano at the age of 5 and went on to study saxophone, voice, and accordion as well. He graduated from Fordham University in 2000 and has been playing and touring with Grammy Award-winning children's artist Dan Zanes and Friends since 2007. John released his first studio album, "Everybody's Coming To Town" earlier this year. He also recently composed music for the debut puppet-adaptation of "City of Hamburgers," a book by Mike Reiss. Hobbies include: traveling, making cd mixes, worrying about what the Yankees score is, not taking NJ Transit, and watching Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas too many times.


Christina: You pitched us a bunch of these great 30 second songs with lyrics and music. How was it hearing that we'd be chopping one down to 3 seconds?

John: Ha! As much as I quickly grew attached to a few of the theme songs, I completely understood that it might not be in the best interest of a 3-4 minute show to have a 30-second theme song. Especially if there's music throughout the show. Also, since it's not my creation, my project...well it's my job to respect the decisions of the creators and follow-through with my responsibilities the best that I can.

C: What was it like writing music for a television show as opposed to writing music for music's sake?

J: Well, it's the same thing really. It's all just ideas and instincts. In some ways, it's easier, because there's a built-in restriction and the overall idea is already there.
A music theory teacher once told me this about writing music. And I think this applies to many things. "You can carve a clay elephant two ways. You can start with a block of clay and carve away to the shape of an elephant or you can build the elephant from scratch." Why an elephant, I dunno. But I think it makes sense. In this case, I'd say the way I recorded was by making a huge block of sound first, then I carved away to make each song appropriate to the individual episode.


C: Was there a difference in writing music for a children's show rather than writing music for an older audience?

J: I'd like to hope not. I'm a big believer that all music is children's music. Or vice versa. Again, the writing process is just a creative outpouring of ideas and melodies and sounds. There's no need to start from a point where you're automatically dumbing-down the integrity of the song just because it's for a younger audience. Children aren't stupid. They like good music. Adults on the other hand...


C: What was it like communicating via email and file sharing rather than meeting and decision-making face-to-face?

J: Well, it was necessary, really. It's the way we operate these days. It's good and bad though. Good, because you can quickly exchange ideas, from your home, and get feedback right away. I've recently been recording a lot from my house for other projects...where those people will just throw my files into their and go from there. It's great. That said, sometimes a face-to-face meeting and rrreaally talking things through could probably eliminate a lot of the back-and-forth emails and potential mis-communication that occurs because of that.

Thanks, John!

To learn more about John, you can visit his website or Facebook page. Don't forget to friend Big Top Fitness!

The Idiot Box

It was a slow Tuesday morning. I woke up late, shot out a few quick emails while eating my Cheerios and making lunch. On my way out the door, I looked for something on my iPod that would get me going. The Aquabats seemed to shoot me out of my front door. I began listening to the song "Idiot Box." Beyond the horns were some pretty intense lyrics that I never realized preaching the evils of television. I think this is particularly interesting since Christian Jacobs, MC Bat Commander and lead singer, is also the co-creator of Yo Gabba Gabba! The lyrics cite several cartoons popular throughout the late '60s and 70's. Perhaps Jacobs thinks his television program is more educational than those of Saturday mornings past? I know I like it! Whatever the meaning, the message of the song matches many people's thoughts about television. It inspires me to make quality TV that has a greater purpose than pure entertainment...even though it is important to have an entertainment outlet! Below are the lyrics. Click here to listen to the track. What do you think?

Now now now
I'm just a boy
I watch too much TV
Nobody knows, nobody knows
Casper the Ghost is so friendly
Nobody knows, nobody knows
Sitting in my living room
With nothing else to do
I think I'm going blind
Just like Mr. Magoo
I know every single ending
Of every Scooby Doo
Now

[Chorus]
Turn off the idiot box
It's a disease just like the Chicken Pox
Turn off the idiot box
Now

Find yourself a partner
Turn on the television
And let it control your mind

Friends, Romans, countrymen,
I've got something to say
Nobody knows, nobody knows
Get up off the couch
Get up go out and play
Nobody knows, Nobody knows

[Chorus]

Children I want to warn 'ya
'Cuz I've been to California
Where Mickey Mouse is a demon

Turn it off If you are able
Nobody knows, nobody knows
Take a pair of scissors
And cut off that cable
Nobody knows, Nobody knows

[Chorus]

Classroom Management...I mean, Amazing Concert Experience

Tonight I saw Butch Walker perform at the Paradise. It was the first time I had seen him play in over five years and well worth the wait! No, he is certainly not a musician that is trying to key into the iGeneration market, but he did something...well, a few things tonight that provided me with some very significant "AHA!" moments. In addition to watching someone play the drums with a tennis ball (and not as part of some experimental art battle show in Williamsburg), I witnessed a classic Butch Walker move. He let his band leave the stage at the end of the encore and stood at the very edge leading the audience in a medley of LaLas and BahBahs. We sang together for what could have been thirty minutes but felt like a brief instant. He calmly walked through the crowd leading the group in song. No one rushed at him or knocked him over. The song seemed to keep everyone entranced. He stood up on a ledge and slowly made the group sing quieter and quieter. I became anxious knowing that at any moment he could stop and the peaceful magic would break. We continued to sing until he lowered his hands to signify an ending. Within seconds he had disappeared backstage, and we were stunned. It took a few moments until people had realized what happen and then the applause started as the house lights came back up. When I finally "came to," I thought about how amazing that experience was and then realized that I do that almost five days a week. Kindergartners love singing simple melodies. I'm learning that keying children in with song is a great way to focus their attention. Dan Anderson's research on audio cues supports this. Butch Walker took a classic classroom management skill and used it on hundreds of adults. Brilliant!