From the category archives:

Educational Resources

Hidden Musical Code in Plato’s Writings

July 7, 2010

A scholar in England just announced his discovery of a secret music code in the writings of Plato.  As a closeted follower of Pythagoras, whose heretical beliefs threatened traditional religion, Plato believed that music and mathematics were closely related, and that music was a reflection of the mathematical principles that governed the universe. Pythagoras codified [...]

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Copyright Laws vs. Teens: The Battle Rages

July 2, 2010

When famed Broadway songwriter Jason Bert Brown discovered his songs were being “traded” freely online by those who had never purchased a legal copy, he thoughtfully requested that the traders stop the illegal trading. Read this fascinating exchange with a recalcitrant yet extremely bright and articulate teenager. Eleanor’s teenage sense of entitlement is absolutely breathtaking. [...]

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The Met Brings Opera into the Classroom

June 15, 2010

Bring full-scale Metropolitan Opera productions into your classroom! The free Live in HD school program from the Met is now available in some school districts around the country, and online educational guides put the icing on the cake.  Teaching guides for each Metropolitan opera production include classroom activities, musical highlights, story synopses, accompanying audio clips, [...]

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The Fine Art of Listening: for Musicians & Audiences

June 11, 2010

Listening skills should be stock in trade for musicians, but experienced musicians face the same challenges of concentration and active listening that audiences do.  Timothy Walker’s keynote speech at Great Britain’s ISM (Incorporated Society of Musicians) hopefully didn’t fall on tin ears. Walker, Chief Executive of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, realistically addresses the difficulties musicians [...]

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Enjoy Operas from the Met: At the Movies or Online!

June 3, 2010

Can’t go to the opera? Does your busy schedule or a pinched pocketbook or an illness make you miss the magic of the live performance? While there is nothing like the excitement of being in the theater for the real event, there are now 2 wonderful and affordable alternatives:
Option 1. Opera Night at the Movies [...]

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Boomwhackers on Steroids: Plastik Musik

June 1, 2010

If you thought boomwhackers were just for kids, think again. Better still, listen to the percussion group Plastik Musik in their astounding Boomwhacker performance:

The first time I met Craig Ramsell, creator of the Boomwhackers, was  in Phoenix, Arizona, about 15 years ago at a music education conference.  At the time, I knew his [...]

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King Henry VIII: Better Musician Than Husband

May 10, 2010

King Henry VIII, famous for his marriages on the rocks (and the blocks), is lesser known for his talent as a musician and composer. Tall, handsome, and charming in his youth, he played several musical instruments, and was a skilled singer and dancer. Some of his musical compositions are still performed today.

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Opera/Ballet Live in Cinema series: Dallas metroplex

April 20, 2010

This took a little research to find, but thought that opera and ballet fans in the  Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex would find this theater schedule handy for upcoming productions from major opera/ballet companies around the world. How exciting is this! Gather up your friends or your music class and plan a night at the opera, Texas [...]

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Kids Interactive Music Link: Xploring Xtremes

April 18, 2010

ArtsEdge, Kennedy Center’s interactive website for music and arts education, is a free online resource  every teacher, librarian, parent, and caregiver should know about, but probably doesn’t. 
One of my favorite features was Xploring Xtremes. Kids can explore and analyze musical extremes in dynamics, tempo, and other elements of music, through a variety of listening, [...]

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Spring Catalog: A Touch of the Old West

March 9, 2010

Westward Ho! Our Texas roots got the best of us in our new spring catalog, which should be arriving in your mailbox any day, if it hasn’t already. We have lots of interesting new materials in all categories, but I think you and your kids will especially enjoy the pioneering spirit of the Old West, [...]

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MAO’S LAST DANCER: Autobiography, Children’s Books, & Movie

December 15, 2009
Mao's Last Dancer

11-yr.-old Li Cunxin is taken from his family to train at the Beijing Ballet Academy during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. He dances his way to freedom and international acclaim when he courageously defects to the USA. 3 versions of this incredible true story: for adults, young readers, and children.

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Spike Jones – Dec. 14

December 14, 2009
Spike Jones

This bandleader and musical parodist used “found sounds” from hiccups to gunshots in his musical spoofs, paving the way for STOMP, Blast, P.D.Q. Bach, Frank Zappa, Monty Python, & others. He (and Donald Duck) even spoofed Hitler, who probably wasn’t amused.

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Oliver Messiaen – Dec. 10

December 12, 2009
Bird Song

“I give bird-songs to those who dwell in cities and have never heard them. . .and paint colors for those who see none.” —Messiaen. He used birdsongs and colors as no musician ever had before, bringing beauty and hope even to fellow prisoners in a German POW camp.

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Ben Stevenson: Texas Ballet’s Big Gun

December 5, 2009
Ben Stevenson

Ben Stevenson, celebrating a 40-year career as one of the most acclaimed figures in American ballet, continues to supercharge the Texas Ballet, after turning the Houston Ballet into a worldclass company.

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BAKE YOU A PIE: A Tasty Treat on Musical Styles

November 16, 2009
Pie

Baby, don’t cry. It’s time for pie! Pies and music are the ultimate comfort food, for little ones of every ilk, in Bake You a Pie, a hardback book and CD by Ellen Olson-Brown & Brian Claflin, illus. by Jeffrey Ebbeler. This story-song book with CD introduces some pretty silly pies, with clever rhyming verses, [...]

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B.B. King Sings the One Shoe Blues

November 14, 2009
One Shoe Blues

Sandra Boyton’s humorous book & DVD starring B.B. King & the Singing Sock Puppets is a great intro to the blues. And who doesn’t get the blues when you lose your shoes! A great sing-along with the King of the Blues.

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Where The Wild Things Are: At The Opera!

October 27, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are Opera

“Where the Wild Things Are” & “Higglety Pigglety Pop!” offer a kid-friendly intro to opera. “Let the wild rumpus start” in these fantasy operas by composer Oliver Knussen & author/artist Maurice Sendak.

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A Nation at Risk for Noise Induced Hearing Loss

October 12, 2009
Hearing loss

Millions, including kids and teens, are experiencing Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), which is irreversible. It is also preventable with early education, and a few simple rules.

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Wise Words on Jazz by Wynton Marsalis

October 9, 2009
Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis says jazz requires 3 things: creativity, communication, and community. His teaching resources for kids illustrate his philosophy of jazz and classical music too.

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Opera Glossary of Terms

June 5, 2009
Operapedia

Enjoy this handy opera glossary of terms from the San Diego Opera.

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OPERA STUDY GUIDES with Sound Clips

June 5, 2009
Thumbnail image for OPERA STUDY GUIDES with Sound Clips

Opera Study Guides of every broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera since 2000 are easily accessible online in several languages. Over 100 in all!

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