Anna’s 10 x 10 - Composers you should know series: Educational Music!
Peter and the Wolf has been a traditional and much-loved staple of children’s and educational music concerts. Storytelling through the representation of anthropomorphic animals on instruments with clear musical motifs bring pieces like Prokofiev’s timeless story to life. Other compositions such as Benjamin Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” offers the audience an understanding of how sections can beautifully work together. Music has the power to teach and instill knowledge for the young and the less young.
On a human level, music offers powerful avenues to express love, fear, anger, sadness, and numerous other important concepts where words alone may not be as effective. In today’s 10 x10, we venture into light hearted fairy tales, epic journeys, as well as some tough societal subjects, which can be powerful for today’s concert audience. Compositions for this series include either narrator, visuals, or strictly music (no voice, as that will come later).
As a reminder, this is my process for choosing music for the 10 x 10 series. Currently, I have 131 composers that identify themselves as either female or a composer of color on my database. I have reached out to all living composers who have offered their email addresses to me and send requests for these composers to send me their top compositions that would fit into certain categories. So far, I have requested music that would fit into these categories: holiday, chamber orchestra, concertos, string orchestra, and concert band music.
Once I receive the composer's music, I put all of their information on my database and then proceed to listen to all of the music. My intention is to present a diverse compilation of composers with respect to gender and race – though my primary interest is to offer compositions that I find compelling. My goal is to offer examples that may interest Music and Artistic Directors from top tier orchestras to their counterparts at community orchestras. My interest is to be a part of the mindful and proactive change towards diversity on the concert stage. Please feel free to send suggestions for future 10 x 10 series as well as pieces by composers you love. There are so many great composers out there and I hope to hear as many as possible.
Please enjoy!
Anna
Entries will follow the following format:
Composer Name (hyperlink to additional info about the composer)
Titles (hyperlink to more information and recordings)
Length
Orchestration
Link to rental information via publisher or composer
HERE WE GO!
Roald Dahl's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
35’00
Large Orchestra - 2(P).2.3(bcl)2(cfg) - 4.3.3.1 -timp+4, hp, pf - strings – 3 narrators
Chamber Orchestra - 1(P)1.2(bcl).1(cfg) - 2.1.1.0 - timp+2, pf - strings, 3 narrators
Concerto for Homemade Instruments
05’00
*2,2,2,2 - 2,2,1,0, tmp+1 (optional harp) strings Instructions for making the homemade instruments are available.
Homemade Instruments:
Strings: Milk carton Violins, Cereal Box Cellos, Washtub Bass
Winds: buzz straws, Comb Kazoos, PVC pan-pipes
Brass: Hose-phone, bleach bottle bugle
Percussion Pitched: Snapple bottle Xylophones, Flower pot chimes
Percussion Drums: Coffee can drums, bucket drums
Percussion: Shakers - rice, beans, in paper plates stapled together, or in jars,
or plastic containers
24’00
1.1.1.1 - 3.1.1.0 - 1perc - strings, narrator
What's the Point of Counterpoint?
24’15
3(P).3(EH).3(bcl).2 - 4.3.3.1 - timp+3, hp – strings, narrator
11’00
1*.1.1*.1* - 1.1.0.0 – timp+2, pf (piano, DX7) - strings, slides (optional)
12’30
3(P).2.2.5(bcl, contra bcl).5Sax – 4.3.3.1.Euph – timp+3, double bass with narrator
12’30
Large Orchestra - 3(P).3.3.(bcl).2 - 2.2.3.1 - timp+2 – strings
Chamber Orchestra - 1(P).1.1.1 - 1.1.2(btrom).0 - perc – strings
A Child in the House of the Storyteller
14’45
string quartet, opt. narrator
Daniel and the Snakeman, A Children’s Symphonic Drama
27’00
1.1.2.2 - 2.2.1.0 - 1 perc. – strings, narrator,
16’45
3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - tim+3, pf, hp – strings
18’00
fl/picc, cl/bcl, violin, cello, and percussion, narrator
11’30
2.2.2.2 – 4.2.3.1 - Timp + 2 – strings
8’00
3(P),3(EH),2.2 - 4.3.3.1 - timp+2, hp – strings