Kids Commute

Happy Friday, Kids Commuters! Welcome to the last day of BOOM Week on IPR's Kids Commute! This week, we've been listening to big, loud, terrific pieces of music.

We'll end this week with a bang in "Mars"  from "The Planets" by English composer Gustav Holst.

You can hear the Interlochen Arts Academy Band perform "Mars", along with more musical treats and tricks, at our upcoming Kids Commute Live! Event October 20. Win tickets during MONSTER Week next week!

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"Mars: Bringer of War"
"The Planets"
Sir Simon Rattle/London Philharmonic

Here's today's Kids Commute:

Welcome to Day Four of BOOM Week on IPR's Kids Commute! This week, we're listening to big, loud, booming music!

Today, a group of medieval peasants complains about the "Wheel of Fortune", an ancient idea that sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down - and you have no control over what happens to you. Their complaining is understandable - life in the year 1230 was pretty hard!

German composer Carl Orff found some poetry in medieval manuscripts (dating to around the year 1230) and set them to music in the 1937 oratorio, "Carmina Burana." 

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"O Fortuna"
"Carmina Burana"
San Francisco Symphony & Chorus

Welcome to Day Three of BOOM Week on IPR's Kids Commute! This week we're listening to some big, loud, exciting pieces of music!

Today, we'll bang on some anvils and sing in the fields in the "Anvil Chorus" from the opera "Ill Trovatore" by Giuseppe Verdi.

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"Anvil Chorus"
"Il Trovatore"
Giuseppe Sinopoli/German Opera Orchestra and Chorus

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Welcome to Day Two of BOOM Week on IPR's Kids Commute! This week we're listening to big, loud, exciting pieces of music!

Today, we take to the viking skies in music from German composer Richard Wagner. We'll ride to battle with the Valkyries, servants of the Norse god Odin. Listen in as they take "roll call" and talk about the soldiers they've collected to take to Valhalla.

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"Ride of the Valkyries"
"Die Walkure"
Richard Wagner
Members of the Bayreuth Festival

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Happy Monday, Kids Commuters, and welcome to BOOM WEEK on IPR's Kids Commute - classical music for kids!

You know how classical music can be really soothing and relaxing? Not this week! This week, we're listening to big, loud, booming pieces of music!

Today, we'll go BOOM with bullfighters in the exhilarating "Entrance (March) of the Toreadors" from Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen." The fans are so excited to see them!

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"Entrance (March) of the Toreadors" ("Les voici!")
"Carmen"
Georges Bizet
Richard Hickox/London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

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Happy Friday, Kids Commuters! It’s the final day of POP! GOES THE CLASSICAL week on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. We’ve dedicated this week to artists with a classical music background who bridge the gap between modern classical music.

Today, we focus on Black Violin, a violin/viola duo that combines classical-style playing with contemporary hip-hop beats. In today’s musical selection, they use Joseph Brackett’s Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts, and reimagine it with variations on the theme, a hip-hop beat, and their classical training.

Kids Commuters - you have until Monday, October 8 to enter the drawing to win tickets to see Black Violin in concert at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor on October 13! Simply text the word "tickets" to our Quizlet line 231-237-7482 for your chance to win a pair of tickets!

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"Shaker"
Based on a hymn by Elder Joseph Brackett
Arranged and performed by Black Violin (Kev Marcus and Wil B.)

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Welcome to Day Four of POP! GOES THE CLASSICAL Week on IPR’s Kids Commute. We’ve been exploring several artists and ensembles that use their creativity and training to reinvent modern music.

Today, we focus on 2Cellos, a duo of cellists that have a history of competing against one another. While they were highly respected because of their musical accomplishments, they weren’t necessarily financially successful until they realized the key to success was being different from other talented and accomplished musicians.

2Cellos took the internet by storm with the viral video of their performance of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal that has gained almost thirty million views on YouTube! Knowing that this is what makes them unique, they’ve gone on to reinvent popular songs such as "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, last year’s hit song "Despacito," and "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons.

Today, we'll hear the hit that made them famous - Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal."

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"Smooth Criminal"
Michael Jackson
2Cellos (Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser)

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We’re in the middle of POP! GOES THE CLASSICAL Week from Kids Commute by Interlochen Public Radio. Join the fun as we highlight musicians who put a classical twist on modern music.

Friction Quartet not only uses their creativity to reinvent modern music, they are active in commissioning works from modern composers to expand the repertoire available to string quartet ensembles. An extra cool feature is that Friction Quartet was the string quartet in residence at the 2018 Interlochen Arts Camp, right here in Interlochen, Michigan.

Today, Friction Quartet will peform a chamber version of "Little Red Corvette" by Prince, arranged by the group's cellist, Doug Machiz. Friction Quartet performed the song just for us in IPR's Studio A! To hear our full interview with them, click here.

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"Little Red Corvette"
Prince
Doug Machiz/Friction Quartet

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Welcome to day two of POP! GOES THE CLASSICAL Week. We’re just getting started in our exploration of musicians who live in both the traditional classical music world and the world of modern music.

Sybarite5 is our featured ensemble today. They are a string quintet who play traditional classical, modern classical, and reinvent modern pop music for their ensemble. Sometimes they even weave traditional classical music in their modern pop reinventions!

The word "sybarite" means a person devoted to luxury or pleasure. Sybarite5 says they purposefully choose music that they will enjoy playing the first - and thousandth! - time they perform it.

Today, we'll hear their version of "No Surprises" by the rock group Radiohead. Sybarite5 enjoyed the music of Radiohead so much, they made a whole album of their music, "Everything in its Right Place."

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"No Surprises"
Radiohead
Sybarite5

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Happy Monday, Kids Commuters! Welcome to POP! GOES THE CLASSICAL Week on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. This week, we have fun discovering musical ensembles that have traditional classical training and apply it to music that is popular today.

Vitamin String Quartet is non-traditional string quartet. It’s actually run by a record company that uses lots of different artists, producers, and arrangers to create the music. The quartet started in 1999 making tribute albums. These albums were successful enough that Vitamin Records decided to make the Vitamin String Quartet official. They are still producing music and performing all over the place.

Today, we'll hear the VSQ perform "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.

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"Uptown Funk"
Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars
Vitamin String Quartet

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Happy Friday, Kids Commuters! We hope you’ve enjoyed COPPELIA WEEK on IPR’s Kids Commute. All week, we’ve been hearing the story and listening to the music of this classic ballet by French composer L&ecute;o Delibes.

Yesterday, Swanhilda performed some clever detective work and a heroic rescue. She saved Franz from having his life essence transferred into the Coppelia doll!

Today, we’ll hear some “happily ever after” music for everybody (even the strange Dr. Coppelius - sort of). We’ll also answer our Quizlet!

Let’s get to it!

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Coppelia: Galop Final
Léo Delibes
Richard Bonynge/National Philharmonic Orchestra

Hi, Kids Commuters, and welcome to Day Four of COPPELIA WEEK on IPR's Kids Commute!

This week, we've been listening to the story and music of the classic ballet Coppelia by French composer Léo Delibes.

Today - Swanhilda performs a daring rescue as Dr. Coppelius knocks Franz out with a sleeping potion and tries to steal his life force to put into the mechanical Coppelia doll!

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Coppelia: Chanson à boire et scène ("Song of the Drink and Scene")
Léo Delibes
Richard Bonynge/National Philharmonic Orchestra

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Welcome to Part Three of COPPELIA WEEK where we listen to music and tell the story from Léo Delibes' ballet.

So far we’ve met Franz and Swanhilda, our couple in love. And yesterday, we were introduced to Dr. Coppelius and his daughter, Coppelia. Today, the mystery deepens. Franz is still captivated by her and the fact that she doesn’t move. Swanhilda is a bit jealous of Coppelia, so she decides to do some detective work and try to figure out what is really going on here. She and her friends sneak into the house of Dr. Coppelius and find...?

Listen to today’s episode as we uncover some answers in our mystery!

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Coppelia: Musique des automates-Scène ("Music for Automatons and Scene")
Léo Delibes
Richard Bonynge/National Philharmonic Orchestra

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Welcome to Part Two of COPPELIA WEEK on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. We’re telling the story Léo Delibes’ ballet Coppelia over the course of the week.

Yesterday, we were introduced to the young couple in our story, Franz and Swanhilda. A couple in love who are supposed to get married under the town’s new bell.

Today we are introduced to Dr. Coppelius and his daughter Coppelia, who has some pretty strange characteristics. And so our mystery begins. Franz becomes fascinated by Coppelia, and so Swanhilda tries a game with a wheat stalk to be sure of his love. Here's how the game works: if you shake the stalk near your ear, and you hear it rattle - you're in love! The wheat rattles in Swanhilda's ear, but Franz doesn't hear anything. He pretends he does - and this makes Swanhilda pretty sad.

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Coppelia: Ballade de l'épi ("Dance of the Wheat Stalk")
Léo Delibes
Richard Bonynge/National Philharmonic Orchestra

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Happy Monday, Kids Commuters! It’s story week on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. All week long we'll tell the story from the ballet Coppelia by French composer, Léo Delibes. It’s a bit of a mystery about the reclusive Dr. Coppelius, his strange daughter (Coppelia), and a curious young couple (Franz and Swanhilda).

The story starts in a village that is about to receive a bell. To celebrate, the mayor has offered a prize to a couple who gets married under the brand new bell. The town holds a happy celebration with lots of fun and dancing.

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Coppelia: Mazurka
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes
Richard Bonynge/National Philharmonic Orchestra

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And meow, my friends, we’ve reached the final episode of “Cat Week” from Kids Commute. We hope you’ve had fun exploring music inspired by, written about, or “composed” by cats. Have you remembered to text in your answer to this week’s Quizlet? If you get the answer right, we’ll send you one of our all-new Kids Commute Prize Packs.

Today, we listen to cat music composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky for the 1890 ballet, Sleeping Beauty. Its title is also the answer to today’s quizlet, Puss In Boots. The original story is a fairy tale about a boot-wearing cat who wins his poor young master a castle, a title and a princess - all with clever tricks! Tchaikovsky doesn’t use this plot for Sleeping Beauty, but Puss In Boots makes an appearance at Aurora's wedding feast. As you listen, try to see if you think the music sounds like the way cats might behave.

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Sleeping Beauty - "Puss in Boots"
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa

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Hey there, Kids Commuters! Welcome to Day Four of CAT WEEK on IPR's Kids Commute!

As you listen, you’ll learn a little bit about Domenico Scarlatti, who came from a very musical family, and we’ll also identify the notes that his kitten, Pulcinella, “composed” for him. All of this plus great music for you to listen to.

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Cat Fugue
Domenico Scarlatti
Elaine Comparone, harpsichord

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Hey there, Kids Commuters! Here, kitty, kitty! It’s Day Three of  CAT WEEK on Kids Commute, where we’ll listen to music either inspired by cats or written about them.

Our musical selection of the day is actually a mashup composed before mashups were actually a “thing." (At the time of its composition, a "mashup" - or different pieces mashed together into one - was called "pastiche.") Gioachino Rossini’s “Cat Duet” is a fun piece usually sung as an encore at the end of a concert or recital that features a pair of singers. Learn about the history of the piece and how Rossini didn’t actually write the piece as it exists today, nor did he give it the name that we call it today. And don’t forget about our quizlet - text us your answer and you may just win an all-new Kids Commute Prize Pack!

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Duetto buffo di due gatti
Gioacchino Rossini (with C.E.F. Weyse and Robert Lucas de Pearsall, writing as G. Berthold)
Victoria de los Angeles, Elisabeth Schwartzkopf, Gerald Moore (pianist)

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Hi Kids Commuters! Are you ready for more kitty cuteness? It’s Day Two of CAT WEEK at Kids Commute, where we are listening to music written about or inspired by cats. ‘Meow’ let’s get down to business.

Today, we listen to "Kitten on the Keys" by Edward Elzear ("Zez") Confrey, who earned his musical reputation reputation recording piano rolls, which are used in old-time player pianos. Learn a little bit about how player pianos work, about Mr. Confrey’s life and musical career. Of course we get to listen to some great music, inspired by Mr. Confrey’s grandmother’s cat walking on her piano. I guess you never know when inspiration will strike!

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Kitten on the Keys
Edward Eleazar ("Zez") Confrey
Eteri Andjaparidze, pianist

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Happy Monday, Kids Commuters! We're purr-fectly excited, because it's CAT WEEK! We’re not talking about the musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber; we’re spending some time with some other musical cats this week. We’ll listen to music about or inspired by cats. Today is extra special, because we get to hear an orchestra meow like a cat!

Written by American composer Leroy Anderson, "The Waltzing Cat" was originally created for an orchestra. By the way, his name isn’t pronounced the typical way, LEE-roy, but a little more French-like: le-ROY. 

Anderson had some big hits - "Blue Tango" was the most popular song of 1952, and who can forget the classic holiday song, "Sleigh Ride?" Now let's meow along with the orchestra, and Leroy Anderson's "The Waltzing Cat!"

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The Waltzing Cat
Leroy Anderson
Arthur Fiedler/Boston Pops Orchestra

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Happy Friday, Kids Commuters! Welcome to the last day of BACH WEEK on IPR's Kids Commute - classical music for kids!

This week, we've been listening to works by legendary composer Johann Sebastian Bach and his sons, many of whom became composers.

Today, we'll hear music from his youngest - and probably most famous -  son, Child Number Eleven - Johann Christian Bach, who came to be known as the, "English Bach."

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Johann Christian Bach
ZANAIDA:  Allo splendor del trono
Vannina Santoni as Osira
Opera Fuoco/David Stern

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Hi there, Kids Commuters! Welcome to Day Four of BACH WEEK on IPR's Kids Commute! This week, we're listening to the works of the sons of composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Today, we're meeting Bach's Child Number Nine: Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (lots of Johanns in this family!). We'll learn a bit about his life, and hear a few of his variations on, "Ah vous dirai-je maman," the song we use as the basis for, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," and the Alphabet Song!

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Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach: Variations on, "Ah vous dirai-je maman."
See Siang Wong, pianist

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Happy Wednesday, Kids Commuters, and welcome to Day Three of BACH WEEK on IPR's Kids Commute!

This week, we're listening to music by the sons of legendary composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Today, we'll meet Bach's son Number Five - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (known popularly as CPE Bach).

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CPE Bach: Violin Sonata in G major, 1st movement
Isaac Stern/violin, Alexander Zakin/piano

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Welcome to Day Two of BACH WEEK on IPR's Kids Commute! This week, we're hearing music written by the sons of legendary Baroque era composer, Johann Sebastian Bach.

Yesterday, we heard music from Papa Bach. Today, we'll learn about, and  hear from, his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Duo for Two Flutes in G, 1st movement
John Solum and Richard Wyton

Here's today's Kids Commute: