Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Busy Kids Love Music

You've heard it on music boxes, phone ringtones, and probably a few dozen times from the piano bench at your own house. Here's what most people don't know about Für Elise, though: one of the most famous piano pieces in the world was never published while Beethoven was alive, and to this day, nobody can say for certain who Elise was.

In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're picking up right where we left off in our Beethoven series (if you missed the biography episode, start with Episode 187). We'll dig into the surprising story behind Für Elise, take a peek at how Beethoven built it, and get the whole family moving with an interactive listening game.

I'll admit that as much as I love a tidy answer, I kind of love that this mystery is still unsolved after two hundred years.

In this episode

• Why Beethoven wrote Für Elise around 1810, but the world didn't hear it until 1867 (forty years after his death)
• The missing manuscript, and why we can't go back and check Beethoven's handwriting
• The leading theories about Elise's identity, including a piano student Beethoven may have proposed to and a singer friend who went by "Elise"
• What rondo form is, and how to hear the A–B–A–C–A pattern in Für Elise
• The stormy, dramatic middle section that shows a completely different side of Beethoven
• A movement-based listening activity kids can do while the music plays

Try this listening activity with your kids

Play a full performance of Für Elise and ask your kids to raise a hand, clap once, or do a silly wiggle every time that famous opening melody comes back. Keep count together and see how many times you catch it. (Fair warning: the stormy section may inspire some dramatic wiggling.)

Want to take it a step further? Download the free Für Elise listening map below so your kids can follow each section and spot the returning theme on their own.

Resources mentioned

• 🎧 Für Elise performance to listen along with
• 🗺️ Free Für Elise listening map
• Episode 187: The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven
• Episode 12: Beethoven's Nine Symphonies

Coming up next

We're wrapping up our Beethoven series with the Moonlight Sonata, a piece with a nickname inspired by moonlight on a lake and a backstory involving a student Beethoven was head over heels for.

If your kids are dreaming of playing Für Elise someday, that's exactly the kind of goal we love working toward together in Busy Kids Do Piano. And if this episode was a hit at your house, I'd be so grateful if you'd subscribe and share it with another music-loving family.

Thanks for being here. Keep listening, keep learning, and keep making music.

 

Here's a confession: we have talked about Beethoven on this podcast more times than Carly can count. He got a whole episode on his nine symphonies back in Episode 12. He's been mentioned in passing more times than she can count. And somehow, in all that time, he's never gotten a full episode dedicated to his actual life story.

This week, that gets fixed. This episode tells the story of Ludwig van Beethoven — not just the music, but the man behind it, from a strict childhood in Germany to a hearing loss that would have ended most musicians' careers, to a symphony finale he never once heard performed.

What You'll Hear

• Beethoven's childhood in Bonn, Germany, and a father who pushed him hard hoping to create the next Mozart
• His move to Vienna in his early twenties to study with Joseph Haydn, and the reputation he built there as a wildly passionate pianist and composer
• The onset of his hearing loss in his late twenties, and the raw, honest letter he wrote to his brothers about how close he came to giving up
• How he kept composing after losing his hearing almost completely, including the "Ode to Joy" finale of his Ninth Symphony, and the moment at its premiere when a singer had to turn him around so he could see the audience cheering, because he couldn't hear a note of it
• Why he's remembered as the composer who bridged the Classical and Romantic eras

Free Beethoven Playlist

There's a free playlist linked here that walks through some of Beethoven's music. Listen to it over the next two weeks, leading right up to our next episode. It's a great one to have playing in the background during dinner, drive time, or homework.

Try This at Home

Play a few seconds of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony finale for your child, then ask them to imagine composing it without being able to hear it played back. What would that feel like? It's a simple conversation, but it opens up a real appreciation for what determination and persistence can look like, in music and in anything else your child is working hard at.

Related Episodes

For more on Beethoven, go back to Episode 12, where we covered all nine of his symphonies. And you can hear more about his teacher, Joseph Haydn, in Episode 17.

What's Next

Next time, we're listening closely to one of Beethoven's most famous piano pieces, one you've almost certainly heard before even if you didn't know its name. We'll dig into a mystery that's puzzled music historians for over two hundred years: who exactly was Elise?

New episodes of Busy Kids Love Music drop every two weeks, wherever you listen to podcasts.

There's something about October that makes even the most ordinary orchestra sound a little haunted. A rumbling drum becomes distant thunder. A xylophone becomes rattling bones. And composers have been leaning into that for a couple hundred years now, whether they were writing about skeletons at midnight or a mountain full of restless spirits.

This week's episode is a spooky spin on our favorite guessing game, What Was That Sound? I play a mystery clip, you guess the instrument, and then we talk about why that instrument was the perfect choice for the eerie moment the composer was trying to create. Four composers, four instruments, one very punny host who could not resist a "spook-tacular" joke (I regret nothing).

What You'll Hear

• Camille Saint-Saëns, Danse Macabre
• J.S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
• Modest Mussorgsky, Night on Bald Mountain
• A mystery instrument played without ever being touched

Click here for a full playlist of all the music from today's episode.

Free Printable: Halloween Listening Tracker

Grab the free printable here to follow along. There's a spot for your child to guess each instrument before the reveal, plus a few fun facts to jot down along the way. It's a great one to print for a car ride or a cozy October afternoon on the couch.

Try This at Home

After you finish the episode, put on one more mystery clip (anything works — a video game soundtrack, a movie score, even a commercial jingle) and have your child close their eyes and guess the instruments they hear before you tell them. It's such a simple game, but it builds real listening skills, and kids love being the one who "got it right."

If your child plays piano, ask them which instrument from today's episode they think would be the most fun to imitate on the keys. The pipe organ's big, sustained sound and the xylophone's short, bouncy notes are both great starting points for a little creative improvising.

Related Episodes

Want the full story behind the skeletons? Head back to Episode 158, where we covered Danse Macabre from start to finish, including a fun cameo from a certain famous skeleton.

What's Next

Beethoven is on the calendar for late October — a three-part look at his life and two of his most famous works. Thanks for partnering with me this month, and I hope this one gave you a fun, only-slightly-spooky reason to gather around some music together.

We're closing out our orchestra series with the one person who doesn't play a single instrument, and yet somehow holds the whole thing together.

Last episode I left you with a riddle — one more part of the orchestra we hadn't covered yet, something that isn't an instrument family at all. If you guessed the conductor, you were right.

Here's what trips almost everyone up: out of every person on that stage, sometimes eighty or ninety or a hundred musicians, the conductor is the only one who makes zero sound. No instrument, no notes, nothing. So what exactly are they doing up there with that little stick?

Turns out, quite a lot. The conductor's first job is keeping everyone together, like a heartbeat the whole orchestra follows so they start together, stay at the same speed, and finish together. Their second job is shaping how the music feels, deciding when it whispers and when it swells, often keeping the beat with one hand while shaping the sound with the other. And long before anyone hears a single note in concert, the conductor has already spent hours alone with the score, studying every single instrument's part until they know the whole piece inside and out.

By the end of the episode, we tie it all back to Peter and the Wolf, and I think it's my favorite way yet to describe what a conductor really does.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
• Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King — a masterclass in how a conductor builds tension, speeding up and growing louder until it practically explodes
• A clip of Leonard Bernstein, one of the most beloved conductors in history and someone who spent years teaching kids exactly what we're exploring today

Free Printable: Be the Conductor

This one shows the simple patterns real conductors trace in the air to lead a piece of music. Print it out, grab a pencil or a chopstick to use as a baton, and conduct right along with the episode.

👉 Download it free here

Try This at Home

Hold one hand out in front of you and move it down, up, down, up, nice and steady, like you're gently bouncing a ball. That's it. You're conducting.

Looking Back on the Series

This episode wraps up our journey through the whole orchestra. We started with the strings, that we bow and pluck (Episode 176). We added the woodwinds, that start with our breath (Episode 182). We brought in the brass, that start with a buzz (Episode 183). We filled things out with the percussion, that we strike and shake and tap (Episode 184). And now, with the conductor, you know every single piece of the puzzle.

New episodes of Busy Kids Love Music drop every two weeks, wherever you listen to podcasts.

We're wrapping up our orchestra series with the loudest, most colorful family of all — percussion.

Over the last few episodes, we've built an orchestra together one family at a time. We met the strings, then the woodwinds, then the brass. This week we're adding the fourth and final family, and I saved a fun one for last.

Here's the thing about percussion — it's not one special way of making sound, like bowing or breathing or buzzing. It's any instrument you play by hitting it, shaking it, scraping it, or tapping it. Which means this family is enormous. Drums, cymbals, triangles, tambourines, xylophones, gongs, cowbells, even a slide whistle — if you can imagine striking it, some composer somewhere has written music for it.

To keep it simple, we sort the whole family into two groups: unpitched percussion (the instruments that keep the beat but don't play a melody, like a snare drum or crashing cymbals) and pitched percussion (the instruments that can actually play a tune, like a xylophone or timpani).

And then there's a twist I saved for the very end of the episode — an instrument almost every one of you has sitting in your living room right now, and it's part of the percussion family too. (If you've been following along with us at home, I bet you can guess what it is before you even hit play.)

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (Episode 21) — percussion taking over the finale with crashing cymbals, booming bass drum, and even cannons
• The dramatic ending of Peter and the Wolf (Episode 122) — where the hunters' gunshots are actually the timpani and bass drum
• "Fossils" from Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals (Episode 157) — a xylophone rattling out an eerily perfect melody
• A little reveal about the instrument so many of your kids are learning at home right now

Free Printable: Percussion Family Spotter

This one finishes out our full set of Family Spotters. Print it out, listen along, and check off each percussion instrument as you hear it — then color in the badge when you're done. If you've collected all four Spotters through this series, you now have a complete set, one for every family in the orchestra.

👉 Download it free here

And you can use this playlist to follow along with your spotter!

Try This at Home

For the woodwinds, we took a deep breath. For the brass, we buzzed our lips like a motorboat. For percussion, all you need is your own two hands — clap once, and you've just played a percussion instrument.

What's Next

We've met all four families right now. But there's one more piece of the orchestra we haven't talked about yet — it's not an instrument family, but it's still essential. Tune in next episode to find out what it is.

New episodes of Busy Kids Love Music drop every two weeks, wherever you listen to podcasts. Join my email list to be notified about new episodes and receive other free music resources.

 

Today we're getting to know the brass family — the loud, bright, fun-loving cousins of the orchestra. (And yes, I'm a little biased here, since my daughter plays trumpet. There's just something about the sound of a room full of brass players warming up.)

We talk about what actually makes an instrument "brass" (hint: it's not the metal), why the trombone is the odd one out with its slide instead of valves, and how each member of the family got its personality — from the bold, attention-grabbing trumpet to the tuba, the gentle giant holding everything up from underneath.

You'll also hear a callback to Peter and the Wolf, where the French horn plays the wolf, and a little detour into our family's long love affair with Trombone Shorty (we've driven hours more than once just to hear him play).

In this episode, we cover:

• The one thing every brass instrument has in common (try it yourself — buzz your lips!)
• How valves and slides work to change notes
• The trumpet's history as the instrument of fanfares and announcements
• The French horn's surprising range, from the sound of the wolf to grand, noble melodies
• The trombone's glissando and why it sounds unlike anything else in the orchestra
• Why the tuba is the roots of the tree the rest of the brass family grows from

Free printable: Download the Brass Family Spotter and check off each instrument as you hear it in the episode.

Listen along: A full playlist of the brass clips featured in this episode is linked here.

Related episodes:

• Episode 122 — Peter and the Wolf
• Episode 131 — Holst's The Planets
• Episode 115 — Fanfare for the Common Man
• Episode 71 — The Trombone

 

Meet the Woodwind Family

We're kicking off a brand-new series on the podcast, and I could not be more excited about it. Over the next few episodes, we're getting to know all four families of the orchestra — strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. (We already spent time with the strings a while back, if you want to catch up first.)

Today it's the woodwinds' turn. I think this family has some of the most colorful, personality-packed voices in the whole orchestra.

In this episode, your kids will learn:

• What actually makes an instrument a "woodwind" (hint: it's not about being made of wood)
• The two ways woodwinds turn breath into sound — blowing across an opening vs. using a reed
• Why the saxophone is technically a woodwind, even though it's shiny metal
• How to tell the flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon apart by ear

We use Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf as our guide, since he gave some of the best character roles to woodwind instruments — the bird (flute), the duck (oboe), the cat (clarinet), and the grandfather (bassoon). If your family has listened to our episode on Peter and the Wolf before (Episode 122), this one will feel like meeting old friends again.

Free Printable: The Woodwind Family Spotter

Download it below and use it while you listen — there's a spot to check off each instrument as you hear it. It's a simple way to keep kids actively engaged instead of just having the podcast on in the background (though honestly, that's fine too — no judgment here).

👉 Download the Woodwind Family Spotter

Listen Along

I've linked a curated playlist here so you can revisit these pieces anytime — perfect for car rides, quiet time, or background music during a piano practice break.

Related Episodes to Explore

• Episode 122 — Peter and the Wolf
• Episode 68 — Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (piccolo solo)
• Episode 142 — Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (that famous clarinet glissando)
• Episode 169 — Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (bassoon playing way outside its comfort zone)

Coming Up Next

Next episode, we're moving on to the Brass Family — trumpets, trombones, horns, and tuba. (My own daughter plays trumpet, so fair warning, I'm a little biased.)

Subscribe to Busy Kids Love Music so you don't miss an episode of this series, and if you're enjoying it, a quick review helps other music-loving families find the show.

 

We made it to the final stop on this summer's Around the World with Busy Kids Love Music tour — and what a destination to end on.

The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia, home to over 110 million people speaking more than 180 languages and dialects. Its folk music is not one tradition — it is many, layered on top of each other over thousands of years: ancient bronze gong ensembles from the highlands and the southern islands, rice harvest chants recognized by UNESCO, Spanish-influenced string ensemble music that became entirely its own thing, and love songs that carried a secret message of resistance hidden in plain sight.

In this finale episode, we explore both sides of Philippine folk music — the indigenous traditions that survived centuries of Spanish colonization, and the hybrid traditions that grew from the meeting of Filipino and Spanish culture. And woven through it all is a theme that has appeared at every stop on this summer's tour: music as the keeper of identity, the carrier of what people are not always free to say out loud.

What We Cover in This Episode

• The Philippines' geography, history, and extraordinary cultural diversity — 7,000+ islands, 180+ languages, indigenous peoples alongside centuries of colonial influence
• Spanish colonial rule (1565–1898) and how it reshaped lowland Filipino culture while leaving highland and southern communities largely intact
• The kulintang — a row of bronze gongs played in ensemble by the Maranao and Maguindanao peoples of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago
• The gangsa tradition of the Kalinga people of the Cordillera highlands — flat bronze gongs played communally, one gong per player
• The hudhud — a form of epic chanted poetry sung by Ifugao women during rice harvests and funerals, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage
• The rondalla — a Spanish-derived plucked string ensemble that became the sound of Filipino fiestas and community celebrations
• The harana — a traditional serenade tradition with Spanish roots that developed its own Filipino character, now a disappearing tradition being actively preserved
• The kundiman — Filipino love songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that carried hidden messages of patriotism and longing for independence under colonial rule
• How Filipino-American communities across the United States are keeping these traditions alive today

Free Downloads for This Episode

• 🪄 Download your Philippines Passport Stamp (Stop 5 of 5 — your final stamp of the summer)
• 🎵 Listen to the Curated Philippines Folk Music Playlist (kulintang, gangsa, hudhud, rondalla, harana, and kundiman)
• 🗺 All five summer tour episodes are linked in the show notes (revisit any stop on the tour)

All downloads are available at busykidsdopiano.com/podcast/181

Instruments We Learned About

Kulintang — a row of small, knobbed bronze gongs arranged horizontally on a wooden rack, graduated in size from largest to smallest. The player strikes the gongs with two padded mallets, playing melodies across the row while the rest of the ensemble — larger suspended gongs, an agung (large flat gong), and drums — plays interlocking rhythmic patterns around them. Most highly developed among the Maranao and Maguindanao peoples of Mindanao.

Gangsa — flat bronze gongs used in the Kalinga and other Cordillera peoples' folk music. Unlike the kulintang, each gangsa player holds a single gong and contributes just one part to the collective sound — a communal instrument in the most literal sense.

Bandurria, laud, octavina, guitarra, bajo de uñas — the family of plucked string instruments that make up the Philippine rondalla ensemble, all descended from Spanish and Moorish string traditions brought to the islands in the 16th century.

Traditions Featured in This Episode

• Kulintang ensemble music — Maranao and Maguindanao peoples of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago
• Gangsa — Kalinga people, Cordillera mountains of northern Luzon
• Hudhud — Ifugao epic chanted poetry (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage); can last for days, sung by women during rice harvests and funerals
• Rondalla — plucked string ensemble music of Filipino lowland community celebrations
• Harana — traditional courtship serenade music, currently being actively documented and preserved
• Kundiman — Filipino love songs with hidden patriotic meaning, developed under Spanish and American colonial rule

The Kundiman and the Summer's Biggest Theme

The kundiman is one of the most moving examples of something we encountered at every stop this summer. Colonial authorities could censor overtly patriotic music — but they couldn't suppress a love song. So Filipino composers wrote love songs that were really about longing for their country and for freedom. We heard the same pattern in Norway (folk music as cultural identity under Habsburg and Danish rule), in Nigeria (rhythms and traditions that survived the slave trade), and in the Czech Republic (village folk songs outlasting centuries of Habsburg suppression). Folk music keeps finding ways to carry what people are not always free to say out loud. That is one of the most fundamental things music does for human beings.

The Complete Summer Tour Stop Episode Destination 1 Episode 177 Puerto Rico 2 Episode 178 Norway 3 Episode 179 Nigeria 4 Episode 180 Czech Republic 5 Episode 181 Philippines Keep Exploring

The curated playlist covers the full range of what we heard today — from kulintang ensemble recordings to rondalla fiestas to kundiman ballads. If you want one place to start, find a kundiman recording and listen knowing what you now know about what those songs were really saying. It changes how the music feels entirely.

Enjoying the Podcast?

If you've traveled along with us this summer, the very best thing you can do to help us reach more families is to leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts. It truly makes a difference — every review helps new families find the show, and I'm so grateful for each one!

Coming Up Next on Busy Kids Love Music

The summer tour may be over, but there's plenty more music ahead. New episodes every two weeks — subscribe so you don't miss what's coming.

Busy Kids Love Music is a podcast for music-loving families, created by Carly Seifert of Busy Kids Do Piano. New episodes every two weeks.

Stop 4 on our summer world tour takes us to the heart of central Europe — the Czech Republic, a country about the size of South Carolina with a fiercely proud cultural identity and joyful, irresistibly danceable folk music.

In this episode, we explore the patchwork of Czech folk traditions across its three historical regions — Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. We trace how ordinary Czech people held tightly to their music and language through centuries of Habsburg rule, how a small Bohemian dance became a global craze in the 1840s (and never really stopped), and how the warm, layered sound of the Moravian cimbalom gives this region's folk music a character entirely its own. We also visit a composer who grew up the son of a village butcher-turned-folk-musician and went on to become one of the most celebrated names in classical music history — Antonín Dvořák.

Czech folk music didn't just survive foreign rule. It traveled the world.

What We Cover in This Episode

• The Czech Republic's geography and its three distinct folk music regions: Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia
• How centuries of Habsburg rule suppressed Czech language and culture — and how folk music became an act of cultural resistance
• The Czech national revival of the 1800s and what it produced
• The polka — its Bohemian origins, how it swept across Europe and America, and why it's still alive in Czech-American communities across the Midwest and Texas today
• The cimbalom — the hammered dulcimer at the heart of Moravian folk ensembles
• The verbunk — an athletic Moravian solo dance with roots in military recruitment
• Antonín Dvořák and how his folk-rooted upbringing shaped some of the most beloved music in the classical repertoire, including the Slavonic Dances
• How Czech folk music is being celebrated and reinvented by younger musicians today

Free Downloads for This Episode

• 🪄 Download your Czech Republic Passport Stamp (Stop 4 of 5 — add it to your musical passport)
• 🎵 Listen to the Curated Czech Folk Music Playlist (polka, cimbalom music, Moravian folk ensembles, and Dvořák's Slavonic Dances)

All downloads are available at busykidsdopiano.com/podcast/180

Instruments We Learned About

Cimbalom — a large hammered dulcimer that sits on legs and is played by striking its many strings with small mallets. The cimbalom produces a bright, percussive, almost bell-like tone, and a skilled player can carry a melody, fill in harmonies, and provide rhythmic drive simultaneously. It's the defining instrument of Moravian folk ensembles (cimbálová muzika).

Button accordion / concertina — common in Bohemian polka ensembles alongside the clarinet, fiddle, and bass, giving traditional polka music its bright, full sound.

Music & Traditions Featured in This Episode

• Bohemian polka — fast, two-beat dance music with a bright, bouncy character that became a global phenomenon in the 1840s
• Moravian cimbalom ensemble music (cimbálová muzika)
• The verbunk — a Moravian solo dance known for dramatic footwork, improvised flourishes, and building intensity
• Antonín Dvořák's Slavonic Dances — directly inspired by Czech and Slavic folk dance forms including the polka, furiant, and dumka

A Note on the Polka's Reach

Czech immigrants brought the polka to the United States in the 19th century, and it took deep root in communities across the Midwest and Texas — where thriving polka traditions still exist today. If your family has Czech, German, or Polish heritage, there's a good chance polka music is somewhere in your family's musical background.

The Thread Running Through This Summer's Tour

At every stop on this tour — Puerto Rico, Norway, Nigeria, and now the Czech Republic — we've found the same story: folk music as a form of cultural survival. When outside powers suppressed a people's language and identity, ordinary people held onto their music. It's one of the most consistent and moving patterns in all of music history, and the Czech story is a particularly vivid example of it.

Episodes Mentioned

• Episode 177: Folk Music of Puerto Rico (Stop 1)
• Episode 178: Folk Music of Norway (Stop 2)
• Episode 179: Folk Music of Nigeria (Stop 3)

Keep Exploring

The curated playlist includes traditional Bohemian polka, Moravian cimbalom ensemble music, verbunk dance performances, and Dvořák's Slavonic Dances. Try listening to a traditional polka track first, then the Slavonic Dances — and see if your kids can hear the same rhythmic DNA in both.

Enjoying the Podcast?

If you've been traveling along with us this summer, would you take just two minutes to leave a rating and review wherever you listen? It truly helps other families find the show, and every review makes a difference. Thank you so much!

Next Time on Busy Kids Love Music

One more passport stamp to go — and it's a good one. Join us in two weeks for the final stop on this summer's world tour. Subscribe so you don't miss it.

Busy Kids Love Music is a podcast for music-loving families, created by Carly Seifert of Busy Kids Do Piano. New episodes every two weeks.

Stop 3 on our summer world tour takes us to the continent of Africa — specifically to Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent, home to more than 500 distinct ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, and one of the richest and most diverse musical traditions in the world.

In this episode, we explore the deep roots of Nigerian folk music — from the ancient kingdoms of the Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa peoples to the extraordinary talking drum that literally speaks a language, to the interlocking rhythms of the ogene bells that influenced jazz, blues, and gospel music in America. We also talk honestly about how the transatlantic slave trade carried Nigerian musical DNA across the ocean, and how those rhythms survived, took root, and grew into something new without ever losing their essential character. And we connect it all to the contemporary Nigerian music that is shaping global sound right now.

Nigeria's music is not a museum piece. It is alive, evolving, and more influential than most people realize.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Nigeria's geography, history, and extraordinary cultural diversity
• Ancient Nigerian civilizations: the Nok, the Yoruba kingdoms, the Benin Kingdom, the Hausa city-states, and the Igbo communities
• How the transatlantic slave trade carried Nigerian musical traditions to Puerto Rico, Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad, and the American South — and how those traditions survived
• The dundun (talking drum) — how an hourglass-shaped drum can reproduce the tones of a spoken language
• The Yoruba musical tradition, the Ifá spiritual tradition, and the role of specific drum rhythms in ceremony and community life
• Jùjú music — how the Yoruba folk tradition evolved into a modern genre, with King Sunny Ade as a key figure
• Igbo folk music — the ọjà flute and the ogene iron bells, with their interlocking rhythmic patterns
• How West African interlocking rhythms became the foundation of jazz, blues, and gospel music in America
• Afrobeats and how contemporary Nigerian artists are carrying folk traditions into global popular music today

Free Downloads for This Episode

• 🪄 Download your Nigeria Passport Stamp (Stop 3 of 5 — add it to your musical passport)
• 🎵 Listen to the Curated Nigerian Folk Music Playlist (talking drum performances, jùjú music, ogene bells, and more)

All downloads are available at busykidsdopiano.com/podcast/179

Instruments We Learned About

Dundun (talking drum) — an hourglass-shaped Yoruba drum with two drum heads connected by leather cords along the sides. The player holds it under one arm and squeezes the cords while striking it with a curved stick, raising or lowering the pitch with each squeeze. Because Yoruba is a tonal language (where pitch changes meaning), a skilled dundun player can reproduce spoken words and sentences through rhythm and pitch alone. The drum doesn't just accompany music — in many contexts, it is the communication.

Ọjà — a small wooden flute used in Igbo folk music, with a breathy, soulful tone often played in ensemble alongside percussion.

Ogene — large iron bells used in Igbo music, struck with wooden mallets and played in interlocking rhythmic patterns. Multiple bells play different rhythms that weave together into something greater than any single part — a defining feature of West African music more broadly.

Music & Traditions Featured in This Episode

• Yoruba dundun (talking drum) music
• Ifá ceremonial drumming tradition (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage)
• Jùjú music — King Sunny Ade
• Igbo ọjà flute ensemble music
• Igbo ogene bell music
• Afrobeats — Burna Boy

The Connection to Puerto Rico (Episode 177)

One of the threads running through this summer's tour: when we listened to Puerto Rican bomba two weeks ago, we were hearing a tradition with deep roots in exactly this part of the world. The rhythms, the call and response, the deep connection between music and community — all of it traveled across the ocean during the slave trade and took root in new soil. This episode helps explain where those roots came from.

Episodes Mentioned

• Episode 177: Folk Music of Puerto Rico (Stop 1 of the summer tour)
• Episode 178: Folk Music of Norway (Stop 2 of the summer tour)

Keep Exploring

The curated playlist in the show notes includes talking drum performances, jùjú music, ogene bell ensembles, and contemporary Afrobeats — so you can hear the full arc from ancient folk tradition to modern global sound. Try listening to a King Sunny Ade track and then a Burna Boy track back-to-back and see if your ears can pick up the rhythmic thread connecting them.

Enjoying the Podcast?

If Busy Kids Love Music has been part of your family's summer this year, would you take just two minutes to leave a rating and review wherever you listen? Every review helps other families find the show, and that means more kids getting to hear music like this. I'm so grateful for each one!

Next Time on Busy Kids Love Music

Two more passport stamps to go. Join us in two weeks for Stop 4 on the summer world tour — subscribe so you don't miss it.

Busy Kids Love Music is a podcast for music-loving families, created by Carly Seifert of Busy Kids Do Piano. New episodes every two weeks.

Our summer world tour continues — and for Stop 2, we're trading the warm Caribbean rhythms of Puerto Rico for something entirely different: the misty fjords, ancient forests, and hauntingly beautiful folk music of Norway.

In this episode, we explore Norway's deep folk music roots, from the Norse storytelling tradition to the extraordinary sound of the Hardanger fiddle — an instrument that doesn't just play a melody but seems to fill the air around it. We also talk about the athletic halling dance, the improvised poetry of the stev, and how composer Edvard Grieg (the very first composer we ever featured on this podcast, back in Episode 2) deliberately wove Norwegian folk traditions into classical music that eventually reached concert halls around the world.

Norway's folk music survived centuries of foreign rule because ordinary people held onto it tightly. That's a story worth hearing.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Norway's geography and why the landscape shaped its music
• The Norse people, the Vikings, and the rich storytelling tradition behind Norwegian folk music
• How folk music became an act of cultural survival during centuries of Danish and Swedish rule
• The Hardanger fiddle — what makes it unlike almost any other instrument in the world (hint: it has strings you never touch)
• Dance forms of Norwegian folk music: the springar and the halling
• The stev — improvised sung poetry, and how it connects to the décima tradition we heard in Puerto Rico
• Edvard Grieg and how he translated Norwegian folk music into classical compositions heard around the world
• How Norwegian folk traditions are being carried forward by younger musicians today

Free Downloads for This Episode

• 🪄 Download your Norway Passport Stamp (Stop 2 of 5 — add it to your musical passport)
• 🎵 Listen to the Curated Norwegian Folk Music Playlist (Hardanger fiddle performances, halling dance music, and Grieg pieces that will sound brand new now that you know where they came from)

All downloads are available at busykidsdopiano.com/podcast/178

Instrument We Learned About

Hardanger fiddle (Hardingfele) — a Norwegian folk instrument that looks similar to a violin but has four or five additional "sympathetic strings" running underneath the main playing strings. These understrings are never touched directly — they vibrate in response to the notes being played above them, creating a resonant, layered sound that many listeners describe as haunting or ancient. The instrument takes its name from the Hardanger region of western Norway, where it was developed in the 1600s.

Music & Traditions Featured in This Episode

• Traditional Norwegian folk melodies
• Hardanger fiddle music
• The halling — a solo acrobatic dance form accompanied by fiddle, where the dancer and musician carry on a musical conversation (similar in spirit to the bomba tradition we explored in Episode 177)
• The stev — four-line improvised sung poetry performed as a kind of musical duel between singers
• Edvard Grieg's Norwegian Dances and Peer Gynt Suite

Episodes Mentioned

• Episode 177: Folk Music of Puerto Rico (Stop 1 of the summer tour)
• Episode 2: Edvard Grieg (the very first composer we ever featured on Busy Kids Love Music)

Keep Exploring

The curated playlist in the show notes is a great next step — especially if you want to hear what the Hardanger fiddle actually sounds like in context. Try listening to a piece of Grieg after you've heard some traditional Hardanger fiddle music and see if your ears pick up the connection.

Enjoying the Podcast?

If Busy Kids Love Music has been a good addition to your family's learning, would you take just a minute to rate and review the show? It helps other families find us, and that means more kids getting to experience music like this. You can leave a review right in your podcast app — it takes less than two minutes, and I'm so grateful for every single one.

Next Time on Busy Kids Love Music

Three more passport stamps to go. Join us in two weeks for Stop 3 on the summer world tour — subscribe so you don't miss it.

Busy Kids Love Music is a podcast for music-loving families, created by Carly Seifert of Busy Kids Do Piano. New episodes every two weeks.

We're officially stamping our passports for the first stop on this summer's Around the World with Busy Kids Love Music tour — and we're heading to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.

In this episode, we explore the rich, layered history of Puerto Rican folk music, from the ceremonial traditions of the indigenous Taíno people to the vibrant rhythms of bomba and plena, to the intricate melodies of the cuatro in música jíbara. Along the way, we also talk about how those deep folk traditions connect to the contemporary music families are listening to today — including a Super Bowl performance you might have seen.

Puerto Rico's folk music tells the story of a people who have carried their culture through centuries of hardship and change, and the music is still alive, evolving, and worth celebrating.

What We Cover in This Episode

• What folk music is and why it matters
• The Taíno people and their ceremonial music tradition called areyto
• How Spanish and African influences shaped Puerto Rican folk music over centuries
• Bomba — the drum-driven tradition rooted in the experience of enslaved Africans, where the dancer leads the drummer
• Plena — the "sung newspaper" of Puerto Rico, with its distinctive pandereta (frame drum) sound
• Música jíbara and the cuatro, Puerto Rico's national instrument
• The décima — a form of improvised sung poetry that takes real musical intelligence to perform
• How Puerto Rico's folk traditions connect to contemporary artists like Bad Bunny

Free Downloads for This Episode

• 🗺 Download your Musical Passport (print and collect stamps as you travel through the summer tour)
• 🪄 Download your Puerto Rico Passport Stamp (your first stamp of the summer)
• 🎵 Listen to the Curated Puerto Rican Folk Music Playlist (explore bomba, plena, música jíbara, and more)

All downloads are available at busykidsdopiano.com/podcast/177

Music Featured in This Episode

• Taíno areyto ceremonial music
• Bomba — barril de bomba drum tradition
• Plena — pandereta ensemble music
• Música jíbara — cuatro melodies and décima singing

Instruments We Learned About

Barril de bomba — a barrel drum at the heart of the bomba tradition, often historically made from repurposed rum or salt cod barrels

Pandereta — a handheld frame drum similar to a tambourine (without the metal jingles), used in plena ensembles in multiple sizes playing interlocking rhythms

Cuatro — Puerto Rico's national instrument, a small guitar-like instrument with ten strings arranged in five pairs

Keep Exploring

If you want to keep listening after this episode, the curated Puerto Rican folk music playlist linked above is a great place to start. You can listen together as a family and try to pick out the different instruments — can you hear the difference between the deep barrel drums of bomba and the lighter pandereta sound of plena?

Enjoying the Podcast?

If Busy Kids Love Music has been helpful for your family, would you take just a minute to rate and review the show? It makes a huge difference in helping other families find us — and it means more kids getting to experience music from around the world. You can leave a review right in your podcast app, and it takes less than two minutes. Thank you so much.

Next Time on Busy Kids Love Music

Our summer world tour continues in two weeks with Stop 2. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next destination.

Busy Kids Love Music is a podcast for music-loving families, created by Carly Seifert of Busy Kids Do Piano. New episodes every two weeks. busykidsdopiano.com

 

 

If you've been listening along to our last few episodes, you've heard a lot of violin — Vivaldi wrote for it constantly, and it's easy to understand why. But the violin has a whole family of relatives, and today we're finally introducing all of them.

In this episode, we meet the four members of the string family:

• The violin — the smallest, brightest member of the family, and the one you've been hearing in our Vivaldi series
• The viola — slightly larger, with a warmer and darker sound (think: a quiet, golden afternoon compared to the violin's bright, sunny morning)
• The cello — deep, rich, and almost voice-like in quality (you may remember it from Episode 30, when we listened to Bach's Cello Suites together!)
• The double bass — the largest member of the family, producing a sound so low you almost feel it as much as you hear it

We also do a fun listening comparison near the end of the episode — all four instruments played back-to-back so your ears can really start to notice the differences.

FREE PRINTABLE: STRING FAMILY SPOTTER SHEET

I created a String Family Spotter sheet to go along with this episode. As you listen to music over the next few weeks — whether from this podcast or anything else you come across — you can use it to check off which string instruments you hear. It's a wonderful way to keep those listening ears active and engaged between episodes.

👉 Download your String Family Spotter Sheet here

EPISODE PLAYLIST

Want to keep listening to the music from today's episode? I've put together a playlist with all the pieces featured, which is perfect to use alongside your String Family Spotter sheet.

🎵 Listen to Episode 176 Playlist here

Music featured in this episode:

• Beethoven: String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131
• Vivaldi: Spring from The Four Seasons
• Bartók: Bratschenkonzert (viola concerto) — Tabea Zimmermann, Christoph Eschenbach
• Yo-Yo Ma: Bach Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude
• Xavier Foley: Foley Etude No. 12, "Reconstruction" (double bass)

EPISODES MENTIONED

• Episode 173: Antonio Vivaldi — Life in Venice
• Episode 174: The Four Seasons
• Episode 175: Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor
• Episode 30: Bach's Cello Suites

ABOUT BUSY KIDS LOVE MUSIC

Busy Kids Love Music is a podcast for music-loving families, exploring the stories behind classical music one composer (and one piece) at a time. I'm your host, Carly Seifert, creator of Busy Kids Do Piano. Thanks so much for listening — I'm cheering you on as you listen, learn, and create music!

🎹 Learn more about Busy Kids Do Piano: busykidsdopiano.com/membership

In today's episode, we're wrapping up our three-part series on Antonio Vivaldi with a piece that feels both intimate and expressive—the Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor.

If you've been listening along with this series, you already know how much I've loved exploring Vivaldi with you. Today's piece gives us something a little different from The Four Seasons—and it invites us to listen in a whole new way.

🎧 What You'll Learn in This Episode

In this episode, we explore:

• What makes a concerto unique (and why this one is extra special with two soloists)
• The difference between major and minor keys—and how that affects the mood of the music
• How Vivaldi uses musical "conversation" between two violins
• What counterpoint is (in a way that kids can actually hear and understand!)
• Why this piece has remained one of Vivaldi's most performed works

📝 Listening Activity (Free Printable)

To go along with today's episode, I've created a Musical Conversation Map—a simple, engaging way for your child to follow along as they listen.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD IT

As your child listens, they can:

• Notice when one violin "speaks" and the other responds
• Track when the violins echo or overlap
• Observe how the mood shifts throughout the piece

(It's such a fun way to make listening feel active and meaningful.)

👂 Try This While You Listen

As you listen to the concerto together, ask your child:

• Can you hear the two violins taking turns?
• Does one sound like it's asking a question and the other answering?
• Do they ever sound like they're finishing each other's musical sentences?

You might be surprised how quickly they start to hear it.

🎥 Watch + Listen

Want to take it a step further? Check out this playlist of performances of Concerto for 2 VIolins in A Minor.

🎹 Want to Go Further?

Enrollment for Busy Kids Do Piano is now open!

If your child is enjoying listening to music and you're ready to take the next step into playing, I'd love to support you inside the membership.

👉 Learn more: busykidsdopiano.com/membership

💛 Loved This Episode?

If this episode (or this series!) has been helpful for your family:

• Share it with another music-loving family
• Leave a quick review—it truly helps more families find the show

Thanks so much for being here and learning alongside your kids. I'm cheering you on as you create a home filled with music.

In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we continue our three-part series on Antonio Vivaldi with a deep dive into one of the most famous pieces of classical music ever written: The Four Seasons.Even if you've never heard Vivaldi's name before, there's a good chance you've heard this music! Today, we explore how Vivaldi used sound to paint vivid pictures of nature—from birds singing in spring to icy winds in winter.As you listen, you'll discover how music can tell a story without using any words.

Download Your Four Seasons Weather Map

Make listening interactive and fun!

Download your Four Seasons Weather Map + Musical Meteorologist Badge by clicking here.
With this printable, your child can:

• Draw or write what they hear in each season
• Act like a "musical weather reporter"
• Color and earn their Musical Meteorologist badge

Key Concepts

• Concerto: A piece featuring a solo instrument (like the violin) with orchestra
• Program Music: Music that tells a story or paints a picture
• Baroque Style: Energetic rhythms, contrast, and expressive musical storytelling

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Explore different performances and interpretations of The Four Seasons with my curated playlist here.

Enrollment for Busy Kids Do Piano opens May 1! If your child is inspired to not just listen to music—but to play it, join the waitlist here.

Keep Listening

Until next time…

🌿 Listen for the sounds of nature around you
🎶 Imagine how those sounds could become music

And as always…keep listening, learning and making music!

In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we begin a brand-new three-part composer series all about Antonio Vivaldi—one of the most famous composers of the Baroque period.

You may already recognize Vivaldi's name from some of his nature-inspired music, but in this series, we're slowing down to take a closer look at his life, his music, and what makes his style so unique. In today's episode, we explore Vivaldi's early life, family, and musical training, and discover how a boy growing up in Venice became a composer known all across Europe.

Download Your Audio Treasure Map

Make listening interactive! Click here to download your Audio Treasure Map to follow along and answer questions as you listen.

This printable helps students:

• Listen more carefully

• Remember key details

• Engage with the story of the music

What You'll Learn in This Episode

🎻 How Vivaldi's father helped shape his musical path
🌊 What it was like growing up in Venice—a city full of music and
⛪ Why Vivaldi became known as "The Red Priest"
🎶 How the Ospedale della Pietà influenced his career
🎻 What a concerto is
🎨 How Vivaldi "painted pictures" with music

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Be sure to check out the curated playlist of Vivaldi music by clicking here.

Learn more about the Baroque period of music by listening to this podcast episode.

Want to Go Further?

If your child is inspired to not just learn about music—but actually play it…

Check out Busy Kids Do Piano, where kids learn step-by-step through engaging, easy-to-follow lessons designed for busy families.

Thanks for listening to Busy Kids Love Music! See you next time as we continue discovering the stories — and the sounds — behind classical music.

March is Women's History Month, and in this special episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we explore a powerful and important question:

If women have been composing for centuries…why were so many of their names forgotten?

Instead of focusing on just one composer, this episode looks at the bigger historical picture — uncovering the social, cultural, and publishing barriers that kept many brilliant women composers from being widely remembered.

You'll hear excerpts from stunning works and discover why these composers deserve a permanent place in music history.

Featured Composers & Works Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847)

Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 11 – I. Allegro molto vivace

Clara Schumann (1819–1896)

Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 7

Florence Price (1887–1953)

Symphony No. 1 in E Minor

 Amy Beach (1867–1944)

Romance, Op. 23

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why women composers were often discouraged from writing large-scale orchestral works
• How publishing, performance, and teaching influence which music survives
• Why genre bias shaped the way music history was written
• How modern musicians are rediscovering and performing long-overlooked works
• Why listening itself can be an act of honoring history

Listener Challenge

This week, choose a female composer you don't know well.

Listen to:

• One of the podcast episodes linked below
  OR
• A piece of her music

 A free printable listening guide is available here to help you go deeper.

Previous podcast episodes on female composers to check out and use with your Listening Challenge printable:

Episode 15: Fanny Mendelssohn | Busy Kids Do Piano

Episode 42: Clara Schumann | Busy Kids Do Piano

Episode 66: The Life and Music of Florence Price | Busy Kids Do Piano

Episode 92: Lili Boulanger | Busy Kids Do Piano

Episode 116: Nina Simone | Busy Kids Do Piano

Episode 118: Fanny Crosby | Busy Kids Do Piano

Episode 160: The Life of Imogen Holst | Busy Kids Do Piano

Episode 171: Margaret Bonds | Busy Kids Do Piano

Thanks for listening to Busy Kids Love Music! See you next time as we continue discovering the stories — and the sounds — behind classical music.

In our last episode, we explored the vibrant creativity of the Harlem Renaissance. Today, we zoom in on one extraordinary composer who stood right in the center of that artistic world: Margaret Bonds.

Margaret Bonds was a pianist, composer, teacher, and trailblazer whose music blended spirituals, jazz, and classical traditions into something uniquely powerful. She believed music could speak up for fairness, dignity, and hope—and she used her voice boldly.

In this episode, you'll discover:

•  How Bonds' childhood home in Chicago became a gathering place for Black artists and performers

• Her early success as a teenage piano soloist with a major orchestra

• Her studies at Northwestern University and how she learned to combine classical forms with jazz and spiritual melodies

• Her creative partnership with poet Langston Hughes

• How her music reflected the hopes and struggles of the Civil Rights Movement

🎧 Featured Pieces in This Episode 🎹 Troubled Water

A virtuosic piano piece that weaves together the spiritual "Wade in the Water" and the hymn "Amazing Grace" inside a classical sonata structure. Listen for how Bonds blends traditions seamlessly.

🎵 Three Dream Portraits (with Langston Hughes)

A song cycle based on Hughes's poetry, including the powerful setting of his poem "I, Too." Bonds' piano writing doesn't just accompany the singer—it helps tell the story.

✨ The Ballad of the Brown King

A cantata that tells the Christmas story from the perspective of Balthazar, one of the Three Kings. This moving collaboration highlights Bonds' gift for capturing the emotional heart of poetry.

✊ Montgomery Variations

Inspired by the Montgomery Bus Boycott, this orchestral work reflects the courage and determination of the Civil Rights Movement. Bonds believed music could be a voice for justice—and this piece shows exactly how.

 Why Margaret Bonds Matters

Margaret Bonds helped open doors for future generations of Black musicians. Though her music was overlooked for many years after her death in 1972, it is now being rediscovered and performed on concert stages around the world.

Her legacy connects:

• Poetry and music

• Tradition and innovation

• Personal expression and American history

Listening Challenge

As you listen to her music this week, ask yourself:

• Can you hear elements of jazz or spirituals inside classical forms?

• How does the piano part help tell the story?

• What emotions does the music bring out in you?

🎧 Explore the curated Margaret Bonds playlist by clicking here.

If your family enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and help more kids discover the stories behind classical music.

Thanks for listening to Busy Kids Love Music!

In this special Black History Month episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we travel back about 100 years to Harlem, New York—an exciting neighborhood overflowing with creativity, poetry, dancing, painting, and bold new musical sounds.

This remarkable time in American history is known as the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural "rebirth" that took place during the 1920s and 1930s. In this episode, we'll explore how music helped shape the Harlem Renaissance—and how the Harlem Renaissance changed the future of American music forever.

What Was the Harlem Renaissance?

The word renaissance means "rebirth." During this period, Harlem became a gathering place for African American artists, writers, and musicians who were creating fresh ideas and sharing their voices with the world.

Families arriving during the Great Migration brought musical traditions from many parts of the country. When these styles blended together in one vibrant neighborhood, something extraordinary happened.

In this episode, you'll meet some of the influential artists who helped define Harlem's sound, explore some famous Harlem venues and listen to examples of colorful music with jazz, blues and big band sounds!

Listen Along!

Check out the curated Harlem Renaissance playlist here.

As you listen, see if you can spot:

• A steady beat that makes you want to tap your foot
• Instruments taking turns playing solos
• Fast piano patterns
• Bright brass sounds like trumpets and trombones

Coming Up Next…

In the next episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we'll focus on composer Margaret Bonds, who collaborated closely with Harlem Renaissance poets and blended classical music with spirituals and jazz colors—carrying the movement's spirit into concert halls and classrooms.

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it!

In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we wrap up our three-part series on composer Igor Stravinsky with one of the most famous — and most shocking — pieces in music history: The Rite of Spring.

When this ballet premiered in Paris in 1913, audiences expected graceful dancing and pretty melodies. Instead, they heard pounding rhythms, clashing sounds, and music that felt wild and unpredictable. Some people loved it… and others were so surprised that they began shouting during the performance!

We'll explore why Stravinsky's music sounded so different from anything audiences had heard before and how this bold piece eventually became one of the most important works of the 20th century.

Get ready to listen for thunder-like drums, blasting horns, and rhythms that feel like the earth shaking beneath your feet!

What You'll Learn in This Episode

•  What a ballet is and how music and dance work together
• The ancient spring rituals that inspired The Rite of Spring
• Why the music sounded shocking in 1913
• What made the rhythms and harmonies so unusual
• The famous "Rite of Spring riot"
• How this piece changed the future of classical music

Listening Challenge for Kids

When you listen to The Rite of Spring, don't try to hear it as calm or gentle music. Instead, imagine:

• Animals running
• Thunder crashing
• The ground shaking
• People dancing with all their strength

Listen for:

•  Loud drums
•  Blasting horns
• Fast, exciting rhythms

This is music that feels alive!

Listen to The Rite of Spring

We recommend listening to the full ballet here:
👉 Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" with Gustavo Dudamel & the LA Phil

About Busy Kids Love Music

Busy Kids Love Music is the podcast that helps families explore the music of composers, cultures, and traditions from around the world.

Hosted by piano teacher Carly Seifert, each episode includes kid-friendly storytelling, guided listening tips, and musical discoveries perfect for homeschool lessons, classroom use, or curious music lovers of all ages.

Want More Music Activities?

Check out Carly's online piano and music appreciation programs:

• Busy Kids Do Piano — Piano lessons made simple and fun
• Busy Kids Love Music Podcast Archive — Hundreds of composer adventures
• Music History Courses & Homeschool Resources

Igor Stravinsky became famous almost overnight thanks to one magical ballet — The Firebird. In this episode, I'll take you inside the glowing, mysterious world of this Russian fairy tale, filled with enchanted creatures, an evil sorcerer, brave heroes, and powerful music that tells the story without words.

Based on centuries-old Russian folk tales, The Firebird follows Prince Ivan, who captures a magical Firebird and receives a glowing feather in return for her freedom. That feather later helps him defeat Kashchei the Immortal, an evil sorcerer who has trapped princesses and turned travelers into stone. With the Firebird's help, Ivan breaks Kashchei's spell, frees the princesses, and brings peace back to the enchanted forest.

Stravinsky's music brings every moment of this story to life — from the shimmering Firebird theme to the pounding rhythms of Kashchei's Infernal Dance and the glowing, triumphant Finale.

🎵 What You'll Learn in This Episode

• The fairy-tale story behind The Firebird

• Who the Firebird, Prince Ivan, and Kashchei are

• How Stravinsky uses leitmotifs (musical themes for characters and ideas)

• How this ballet made Stravinsky famous at just 27 years old

• Why The Firebird is still one of the most loved orchestral works today

Kids will also learn how composers use music the same way movies do — giving characters their own musical "voices," just like Darth Vader, Jaws, or Hogwarts!

🎻 Featured Music in This Episode

• Suite from The Firebird (1919) – Toronto Symphony Orchestra

• Infernal Dance of King Kashchei

• Finale from The Firebird – Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel

📺 Listen & Watch

Explore famous recordings and watch scenes from The Firebird ballet here:
👉Playlist for Episode 168

🎼 What's Next?

This is Episode 2 in our 3-part Igor Stravinsky series. In our final episode, we'll dive into his most shocking and controversial work: The Rite of Spring — the piece that caused a riot!

Until next time…
Keep listening and keep learning — because Busy Kids Love Music!

Igor Stravinsky, Part 1: The Composer Who Changed Music

In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we begin a brand-new three-part series all about one of the most bold and imaginative composers in music history: Igor Stravinsky. From ballet stages to concert halls, Stravinsky's music changed the way people thought about rhythm, sound, and storytelling in music.

In Part 1, we explore Stravinsky's life story—where he grew up, how he was introduced to music, and how he became one of the most important composers of the 20th century.

We also learn how Stravinsky's life was shaped by major world events, including two world wars, which caused his family to move from Russia to Switzerland, then France, and eventually the United States. Despite all these changes, Stravinsky continued to write groundbreaking music, proving that creativity can thrive even in difficult times. In this episode, we also explore what makes Stravinsky's music sound so different from other composers.

What's Next in the Series?

This episode is just the beginning of our Stravinsky adventure!
In the next two episodes, we'll explore:

Episode 2: The Firebird – A magical ballet filled with glittering orchestral sounds and fairy-tale characters

Episode 3: The Rite of Spring – The shocking, groundbreaking work that caused one of the most famous moments in music history

🎧 Listen along with our Stravinsky playlist here

Thanks for listening to Busy Kids Love Music! Join us next time as we step into the magical world of The Firebird.

We've reached the final episode of 2025, and we're celebrating the year with something special: The Great Re-Listen Challenge! This fun year-end episode invites your family to revisit some of our favorite musical adventures from the past year — all paired with themes like Road Trip Listen, Dance Party Listen, and Bedtime Listen.

Whether you've listened to Busy Kids Love Music for years or pressed play for the very first time in 2025, thank you for making this podcast part of your musical journey. This episode is all about reflecting, reconnecting, and rediscovering the music we explored together.

🎶 What Is the Great Re-Listen Challenge?

I've selected five favorite episodes from 2025, each perfect for winter break. Families can choose one, two, or try all five! To make it even more fun, download the Re-Listen Challenge Checklist linked below so kids can check off episodes as they listen.

🎧 Your 2025 Re-Listen Challenge Picks 1. Road Trip Listen — Episode 140: New Year's Day Parade Music

Start your travels with music bursting with energy! In this upbeat episode, we explore the marching bands and festive sounds that bring New Year's Day parades to life.

2. Creativity Time — Episode 148: Music Inspired by Planet Earth

Perfect for arts and crafts time. Listen while you draw, paint, or build — this imaginative, Earth-themed music is full of color and inspiration.

3. Bedtime Listen — Episode 161: Imogen Holst's Fall of the Leaf

Soft, peaceful, and calming. This gentle cello piece feels like autumn leaves drifting through the air — a beautiful way to wind down before bed.

4. Dance Party Listen — Episode 154: Folk Music of Colombia

Turn your living room into a dance floor! With joyful rhythms and irresistible beats, this episode will get everyone moving.

5. Story Lovers Listen — Episode 144: The Life of Blind Tom Wiggins

One of my favorite episodes of the year. Blind Tom's story is inspiring, powerful, and unforgettable — a must-hear for kids and grown-ups alike.

📄 Free Download: Re-Listen Challenge Checklist

Make listening interactive!
Download your checklist here.
Kids can track their progress and choose which listening adventure to do next.

💛 Thank You for an Amazing Year

Thank you for learning, listening, and exploring music with me throughout 2025. Join me for our first public enrollment period of the year for Busy Kids Do Piano and Busy Moms Do Piano beginning January 1st.

Get ready for a festive round of What Was That Sound?—our special holiday edition! In today's episode, we explore four magical instruments that help create the twinkling, sparkling, joyful sound of Christmas music. Kids will listen to short audio clues and try to guess each instrument before the answer is revealed. It's a fun, interactive way to train their ears and learn musical facts!

To make the experience even more hands-on, don't forget to download the free What Was That Sound? printable worksheet linked here. Kids can write down their guesses, take notes and share what they've learned using this fun printable.

🎧 What You'll Hear in This Episode

Today's four mystery instruments all play a special role in holiday music:

• Hear the shimmering, fairy-like instrument made famous in Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Learn how Tchaikovsky fell in love with this brand-new instrument and kept it secret before the premiere of The Nutcracker!
• Discover how a certain instrument's peaceful, angelic sound creates a warm glow underneath Christmas classics like O Holy Night and appears in many holiday film scores.
• Learn how a certain instrument was originally used on real horses (hint: safety!)—and how composers from Mozart to Leroy Anderson added them to music to create a joyful, snowy atmosphere
• From Handel's Hallelujah Chorus to jazzy renditions of Jingle Bells, this instrument brings sparkle, celebration and energy to holiday music across many styles.

📄 Free Printable: What Was That Sound? — Holiday Edition

Make listening interactive! Kids can track their guesses, jot down fun facts, and bring music learning to life by downlading this printable.

🔗 Explore More Music

• Episode 18: The Trumpet | Busy Kids Do Piano
• Episode 52: The Harp | Busy Kids Do Piano
• Episode 111: Sleigh Bells | Busy Kids Do Piano

• A curated playlist of all four festive musical selections here

✨ Merry Christmas from Busy Kids Love Music!

Thank you for joining me for this joyful, interactive musical celebration. From my family to yours—Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I'll see you next time on Busy Kids Love Music.

In this week's episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're welcoming the Christmas season with a beautiful and expressive work by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams — a musician who adored both folk tunes and the charming old carols passed down through generations.

🎶 What You'll Hear in This Episode

In Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Vaughan Williams weaves together three traditional English carols into one imaginative and atmospheric piece for baritone, chorus, and orchestra:

• The Truth Sent from Above

• Come All You Worthy Gentlemen

• On Christmas Night All Christians Sing (often known as The Sussex Carol)

You'll learn:

• Why Vaughan Williams was passionate about preserving English folk music

• What a fantasia is and how this piece "daydreams" from one idea to another

• How the composer added "hidden" carol fragments throughout the music

• Why this work was meaningful during World War I

• Details about the piece's 1912 premiere at the Three Choirs Festival

• How Fantasia on Christmas Carols continues to inspire holiday performances today

This episode also explains the unique combination of baritone soloist, full choir, and orchestra, and how the piece begins and ends with a moving cello solo.

🎧 Listen to the Full Piece

Find the complete recording of Fantasia on Christmas Carols here.

🎄 More Christmas Music Fun

Don't miss these seasonal resources from Busy Kids Do Piano!

• Online Nutcracker Camp for Kids

• Musical Advent Calendar

🔔 Up Next

Get ready for a fun musical mystery game in our next episode:
"What Was That Sound? – Holiday Edition!"
We'll explore instruments of the season with festive sound-guessing challenges your kids will love.

Thanks for listening, and as always — keep listening and keep learning, because Busy Kids Love Music!

In this fun, interactive episode of Busy Kids Love Music, I invite you to step into the orchestra pit of a Broadway theater to solve some musical mysteries!

This month we've been celebrating the release of Wicked: For Good, and today's episode continues that celebration with a special "What Was That Sound?" – Musical Theater Edition! You'll hear short clips from favorite musicals and try to guess which instruments are playing. Each instrument plays a special role in creating the drama, excitement, and emotion of live theater.

This episode helps young listeners train their ears, learn about instrument families in the orchestra, and understand how each sound helps tell a musical story on stage.

🎵 Featured Musicals & Mystery Sounds

1. Wicked – "Defying Gravity"

2. Hamilton – "My Shot"

3. The Lion King – "Circle of Life"

4. The Sound of Music – "Do-Re-Mi"

🧩 Free Printable: Musical Mysteries Worksheet

Can you guess all the instruments correctly?
Download the Musical Theater Edition Audio Treasure Hunt Worksheet to write your answers and keep the game going at home!

👉 Download Here

💡 Learning Highlights

• Explore four instrument families in the orchestra.

• Discover how percussion, brass, and strings add character and emotion to theater music.

• Practice active listening and build your child's musical vocabulary through play.

🎧 Keep Listening & Learning

If you enjoyed this episode, check out thh full playlist of songs featured today — perfect for singing, dancing, and listening together as a family!
👉 Playlist Link

Don't forget to listen to Episode 162 about Stephen Schwartz, the brilliant composer and lyricist behind Wicked!

💻 Explore More

• 🎹 Learn piano with Busy Kids Do Piano: busykidsdopiano.com

• 📸 Follow along on social media:

  • Instagram: @busykidsdopiano

  • Facebook: Busy Kids Do Piano

  • YouTube: Busy Kids Do Piano Channel

This month on Busy Kids Love Music, we're celebrating the magic of musical theater — and the brand-new movie Wicked: For Good! In this episode, I introduce young listeners to Stephen Schwartz, the brilliant composer and lyricist behind some of Broadway and Disney's most beloved songs.

From his early studies at Juilliard and Carnegie Mellon to writing timeless shows like Godspell, Pippin, and Children of Eden, Stephen Schwartz has spent his career creating music that inspires and uplifts. Of course, his most famous work — Wicked — reimagines the story of Oz through unforgettable songs like "Defying Gravity," "Popular," and "For Good."

As you listen, you'll learn what it means to be both a composer and a lyricist, explore Schwartz's journey to Broadway, and discover how his music brings characters' emotions to life.

🎵 Featured Music in This Episode

• "For Good" – Wicked

• "Popular" – Wicked

• "Corner of the Sky" – Pippin

• "Defying Gravity" – Wicked

• "No Good Deed" – Wicked

🧩 Free Printable: Audio Treasure Hunt

Turn this episode into an interactive listening activity!
Download the Audio Treasure Hunt Worksheet from the show notes to answer fun questions about Stephen Schwartz and test your listening skills as you go.
👉 Download Here

💡 Fun Facts

• Stephen Schwartz wrote music and lyrics for Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell. Listen to a full playlist of Stephen Schwartz favorites here!

• He also penned lyrics for Disney favorites like Pocahontas ("Colors of the Wind"), The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted.

• You can even spot Stephen Schwartz himself in a cameo appearance in Wicked: Part 1!

🪄 Keep Listening

This episode kicks off a month-long celebration of musical theater at Busy Kids Love Music! Stay tuned for more Wicked-themed fun and behind-the-scenes stories about Broadway composers.

🎧 Subscribe to Busy Kids Love Music wherever you get your podcasts, and don't miss a single musical adventure.

💻 Explore More

• 🎹 Learn piano with Busy Kids Do Piano: busykidsdopiano.com

• 📸 Follow along on social media:

  • Instagram: @busykidsdopiano

  • Facebook: Busy Kids Do Piano

  • YouTube: Busy Kids Do Piano Channel

In Part 2 of our Imogen Holst series, we step into the crisp, colorful world of autumn through one of her most beautiful works — The Fall of the Leaf.

Written in the 1960s and based on a 17th-century English melody of the same name, this short cello concerto paints a gentle, moody, and slightly mysterious musical picture of a single leaf drifting to the ground. We'll explore how Holst uses dissonance, movement, and mood to capture the quiet magic of an October afternoon.

This episode also includes another Audio Treasure Hunt! Download the free printable below and use it as you listen to uncover hidden clues about the music.

🎧 What you'll learn in this episode:

• How Imogen Holst adapted an ancient English tune into her own reflective composition.

• What dissonance is — and how Holst uses it to create mystery.

• How musical movement can mimic the slow, twisting drift of a falling leaf.

• Why this piece feels both peaceful and bittersweet at the same time.

💡 Listening Challenge:
As you listen to The Fall of the Leaf, close your eyes and imagine:

• A single leaf falling from a tall tree.

• The wind gently blowing.

• The quiet of an October afternoon.
  What colors, shapes, or stories come to mind?

📍 Links & Resources:

• Download the Audio Treasure Hunt 

• Listen to The Fall of the Leaf performance

• Learn more about Imogen Holst in Episode 160

 

 

 

We're kicking off a brand-new series on the Busy Kids Love Music podcast, and this time our focus is on the remarkable life and work of composer Imogen Holst.

You might recognize her last name—yes, her father was the famous Gustav Holst, composer of The Planets. But Imogen was far more than "the daughter of…" She built her own musical career as a gifted composer, conductor, teacher, and champion of the arts, making an impact that still resonates today.

In this episode, you'll discover:
🎵 How growing up in a musical household shaped Imogen's early years
🎵 Her studies at the Royal College of Music and her path to becoming a composer
🎵 The important roles she played during World War II to bring music to communities and support refugee musicians
🎵 Her close collaboration with composer Benjamin Britten and her work at the Aldeburgh Festival
🎵 Why her music stands out, and how she forged her own creative voice in a male-dominated field

This episode also features an Audio Treasure Hunt—a free printable you can download from the show notes. As you listen, see how many questions you can answer about Imogen Holst's life and music!

Listen now to learn about a trailblazing 20th-century musician whose legacy includes not only her own compositions, but also her dedication to uplifting the work of others.

Resources & Links:

• Download your free Audio Treasure Hunt printable

• Curated playlist of Imogen Holst's music

Think you can solve a musical mystery?

In this extra-fun episode of Busy Kids Love Music, you'll become a musical detective as we play a guessing game with four mystery instrument sounds. I'll play you a short clip from a famous piece of music—your job is to figure out "What Was That Sound?"

Once you make your guess, I'll reveal the answer and share some fascinating facts about the instrument, including:

• The fastest-fingered member of the string family
• The tallest instrument in the orchestra
• The woodwind with a delightfully sneaky tone
• The percussion star that keeps an entire piece marching along

To make it even more fun, I've created a free printable worksheet that you can use to write down your guesses. This is a perfect at-home, in-the-car, or classroom activity to sharpen your listening skills—and you can even quiz your family and friends afterward.

Plus, I've put together a playlist of the full-length versions of all the music featured in today's game, so you can enjoy each piece from start to finish.

Listen now and put your musical ears to the test!

📄 Free Worksheet: Download here
🎶 Featured Playlist: Listen here

It's time for a spooky (but silly!) musical adventure as we wrap up our 3-part series on the brilliant French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.

In today's episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're exploring one of Saint-Saëns' most imaginative and well-known pieces: Danse Macabre — or "Dance of Death." But don't worry — while the title sounds a bit eerie, this piece is more like a playful Halloween dance party than a fright fest. With dancing skeletons, chiming midnight bells, and a dramatic story told entirely through music, Danse Macabre is the perfect mix of spooky and fun.

Inside this episode, your child will:

• Learn the meaning behind the title Danse Macabre
• Discover how Saint-Saëns uses musical instruments like the xylophone, violin, and oboe to paint a vivid scene
• Hear how a spooky-sounding interval called a tritone helps set the mood
• Use their imagination to picture the skeleton dance party in full swing
• Listen for musical clues like midnight chimes and a rooster crowing at dawn

Don't forget to download your FREE Audio Treasure Hunt!
I've hidden six questions throughout the episode for your child to uncover as they listen.

👉 Download it here

Mentioned in this episode:

• Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns
• Instruments to listen for: xylophone (rattling bones!), harp (midnight chimes), violin (creepy tritone), and oboe (the rooster at dawn)
• Previous episodes in our Saint-Saëns series:
  → Episode 156: Meet the Composer – Camille Saint-Saëns
  → Episode 157: Carnival of the Animals

Whether you're listening around Halloween or just in the mood for something dramatic and fun, this episode will show how music can spark imagination and tell a story — even without any words.

Get ready to explore a musical zoo like no other!

In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're diving into one of Camille Saint-Saëns' most imaginative and beloved works—Carnival of the Animals. This whimsical suite features 14 short movements, each representing a different animal or creature, from regal lions and squawking roosters to gliding swans and even... piano students!

 You'll hear musical excerpts that bring each animal to life and learn:

• Why Saint-Saëns wrote Carnival of the Animals in secret

• What instrument represents the elephant

• Why The Swan was the only movement published during his lifetime

• How this suite became one of his most popular works after his death

PLUS: It's an Audio Treasure Hunt episode!
Hidden throughout today's episode are six musical clues. Download your free Treasure Hunt printable and see if you can answer them all as you listen.

Want to explore even more?
Sign up for my FREE 5-Day Online Music Camp inspired by Carnival of the Animals! Each day features music exploration, fun piano activities, and creative ways to bring the animals to life. Perfect for music-loving kids of all ages!
🔗 Link to join in the show notes.

Next Week: We wrap up our Saint-Saëns series with a spine-tingling piece—Danse Macabre—just in time for spooky season. Don't miss it!

Resources Mentioned:

• Download the Audio Treasure Hunt Printable

• Join the FREE Carnival of the Animals Online Music Camp

• Listen to Carnival of the Animals in its entirety here

Busy Kids Love Music is created by Carly Seifert, piano teacher and founder of Busy Kids Do Piano, helping families explore the joy of music from their own homes.

📌 Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode — and keep your ears open for more musical adventures!

We're kicking off a brand-new composer series—and this one's all about the brilliant French composer Camille Saint-Saëns! 🎼

In this first episode of our 3-part series, your child will discover:

• What made Saint-Saëns a child prodigy 

• His early musical education and incredible memory

• How travel and science inspired his compositions 

• The tragedies and triumphs that shaped his life

• Why his music stood apart from others in his time

Plus! This episode includes a FREE Audio Treasure Hunt to make listening extra interactive and fun. Can your child catch how old Saint-Saëns was at his first public concert? Or what inspired his "Egyptian" piano concerto?

🎧 Featured Music Includes:

• Organ Symphony

• Piano Concerto No. 5 "The Egyptian"

• Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor

Don't forget to download your free Audio Treasure Hunt worksheet and explore my curated playlist of Camille Saint-Saëns' most beloved compositions.

🎹 Enrollment Now Open: If you've been thinking about starting piano lessons at home, now's the perfect time! Public enrollment for Busy Kids Do Piano is open through August 18th. Learn more and sign up here.

Don't miss Episode 157, where we'll take a closer listen to The Carnival of the Animals—a delightful musical zoo full of lions, kangaroos, and the famous swan.

Until next time, keep listening and keep making music! 

Welcome to the final stop on our Around the World with Busy Kids Love Music summer series! In this episode, we journey to the breathtaking island of Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia, where folk music and dance are central to cultural life.

From the energetic rhythms of the ʻoteʻa dance to the booming beats of the toʻere and pahu drums, Tahitian music is filled with movement and joy. We'll explore the traditional instruments, musical styles, and even group choral chants like himene tarava, which blend Polynesian harmonies with European influences.

You'll also:

• Hear samples of traditional Tahitian drumming and singing

• Learn how music and dance are celebrated at the Heiva Festival

• Discover how Tahitian children carry on musical traditions today

• Explore how modern musicians are blending traditional instruments with new sounds

Don't forget! Download your Tahiti Passport Stamp to complete your musical journey around the world.

Check out this playlist on YouTube to view incredible Tahitian performances.

🎹 Plus, exciting news! Public enrollment for Busy Kids Do Piano and Busy Moms Do Piano opens August 4th! Learn more about Busy Kids here and Busy Moms here.

Thanks for joining us on this global musical adventure—see you in two weeks for more musical exploration!

In today's episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we head to the vibrant country of Colombia—a place full of colorful landscapes, rich traditions, and joyful rhythms! Part of our special summer series Around the World with Busy Kids Love Music, this musical journey introduces your child to the diverse folk styles that make Colombian music so special.

From the African-influenced drums of the coastal regions to the haunting melodies of Indigenous flutes and the lively accordion tunes of vallenato, we'll explore how Colombia's music reflects its unique blend of cultures: Indigenous, African, and Spanish.

🎶 Highlights from this episode include:

• A deep dive into cumbia, one of Colombia's most iconic musical styles.

• Listening to the gaita—a traditional Indigenous flute—and how it's used in folk ensembles.

• Learning about the tambora, a drum essential to Afro-Colombian rhythms and celebrations.

• Discovering the accordion's role in vallenato and its European roots.

• Exploring how Colombian folk music is still a vibrant part of everyday life—from school songs to street parades!

📌 Episode Resources:

• 🎟 Download your free Colombia Passport Stamp here

• 🎵 Curated YouTube Playlist of Colombian Folk Music featuring cumbia, vallenato, and more

🗺️ Previous Stops on Our Around the World Series:

• Folk Music of Ethiopia

• Folk Music of Ukraine

• Folk Music of South Korea

📍Next stop: Our final destination of the summer series—don't miss it in two weeks!

This episode will transport your family to Colombia through the power of music. Don't forget to grab your musical passport stamp and explore even more music with my bonus playlist!

🎧 Subscribe to Busy Kids Love Music on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode.

💬 Let's Connect:
Have a question or want to share your child's musical discoveries? Tag me on Instagram @busymomsdopiano or send us message to carly@busymomsdopiano.com!

Welcome back to Around the World with Busy Kids Love Music! In today's episode, we journey to the eastern side of Asia to explore the rich folk music traditions of South Korea.

From heartfelt folk songs to energetic drumming ensembles, Korean traditional music—known as gugak—is a vibrant part of the country's culture and history. Join me as we explore:

🎶 Minyo – Traditional Korean folk songs passed down through generations
🎤 Arirang – One of Korea's most beloved and historic songs
🎭 Pansori – Dramatic musical storytelling with a single singer and drummer
🥁 Samulnori – A thrilling percussion style performed with four instruments
🎼 Traditional Korean instruments including:

• The janggu (hourglass drum)

• The gayageum (12-string zither)

• The haegeum (two-string fiddle)

Along the way, we'll learn how these beautiful sounds continue to influence modern music—from classrooms to K-pop stages.

👉 Don't forget to:

• Download your South Korea passport stamp

• Check out the YouTube playlist featuring instruments and performances mentioned in today's episode

• Revisit any of the previous episodes in this global series

 

In this episode of our Around the World summer series, we're traveling to Ukraine, a country with a deep love of singing, a powerful history, and some truly fascinating folk instruments!

Join me as we:

• Discover the meaning of folk music and why it matters.

•  Learn about Ukraine's journey to independence and how music has helped preserve its culture.

• Explore the beautiful three-part harmonies often sung a cappella by Ukrainian choirs.

• Hear traditional instruments like:

  • Bandura – a harp-like instrument with up to 60 strings.

  • Trembita – one of the world's longest instruments used in mountain villages.

  • Tsymbaly – a hammered dulcimer that creates rhythmic dance music.

• Understand how folk music varies from region to region in Ukraine.

You'll hear snippets of folk songs throughout the episode and learn how modern Ukrainian artists are keeping these traditions alive today.

📍 Download your Ukraine Passport Stamp
Add to your musical passport collection by downloading this week's stamp here.

🎧 Bonus Playlist
Want to keep listening? Check out the curated playlist of Ukrainian folk music linked on YouTube by clicking here.

Subscribe & Follow:
Never miss an episode! Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow me on Instagram @busymomsdopiano for updates, behind-the-scenes, and extra resources.

Busy Kids Love Music is the podcast that helps kids explore composers, musical styles, instruments, and cultures from around the world—one note at a time.

 

 

 

Welcome to a brand new season of our summer series, Around the World with Busy Kids Love Music! Every 2 weeks this summer, we're visiting a different country to explore its folk music traditions—and today, we're heading to the Horn of Africa to discover the rich and unique sounds of Ethiopia!

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What makes Ethiopian music sound so different from Western music

• The special musical scales called qignit (including the Tizita scale)

• The fascinating traditional instruments of Ethiopia: the krar, masenqo, and washint

• How music is woven into celebrations, faith, and storytelling

• The unique Ethiopian dance called eskista, full of fast footwork and expressive shoulder movements

Plus, we'll hear musical clips throughout the episode to bring these traditions to life!

🧳 Don't forget your passport stamp!
Download your printable Ethiopia stamp to add to your musical passport as we travel the world this summer. You'll find it linked here.

▶️ YouTube Playlist
Be sure to check out the curated playlist I've included so you can see these amazing instruments and dances in action—especially the mesmerizing eskista dance!

Thanks for joining me on this exciting musical adventure. See you in two weeks as we journey to another corner of the globe for more incredible folk music traditions.

As we approach Memorial Day in the United States, this episode honors one of the most poignant and powerful pieces of American music — Taps. Although this bugle call is only 24 notes long, it carries deep meaning and emotion, used to honor those who have served and sacrificed in the military.

In this episode, you and your young listeners will:

• Discover the origins of Taps during the Civil War.

• Learn about the bugle and how it was used to signal soldiers throughout the day.

• Hear different performances of Taps, including from Arlington National Cemetery.

• Reflect on how a simple melody can express gratitude, peace, and remembrance without a single word.

🎧 Musical excerpts featured:

• Taps – USMC Drum & Bugle Corps

• Reveille – West Point Band

• Taps – Live recordings from Arlington National Cemetery

• Semper Fidelis – "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band

📝 Mentioned in this episode:
Visit this link for a short playlist of a few full-length performances of Taps

🎶 What's Next:
Join me in two weeks as we launch our Around the World with Busy Kids Love Music summer series! We'll explore folk music traditions from across the globe — and your child can collect printable passport stamps along the way!

Welcome back to Busy Kids Love Music! In today's episode, we're celebrating the blossoming beauty of spring with classical music inspired by flowers! This episode is the perfect follow-up to our April Showers adventure, and it's all about music that captures the feeling of blooming gardens, delicate petals, and peaceful springtime scenes.

🌸 Here's what we're listening to today:

• Waltz of the Flowers by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – A graceful dance from The Nutcracker ballet that brings a garden of twirling flowers to life.

• Voices of Spring (Frühlingsstimmen) by Johann Strauss II – A joyful waltz celebrating the arrival of spring, with sparkling melodies and fluttering flutes. (Psst… you'll recognize the opening from the podcast theme!)

• Flower Duet from Lakmé by Léo Delibes – A stunning vocal duet that transports us to a peaceful riverside garden, blooming with flowers and calm.

🌷 Imagination Prompts:
As you listen, picture yourself surrounded by colorful blossoms, dancing petals, and chirping birds. What does the music feel like? What colors or movements do you imagine?

🎨 Extras for Today's Episode:

• 🎵 YouTube Playlist featuring full-length performances of each piece

• 🖍️ Printable Flower Coloring Page to enjoy while listening

📣 Reminder: This episode airs during Busy Kids Do Piano's spring public enrollment period! Learn more about how to join before May 15th by visiting busykidsdopiano.com/membership or busymomsdopiano.com/membership.

Thanks for joining me for this beautiful musical bouquet! I'll see you next time with a brand-new episode.

Happy Earth Day! Today, we're celebrating our beautiful planet the best way we know how—through music! 🎶 For centuries, composers have found inspiration in nature, and in this episode, we're exploring three stunning pieces that bring the sounds of the Earth to life.

🎼 Featured Music:
Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony" – A joyful musical journey through the countryside, filled with singing birds, flowing streams, and even a thunderstorm!
Smetana's "The Moldau" – A breathtaking piece that follows the journey of a mighty river as it winds through forests, villages, and castles.
John Luther Adams' "Become Ocean" – A modern, atmospheric work that captures the vastness and movement of the deep blue sea.

Your Turn! After listening, step outside and create your own "Earth Symphony" using the sounds of nature around you. Can you hum like the wind, tap like raindrops, or play an instrument to mimic the outdoors?

More Music: Want to listen to the full recordings of the pieces from this episode? Find them in our special playlist by clicking here.

🌍 Let's celebrate Earth Day by listening, creating, and caring for our planet! 💚

📆 Next Episode: I'll be back in two weeks with more musical fun—see you then!

 "April showers bring May flowers!" This common saying reminds us that rainy days lead to beautiful spring blooms. In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're exploring three classical pieces that capture the sound and feeling of rain. From gentle drizzles to powerful storms, these composers found incredible ways to bring rain to life through music.

🎵 Music Featured in This Episode:
1️⃣ "Raindrop" Prelude – Frédéric Chopin

• Listen for the repeating note that sounds like steady raindrops.
• Did you know Chopin may have been inspired by a real rainstorm while staying at an old monastery?

2️⃣ "Gardens in the Rain" – Claude Debussy

• A fast, playful piece that feels like a sudden spring rainstorm.
• Debussy even weaves in snippets of old French nursery rhymes—can you hear them?

3️⃣ "Cloudburst" – Eric Whitacre

• A musical journey through a thunderstorm, featuring voices whispering, fingers snapping, and hands clapping to create the sound of rain!

🌟 Listen & Learn:
Want to hear the full performances of these pieces? I've put together a special YouTube playlist so you can enjoy them all week long!

Find the link here:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfKdW5enb0-VYOFZa_JGa5Vw6-m8FnwtW&si=7MPTAA8OYH0lxXKY

Join me again in two weeks for another musical adventure! Until then, listen closely to the world around you—you never know what might inspire your next favorite melody. 

Hi friends! Have you ever wondered what makes a sonata different from other pieces of music? In today's episode, we're diving into the world of sonatas—one of the most important forms in classical music!

You'll learn:
✅ What the word "sonata" means and where it comes from
✅ How composers like Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn used a special structure called sonata form
✅ How to listen for the exposition, development, and recapitulation in famous sonatas

🎧 We'll explore examples from Mozart's "Easy Sonata," Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," and more! Listen closely and follow along as we break down the form of these timeless masterpieces.

🎵 Download the Free "Sonata Roadmap" Worksheet!

I've created a fun printable worksheet to help you map out sonata form while you listen. Grab your free download by clicking here.

🎼 Listen Along with Our Sonata Playlist!

Want to explore more beautiful sonatas? I've put together a special Sonata Playlist so you can hear this form in action. Click here to listen to the playlist.

💡 Challenge: As you listen to a sonata, try to identify when the exposition ends, when the development begins, and when the recapitulation brings everything back together. It's like following a musical treasure map! 🗺️🎶

Thanks for tuning in to Busy Kids Love Music! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next episode. Until next time, keep listening and keep learning!

Happy (almost) St. Patrick's Day! 🍀 In this episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're traveling back in time to explore the life and music of one of Ireland's most beloved composers—Turlough O'Carolan. Known for blending traditional Irish melodies with European Baroque influences, O'Carolan created music that is still performed and loved today.

🎵 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

✅ Who was Turlough O'Carolan, and how did he become a traveling harpist?
✅ What are planxties, and why did O'Carolan compose them?
✅ How did he blend Irish folk music with Baroque elements from composers like Bach and Vivaldi?
✅ Listen to some of his most famous works, including:

• Carolan's Concerto 
• Planxty Irwin 
• Sí Beag, Sí Mhór 

🎧 Listen & Learn More:

Curated Playlist – Enjoy a hand-picked selection of O'Carolan's most famous compositions, perfect for St. Patrick's Day celebrations! Find it here!

Thank you for tuning in to celebrate Irish music with me!  Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, and don't forget to enjoy some traditional Irish tunes. See you in two weeks for another brand-new episode!

Until then—keep listening and learning!

In this special Black History Month episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we explore the life and legacy of the extraordinary musician and composer, Blind Tom Wiggins. Born into slavery in 1849, Blind Tom overcame immense challenges, including blindness and exploitation, to become one of the most celebrated musical prodigies of the 19th century.

Join me as we delve into his remarkable story, his unique musical talent, and his enduring contributions to American music. Learn about his compositions, including his dramatic retelling of a Civil War battle in "The Battle of Manassas," and discover how his life continues to spark conversations about genius, resilience, and the history of Black music.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The early life and extraordinary talent of Blind Tom Wiggins.
• How his musical abilities were both celebrated and exploited during his lifetime.
• The role of African American spirituals and folk music in shaping his compositions.
• Speculation on whether Blind Tom may have been neurodivergent.
• How his legacy is remembered and honored today.

Links and Resources:

• 🎶 Curated Playlist of Blind Tom Wiggins' Compositions – Listen to his stunning works and experience his genius firsthand.
• Learn more about Blind Tom Wiggins' life through this resource from the National Museum of African American History and Culture and this documentary from American Masters PBS episode

Thank You for Listening!
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Busy Kids Love Music. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next episode in two weeks! You can find us wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hi friends, and welcome back to Busy Kids Love Music! This week, we conclude our three-part series on the brilliant composer George Gershwin with a look at his opera masterpiece, Porgy and Bess.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Background on Porgy and Bess: Learn how Gershwin, his brother Ira, and DuBose Heyward collaborated to create this groundbreaking "folk opera" that premiered in 1935.
• The Story: Explore the opera's plot, centered on the struggles and resilience of a close-knit African American community in Catfish Row, Charleston.
• Unforgettable Music: Enjoy excerpts from iconic pieces like:
  • "Summertime"
  • "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'"
  • "Bess, You Is My Woman Now"
• Cultural Impact: Discover how Gershwin's decision to cast African American performers in the leading roles broke barriers while also sparking debate.
• Modern Reflections: Understand how productions today balance honoring Gershwin's work with addressing cultural sensitivities.

Additional Resources:

🎶 YouTube Playlist: Enjoy performances of Porgy and Bess classics, including standalone pieces and opera excerpts. Find it here.

🎧 Missed the First Two Episodes of our Gershwin series? Catch up below:

• Episode 141: Gershwin's Life and Musical Journey
• Episode 142: Rhapsody in Blue

Thank You for Listening!

Join me again in two weeks for another exciting dive into the world of music. Until then, keep exploring, discovering, and enjoying the sounds that inspire you.

Welcome to Busy Kids Love Music!
In today's episode, we continue our series on the remarkable George Gershwin, focusing on one of his most famous works, Rhapsody in Blue. Discover the story behind this iconic piece, learn what makes it unique, and hear why it's considered a groundbreaking moment in American music history.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The Inspiration: Learn how a train ride and a tight deadline led to the creation of Rhapsody in Blue.
• The Title: Explore the meaning behind the title and how the piece captures the spirit of America.
• The Music: Dive into Gershwin's innovative blend of jazz and classical styles, featuring instruments like the clarinet, saxophone, and piano.
• The Premiere: Hear how the piece's 1924 debut wowed audiences and redefined jazz as a serious art form.
• Why It's Famous: Discover why Rhapsody in Blue is still celebrated as one of the greatest American compositions.

🎧 Featured Musical Moments:

• The iconic clarinet glissando opening.
• Excerpts showcasing jazz rhythms and sweeping melodies.

Links & Resources:

🎹 Listen to Rhapsody in Blue in its entirety here.

🎹 Listen to Episode 141: The Life of George Gershwin here

🎶 Explore more podcast episodes and composer activities at Busy Kids Love Music.

Coming Up Next:

In the final episode of our George Gershwin series, we'll explore his operatic masterpiece, Porgy and Bess, including the iconic song "Summertime."

Stay Connected:
If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss the next one! Share the love of music by telling a friend about the podcast.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app!

Welcome back to Busy Kids Love Music! In today's episode, we kick off a brand-new series all about one of America's most beloved composers, George Gershwin. From his humble beginnings in Brooklyn to his rise as a composer who seamlessly blended jazz and classical styles, Gershwin's life and music continue to captivate audiences of all ages.

🎹 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Gershwin's early life and how he discovered his passion for music.
• How his unique style merged jazz and classical traditions.
• His collaborations with his brother, Ira Gershwin, and their unforgettable hits like I Got Rhythm and Embraceable You.
• Iconic works like Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and the opera Porgy and Bess.

🎵 Musical Highlights in the Episode:

• Gershwin himself performing his first hit, Swanee.
• Excerpts from I Got Rhythm, Concerto in F, and An American in Paris.
• A glimpse into his music with brother Ira, such as "Embraceable You"

✨ Fun Facts About Gershwin:

• Did you know Gershwin was also an avid painter and tennis player?
• Hear the story of how Maurice Ravel turned down Gershwin's request for lessons with an inspiring compliment.

📚 Resources & Links:

• Playlist of George Gershwin's Works – Enjoy the music featured in today's episode and more!

📅 Coming Up Next:
Join me in two weeks for a deep dive into one of Gershwin's most iconic compositions: Rhapsody in Blue. We'll explore how this piece captured the spirit of 1920s America and why it remains a classic today.

Thank you for tuning in to Busy Kids Love Music! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss the rest of our George Gershwin series. For more resources, activities, and listening guides, visit us at busykidsdopiano.com.

🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app!

 

 

Welcome to this special New Year's Eve episode of Busy Kids Love Music! Today, we're diving into the world of New Year's Day Parade Music. From Pasadena's iconic Rose Parade to the lively streets of London, you'll discover how music brings these celebrations to life.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Rose Parade Highlights
  • The role of marching bands in this historic Pasadena tradition.
  • Traditional parade tunes like "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Strike Up the Band".
• London New Year's Day Parade
  • The international mix of British and American bands.
  • Patriotic anthems like "Rule, Britannia!" and "Land of Hope and Glory".
• Fun Musical Facts
  • How marching bands stay in step using a "roll step" or "glide step."
  • The importance of parade favorites like "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "Pomp and Circumstance".
  • Why flip folders are a must-have for musicians on the move.

Featured Performances

Throughout the episode, you'll hear music clips from:

• Pasadena City College Honor Band performing "Everything's Coming Up Roses".
• Bands playing "Strike Up the Band", "Rule, Britannia!", and "Stars and Stripes Forever".
• Special shoutout to Georgia's own Jonesboro Marching Band, performing at the London parade!

Links & Resources

• Watch Parade performances in this curated playlist
• Learn more about Busy Kids Do Piano membership:

• • Kids Program: busykidsdopiano.com/membership
  • Adults Program: busymomsdopiano.com/membership

Subscribe & Review 

We'll be kicking off a new year of musical exploration, so don't forget to subscribe! If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us reach more music-loving families!

In this festive episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we'll explore the stories behind three classic Christmas carols: "Angels We Have Heard on High," "The First Noel," and "Silent Night." Each carol has a rich history and has been cherished across generations for its beauty and meaning.

What We Cover in This Episode:

Angels We Have Heard on High

• Originated as the French carol "Les Anges dans nos campagnes."
• Features the famous "Gloria" refrain with its joyful melisma.
• Believed to have roots in 18th-century French shepherd songs.

The First Noel

• Traditional English carol from Cornwall, telling the story of the first Christmas night.
• Likely originated from Miracle Plays in medieval England.
• Its repetitive, meditative melody makes it a favorite in both casual and formal settings.

Silent Night

• Written in Austria in 1818 by Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber.
• Composed for guitar accompaniment when the church organ was damaged.
• Known for its peaceful message and was famously sung during the WWI Christmas Truce in 1914.

Episode Extras:

Curated Playlist

• Check out a variety of performances of today's featured carols on YouTube. Visit the playlist here.

Related Episode

• If you enjoyed this episode, don't miss Episode 35, where we explored the stories behind "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "Joy to the World," and "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

Music Credits:

• Angels We Have Heard on High - Christmas piano instrumental with lyrics
• The First Noel (Orchestral Version)
• The First Noel (Acoustic Folk Version)
• Silent Night - Christmas piano instrumental with lyrics
• Silent Night
• Angels, We Have Heard On High (Symphony Orchestra Version)

Thanks for tuning in!
Enjoy a holiday season filled with joy, music, and perhaps a little caroling! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

🎧 Listen to all episodes at Busy Kids Love Music.

Subscribe & Review 

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us reach more music-loving families!