Fun. Giggles. Animated Bumblebees. Flying Pianos. Bach Fugues with notes you can hear and SEE. Classical Music, Jazz & Ragtime. Stimulate your children's intellects as you entertain them with great music and a rollicking good time!
The Amherst Saxophone Quartet is proud to announce the release of ASQKids, a 44 minute home/school video that introduces children to the lifelong joys of great music. This is the first video of its kind and is intended for three to thirteen year olds.
Research shows that listening to and learning about music actually develops intellectual skills in children. This video teaches children how to listen, touching on many of the elements of how music "works". The Amherst Saxophone Quartet is assisted by 3D animations such as magic glasses, saxophone playing bumblebees, and animated music notes. The ASQ plays Baroque, Classical, Jazz, and Ragtime music, and explains what they are doing in ways that will delight and entertain children (and adults) for many hours and repeated viewings. This is a video filled with joy, laughter, silliness, great music and serious fun.
Using animation and live performance, the ASQ helps children learn about the
- concept and importance of practice
- rewards of focused listening
- elements of a fugue
- American history of Ragtime
- Science of Sound
- improvisations of Jazz
- American heritage of Ragtime
The Amherst Saxophone Quartet is celebrating its 23rd Anniversary this year, and is one of the most respected saxophone quartets in the world. Concert highlights include appearances in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Chautauqua Institution, and broadcasts on NBC-TV's The Tonight Show, CBS Sunday Morning, National Public Radio, St. Paul Sunday, and Voice of America. While enjoying a major concert career, they have performed concerts for more than 400,000 children across the country.
This video was filmed in the Olmsted School, part of the Buffalo Public Schools system.
The ASQKids video is available in DVD format. Click here to order DVDs for $15.00 each (includes shipping and handling).
Suggestions for use in the music classroom
by Valerie C. Cooley, Ed.D.
Preview the tape several times so that you are thoroughly familiar with the content; Decide how much of the tape to use, where to stop it for discussion, what terms or experiences you would like to introduce to the students before they view the video. (If you are preparing for a live visit by the ASQ, these questions will also be pertinent.)
- For primary age children: have the students learn "Oh Suzanna"; learn to sing a simple round.
- For older students: learn to sing a round or canon (what is the difference?), learn about one or more of the composers featured on the video; present other pieces of music by the same composer.
- Post the vocabulary that you would like to emphasize [Chamber Music, Saxophone (Soprano, Alto, Baritone, Tenor), Quartet, Melody, Round, Fugue, Syncopation, Tone Poem, Acoustics, Ragtime, Improvisation. Accompaniment ]
- Have at least one picture of a saxophone available or arrange to have a saxophone available for the students to see.
- Invite a Saxophone player to visit the class or school.
Preview the tape several times so that you are thoroughly familiar with the content; Decide how much of the tape to use, where to stop it for discussion, what terms or experiences you would like to introduce to the students before they view the video. (If you are preparing for a live visit by the ASQ, these questions will also be pertinent.)
- For primary age children: have the students learn "Oh Suzanna"; learn to sing a simple round.
- For older students: learn to sing a round or canon (what is the difference?), learn about one or more of the composers featured on the video; present other pieces of music by the same composer.
- Post the vocabulary that you would like to emphasize [Chamber Music, Saxophone (Soprano, Alto, Baritone, Tenor), Quartet, Melody, Round, Fugue, Syncopation, Tone Poem, Acoustics, Ragtime, Improvisation. Accompaniment ]
- Have at least one picture of a saxophone available or arrange to have a saxophone available for the students to see.
- Invite a Saxophone player to visit the class or school.
Music
Fantasy and Fugue on Oh Suzanna
Fugue in c minor, J.S. Bach Flight of the Bumblebee, Rimsky-Korsakoff
The Entertainer, Scott Joplin
Elite Syncopation, Scott Joplin
Birds Carnival, Zez Confrey
Rig-A-Ma-Role Rag, Edwin F. Kendall
All Right Blues, Russ Carere
Introduction of the saxophone (5 min): Questions for discussion
- Are all of the instruments the same size? [NO]
- Does the size have anything to do with the sound (or range) of the instrument? [YES; the smaller the instrument the higher the tone have students look at the piano strings for a comparison of the relationship between size, length and thickness of strings, and the sound it makes]
- Why didn't their first attempt sound good?
- Why do players need to practice?
- Individually
- In a group
- How are musicians like athletes?
- Can you hear the melody?
- Have class learn the song "Oh Suzanna"
- Is the melody always the same? [NO]
- Put melody on the board. How does the melody change? [KEY, TONALITY, TEMPO, etc.]
- How did the audience get fooled into thinking that the piece was over? [STEVE CIRCLED HIS INTRUMENT AND TOOK IT OUT OF HIS MOUTH; THE PIECE SEEMED TO STOP]
- How do you know that the piece is actually finished? [SIGNAL FROM THE PERFORMERS, FINAL CADENCE OF THE PIECE].
- Does the soprano saxophone always play the melody? [NO, all of the instruments play it]
- How many times does each instrument play the melody? [3 TIMES]
- Mouthpiece with reed
- Neck connects to the body (Bell can be seen during the close-up shots)
- How do the players change notes on the saxophone? [BY PRESSING THE KEYS]
- How is a recorder, a flute and/or a trumpet similar to a saxophone?
- How do they differ from a saxophone?
- Listen for the places where there is a swarm of bees and where there is just one bee.
- Is this music fast or slow [FAST]
- Why? [TO SUGGEST A BUMBLEBEE]
- What is Ragtime?
- How are the three rags similar, different?
- How does it make you feel?
- How does this piece make you feel?
- What makes the audience laugh--the music, the performance or both?
- What is Steve's message about practicing?
- How do you become good at something you want to do?
- What do you want to do when you grow up?
- How do the performers know when to improvise?
- What does this music make you want to do?
Preparing for a concert (3 min): Questions for discussion
Fantasy and Fugue on Oh Suzanna (5 min): Questions for discussion
Fugue in c minor (7 min): Questions for discussion
Parts of the Saxophone (2 min):
Questions for discussion:
Flight of the Bumblebee (2 min): Questions for discussion
The Entertainer, Elite Syncopations (4 min): Questions for discussion
Birds Carnival (2 Min): Questions for discussion
Rig-A-Ma-Role Rag (3 Min): See questions above
Importance of Practice (1 min): Questions for discussion
All Right Blues (5 min): Questions for discussion
Be sure to watch the end of the tape for a surprise ending!
