Pancakes

This week cellist Wayne Krigger and I led a music workshop for a group of pre-k through 3rd graders. It started with a bang when I asked the kids to name a few composers and they came up with Beethoven and Michael Jackson. Not bad. Wayne played a few of my compositions, then we worked with the kids to compose a short piece. Basically we started with a major pentatonic scale (think the black notes on a piano) and had the kids raise their hands to choose the notes as well as some dynamics, tempo, etc.. The result was a lively little composition one of the kids named, fittingly, “Pancakes.” I wish I’d thought to video it, but I guess you’ll have to use your imagination. Or, better yet, find a piano or keyboard yourself and see what kind of fun you can have with the black keys. As for me, I’m off to listen to Beat It.