Bringing Children to Music Through Stories
The sound of a bird crying
This article is adapted from a piece originally commissioned by Orchestras Canada for “Forum” magazine.
There is a moment towards the end of “How the Gimquat Found Her Song” when nothing happens. The orchestra isn’t playing, the actors aren’t moving and no one is speaking. Gimquat, the odd-looking, forlorn bird of the title, is crying. In a few moments the orchestra will begin “Le Jardin Férique” from Ravel’s “Mother Goose” and the action and the music will build towards the dramatic conclusion of the program but at this point… nothing is happening. It has always amazed me how quiet the audience is, even a hall full of school-children. They’ve been sitting for nearly an hour listening to symphonic music and yet one could hear a pin drop.
This moment underscores one of the two very simple principles that guide Platypus Theatre’s programs: tell the audience a good story. Anyone who has spent time with small children knows how hours can be wiled away reading books or even telling stories made up on the spot. The stories don’t need a lot of plot or action; the books don’t need to have flaps or textured panels; children can listen endlessly to the simplest of stories and even to the same story told over and over again.
The second guiding principle of Platypus programs is to keep the orchestra and the music they play at the center of the action at all times. Symphony concerts are after all just that — concerts. The orchestra mustn’t be used as a backup band while the actors clown about. The concert is about the music and the focus needs to be on the orchestra.
Using these two ideas as a starting point, the difficulty lies in bringing the two together without compromising one or the other. The story can’t stop for the music and the music can’t become secondary to the story. The story needs to be about the music so that the music is an integral part of the dramatic flow. For instance, in “How the Gimquat found Her Song”, the crux of the story, not surprisingly, is Gimquat’s need to find her song. Each excerpt played is not only an opportunity for the audience to experience a glorious piece of music but also the potential solution to Gimquat’s dilemma. The result of this linking of the music to the story is that the children’s interest never waivers since they have an emotional investment in what is being played.
In “Bach to the Future”, the core of the story is the main character’s need to find the right music to take her home. Again, the children are engaged in the repertoire since each excerpt has the potential to bring the story to a happy conclusion. The same is true in “Rhythm in Your Rubbish” where the down-on-their-luck characters simply need to make it through the night. They are cold, hungry and demoralized and the discovery of each piece of music allows them to escape, at least momentarily, their sordid world and thus helps move the story towards its dramatic conclusion. In each of these programs music is what moves the action forward.
Of course, the music is more than that too. The music and the story are woven together to create a complete experience for the audience, the music used in a variety of ways; creating mood, exploring the musical themes of the concert and involving the audience in pieces where they sing, chant, play instruments or participate in musical games.
Using a story to bring focus to the music also allows for the playing of a wide range of repertoire. In the same way that children will listen with rapt attention to the quietest story, one doesn’t need splashy, boisterous music to keep their attention. As long as children are engaged in what is happening to the characters they will listen attentively to the quietest music or even to the simple sound of a bird crying.
