1 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,300 Jane: This is But Why: a Podcast for Curious Kids. I'm 2 00:00:24,300 --> 00:00:27,945 Jane Lindholm, and today we're making the show a little bit 3 00:00:27,945 --> 00:00:32,205 differently from how we normally do it. We are joined by a live 4 00:00:32,205 --> 00:00:35,025 audience right here at our Vermont Public studios. Say 5 00:00:35,025 --> 00:00:41,205 hello everybody! We are so pleased to welcome you here for 6 00:00:41,205 --> 00:00:45,225 our first ever Curious Kids Day at Vermont Public and the theme 7 00:00:45,225 --> 00:00:50,670 today is exploring music. So for this episode, we're joined by 8 00:00:50,670 --> 00:00:54,570 musicians from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. I have a few 9 00:00:54,570 --> 00:00:57,030 questions for them, and then we'll turn the microphone over 10 00:00:57,030 --> 00:01:01,410 to you guys. Okay. Is that okay? Okay, great. So joining me here 11 00:01:01,410 --> 00:01:04,650 on stage first today is Melissa Meilens, who knows what 12 00:01:04,650 --> 00:01:07,290 instrument she has brought with her?You can shout it out if you 13 00:01:07,290 --> 00:01:07,710 know it. 14 00:01:09,330 --> 00:01:10,470 Did they get it right, Melissa? 15 00:01:10,470 --> 00:01:11,775 Melissa: They did. I'm impressed. 16 00:01:11,835 --> 00:01:14,655 Jane: You play the flute. Can you take us through some of the 17 00:01:14,655 --> 00:01:16,695 sounds that a flute can make? 18 00:01:16,695 --> 00:01:17,415 Melissa: Sure thing. 19 00:01:25,695 --> 00:01:29,055 Jane: What happens if you just blow through that hole at the 20 00:01:29,055 --> 00:01:32,115 top of your flute like I'm blowing air out of my mouth like 21 00:01:32,115 --> 00:01:32,295 this. 22 00:01:32,295 --> 00:01:37,500 That doesn't sound as good. 23 00:01:37,500 --> 00:01:40,320 Melissa: No, but there's a fun thing to think of if you want to 24 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:44,880 get a nice sound on the flute. How many of you have slurped in 25 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:49,380 a spaghetti noodle? Yes, it makes a nice, big mess. Anyways, 26 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:52,680 if you think about taking the spaghetti noodle back out of 27 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,233 your mouth the same way it came in, that's kind of what I do, to 28 00:01:55,233 --> 00:01:55,769 make a sound on the flute. I do it across the flute and thank 29 00:01:55,769 --> 00:01:58,125 goodness there's no noodle that's coming out. 30 00:01:58,485 --> 00:02:02,505 Jane: Well, that would be gross. I'm picturing a lot of spaghetti 31 00:02:02,505 --> 00:02:04,005 sauce inside your flute. 32 00:02:04,005 --> 00:02:04,725 Melissa: Oh, bad scene. 33 00:02:04,725 --> 00:02:07,305 Jane: So what does it sound like if you make a bad note on the 34 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:13,660 Melissa: That's just not really having an embouchure. An 35 00:02:07,305 --> 00:02:07,665 flute? 36 00:02:13,660 --> 00:02:16,300 embouchure means the way you hold your mouth. So like I was 37 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:20,620 saying before, it's the whole sucking the noodle or spitting 38 00:02:20,620 --> 00:02:26,740 out the noodle position. Another thing you could think about is 39 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:29,937 if you say the about is if you say the word pool, pool, think 40 00:02:29,937 --> 00:02:30,003 about how the corner of your mouth goes pool. That's what I 41 00:02:30,003 --> 00:02:33,025 do with the corner of my mouth that helps me shape my mouth to 42 00:02:33,025 --> 00:02:34,285 get a better sound on the flute. 43 00:02:34,285 --> 00:02:37,165 Jane: What was that word you said again for how the shape of 44 00:02:37,165 --> 00:02:38,125 your mouth is 45 00:02:38,245 --> 00:02:39,085 Melissa: Embouchure. 46 00:02:39,085 --> 00:02:40,225 Jane: How do you spell that? 47 00:02:41,185 --> 00:02:46,285 Melissa: E-M-B-O-U-C-H-U-R-E. It's actually a French word. 48 00:02:46,285 --> 00:02:48,000 There's a lot of French history with the flute. 49 00:02:48,820 --> 00:02:51,160 Jane: And how does it work? We know you blow air through it. 50 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,860 That's what you just told us about. But what is actually 51 00:02:53,860 --> 00:02:54,460 happening? 52 00:02:55,420 --> 00:02:58,240 Melissa: I'm actually blowing across and part of the air is 53 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,800 going into the flute, the side of the flute, which then is 54 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,580 rocketed down, and vibrations start to go through the body of 55 00:03:05,580 --> 00:03:09,060 the flute, and then a sound is produced. And if I move my 56 00:03:09,060 --> 00:03:12,900 fingers on these keys right here, that will change the pitch 57 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:13,620 as I blow. 58 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:21,800 Jane: It's beautiful. Let's see if we have any questions from 59 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,140 the audience. Melody and Sarah are here, so you can raise your 60 00:03:24,140 --> 00:03:26,540 hand if you have a question for Melissa, and they will come 61 00:03:26,540 --> 00:03:28,700 around and have you ask them. 62 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:34,820 Isabella: My name is Isabella, and I live in Vermont in 63 00:03:34,820 --> 00:03:40,120 Royalton, and I'm seven years old, and I wonder who taught you 64 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:42,940 to play the flute. 65 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,440 Melissa: I had several teachers and flute was actually not my 66 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,860 first instrument. I started violin when I was four, then I 67 00:03:49,860 --> 00:03:52,800 played piano, then I played clarinet, and then I had to 68 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:57,060 figure out what instrument, because I just loved music and I 69 00:03:57,060 --> 00:04:05,164 loved instruments, and by time I was in sixth grade, I decided 70 00:04:05,164 --> 00:04:05,470 that flute was really what I wanted to specialize in. 71 00:04:05,470 --> 00:04:07,305 Blake: My name is Blake, and I'm five. And why do you like to 72 00:04:07,305 --> 00:04:08,505 play music? 73 00:04:10,605 --> 00:04:14,265 Kid: Why do you like to play flute? 74 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:16,640 Melissa: I like playing the flute because of all those 75 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,280 instruments I mentioned before. For me, somehow it was the 76 00:04:19,280 --> 00:04:22,160 easiest one. And there's something when I opened up the 77 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,160 case, I really liked that I could put it together in this 78 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,640 long, horizontal stick. And I just thought that was cool. And 79 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:31,220 I like the sound of it too. But I don't know. There's just 80 00:04:31,220 --> 00:04:36,980 something about being able to hold it up like this that was 81 00:04:36,980 --> 00:04:36,988 different from other instruments. 82 00:04:36,988 --> 00:04:37,017 Jane: I don't know if you can take it apart right now, or if 83 00:04:37,017 --> 00:04:39,125 that then you would need to tune it again, but your flute doesn't 84 00:04:39,125 --> 00:04:42,425 it's not always this long, and in case it comes apart into 85 00:04:42,425 --> 00:04:43,145 different pieces. 86 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,520 Melissa: Right. I could take it apart. There's three separate 87 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:49,720 pieces. There's the head joint, which I can make a sound on by 88 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:54,520 its own. If I stick my finger in the end, I can change pitches 89 00:04:54,520 --> 00:05:00,640 too. And so this. Then it's called the body of the 90 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,340 instrument, where you see most of the keys. And then there's 91 00:05:03,340 --> 00:05:06,220 the foot joint, which makes it a little bit longer as well. 92 00:05:06,220 --> 00:05:11,185 Oliver: My name is Oliver. I'm five years old. And what kind of 93 00:05:11,185 --> 00:05:12,505 musics can you play? 94 00:05:12,505 --> 00:05:15,205 Jane: What kind of music can you play, Melissa? 95 00:05:15,865 --> 00:05:20,785 Melissa: I can play music from all different kinds of history. 96 00:05:20,785 --> 00:05:24,925 I can play it from 200, 300 years ago. I can play music that 97 00:05:24,925 --> 00:05:28,105 was written now. I can do some what's called extended 98 00:05:28,105 --> 00:05:31,870 techniques. So that means, like I can, it's called flutter 99 00:05:31,870 --> 00:05:34,210 tonguing. But what it really is is I'm growling into my 100 00:05:34,210 --> 00:05:41,650 instrument. So I get a different sound, like this. Then there's 101 00:05:41,650 --> 00:05:46,030 something that means you also like articulate or use your 102 00:05:46,030 --> 00:05:50,770 tongue a little bit and get that kind of thing. 103 00:05:50,770 --> 00:05:53,575 Jane: Do you ever listen to music on the radio and think I 104 00:05:53,575 --> 00:05:57,115 could play that and play like Taylor Swift for yourself? 105 00:05:58,375 --> 00:05:58,675 Melissa: No. 106 00:06:02,395 --> 00:06:09,055 Kid: I'm six, and I live in ferrisburg. How many, how much 107 00:06:09,055 --> 00:06:11,035 music do you play? 108 00:06:11,035 --> 00:06:15,715 Melissa: When I practice, I'll practice two hours a day, and 109 00:06:15,715 --> 00:06:20,380 then if I have orchestra work, that could be two and a half to 110 00:06:20,380 --> 00:06:23,440 five hours a day, or if there's a concert. So each day is a 111 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,560 little bit different. I also teach flute, and I'm playing my 112 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,860 flute while I teach, and some days are crazy, and I'll be 113 00:06:29,860 --> 00:06:33,340 teaching all day long, so it's hours and hours of playing, and 114 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,000 that's okay, because it's what I love to do. 115 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,320 Jane: When you are playing for three or four or five hours, 116 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:41,560 you're practicing, and then you're teaching, and then you're 117 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,440 doing something else. Are your lips really tired at the end of 118 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:45,700 the day, or your fingers? 119 00:06:46,420 --> 00:06:49,840 Melissa: They're not unless, if I haven't been...it's like a 120 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:53,380 sport like you don't just suddenly go and run 25 miles. 121 00:06:53,380 --> 00:06:57,880 You work yourself up to that. So as long as I'm running several 122 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:00,340 miles a day or practicing my flute several hours a day, then 123 00:07:00,340 --> 00:07:04,240 it's okay, but if I take some time off, say I go on vacation, 124 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,180 this doesn't really happen, but if I went on vacation for two 125 00:07:07,180 --> 00:07:09,820 weeks and I didn't touch the flute when I came back, I would 126 00:07:09,820 --> 00:07:13,525 not sound so good, and I would get tired sooner, and it would 127 00:07:13,525 --> 00:07:15,000 take some time to get back to where I want to be. 128 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:21,540 Antonio: My name's Antonio. I'm four years old, and I live in 129 00:07:21,540 --> 00:07:25,500 Jericho, Vermont, and how do you play the flute? 130 00:07:26,300 --> 00:07:28,640 Jane: So how do you you've told us a little bit about how you 131 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,100 play. So you're blowing through your mouth, and you told us 132 00:07:31,100 --> 00:07:33,500 about your mouth position. How about your fingers? What are you 133 00:07:33,500 --> 00:07:34,700 doing with your fingers? 134 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,660 Melissa: For each different tone, I have a different finger 135 00:07:37,660 --> 00:07:42,100 position. And what's interesting is the lower I go with the 136 00:07:42,100 --> 00:07:46,180 pitches, I keep adding fingers, so I'll start a little bit 137 00:07:46,180 --> 00:07:54,700 higher, and then I add a finger and go lower, and I have to stop 138 00:07:54,700 --> 00:07:56,860 and take a breath because I'm blowing the whole time. So if I 139 00:07:56,860 --> 00:07:57,625 didn't take a breath, I'd be passed out on the floor, and 140 00:07:57,685 --> 00:07:59,365 that's not a good scene. 141 00:08:00,145 --> 00:08:04,465 Adelaide: My name is Adelaide. I'm nine. I live in Hartland, 142 00:08:04,525 --> 00:08:08,845 and is the flute one of the hardest instruments because it 143 00:08:08,845 --> 00:08:09,985 takes the most air. 144 00:08:10,260 --> 00:08:12,840 Melissa: I think that a lot of people might argue that their 145 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,660 instrument is harder, or something like that. I actually 146 00:08:15,660 --> 00:08:18,840 don't know if flute is the hardest instrument, at least for 147 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:21,560 me. Maybe that's why I chose it, because it was kind of easy for 148 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,740 me. But if I was choosing something like oboe, I think 149 00:08:24,740 --> 00:08:28,820 that would be a lot harder, because oboe has a reed that 150 00:08:28,820 --> 00:08:32,300 they have to play through, and the reeds have to be just right, 151 00:08:32,300 --> 00:08:34,640 and they spend a lot of time just working on the reeds. I'm 152 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,240 lucky, because I just put my metal flute together and I blow 153 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:39,140 and I'm good to go. 154 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:49,120 Lulu: My name is Lulu. I'm seven years old. I live in Vermont. My 155 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,880 question is, how many songs do you know? 156 00:08:52,900 --> 00:08:58,120 Melissa: Honestly, maybe even 1000 so many, so many. Um, 157 00:08:58,780 --> 00:09:03,540 because I've been playing a long time, over 25 years, I've played 158 00:09:03,540 --> 00:09:07,380 a lot of music, and I can also have a lot of experience. So I 159 00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:10,200 can just look at something and play something new. And 160 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,900 depending on how hard it is, like how many notes you see 161 00:09:12,900 --> 00:09:16,980 here, right? Sometimes I can play it perfectly the first 162 00:09:16,980 --> 00:09:19,200 time. Sometimes I need to practice it on those two three 163 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:20,220 hours of practicing. 164 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:27,980 Harper: My name is Harper. I'm six years old. And how many 165 00:09:27,980 --> 00:09:30,020 instruments have you played? 166 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,180 Melissa: Violin, piano, a little bit of trumpet, which was 167 00:09:35,180 --> 00:09:38,240 terrible. My mother told me I sounded like a love sick moose 168 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:43,280 when I played it, whatever that is. Clarinet, Piccolo, saxophone 169 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:45,665 and flute. So I guess that ends up being seven 170 00:09:45,725 --> 00:09:50,405 Kid: When you said that you played the piccolo. What is a 171 00:09:50,525 --> 00:09:50,885 piccolo? 172 00:09:51,185 --> 00:09:55,925 Melissa: Ah, a piccolo is a relative of the flute. It is a 173 00:09:55,985 --> 00:09:59,105 smaller version of the flute is maybe the size of the head 174 00:09:59,105 --> 00:10:01,565 joint. And you're, so it's very small. And so this is an 175 00:10:01,565 --> 00:10:05,045 interesting thing to remember, the smaller the instrument, the 176 00:10:05,045 --> 00:10:08,030 smaller the distance the air has to travel, the higher the pitch. 177 00:10:08,210 --> 00:10:11,930 So a piccolo sounds one octave higher than the flute. So if I'm 178 00:10:11,930 --> 00:10:17,570 playing on the flute, if I'm playing this, it actually that's 179 00:10:17,570 --> 00:10:22,070 one of the medium notes on the piccolo. So it's a lot higher, 180 00:10:22,070 --> 00:10:25,130 and I think that everyone be shaken out of their boots if I 181 00:10:25,130 --> 00:10:26,450 play piccolo here right now. 182 00:10:27,380 --> 00:10:29,840 Kid: Isn't the flute in the brass family? 183 00:10:31,100 --> 00:10:35,180 Melissa: it's in the woodwind family. So originally, woodwinds 184 00:10:35,180 --> 00:10:39,140 come from wood instruments. I'm not so familiar about the brass 185 00:10:39,140 --> 00:10:42,340 family history, but they're all made out of brass. But you know 186 00:10:42,340 --> 00:10:45,160 what? We're a little bit similar in that we all blow through an 187 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,080 instrument to create sounds. 188 00:10:47,300 --> 00:10:49,820 Jane: Well, since we're all now friends here, will you play a 189 00:10:49,820 --> 00:10:53,300 song for us before we end to show us what the flute can 190 00:10:53,300 --> 00:10:54,020 actually do? 191 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,240 Melissa: I would love to thanks. I want to tell you a little bit 192 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:01,080 about my song or piece that I'm going to play. It's called Dance 193 00:11:01,140 --> 00:11:05,460 of the Goat. It's by Arthur Honegger, a French composer, and 194 00:11:05,940 --> 00:11:08,460 it's a short piece, but there's like a little story behind it 195 00:11:08,460 --> 00:11:14,040 that I think works. So at first the goat is sleeping, then he 196 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:16,500 wakes up a little bit, and he's a really playful goat, and he 197 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:19,605 likes to dance, so you'll hear like a little bit of a dance 198 00:11:19,605 --> 00:11:23,325 moment, but he's still waking up. Has a little bit of 199 00:11:23,325 --> 00:11:27,525 breakfast, nourishing breakfast. The breakfast starts to kick in, 200 00:11:27,705 --> 00:11:31,065 and then his light, happy nature comes out, and he starts to 201 00:11:31,065 --> 00:11:34,725 dance. Breakfast kicks in some more. He dances some more, a 202 00:11:34,725 --> 00:11:37,485 little bit faster, a little bit harder, and he's having really 203 00:11:37,485 --> 00:11:40,785 good time. And then he looks over on the horizon, Ah, love 204 00:11:40,785 --> 00:11:44,730 interest, friend, I don't know, so you'll notice that the music 205 00:11:44,730 --> 00:11:47,790 changes and becomes just a little bit more relaxed and 206 00:11:47,790 --> 00:11:51,030 mellow. And he meets his new friend, and the friend likes to 207 00:11:51,030 --> 00:11:54,870 dance too, and so they dance together crazily, wildly. They 208 00:11:54,870 --> 00:11:57,810 exhaust themselves. And then before you know it, the day is 209 00:11:57,810 --> 00:12:01,590 over. They say goodbye. There's one last little romantic melody 210 00:12:01,890 --> 00:13:12,045 and he goes back to bed and goes to sleep. I hope you Enjoy it. 211 00:12:42,860 --> 00:15:27,560 [music] 212 00:15:27,525 --> 00:15:34,350 Jane: That was beautiful. Thank you. That was Melissa Mielens, 213 00:15:34,350 --> 00:15:37,890 who plays flute with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Coming up. 214 00:15:38,070 --> 00:15:39,450 What's an oboe? 215 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:43,740 I'm Jane Lindholm, and this is But Why: a Podcast for Curious 216 00:15:43,740 --> 00:15:48,060 Kids. Let's get back to our live episode with musicians from the 217 00:15:48,060 --> 00:15:52,140 Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Joining us here today is Katie 218 00:15:52,140 --> 00:15:54,960 Oprea, who plays the oboe. Katie, what a pleasure to have 219 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:55,740 you with us. 220 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:57,780 Katie: Thank you. It's really a pleasure to be here. 221 00:15:57,780 --> 00:16:00,120 Jane: I already said it's the oboe, so I gave it away. But 222 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:01,680 what is an oboe? 223 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:06,220 Katie: Well, an oboe is a member of what we call the woodwind 224 00:16:06,220 --> 00:16:10,840 family. So the oboe is a wind instrument that you play by 225 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,980 blowing into it, and the instrument itself is made out of 226 00:16:14,980 --> 00:16:20,740 wood. Now, my oboe does not look like wood because it's black, 227 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,160 but the wood that's used for this instrument is special. It's 228 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:28,825 very, very dense, and it has this dark, dark color as part of 229 00:16:28,885 --> 00:16:32,965 the fact that it's so dense, it's so dense that if I dropped 230 00:16:32,965 --> 00:16:37,045 this in the water, it would sink. So I try not to do that. 231 00:16:37,405 --> 00:16:41,005 The other thing that's special about the oboe is that the sound 232 00:16:41,005 --> 00:16:47,065 is produced by a reed, which is not that special. I mean, 233 00:16:47,065 --> 00:16:50,590 clarinets and saxophones have a reed, but the oboe has what's 234 00:16:50,590 --> 00:16:54,730 called a double reed. So we say it's double the trouble. But 235 00:16:54,970 --> 00:16:58,930 what's cool about the double reed is that it's two pieces of 236 00:16:58,930 --> 00:17:02,650 cane that are tied together, and I can play the reed all by 237 00:17:02,650 --> 00:17:05,590 itself. So this is the beautiful sound of the oboe reed. 238 00:17:08,890 --> 00:17:11,350 Jane: Oh, that is just so gorgeous. Couldn't you listen to 239 00:17:11,350 --> 00:17:13,435 that all day? Yeah, Katie, that's beautiful. 240 00:17:13,435 --> 00:17:17,155 Katie: Well, you can actually play songs on it too. So if you 241 00:17:17,155 --> 00:17:19,855 just kind of move it like further into your mouth and 242 00:17:19,855 --> 00:17:23,215 further out of your mouth. That changes the pitch. So I can play 243 00:17:23,215 --> 00:17:25,135 like I can play a little song like this. 244 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:36,640 Jane: I mean, I'm still not sure that's beautiful. 245 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:38,200 Katie: No, okay, all right. 246 00:17:38,260 --> 00:17:41,020 Jane: So what does it sound like when you put the reed in the 247 00:17:41,020 --> 00:17:43,840 instrument. Can you play some of the sounds that an oboe can 248 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:44,260 make? 249 00:17:52,825 --> 00:17:55,105 Katie: That's a bit different from just the reed, 250 00:17:55,105 --> 00:17:57,685 Jane: that sounds much prettier. Take us through the range of 251 00:17:57,685 --> 00:18:00,085 sounds an oboe can make from high to low, or low to high. 252 00:18:00,265 --> 00:18:03,985 Katie: So the lowest sound noble can make is a B flat. Well, a 253 00:18:03,985 --> 00:18:11,005 low B flat for us, the highest sound kind of depends, because 254 00:18:11,050 --> 00:18:13,930 once you get it really high, it just sounds like a bunch of 255 00:18:13,930 --> 00:18:14,710 squeaks. 256 00:18:23,050 --> 00:18:27,670 So that kind of, that end of the instrument is a little bit more, 257 00:18:27,730 --> 00:18:30,490 you know, picky and choosy. Like, do you really want to 258 00:18:30,490 --> 00:18:34,255 sound like that? Sometimes you do, but most of the time you 259 00:18:34,255 --> 00:18:34,615 don't. 260 00:18:34,735 --> 00:18:37,855 Jane: How do you use your mouth to make that noise? Because if 261 00:18:37,855 --> 00:18:41,155 you just put your mouth on the oboe and hum or blow, what's 262 00:18:41,155 --> 00:18:42,115 that going to sound like? 263 00:18:42,300 --> 00:18:44,760 Katie: It doesn't sound like much. So if I just blow through 264 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:52,260 the reed, it doesn't sound like anything. What my mouth really 265 00:18:52,260 --> 00:18:55,860 does is just makes enough of there's enough pressure on the 266 00:18:55,860 --> 00:19:01,020 reed between my mouth and my air that it vibrates really, fast, 267 00:19:01,260 --> 00:19:04,380 and that's what makes the sound. I don't make the sound. It's not 268 00:19:04,380 --> 00:19:08,145 like an instrument where, you know, I make a funny like a 269 00:19:08,325 --> 00:19:10,605 buzzing with my lips, like you would do with a brass 270 00:19:10,605 --> 00:19:13,125 instrument. It all depends on the reed. 271 00:19:13,620 --> 00:19:16,200 Jane: And you're not making the different sounds with your mouth 272 00:19:16,380 --> 00:19:19,140 than once you're blowing through it. You're not going doo doo doo 273 00:19:19,140 --> 00:19:21,620 doo doo doo doo. You're doing that with your fingers. What are 274 00:19:21,620 --> 00:19:21,980 you doing? 275 00:19:21,780 --> 00:19:23,880 Katie: Well, the fingers, actually, all of the woodwind 276 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,880 instruments are kind of engineered the same way. So a 277 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,540 woodwind instrument is just a big, long tube with a bunch of 278 00:19:30,540 --> 00:19:34,500 holes in it. If anyone's ever played the recorder before, you 279 00:19:34,500 --> 00:19:40,320 kind of know how this works. So to make a lower sound, I'm going 280 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,800 to have more holes on the instrument closed so more of my 281 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:47,865 fingers are down. When I have just one finger down, that 282 00:19:47,865 --> 00:19:51,645 actually makes the tube the air is traveling through shorter. 283 00:19:52,425 --> 00:19:55,425 The more fingers I put down, the lower the note, the less 284 00:19:55,425 --> 00:19:56,865 fingers, the higher the note. 285 00:19:56,865 --> 00:20:04,785 Fern: My name's Fern. I'm seven years old. I live in Richmond, 286 00:20:04,905 --> 00:20:11,910 Vermont, and my question is, why can't you see music notes? 287 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:14,460 Jane: Why can't you see music notes? 288 00:20:15,780 --> 00:20:20,900 Katie: Wow, that's a really good question. In a way, I can see 289 00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:26,120 music notes because I can read them off the page. But music is, 290 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:32,420 it's just sound. I say just sound, but it's, it's taking 291 00:20:32,420 --> 00:20:36,440 sound and making something like a picture, painting, a picture 292 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:41,200 with sound. So like, if you look at a piece of art. If you look 293 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:46,120 at a painting, can you hear a painting? You can't. Can you can 294 00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:50,920 you read a painting? All you're doing is, is looking at it and 295 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:55,120 seeing it with music. When you're listening, that's that's 296 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,300 all you're really doing is hearing the sounds and listening 297 00:20:58,300 --> 00:21:02,880 to the sounds. But those sounds, your brain takes all that in and 298 00:21:02,940 --> 00:21:07,800 turns it into a story or a painting or an emotion or or 299 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,340 something more than just the sound. So I think that's what's 300 00:21:11,340 --> 00:21:14,940 magical about music. That's why we love to play music and listen 301 00:21:14,940 --> 00:21:15,420 to music. 302 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:20,280 Harvey: My name is Harvey, and I am six years old, and I live in 303 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,300 Bristol, Vermont, and my question is, can oboes be 304 00:21:24,300 --> 00:21:25,740 different sizes? 305 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:27,480 Jane: Can oboes be different sizes? 306 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,740 Katie: I love that question. Yes, they can. This is, this is 307 00:21:31,740 --> 00:21:34,260 a standard oboe, but the oboe... 308 00:21:34,260 --> 00:21:36,180 Jane: And if you you held that out, Katie, that's about the 309 00:21:36,180 --> 00:21:37,380 length of your arm, right? 310 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:42,100 Katie: Um, yeah, it is. It's about the length of my arm, but 311 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,760 you have a bunch of different sizes of oboe, and the bigger 312 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:50,440 the oboe, the lower the sound. And I there is one size smaller 313 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,800 than this that plays a higher sound. But you don't hear them 314 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:58,180 very much. You don't, it's not very common. There is one kind 315 00:21:58,180 --> 00:22:01,165 of relative of the oboe you hear a lot, and that's called the 316 00:22:01,165 --> 00:22:05,005 English horn, and that is longer, and it does look 317 00:22:05,005 --> 00:22:07,165 different, because the the bottom of the oboe on the 318 00:22:07,165 --> 00:22:10,585 English horn has a different shape, but it just plays 319 00:22:10,585 --> 00:22:13,885 everything lower. So it's kind of like a like a tenor oboe. 320 00:22:13,885 --> 00:22:16,885 This is like a soprano oboe, which is high notes, and then 321 00:22:16,885 --> 00:22:19,405 the tenor oboe is kind of a little bit lower down. 322 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:34,540 Isa: My name is Isa and and how old am? I am five, even, even I 323 00:22:34,540 --> 00:22:41,980 live in Montpelier. And my question is, how can you really 324 00:22:42,385 --> 00:22:45,865 play it by using my mouth? 325 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:48,580 Jane: Yeah. How do you play it using your mouth? Tell us more 326 00:22:48,580 --> 00:22:49,360 about the reed. 327 00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:53,260 Katie: Okay, so the reed is actually, I think, the the 328 00:22:53,260 --> 00:22:57,760 coolest part of this instrument, and it's, it's made by taking 329 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:02,020 two pieces of material that are called cane and tying them 330 00:23:02,020 --> 00:23:06,220 together onto a tube. And actually, when you get to be a 331 00:23:06,220 --> 00:23:09,160 good oboist, you make your own reeds. So these are reeds that I 332 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:15,085 made at home. And when I play it, all I have to do is put the 333 00:23:15,085 --> 00:23:19,465 reed in my mouth and hold it. You do have to kind of be 334 00:23:19,465 --> 00:23:22,825 careful how you hold it. If you bite the reed, it's not going to 335 00:23:22,825 --> 00:23:26,365 work. And if your lips are too floppy, it's also not going to 336 00:23:26,365 --> 00:23:29,125 work. So you have to kind of practice and get so that you're 337 00:23:29,125 --> 00:23:33,025 holding it just right, and it's just the air that I'm blowing. 338 00:23:33,325 --> 00:23:37,210 You have to blow very, very, very hard and very consistent 339 00:23:37,270 --> 00:23:40,810 air to make the oboe work. But if you blow hard enough, then 340 00:23:40,810 --> 00:23:44,530 you get a sound with just the reed. 341 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,520 Kiel: Hi, my name is Kiel, and I live in South Burlington, 342 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:55,280 Vermont. I'm six years old, and my question is, how instruments 343 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:56,180 invented? 344 00:23:56,619 --> 00:24:00,579 Jane: Oh, how are instruments invented? We might have to do 345 00:24:00,579 --> 00:24:02,979 some research on that. But do you know Katie, anything about 346 00:24:02,979 --> 00:24:04,719 the history of the oboe in particular? 347 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:07,920 Katie: Yeah, lots. I mean, the first instrument is an 348 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:12,060 instrument we all have, right? It's your voice. That's the 349 00:24:12,060 --> 00:24:16,500 first instrument that any person ever ever learned in the entire 350 00:24:16,500 --> 00:24:21,080 history of humankind. So voices were the first we learned how to 351 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:25,100 talk, but we also learned how to sing. So you're carrying around 352 00:24:25,100 --> 00:24:28,280 instruments with you every day, all day, every day, and you can 353 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:32,360 use those instruments anytime you want just to sing. Then they 354 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:35,180 kind of started hitting things with sticks, and probably 355 00:24:35,180 --> 00:24:38,420 invented percussion instruments, right? But the first wind 356 00:24:38,420 --> 00:24:42,760 instruments were flutes, and the oboe has been around for 357 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,820 hundreds and hundreds of years when somebody thought, well, I 358 00:24:45,820 --> 00:24:49,000 can make a sound with a flute. What if I stuck this reed on 359 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,940 there and tried to make a sound? Ooh, I like that sound. Let's 360 00:24:51,940 --> 00:24:52,840 keep doing that. 361 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:57,280 Vera: How did you learn to play the oboe? My name is Vera. 362 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,760 Katie: My father actually was a music teacher. And when I was 10 363 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,520 years old, I said, what instrument do you need in your 364 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:07,000 band? And he said, I need an oboe or a French horn. And I 365 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,700 said, I don't want to play a brass instrument. I'll try the 366 00:25:09,700 --> 00:25:14,560 oboe. And he taught me how to play, and I started out just 367 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,725 playing the reed. So the first thing that I did, and that I 368 00:25:17,725 --> 00:25:21,565 have my students do, is just play a long tone on the reed 369 00:25:21,625 --> 00:25:24,985 without the instrument, and then, as I got stronger and 370 00:25:24,985 --> 00:25:28,585 better at that, I put the reed in the oboe, and I learned one 371 00:25:28,585 --> 00:25:33,205 note at a time how to play every note that I can play today. 372 00:25:33,980 --> 00:25:39,560 Lily: My name is Lily, and I'm seven years old, and I live in 373 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:44,260 South Burlington. What's your favorite song to play? 374 00:25:45,260 --> 00:25:50,240 Katie: Oh, wow, there's so many songs. It's hard to choose one 375 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:54,020 that's my favorite to play. I think sometimes it depends on 376 00:25:54,020 --> 00:25:59,000 how I'm feeling. So some days I like to play things that are 377 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:04,820 that are very big and beautiful and peaceful sounding. And 378 00:26:04,820 --> 00:26:08,165 sometimes I want to play things that are really fast and happy 379 00:26:08,165 --> 00:26:13,865 sounding. I think my favorite kind of music to play. I really 380 00:26:13,865 --> 00:26:19,385 love playing in an orchestra, and I love playing music by 381 00:26:20,045 --> 00:26:25,325 composers that wrote things like Johannes Brahms, who wrote great 382 00:26:25,325 --> 00:26:30,365 big symphonies that are just, just so gorgeous, and you get to 383 00:26:30,365 --> 00:26:33,230 sit in an orchestra, you're in the middle of this group of 384 00:26:33,230 --> 00:26:36,890 people, and you're all working together and making these 385 00:26:36,890 --> 00:26:40,790 beautiful sounds. That's my favorite thing to do. 386 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:48,220 Zane: My name is Zane, and I'm four years old. What is your 387 00:26:48,220 --> 00:26:49,660 favorite sound? 388 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:55,360 Katie: I guess my favorite sound on the oboe would be a 389 00:26:55,360 --> 00:27:02,400 particular note that I think sounds prettiest. It's got a 390 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:07,560 very pure sound. It's a very stable note. So that's probably 391 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,920 my favorite note. My favorite sound in life, I think, is 392 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,920 laughter. I think hearing people laugh because it makes you feel 393 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:15,960 like laughing yourself makes you feel good. 394 00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:22,220 Harvey: My name is Harvey. I'm seven years old, and if you want 395 00:27:22,220 --> 00:27:25,220 to play the oboe, what instrument would you start with 396 00:27:25,220 --> 00:27:25,880 first? 397 00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:31,100 Katie: Well, I started with the oboe, and I have a lot of 398 00:27:31,100 --> 00:27:35,420 students that start with the oboe, but sometimes it's good to 399 00:27:35,420 --> 00:27:38,840 try a different instrument first, because the oboe is 400 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:47,320 pretty challenging. So I think the flute is very close to the 401 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:50,380 same fingerings as an oboe, so that's a good one to start with. 402 00:27:50,380 --> 00:27:56,080 The saxophone has almost exactly the same fingerings as the oboe, 403 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,600 so I actually have a lot of students that started on the 404 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:03,060 saxophone, and the clarinet is pretty good too, but the 405 00:28:03,060 --> 00:28:05,340 clarinet fingerings are different, so sometimes that's 406 00:28:05,340 --> 00:28:09,600 confusing. But I would say that if you start on an instrument, 407 00:28:09,660 --> 00:28:12,060 even if it's doesn't have anything to do, even if you 408 00:28:12,060 --> 00:28:15,300 start, like on the tuba or the trombone, if you think, Wait a 409 00:28:15,300 --> 00:28:18,300 second, I think I like the sound of the oboe better, let me give 410 00:28:18,300 --> 00:28:21,620 it a try. I would say try it. Because when you find that 411 00:28:21,620 --> 00:28:25,040 instrument that you like, you're going to figure out how to play 412 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:26,180 it one way or another. 413 00:28:26,660 --> 00:28:33,740 Grant: My name is Grant, and I live in Essex Vermont. I'm nine 414 00:28:33,740 --> 00:28:40,840 years old, and my question is, what was your favorite 415 00:28:40,900 --> 00:28:42,160 instrument? 416 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,260 Katie: Well, my favorite instrument is the oboe. But I 417 00:28:46,260 --> 00:28:50,040 think I'm prejudiced if I also, I've actually, I think I love 418 00:28:50,460 --> 00:28:53,700 just about every instrument I've ever heard, because they all 419 00:28:53,700 --> 00:28:55,980 kind of add something new. 420 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:03,700 Seamus: Hi, I'm Seamus. I am in Jericho, Vermont. I'm five years 421 00:29:03,700 --> 00:29:10,660 old, and my question is, how were instruments made? 422 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:13,680 Jane: There are lots of different ways that instruments 423 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,260 are made and lots of different materials. You mentioned that 424 00:29:16,260 --> 00:29:19,200 your instrument is made out of wood. How is it actually made? 425 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:25,360 Katie: Well, they take blocks of the wood, and they drill up 426 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:28,360 through the bottom of the wood to make the inside. Because 427 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:30,940 that's actually it's funny, because we think the outside is 428 00:29:30,940 --> 00:29:34,300 the most important part. The inside is one of the most 429 00:29:34,300 --> 00:29:38,020 important parts of of any instrument, because the shape 430 00:29:38,380 --> 00:29:43,825 changes the sound. So the oboe is a conical instrument, so the 431 00:29:43,825 --> 00:29:47,365 top is small and it gradually gets bigger all the way to the 432 00:29:47,365 --> 00:29:52,285 bottom. The clarinet is more of a cylindrical instrument, so the 433 00:29:52,285 --> 00:29:55,165 top is one size, and the bottom gets a little bigger, but not 434 00:29:55,165 --> 00:29:59,725 much, and that makes a completely different sound. So 435 00:29:59,785 --> 00:30:03,685 for. The oboe, specifically, we take the wood and you bore a 436 00:30:03,685 --> 00:30:07,150 hole up through, drill a hole up through the bottom of it that is 437 00:30:07,150 --> 00:30:10,990 going to be conical, so small at the top, big at the bottom. And 438 00:30:10,990 --> 00:30:15,370 then they drill the holes to make the keys. And they have 439 00:30:15,550 --> 00:30:18,790 molds that they use where they take silver and they make the 440 00:30:18,790 --> 00:30:21,490 keys that are going to go in there. But underneath the keys, 441 00:30:21,490 --> 00:30:24,670 they have pads that are made of things like cork or paper, 442 00:30:24,670 --> 00:30:27,310 because these can wear out. So these have to get changed 443 00:30:27,310 --> 00:30:31,735 sometimes, and it takes a lot of years to learn to make an 444 00:30:31,735 --> 00:30:36,355 instrument like this. It takes a lot of experience and time and 445 00:30:36,355 --> 00:30:39,955 practice. So our instruments, when we play an instrument, when 446 00:30:39,955 --> 00:30:43,975 you play it seriously and are really into it, you want to take 447 00:30:43,975 --> 00:30:48,055 extra good care of it. And as a matter of like etiquette, it's 448 00:30:48,055 --> 00:30:50,575 not polite to touch another person's instrument without 449 00:30:50,575 --> 00:30:53,620 telling them, and it's not polite to pick up another 450 00:30:53,620 --> 00:30:57,220 person's instrument or play it without asking permission first. 451 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,720 Kid: I'm from Lyme, New Hampshire, and my question is, 452 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:06,480 do oboes have a certain number of keys? Or can they have any 453 00:31:06,540 --> 00:31:06,840 number? 454 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:11,040 Katie: They have a certain number. I have to count now, 6, 455 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:19,020 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. 456 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:23,145 This one has 23 some of them have an extra key here that 457 00:31:23,145 --> 00:31:28,065 would make 24 and student instruments have fewer, so like 458 00:31:28,065 --> 00:31:32,265 1, 2, oh wait, no, I have 24 so minus 24 sometimes they have 25. 459 00:31:32,265 --> 00:31:36,585 So a student instrument would have around 21 keys. Okay, so if 460 00:31:36,585 --> 00:31:40,545 you're starting out, you don't get as many, because my pinkies 461 00:31:40,545 --> 00:31:43,365 are what get busy. I have extra keys for my pinkies, but a 462 00:31:43,425 --> 00:31:48,090 student instrument wouldn't have all those. So 25, 24 that's 463 00:31:48,090 --> 00:31:49,050 pretty standard. 464 00:31:49,660 --> 00:31:53,320 Jane: Katie, will you play us a piece to really show off what 465 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:55,720 the oboe can do and tell us what you're going to play? 466 00:31:56,020 --> 00:32:01,600 Katie: Sure. So this is a piece for oboe by a composer from 467 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:06,760 Serbia. Her name was Isidora Ziebeljan. And I really like 468 00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:09,940 this piece. I like the way it sounds, but I also like it was 469 00:32:09,940 --> 00:32:14,800 written in 2005 and so the oboe is really old. It's been around 470 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:18,400 for a long time, and a lot of the music I play was written 471 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:24,085 hundreds of years ago. This was written in my lifetime, and it 472 00:32:24,085 --> 00:32:29,785 actually uses a lot of kind of folk music from the area where 473 00:32:29,785 --> 00:33:34,135 she lived, and it's called the Miracle in Chargon. [Music] 474 00:33:37,015 --> 00:35:08,200 Jane: That was Katie Opera on oboe. 475 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:12,400 Joining me here is Stefanie Taylor, who plays what 476 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:17,860 instrument. If you know what it is, shout it out. I heard a lot 477 00:35:17,860 --> 00:35:20,620 of violin. Is that what you play, Stefanie? 478 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:26,185 Stefanie: Not today, not today, but I did hear it. It is a 479 00:35:26,185 --> 00:35:30,745 viola. It's a little so it's a it's a bigger version of the 480 00:35:30,745 --> 00:35:34,885 violin. Some might even say better version of the violin. 481 00:35:35,485 --> 00:35:38,665 Jane: I don't know now, Stefanie's starting a fight. Why 482 00:35:38,665 --> 00:35:40,705 do you think it's better than the violin? 483 00:35:40,945 --> 00:35:45,505 Stefanie: Well, the viola, the viola is, it is a lower sound. 484 00:35:45,505 --> 00:35:49,810 It's a little bit more mellow sound than the violin, and I 485 00:35:49,810 --> 00:35:54,130 think it really imitates a human voice. So I, I really love it, 486 00:35:54,130 --> 00:35:55,690 but, but I do play the violin. 487 00:35:55,690 --> 00:35:58,270 Jane: Will you show us some of the sound a viola can make? 488 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:01,360 Stefanie: It's made out of wood, and it has four strings, and 489 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,580 I'll play each of the four strings for you. 490 00:36:03,580 --> 00:36:06,460 Jane: It's tough for Stephanie to play and be in front of the 491 00:36:06,460 --> 00:36:22,165 microphone. What happens when you move your top fingers up and 492 00:36:22,165 --> 00:36:23,785 down on the strings while you play. 493 00:36:23,785 --> 00:36:28,765 Stefanie: Well, when I want to change the pitch of the string, 494 00:36:29,185 --> 00:36:33,805 I shorten the string by putting my finger down on it. So if I 495 00:36:33,805 --> 00:36:43,225 play this as a D string, if I put a finger down and another I 496 00:36:43,225 --> 00:36:46,270 can play a scale, and what, really what I'm doing is I'm 497 00:36:46,270 --> 00:36:49,870 just, I'm shortening the length of the string as I do that, 498 00:36:49,870 --> 00:36:50,830 which raises the pitch. 499 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,620 Jane: What happens when you play two or three strings at the same 500 00:36:53,620 --> 00:36:54,100 time? 501 00:36:57,720 --> 00:37:00,840 Stefanie: We get to hear both pitches resonating at one time, 502 00:37:00,900 --> 00:37:02,280 which I think is really beautiful. 503 00:37:03,180 --> 00:37:07,260 Jane: What you're using to make the sound or make that sound 504 00:37:07,260 --> 00:37:12,300 smooth, is something in your right hand called a bow. What is 505 00:37:12,300 --> 00:37:12,660 a bow? 506 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:20,040 Stefanie: So this, this is, it is a piece of wood with, does 507 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:23,520 anyone know what that white stuff is? Your hand went right 508 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:28,620 up. What is that? That's right, it is from the tail of a horse, 509 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:33,000 and it's bleached. It's not just from white tails, and the horse 510 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,180 doesn't is not harmed when we take the horse hair. It's just 511 00:37:36,180 --> 00:37:41,445 kind of like having a haircut. So the horse hair is stretched 512 00:37:42,585 --> 00:37:46,065 between these two ends, and it has, actually has quite a lot of 513 00:37:46,065 --> 00:37:49,905 tension, but the bow actually still needs to be flexible. And 514 00:37:49,905 --> 00:37:54,405 a long time ago, the bow looked actually more like a bow, like 515 00:37:54,405 --> 00:37:56,025 what you think of like with a bow and arrow. 516 00:37:56,025 --> 00:37:59,670 Jane: You can play this instrument without a bow with 517 00:37:59,670 --> 00:38:02,070 just your fingers. Can you describe or show us the 518 00:38:02,070 --> 00:38:02,850 difference in sound? 519 00:38:02,850 --> 00:38:06,390 Stefanie: Yes, so, so this, this technique is called pizzicato, 520 00:38:06,390 --> 00:38:10,650 and it's an Italian word. It just means plucked. And what I'm 521 00:38:10,650 --> 00:38:13,650 doing with my finger is I'm pulling the string, and that 522 00:38:13,650 --> 00:38:22,830 makes it vibrate. Can then I can do a really hard, pizzicato like 523 00:38:22,830 --> 00:38:26,475 that, that has a different sound. So there's a big variety 524 00:38:26,475 --> 00:38:30,675 of sounds that I can make with my finger, but not as many as 525 00:38:30,675 --> 00:38:31,935 that I can make with my bow. 526 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:36,040 When you're making your sound with the bow, though, the string 527 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:39,040 is still vibrating, because that's how your instrument is 528 00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:42,400 making the sound, rightThat is true. What I'm going to do with 529 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,940 my bow is actually the same thing I did with my finger. Is 530 00:38:45,940 --> 00:38:49,840 I'm going to pull the string, but this time, I'm going to pull 531 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:54,040 it with the horse hair that has some kind of little nub, nubs on 532 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:58,345 it that makes it a little sticky on the bow. Plus one thing you 533 00:38:58,345 --> 00:39:02,005 didn't get to see is I put rosin on my bow. Now, has anyone ever 534 00:39:02,005 --> 00:39:06,325 seen rosin people, gymnasts or dancers, put rosin on their 535 00:39:06,685 --> 00:39:10,705 right rosin, powdered rosin is sticky. And string players use 536 00:39:10,705 --> 00:39:16,165 cake rosin and spread, excuse me, we spread it on the horse 537 00:39:16,165 --> 00:39:19,570 hair of our bow, which helps it to be a little stickier, and 538 00:39:19,570 --> 00:39:24,730 that helps me grab the string with the bow and makes the 539 00:39:24,790 --> 00:39:30,430 string vibrate. So I'm going to pull, I'm on the string, and I 540 00:39:30,430 --> 00:39:34,030 pull the string, and that is essentially the same thing I'm 541 00:39:34,030 --> 00:39:36,850 doing with the pizzcato, but I can make the sound last much 542 00:39:36,850 --> 00:39:45,115 longer now, so instead of I can do and I can make much more of a 543 00:39:45,115 --> 00:39:46,975 singing sound with the bow. 544 00:39:47,260 --> 00:39:50,020 Jane: So we know we need the strings. We know how the bow 545 00:39:50,020 --> 00:39:52,660 helps. Why do you need the rest of the instrument? 546 00:39:52,660 --> 00:39:57,220 Stefanie: Has anyone ever made an instrument, even with an 547 00:39:57,220 --> 00:40:01,000 oatmeal box and strings, all of those instruments that you made, 548 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:08,920 the body of the instrument is going to help, help amplify the 549 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:13,345 vibration, make the vibration bigger, so the strings vibrate, 550 00:40:13,585 --> 00:40:17,845 which also makes the wood vibrate. And there's a little 551 00:40:17,845 --> 00:40:21,445 post in the instrument that holds the two pieces together, 552 00:40:21,685 --> 00:40:26,005 everything vibrates, and that is what makes the sound. 553 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:30,800 Hanaleia: My question is, how frequently do you practice? And 554 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:36,140 my name is Hanaleia, and I live in Burlington, Vermont. 555 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:39,560 Stefanie: As an adult, with my own children and a lot of 556 00:40:39,740 --> 00:40:44,120 different things to do, I don't practice, I don't practice every 557 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:47,780 single day. I wish I did. I would feel better and I would 558 00:40:47,780 --> 00:40:52,865 play better if I practiced every single day. I practice most 559 00:40:52,925 --> 00:41:00,125 days, and I play most days. When I was a child, and I started 560 00:41:00,125 --> 00:41:05,585 playing violin when I was seven, I didn't practice every day 561 00:41:05,585 --> 00:41:10,205 until, I think, when I was about 12, I started practicing every 562 00:41:10,205 --> 00:41:12,485 day, and then I practiced a lot for a long time. 563 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:21,480 Freya: My name is Freya and New Jersey, and my question is, how 564 00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:24,060 many instruments are there in the world? And I'm five years 565 00:41:24,060 --> 00:41:24,480 old. 566 00:41:24,540 --> 00:41:26,880 Jane: Oh my gosh, how many instruments are there in the 567 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:29,760 world? We might have to do some research to answer that one. But 568 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,040 do you have any guesses, Stefanie? 569 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:37,185 Stefanie: Actually, my guess is maybe towards that infinity 570 00:41:37,185 --> 00:41:43,785 number, because there are, there are instruments that are very 571 00:41:43,785 --> 00:41:49,485 traditional and that are part of a certain music tradition, and 572 00:41:49,485 --> 00:41:52,605 there are other instruments that are traditional to other music 573 00:41:52,605 --> 00:41:56,325 traditions. And then they're all the instruments that people just 574 00:41:56,325 --> 00:42:02,610 make up, that people when you when you take a pencil and and 575 00:42:02,610 --> 00:42:07,650 tap out rhythms on on your desk. You're making an instrument. 576 00:42:07,890 --> 00:42:10,230 You're making you're making some rhythm, you're making some 577 00:42:10,230 --> 00:42:10,650 music. 578 00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:18,280 Coco: My name is Coco. I'm seven years old. I live in Essex, 579 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:24,880 Vermont, and my question is, why do songs get stuck in your head? 580 00:42:26,540 --> 00:42:29,480 Jane: Do you know why songs get stuck in your head? 581 00:42:30,500 --> 00:42:33,860 Stefanie: Such a good question. I don't. I don't know exactly, 582 00:42:34,340 --> 00:42:37,160 except I do think that's a question that a lot of us have 583 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:39,980 been asking for a long time. So thank you for saying it out 584 00:42:39,980 --> 00:42:45,640 loud. I think part of it is because music to us is a lot 585 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:50,320 like language, and when we hear something that sounds kind of 586 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:55,480 like a, like a, like a phrase, or like something, something 587 00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:58,540 that sounds something that we can kind of keep in our heads, 588 00:42:58,540 --> 00:43:03,180 just like you'd say, like, you know, how are you? I'm fine. You 589 00:43:03,180 --> 00:43:07,200 know, that kind of thing gets that music can kind of sound 590 00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:10,200 like talking like that, and I think that's one way that it 591 00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:11,040 stays in our head. 592 00:43:11,540 --> 00:43:15,080 Alex: Hi, my name is Alex, and I'm 10 years old. I'm from 593 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:20,420 Milton, Vermont, and why do your fingers tremble when you're 594 00:43:20,420 --> 00:43:21,920 holding the string on the violin? 595 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:27,680 Stefanie: Such a good question. Okay, so string instrument 596 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:36,005 players, we basically wave or roll our fingers from the pitch 597 00:43:36,005 --> 00:43:42,005 in a little below our pitch to pretty much make the vibrato 598 00:43:42,065 --> 00:43:44,885 that is already there in the vibrato, make the vibration in 599 00:43:44,885 --> 00:43:51,725 the string even more, even more vibrated. And that we use an 600 00:43:51,725 --> 00:43:56,825 Italian word called vibrato. And singers use vibrato, and a lot 601 00:43:56,825 --> 00:43:59,930 of other instrumentalists use vibrato. But in in a string 602 00:43:59,930 --> 00:44:03,530 instrument, I'm going to play it really slowly so you can hear 603 00:44:03,530 --> 00:44:04,250 what I'm doing. 604 00:44:11,580 --> 00:44:15,660 So very, very slowly, and then, then when it's when it's fast 605 00:44:15,660 --> 00:44:18,840 and a little narrower, it just sounds like a little bit more 606 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:22,520 warm, and can sound a little bit more shimmery, and actually 607 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:24,380 makes the sound louder too. 608 00:44:24,660 --> 00:44:30,300 Nell: My name is Nell, and I am six years old, and I live in 609 00:44:30,300 --> 00:44:34,920 Williston, Vermont. Why does music make you dance? 610 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:37,320 Jane: You're getting the tough question, Stephanie, I have to 611 00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:37,620 say. 612 00:44:37,620 --> 00:44:41,700 Stefanie: But that's also just such a beautiful question. I'm 613 00:44:41,700 --> 00:44:46,080 not really sure. I think it's just one of the really amazing 614 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:48,885 and wonderful things about being being a human. 615 00:44:49,380 --> 00:44:55,800 Astra: My name is Astra, and I live in New York, and I'm six 616 00:44:55,800 --> 00:45:01,260 years old. What's the difference between playing and practicing? 617 00:45:01,320 --> 00:45:04,740 Jane: Oh, what's the difference between playing and practicing? 618 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:08,380 Stefanie: I'm going to come here for all of my good questions. 619 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:14,020 These are very good questions. So the best way that I have 620 00:45:14,020 --> 00:45:19,840 describing between playing and practicing is something I heard 621 00:45:19,900 --> 00:45:24,760 a famous pianist say once, and he said, practicing, just 622 00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:29,365 pretend you have a jet plane. And practicing is when you're 623 00:45:29,365 --> 00:45:33,625 getting underneath the jet plane with all your all your tools, 624 00:45:33,625 --> 00:45:36,625 and you're looking at the wires, and you're looking to see that 625 00:45:36,625 --> 00:45:40,405 all the systems work, and maybe fixing some things that are not 626 00:45:40,405 --> 00:45:44,125 working, and when you're playing or you're performing, that's 627 00:45:44,125 --> 00:45:48,445 when you're flying the jet plane and you're you're moving, and 628 00:45:48,445 --> 00:45:51,685 you're going, and you're not actually thinking anymore about, 629 00:45:52,870 --> 00:45:56,530 hmm, do I need to look at something, we hope you're not 630 00:45:56,530 --> 00:45:59,470 thinking about fixing the wires anymore then. 631 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:04,580 Ollie: So my name is Ollie. I live in Burlington. I'm eight 632 00:46:04,580 --> 00:46:10,160 years old, and my question is, how many instruments do you 633 00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:10,340 play? 634 00:46:10,340 --> 00:46:15,500 Stefanie: I play the violin. That's what I started with. And 635 00:46:15,500 --> 00:46:21,200 I started playing the viola when I was about 20 or 21 and I play 636 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:26,945 the piano a very, very little bit, not very well, and I love 637 00:46:26,945 --> 00:46:31,265 to sing, but I'm not sure if that I'm not sure if that counts 638 00:46:31,265 --> 00:46:33,905 in your in your count of instruments, but those are, 639 00:46:33,905 --> 00:46:35,345 those are the instruments that I play. 640 00:46:35,525 --> 00:46:41,645 Libby: My name is Libby. I live in St Albans, Vermont. I'm five 641 00:46:41,645 --> 00:46:48,890 years old, and my question is, why do some instruments look a 642 00:46:48,890 --> 00:46:51,890 little alike, but they make different sounds? 643 00:46:52,180 --> 00:46:55,000 Stefanie: This makes me think it would maybe be a good idea to 644 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,960 talk about the string family of instruments. So the string 645 00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:03,240 family of instruments are all shaped like this, but they're 646 00:47:03,240 --> 00:47:07,560 different sizes. So we have the violin, then we have the viola, 647 00:47:08,220 --> 00:47:12,540 then we have the cello, and then we have the double bass, which 648 00:47:12,540 --> 00:47:17,760 is so big that people often sit on a stool to play it. When the 649 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:20,180 body of the instrument gets bigger, the sound, the pitch 650 00:47:20,780 --> 00:47:24,980 gets lower, but they have a lot of things in common, but it's 651 00:47:24,980 --> 00:47:26,300 the pitch that changes. 652 00:47:26,540 --> 00:47:31,520 Iggy: How do you make the instrument? My name is Iggy, and 653 00:47:31,580 --> 00:47:33,560 I live in Burlington, Vermont. 654 00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:36,080 Jane: There are lots of different ways to make lots of 655 00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:38,420 different instruments, but how is a viola made? 656 00:47:38,600 --> 00:47:44,900 Stefanie: It's not easy at all, there are multiple pieces of 657 00:47:44,900 --> 00:47:50,060 wood which are shaped to a very specific measurement, and then 658 00:47:50,060 --> 00:47:56,585 they are glued together. And then the this piece is added, 659 00:47:56,585 --> 00:47:59,825 and the strings are added. And then, of course, we also need 660 00:47:59,825 --> 00:48:00,125 the bow. 661 00:48:02,645 --> 00:48:07,865 Abdi: My name is Abdi. I live in Burlington, Vermont. I'm seven. 662 00:48:08,165 --> 00:48:11,705 Why? Why do people make music? 663 00:48:12,060 --> 00:48:15,780 Stefanie: Music is a form of communication. It's a form of 664 00:48:15,780 --> 00:48:25,100 sharing feelings, emotions, with others that are not words, 665 00:48:25,160 --> 00:48:28,280 right? It's another it's another way of communicating. And I 666 00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:34,940 think we've all experienced probably listening to music and 667 00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:38,900 feeling like dancing, or feeling like singing or some music makes 668 00:48:38,900 --> 00:48:43,300 us feel kind of peaceful, and some music can make us feel very 669 00:48:43,300 --> 00:48:48,580 energetic, and some can make us feel kind of sad. And when those 670 00:48:48,580 --> 00:48:52,600 are all feelings that all of us have inside us, and the music 671 00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:59,740 helps us to find those emotions and and experience them. But 672 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:03,480 also music is music is something that brings people together. 673 00:49:04,320 --> 00:49:10,860 Music is a very wonderful way for people to do something 674 00:49:13,020 --> 00:49:22,400 collaboratively as a group and also to share something, even as 675 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:26,900 we're doing right now, that we are all together and all from 676 00:49:26,900 --> 00:49:31,520 different places and different ages, but we are all we are all 677 00:49:31,520 --> 00:49:33,500 here appreciating music. 678 00:49:34,200 --> 00:49:41,160 Otis: My name is Otis, and I live in Charlotte. What um? What 679 00:49:41,160 --> 00:49:48,240 horse is? What string is that horse made out of? 680 00:49:48,240 --> 00:49:51,540 Jane: Yes, you mentioned that the bow is made out of horse 681 00:49:51,540 --> 00:49:54,300 hair. Can you tell us a little bit more about how they get the 682 00:49:54,540 --> 00:49:55,980 horse hair onto a bow? 683 00:49:56,620 --> 00:49:59,620 Stefanie: Well, honestly, I'm not exactly sure how this 684 00:49:59,620 --> 00:50:06,040 happens. Yes, but it is. It is taken from the tail of a horse, 685 00:50:06,040 --> 00:50:10,660 not the mane, and to make it white, it's bleached and 686 00:50:10,660 --> 00:50:20,245 cleaned. And then the person who is the bow repair person, puts 687 00:50:20,245 --> 00:50:22,825 the hair on the bow. I didn't tell you this is one, one 688 00:50:22,825 --> 00:50:26,365 interesting thing is that every few months, I need to get new 689 00:50:26,365 --> 00:50:31,465 hair on the bow. So they take all the hair out and stretch new 690 00:50:31,465 --> 00:50:35,905 hair over the bow. And because the little, the little, they're 691 00:50:35,905 --> 00:50:42,010 little kind of little nubs that are on the hair actually get 692 00:50:42,010 --> 00:50:45,550 worn off when I play a lot, and then I have to start over again 693 00:50:45,550 --> 00:50:47,650 and get so I don't get a new bow, but I get new hair. 694 00:50:47,650 --> 00:50:51,430 Jane: And the strings on your Viola are not made out of horse 695 00:50:51,430 --> 00:50:51,670 hair. 696 00:50:51,670 --> 00:50:55,090 Stefanie: No. And the strings, the strings on my viola, I also 697 00:50:55,090 --> 00:50:58,270 have to change every few months, and they're made with metal, and 698 00:50:58,270 --> 00:51:02,050 they're wrapped around a kind of synthetic material. But not too 699 00:51:02,050 --> 00:51:05,590 long ago, all strings used to be made out of sheep intestines, 700 00:51:05,635 --> 00:51:09,655 and they were called gut strings, but not any, mine are 701 00:51:09,655 --> 00:51:12,595 not anymore, but I should tell you, while I'm talking about my 702 00:51:12,595 --> 00:51:16,255 instrument, that my instrument is more than 200 years old. 703 00:51:16,375 --> 00:51:17,215 Jane: Wow. 704 00:51:17,455 --> 00:51:20,695 Stefanie: Can you believe it's, it's, it's, really, it seems so 705 00:51:20,695 --> 00:51:25,555 much history. It was built. It was built in London in 1810 and 706 00:51:25,555 --> 00:51:30,160 my bow was built a little bit after that in France. 707 00:51:30,460 --> 00:51:30,760 Jane: Wow. 708 00:51:31,060 --> 00:51:35,380 Naomi: So my name is Naomi. I'm eight years old, and I live in 709 00:51:35,380 --> 00:51:38,980 Rochester, Vermont, and my question is, how many songs are 710 00:51:38,980 --> 00:51:40,060 there in the world? 711 00:51:40,120 --> 00:51:43,960 Stefanie: I think it's infinite. There are so many different 712 00:51:43,960 --> 00:51:49,840 songs that are already in the world. But then there are songs 713 00:51:49,840 --> 00:51:53,665 being written. There are songs being when you're when you're 714 00:51:54,445 --> 00:51:57,865 when you're sitting and playing Legos or something and and 715 00:51:57,865 --> 00:52:02,605 humming to yourself and making a new song, there's songs 716 00:52:02,665 --> 00:52:03,325 everywhere. 717 00:52:03,565 --> 00:52:06,265 Jane: Will you play one for us to really show off what your 718 00:52:06,265 --> 00:52:07,225 instrument can do? 719 00:52:07,480 --> 00:52:13,180 Stefanie: So I'm going to play you a dancing song called a jig, 720 00:52:14,860 --> 00:52:19,840 written by a pretty famous composer named Bach. And this 721 00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:23,920 piece was written a long, long, long time ago. Was actually 722 00:52:23,920 --> 00:53:22,990 written for the cello, but I think it sounds pretty good on 723 00:53:22,990 --> 00:53:23,410 the viola. 724 00:54:05,705 --> 00:54:08,285 Jane: Big thanks to Melissa Meilens, Katie Oprea and 725 00:54:08,285 --> 00:54:11,270 Stefanie Taylor from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra for being 726 00:54:11,270 --> 00:54:14,990 part of Vermont Public's Curious Kids day. And thanks to Elise 727 00:54:14,990 --> 00:54:17,510 Burnelle, the orchestra's Executive Director, for making 728 00:54:17,510 --> 00:54:21,290 their visits possible. The VSO is always interested in helping 729 00:54:21,290 --> 00:54:25,850 kids understand music and learn to play. If you want to be in 730 00:54:25,850 --> 00:54:28,610 the know when we have events like that, sometimes in person 731 00:54:28,610 --> 00:54:32,030 and sometimes virtual, or when we're looking for questions from 732 00:54:32,030 --> 00:54:36,035 you for future episodes, join our mailing list. You can find a 733 00:54:36,035 --> 00:54:40,535 link right on our web page, ButWhyKids.org. As always, if 734 00:54:40,535 --> 00:54:43,775 you have a question about anything, send it to us. We get 735 00:54:43,775 --> 00:54:46,595 a lot of questions, and we wish we could answer them all. But 736 00:54:46,595 --> 00:54:49,715 even if we don't get to answer your question, we really want to 737 00:54:49,715 --> 00:54:51,935 hear what's on your mind and what you're feeling curious 738 00:54:51,935 --> 00:54:55,175 about. You can have an adult help you record your question 739 00:54:55,175 --> 00:54:58,760 using a free app on a smartphone or tablet, then have your adult 740 00:54:58,760 --> 00:55:02,900 send the file to questions@ButWhyKids.org. If you 741 00:55:02,900 --> 00:55:06,200 like our show, please leave us a review or some stars on whatever 742 00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:09,680 platform you use to listen. It helps other kids and families 743 00:55:09,680 --> 00:55:13,940 and schools discover us. Our show is produced by Sarah Baik, 744 00:55:13,940 --> 00:55:17,360 Melody Bodette, and me, Jane Lindholm at Vermont Public and 745 00:55:17,360 --> 00:55:21,665 distributed by PRX. Our theme music is by Luke Reynolds, and 746 00:55:21,665 --> 00:55:25,085 our video producer is Joey Palumbo. Special thanks this 747 00:55:25,085 --> 00:55:28,205 week to Frank Alwine, Phil Edfors, Peter Engisch and Dave 748 00:55:28,205 --> 00:55:31,625 Rice for their help with our live event. And we also want to 749 00:55:31,625 --> 00:55:34,745 recognize Amy Zielinski, the event organizer and producer. 750 00:55:35,465 --> 00:55:39,485 We'll be back in two weeks with an all new episode. Until then, 751 00:55:39,665 --> 00:55:41,105 stay curious.