Transcript

MUSIC

Let's have some fun 

with things that rhyme

welcome Kids 

it's poetry time!

Hip Hip Hurray!

Welcome everyone to Kids’ Poetry Club with me, Little Dazzy Donuts. I’m on my way to the Club. It’s the day after the big music concert where the Chicken Jazz Quartet played to a packed garden full of friends to thank them all for their help and support during the Summer … and it was quite the event.  Queenie stepped in at the last minute to replace a poorly musician, and so played triangle all evening. I’m sure everyone enjoyed themselves … and I’m also sure that Queenie and Chicken must be exhausted right now.

Well, I just arrived at the Club, so let’s pop in and see if anyone is there, or whether they’re still sleeping off the concert. Let’s see.

SOUND (Door)

Queenie: Oh, hi Little Dazzy Donuts!

Hi Queenie … Hi Chicken.

SOUND (Chicken)

Well, I’m surprised to see the two of you here, that’s for sure. After last night’s concert, I thought you’d both be fast asleep.

Queenie: Asleep? Us? Oh my gosh, no! We’ve been up since the crack of dawn. Of course, we didn’t get to bed until late – the concert finished well after sundown, and then we needed to tidy up the garden. As neat and wonderful as all of our guests were, you really can’t hold an event with that many sheep and cows and not expect to spend a fair amount of time cleaning up afterwards. The good news is that our compost pile is now larger than ever.

Well done … both for the cleaning, and for the concert too. I thought it was one of the best evenings we’ve had.

Queenie: Why, thank you! It meant a lot to us to thank everyone who made the garden such a success over the Summer. It’s amazing to think that the garden was just full of overgrown weeds until the Spring and we decided to turn it into something special.

You definitely did that. It was so sweet of you both to thank everyone in such a fun way. I thought the concert was a brilliant idea … and the Chicken Jazz Quartet was as entertaining as ever.

Queenie: That’s great to hear. I was a little worried that people would be disappointed with the late change in a musician … you know, with me stepping in last minute to play the triangle when the trumpet player fell ill … but it felt like we pulled it off.

You did. Now, I will admit, the triangle did turn out to be an unusual element at times. Not for your lack of effort though, Queenie – you were throwing yourself around the stage and giving it all you’ve got. You made that triangle sing. It’s just that I feel like, as a musical instrument, the triangle comes with certain limitations.

Queenie: You noticed that too? Well, I think the lesson we’ve learned is that you can’t just swap out a trumpet and replace it with a triangle. At least, not without making some changes to the music being played. We tried doing a straight swap – you know, triangle for trumpet – after all, they begin with the same two letters. However, it didn’t work perfectly. For example … and there were many examples, but I suspect that just one will suffice … the triangle solo in the last tune.

Oh yes! I remember. You’re talking about your three minute solo?

Queenie: That’s the one. I tried to get as much feeling into that solo as possible …. But one triangle in the spotlight for three minutes felt a long time. I gave it all of my classic moves, but even then I felt like it dragged a little. You know, I’m sure it would have been wonderful with the trumpet … and that’s why we’re here today.

It is?

Queenie: Why, yes! After the concert, I asked Chicken what she thought of my performance and she was glowing with praise. In fact, she gave me an A for Effort. So, we both thought about it while we tidied the garden, and concluded that I have the potential to step up from triangle.

Step up from the triangle? Well, I think everything’s up from the triangle … I’m not sure there’s a down from the triangle.

Queenie: You may have a point there, Little Dazzy Donuts.

So, what’s up from the triangle? The tambourine?

Queenie: No … we’re going more up than that.

The cymbals?

Queenie: No … even more up than that. We’re talking about the trumpet!

We are?

Queenie: Yes, we are. The trumpet player from Chicken’s jazz quartet is well again now – which is wonderful news …. And so I think my jazz band days may be over. Still, I’m excited to learn an instrument and Chicken has offered to teach me how to play. Today is Lesson number 1. Oh, are you okay if we do our trumpet lesson while you work on the poems?

Definitely I am. I have a few lovely recordings that I wanted to play, and so perhaps I can play those while you have your trumpet lesson.

Queenie: Perfect. Okay then Chicken … let’s try blowing this and see what happens. Now, I am right there, aren’t I? I do blow don’t I? Not suck?

SOUND (Chicken)

Queenie: YIPPEE!!!! This is going really well already. I just checked the first box in Lesson 1. Okay, now which end do I blow into – the narrow end or the wide end. Gosh, silly me – I know that! It’s the narrow end for sure. Okay then, here goes ….

SOUND (Trumpet).

Well, while Queenie learns the trumpet, why don’t I play the first poem for the episode. It comes from Neha in India, and is called The Light. Here, I’ll play the poem for you now.

Neha:

While the world hopes for a ray of light

I look at the dark, starry sky;

Wondering when we’ll win this fight

Why 2020, I’ll never know why.

While the world hopes for a ray of light

I sit at home in sorrow;

Through the day, amidst the night

For a minute of going outside I could borrow.

While the world hopes for a ray of light

I start with a fresh perspective;

Knowing that I just might

Be melancholy and introspective.

While the world hopes for a ray of light

I start to appreciate the little things;

Knowing that I have enough and the gift of sight

I feel like I might have wings.

While the world hopes for a ray of light

I embrace my creativity;

Help at home, work hard sitting upright

Writing this unwritten ditty.

While the world hopes for a ray of light

So far I cannot see;

But from optimism and a vision bright

I know the ray of light is always with me.

A big THANK YOU to Neha for the wonderful poem. Through your poem, you have done a great job of capturing the challenges we have been facing, at the same time as giving us a sense of hope. I like how your ray of light and optimism wins through. Thank you for sending in your poem, and for reading it so nicely.

Okay then, Queenie – how’s it going with the trumpet?

Queenie: Well, it’s proving a little harder than the triangle – but the early signs are promising. Look – I can now blow a note without spraying Chicken! That’s a big leap forward from where we were when we started.

I agree. I think that’s our last towel that Chicken’s using, and so it’s certainly good news that the spraying has stopped. Now, how’s it going with your cheeks?

Queenie: My cheeks? Oh – I see what you mean. Well, I’m lacking a little in technique. I take in a massive breath of air, all ready to play some notes – but I’m just not exactly sure where all of that air is supposed to go. My lungs can only hold enough for a few notes, and so I’m storing some in my cheeks too. But when I do that, I go a strange beetroot color and my eyes bulge. It means that I’m playing more notes and taking fewer breaths, but I’m doing it with an expression that makes me look like I’m about to explode.

Ummm … well, perhaps you shouldn’t take in quite so much air. Also, don’t forget that you’re still on step 1, and so you have a long way to go. Why don’t you keep practicing while I play you a couple more poems?

SOUND (trumpet)

This next poem comes from Shreyashi in India, and is called Gratitude. Here, I’ll play the poem for you now.

Gratitude is a flow of heavenly thoughts

It teaches to be tender and oblige

Gratitude is a personal art of fineness

Teaches to arise .

It is a concept of moral thought

guides as a well wisher

it is nothing but a friend in disguise

plays with its counterpart ever and ever.

A very positive concept it is

attracts peace and pleasure

teaches politeness and sublime

as a resourceful teacher .

It is a self evaluter

needs no utterance

it always embraces and values behavior

without hindrance.

It brings nearer to elders

generates affection

gratitude empowers from with in

reveals "you are not alone".

Do good and be good is it's soul

It's mind is acceptance

gratitude; always a lesson of pearls

a worth of it's kind .

A big THANK YOU to Shreyashi for the wonderful poem. You’ve done a lovely job of exploring what gratitude means and how it impacts our lives. You’ve seen gratitude as a concept, a friend, and a teacher.  Thank you for encouraging us to think more deeply about gratitude, and for recording your poem so nicely.

Up next is Prachi in the United Kingdom, with the poem My Lovely Thriving Garden. Here, I’ll play the poem for you now.

I look outside my window

I am surrounded by Earth

I gazed towards the blue vibrant sky

The ravishing but strangely figured clouds

But suddenly those sounds

God that has walked upon these grounds

Although, it was the rain palpitating

This was just devastating

But it did make me remember my childhood

The fact that no one understood

The birds preaching ever so gracefully

So contended, so youthful

But not only playful

But as the summer sun starts settling in

The alluring flowers start blooming

I take in the fragrance of sprouting flowers

From buttercups to roses flourishing in showers

Time is constantly passing

Hours on end I am surrounded by a fully thriving garden

A big THANK YOU to Prachi for your poem. Your poem really calls out to us as, like you, we love our garden too. There’s something so special about the vibrancy of a garden, the life it brings, how it fills our different senses, and the lessons is teaches us. Your poem really captures that.  Thank you so much for your poem and for recording it so beautifully,

So, Queenie, how’s it going with the trumpet?

Queenie: Well, I’m taking a little breather right now. I think that I was blowing so hard that I got a little light-headed there for a moment, and so Chicken suggested we take a short break.

Ah yes – I see that the two of you are eating donuts.

Queenie: We are. The logic appears to be that a ring donut is shaped a little like a trumpet mouthpiece … and so I’m practicing blowing the trumpet by blowing through the hole in my donut. As I do that, I get to also nibble some of said donut. Now, I’m not sure quite how legitimate this training technique is, but I’m open to trying Chicken’s new innovative music teaching approaches.

Especially if it involves eating a donut.

Queenie: Oh yes. Especially then. Oh well, I’m finished the donut now, and my head has stopped spinning as much, and so it must be time to re-start the lesson with the actual trumpet.

While you do that, how about I play us the final poem for the episode. This final poem comes from Subha in India, and is called My Life. Here, I’ll play the poem for you now.

Subha is my name,

I want to play Ball badminton game,

This is my aim,

And I want to become a Ball badminton player,

But I got failure........

I didn't accepted this failure,

Still, I am trying to get success.......

So my friends.......

"Ever tried,

Ever failed".

"No matter,

Try again".

"Fail again,

Fail better".

Failure is not the opposite of success,

It's part of success.........

A big THANK YOU, Subha, for your wonderful poem. I learned a lot from it – in fact, I hadn’t seen Ball Badminton before, and after reading your poem, I read all about it and watched some videos too. I really like how you view failure, not as the opposite of success, but as part of success too. To be thankful for success, we also have to be thankful for failure too. Thank you so much for your poem! It was so wonderful to receive it.

Well, that was our final poem, Queenie, and I bet your trumpet lesson is wrapping up about now too. How far did you get in Lesson 1?

Queenie: I got so much further than I expected. I’m putting that down to having an amazing trumpet teacher in Chicken. She’s patient, that’s for sure … especially now I’ve stopped spraying her every time I blow the trumpet.

That’s wonderful. How about you play a note or two before we all head home?

Queenie: Oh, I’ve got further than a note or two …. I have quite a few notes now. Here, I’ll show you. It all starts with a big breath in ….. (breath sound) …

Queenie: Cough …. Gosh, I think I just breathed in a fly! …. Cough. Oh well, I’m sure it will come out as I blow the trumpet. Let’s try that again …. (breath sound) …

SOUND (Trumpet)

Oh wow! That was amazing, Queenie. You learned all of that in lesson 1?

Queenie: I did. I think I owe my success to the donut technique – that totally changed the way I play!

Well done, Chicken, for your amazing teaching … and you too, Queenie. You’re a trumpet natural! Oh well, before we head home, I should first thank everyone for joining us for the episode, and also thank our poets today Neha, Shreyashi, Prachi, and Subha. Also, I want remind you that you can enter your own poetry and art into the competition. Just check out kidspoetryclub.com for full details on the competition and how to enter. The competition is open until October 30th. One final reminder is that we’re back with a normal episode on Monday, with a brand new topic, and new poems.

As always, let's finish with our short goodbye poem:

We've had some fun 

with things that rhymed

goodbye Kids 

until next time!

This is Little Dazzy Donuts saying .... keep rhyming!!!

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