FIAR: Music in 'Lentil'

Rowing "Lentil" by Robert McClosky gave us a great excuse to learn more about orchestra instruments. I've been taking the Darling Girl to orchestra concerts since she was 2, and so she's familiar with the general concept, but I didn't know how much she knew about the individual instruments.

She loves violins and in absence of a real instrument, she made her own with a pencil and her arm!

We read:
I just have to say that I had so much fun with this collection of books. The rhythm of the words, the illustrations, everything was done so well.
- Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig
- Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss (SUCH a fun book!)
- Sounds All Around by Wendy Pfeffer
- Animal Orchestra: A Counting Book by Scott Gustafson
- Duke Ellington: the Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney
- Mozart Finds a Melody by Stephen Costanza
- Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbra Nicol
- Meet the Orchestra by Ann Hayes
- Never Play Music Right Next To The Zoo by John Lithgow

We got a collection of Library books that included CDs and music!
-  Can You Hear It? by William Lach
This fantastic book links art pieces with musical pieces, and was so much fun. My daughter wanted to keep going all the way through in one sitting!
- Beethoven's Wig by Richard Perlmutter
This fun book includes silly lyrics that go along with some of Beethoven's masterpieces
- The Story of the Incredible Orchestra: An Introduction to Musical Instruments and the Symphony Orchestra by Bruce Koscielniak
- The Story of the Orchestra: Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, The Music, and the Composers Who Wrote the Music by Robert Levine

We did:
I sat down at the piano and dusted off some of my books. The kiddos and I sang a bunch of songs. The Girl walked around for days with her toy harmonica, playing away.

We watched:
I found a bunch of YouTube videos where musicians from the Philharmonica Orchestra in London explained the ins and outs of their instruments.

For fun, we also checked out a Swedish musical group that included a harmonica!

Outdoor concert at Eidem farm

Slow down and enjoy simple pleasures of life at Eidem Homestead in Brooklyn Park. Music on the front porch. Feeding the goats. Laughing over the antics of the chickens. Climbing trees and running in the grass.

Experience these and more when you attend a Thursday evening concert at Eidem (101st and Noble in Brooklyn Park). We saw the Okee Dokee Brothers perform on Thursday night July 17. What a show! The place was packed for this popular Bluegrass children's group. We danced to "Rosita," our favorite song about the buzzing, man-eating mosquito. And of course, we dose-doed to the "Boatman's Dance."

UPCOMING OPEN HOUSES, MARKETS & CONCERTS
The open house and market runs from 4-7, and the concerts from 7-8. Free.
- July 31: Greg Herrieges Duo. Herrieges, vocalist, multi-insrtumentalist and composer, creates an eclectic mix of original and traditional "whirled music," influenced by South and East Asian styles. Accompanied by Minnesota-based percussionist Michael Bissonnette.
- Aug. 7: Dirty Shirts Brass Band. New-Orleans-style brass band paying jazz, swing, rock N roll, blues and Dixieland music.
- Aug. 14 - J-Star of the Zinghoppers (specifically child focused). Minneapolis' "pied pipers of preschool party rocking" perform original songs aimed at hip-hop, electric dance music, and pop.
- Aug. 21 - Splatter Sisters (specifically child focused). Upbeat songs that encourage audience participation. They're a hit with kids!

They also offer Movies on the Barn. Bring chairs, picnic blankets, warm clothes and friends! The movie is projected onto the barn door. Gates open at 8, and the movies start at dusk. Free entry.

UPCOMING MOVIES ON THE BARN
- Aug. 15: Calamity Jane
- Aug. 25: Field of Dreams
- Sept. 12: Savage Sam

And then there's Storytime at the Farm on Tuesdays! Readings start at 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., with barnyard play following until noon. Free.
- July 22: Cows in the Kitchen, June Crebbin
- Aug. 5: Cock-A-Moo-Moo, Juliet Dalles-Conte
- Aug. 12: A Squash & a Squeeze, Julia Donaldson
- Aug. 19: Click, Clack, Splish, Splash, Doreen Cronin

If you're busy during the day, they offer Evening Storytime on Tuesdays. Come in your jammies and enjoy a peaceful farmyard evening. Listen to the children's stories. Say goodnight to the animals. 7-8 p.m. Free.
- July 29: The Mixed Up Rooster, Pamela Edwards
- Aug. 26: The Flea's Sneeze, Lynn Downey

We plan to get a group together go back for a hayride this fall. They're also opening up the farm in January to February for Snow Days. The grounds will be open to explore. Bring your skis, try their kick sled, build a snowman or try snowshoeing.

ABOUT EIDEM HOMESTEAD
The Eidem Homestead is a 10-acre living-history farm that depicts Minnesota farm life, circa 1890-1900. The farm was first homesteaded over a century ago and was owned by the Eidem family for 82 years.

Today, the farm is like a time machine, transporting you back to the turn of the 20th Century when Brooklyn Park was one of the nation’s top potato growing areas.

"We invite you to tour our beautifully restored Victorian house, visit the barn, outbuildings and farm animals. You may smell the delicious apple cake baking in the kitchen, help pump water for the garden, turn the handle on the wringer washing machine, make apple cider in the autumn or put cloves in oranges to make fragrant pomander balls for Christmas. Or just sit on the porch and let yourself drift back in time," urge volunteers.

At Eidem Homestead, “don’t touch” becomes, “look, listen, taste, smell and touch."

There is a small fee for some historical events.

The place is run by the Brooklyn Park Historical Society and owned by the city. More at www.brooklynpark.org/eidemhomestead.

#12 - Outdoor concert at Bryant Square Park

Minneapolis' Music in the Parks series is perfect for our family right now. The 1-year-old and 4-year-old can play on the playground while mom and dad enjoy the music. We often hang out with the grandparents at one of the shows, as well. It makes a nice night out.

See shows at Bryant Square Park on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Bryant also has a pool and fields, as well as a basketball hoop. I like it when the swings and areas for both preK and over K are right next to each other.

3101 Bryant Ave. S., Minneapolis

Learn more at http://www.mplsmusicandmovies.com/

Yo Jimbo Jazz

I love the dolphin! It doesn't work as a fountain anymore, but is still fun to climb on.

#11 - Outdoor concert at Lake Harriet Bandshell

If you want to catch live, outdoor music in the summer in Minneapolis, your best bet is the Lake Harriet Bandshell. There's a concert there every evening Monday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 and 5:30 p.m. http://www.mplsmusicandmovies.com

Take a walk, and visit the Rose Garden/Peace Garden to the east of the bandshell. They are gorgeous.

The playground up the hill is tons of fun, with one of the new water features Minneapolis Parks is adding to its playgrounds when it redos them. The only downside is that you can't see the stage from the playground.

If you are too lazy to pack a picnic, you can eat some basic fried food at Bread & Pickle. They also serve beer and wine.

Rescued by Go Fish

Car rides with my 2-year-old are only manageable with the help of Go Fish, the acapella group that switched over to doing kids music in 2003. Before I added Go Fish to the car, the 1-hour rides to Cambridge once a week for my job were a nightmare.

The Go Fish guys have saved me from a screaming 2-year-old.

I packed her snacks. They ended up strewn all over the floor and crushed into her car seat.

I packed her toys. I discovered the dolls on the opposite side of the backseat.

I made sure she had three nuks. She could never find them. So we had to stop so that I could point out they were stuffed between her leg and the car seat side, easily within her reach.

I tried the radio. I tried ignoring her. I tried talking to her.

The only thing that would stop the shrill screams and rolling tears was if I sang every song I knew. And the only song I could remember in those situations was “Itsy, Bitsy Spider.” Yeah. It’s her favorite. But really how many times can you sing that 25-second song before you want to rip your own vocal chords out? I typically could make it just a few miles and then my attention span went kaput.

Finally I thought to bring along the mixed CD my friend had given me months prior, the one I had shoved aside thinking my baby was waaaay too young for.

Turns out she’s not. She’s already a music lover. A very opinionated music lover. The only music she’ll listen to is Go Fish. No Big ‘N Rich. No SHeDAISY. No, not even Led Zeppelin will satisfy her. Go Fish or nothing.

I’ve tried other kids music, such as the Philadelphia Chickens, Suzi Shelton and Mothersong Santa Cruz. For awhile she was okay with the Beach Boys. But now I get a very insistent “Uh, Uh, Uh!”

So, we listen to a lot of Go Fish. Thank goodness I’ve always been a fan. I remember the guys from my college days. Earlier albums included “Infectious” and “Parade” along with two great Christmas ones (“More than a Story” and “Snow”). They rocked the Excel once while I was in the audience with that great drum solo Jamie does to “The Little Drummer Boy.” Gosh, that was cool! I volunteered at numerous shows in Cambridge at the Hardy Center over the years too, getting to chat it up with Jamie Statema, Jason Folkmann and Andy Selness backstage before I introduced them. I have to confess that I was never too thrilled when they started singing the kids music during the concerts. I was in my 20s and didn’t have kids. I didn’t get it.

Now I do.

When you’re listening to the same music over and over and OVER with your kids, you really will go crazy if it isn’t good music. Go Fish prides itself on music that won’t drive parents bonkers. They succeed.

They’ve got six kids albums:

• Splash (2003) — Find out why Ladybugs should wear sunscreen, learn what would happen if kids ran the church, and hear all about a funky fish named Frankie! Among the selections are This Little Light of Mine and The B-I-B-L-E.

• Superstar (2004) - The Ten Commandment Boogie, Superstar, Lord I Lift Your Name on High, and Jesus Loves Me…need they say more?

• Snooze (2005) - Songs that are great for settling kids down. You’re My Little Girl, Catch a Falling Star, and Welcome to the World.

• Snazzy (2007) - Learn all the books of the Bible in three minutes, get funky while putting on your jammies, and get ready to start a mosh pit with David and Goliath. Includes the hits American Kid and Love Like This.

• Party Like A Preschooler (2008) - With Itsy, Bitsy Spider, this is my 2-year-old daughter’s favorite album. Selections include Do Your Ears Hang Low, 5 Little Monkeys, and Pop Goes the Weasel.

• Kickin’ It Old School (2010) - I didn’t know until today about this album, but I just ordered it. According to their web site, this is the album that proves your grandparents’ music is cooler than you think. Featuring songs like Blessed Assurance, Old Rugged Cross, and This Is My Father’s World.

• Groovy (2011) - The guys started recording this album with Denver & the Mile High Orchestra last month. I can’t wait until there’s another album. The guys could come out with another every few months and I wouldn’t complain.

Go Fish also has a couple DVDs and VBS curriculum. If you’ve get a chance to bring the kids to one of their shows, I recommend you go. Expect a great light show, kids bouncing in their seats and lots of energy. It’s a blast.

Find out more about Go Fish at: gofishguys.com

Jamie’s blog is at:

http://gofishguy.typepad.com/jamie_the_go_fish_guy/

Check them out on Facebook for the latest news.

Local music scene

I love listening to lesser-known, but quite talented musicians. For the past 6 or so years, I've been a part of a group in Cambridge that brings in musical groups to the high school. At theHardy Center we try to offer a range of artists. We've had Ladysmith Black Mumbazo, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Go Fish, Greg Brown, Leon Redbone, Michael Monroe, Jeffrey Steele,Clearwater Hot Club and more. I go to shows, knowing that even if I've never heard the musician before, I'll leave a fan. It never fails.

I am also blessed to be good friends with another talented musician. Christopher Becknell took violin lessons for years, and then taught himself guitar. After having the basics down, he took classical guitar lessons -- a genre I hadn't know existed before. Christopher has broadened my musical horizons. I've been fan of each musical group he's been a part of. With the baby, I don't get a chance to catch many of his (late-night) shows, but I was thrilled this summer when I saw he had two day time shows. The first was at the wonderful Art Fair along St. Anthony in June. The second was on the steps of the Northrup Auditorium on the U of M campus and was especially for all of us who worship the sun.