Educational:
2003 ECMA and MIANS Winners
RAZZMATAZZ FOR KIDS
Nova Scotia School Shows
Fun and Educational? You Bet!
The uniqueness of this group is in their
blending of exciting music, participatory songs,
physical comedy, and educational content.
RAZZMATAZZ's one-hour school show is a world-class musical experience and a cultural journey.
In their original and traditional songs, husband and wife T.C. (Thomas Cormier) and Sandy Greenberg, with multi-instrumentalist Gordon Stobbe, combine roots music genres with child-oriented lyrics, bringing folk traditions alive for kids. Old-Timey, Celtic, Acadian, Klezmer, Appalachian, and Blues music styles broaden children's musical and social horizons. Performers share their own heritage by singing some French and Hebrew songs.
Sparkling musicianship on acoustic instruments-fiddle, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, percussion-- introduces them to the world of pre-electronic music. Riveting theatrics and comedy, and the chance for everyone to participate, enhance the experience.
RAZZMATAZZ has been told by principals that every song in their school show relates to some aspect of the elementary school curriculum, such as French, music, immigration, history, food groups, and appreciation of cultural diversity. Values and life skills such as paying attention, trying one's best, and the worth and value of each person, are also reinforced. A Study Guide is available.
Also available for French Immersion or francophone classes is a completely French or bilingual show, in which contemporary and traditional French songs engage students in the French culture. The show includes Acadian immigration to the Maritimes, learning the hand signals to "do, re, mi", and lots of audience participation--singing, making funny noises, and doing physical motions to songs. The bilingual show includes English explanations of the French songs, where needed.
RAZZMATAZZ has toured schools, festivals, and theatres in Canada and the United States since 1990, and has won many awards, including the East Coast Music Awards, "Children's Recording of the Year, 2003", a Music Industry of Nova Scotia Award for "Children's Artist of the Year 2003", and a Canadian Independent Music Awards nomination in 2002.
RAZZMATAZZ offers two school shows: one for grade 3 and under, and one
for grade 5 and under. Grade 6 may also be included in the audience, if
the school requests. Most of the songs for these two shows are selected,
according to age appropriateness, from the following list.
RAZZMATAZZ FOR KIDS
School concert repertoire will be mainly chosen from the following:
Fiddle Tune (traditional)
Curriculum subjects: Music (traditional fiddle music, clapping to rhythm)
Some concerts are introduced by a short fiddle tune, with Gordon Stobbe,
the fiddler introduced at the end of the tune. T.C. goes out in the
audience to encourage the audience to clap along. At the end of the tune,
T.C. explains that RAZZMATAZZ does all kinds of music including English,
French, and Hebrew songs, as well as songs with no words at all, which are
called instrumentals. That is what we just heard.
Instrumentation: guitar, fiddle, hand clapping
Glad You're Here (Sandy Greenberg)
Curriculum subjects: Music (being invited to join in, clapping to rhythm)
Health (everyone is welcome and has a chance to participate)
Some concerts are introduced by this song. T.C. asks the kids to point
their fingers in the air and point to us each time they count, "1, 2, 3,
go!" This song invites everyone to gather round and find a comfy spot,
tells them we're glad they're here, and lets them know we've brought our
favourite instruments to help us with our songs, and that they will have a
chance to sing and clap along. They are invited to clap along on the
chorus.
Instrumentation: guitar, banjo, Cajun (wrought-iron) triangle
Si mon moine voulait danser (traditional)
Curriculum Subjects: French; History (Acadian emigration from France to
Canada, kids in the 1400's playing with spin-tops); Music (French music
which uses a call and response-type verse, with the main singer being
echoed by the others)
T.C. first introduces himself and asks the students to repeat his name
(Thomas Cormier) with the proper French pronunciation. Then he tells of
growing up in a French family and going to French schools in New Brunswick,
a Maritime Province of Canada, and that the Acadians originally came over
to Canada from France. He explains that the song is what kids used to sing
in the 1400's in France while playing with their spin tops, which, while
spinning, looked like they were dancing. The kids sang about dressing up
the spintop with a coat, hood, and belt. During the song, the students are
encouraged to clap to the rhythm, which speeds up at the end.
Instrumentation: guitar, fiddle, and harmonica
Going to my Grandma's (Sandy Greenberg, Rose Vaughan)
Curriculum subjects: Social Studies (importance of connections with
family, expecially between children and seniors), Health (self-esteem -
feeling worthy and loved); Music (Klezmer)
Concert: Sandy introduces the song by talking about her Grandma and asking
to kids to think of someone who gives them great hugs. It could be someone
they visit, like a grandparent, aunt or uncle, a family friend, or their
parents. Then they are asked to give themselves one of those great hugs.
The kids go through the motions to the words of the song: Grandma hugs me
(hug), says I've grown (they raise their hands to the sky), I feel so
important on my very own (they take hold of their shirts at the top of
their chests and and pull them back and forth), She says I'm her honey bun
(they pat their cheeks) When I'm at my Grandma's we have so much fun (they
wave their hands) that I want to sing doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle, doo,
doo, doo, going to my Grandma's (they pat their legs with their hands like
walking down the street to go and visit Grandma.) This is the chorus, and
they repeat these motions every time the chorus is sung. The verses talk
about packing for the trip, giving Mummy a break, looking forward to seeing
Grandma's face, how Grandma says they're "good as gold", and telling
Grandma not to cry when Mummy comes to take them home, because they'll be
back soon. The song ends with the words "I sure love my Grandma."
Instrumentation: guitar, fiddle, and tambourine
Hava Nagila (traditional)
Curriculum subjects: Social Studies (multiculturalism, Jewish history and
languages, immigration to the United States and Canada, the challenge of
learning a new language when you immigrate); Health (conflict resolution -
coming up with solutions acceptable to both parties of a dispute, the
importance of trying your best and not expecting to be perfect the first
time you try something, importance of family connections); Music (exposure
to Klezmer music, which uses the mixolidian mode instead of a major or
minor key)
Sandy introduces herself, explaining that her name, Sandy Greenberg, is a
Jewish name, and that all of her ancestors came from Russia. Because the
Jewish people, a minority in Russia were not treated well, many of them
emigrated to the United States. She tells about her grandmother, who came
over at the age of 12 with her mother, brothers and sisters to join her
father, who had been working to make money to bring over the family.
Sandy's grandmother spoke Russian, plus Yiddish and Hebrew, two Jewish
languages, but because she didn't speak English, she was put in the first
grade. Sandy lets the students know that because her grandmother worked
hard learning English, and because children are so smart with languages,
she was soon able to catch up with her classmates. Sandy explains that her
grandmother's favourite song was "Hava Nagila" which, loosely translated
means "Let's have a good time all together," and she invites the audience
to start clapping slowly over their heads. As the song gradually speeds
up, T.C. goes out in the audience with the tambourine. When the song gets
too fast for him, he stops everybody, but not before Gordon does a fast Klezmer-type solo on the fiddle. Sandy wants to song to speed up even more, and T.C. wants the song to slow down. They agree to let the kids vote, but first T.C. tells the kids a shaggy dog
story about how their hands will catch on fire and go up in smoke if they
clap any faster. Sandy asks the kids if they believe him. "No" is the
answer. Then T.C admits that he doesn't want to go faster because he's afraid he can't dance
and play the tambourine that fast. The kids and Sandy convince him that
that's how you learn, that it's only important to try your best. As the
song then speeds up, T.C. puts on a Russian hat and does a wacky version of
Russian dancing for the finale.
Instrumentation: guitar, fiddle, and tambourine.
Oh, Poor Grumpy Old Me (Rose Vaughan, Sandy Greenberg)
Curriculum subjects: Health (how do you handle anger and sadness - a
cooling off period is often very helpful, upsetting things happen to
everybody and they make you feel grumpy--you have a choice of how to handle
your grumpy feelings.)
Sandy asks the audience whether they've ever had a bad day. She says that
when you're having a bad day, sometimes it's really important to talk to
someone, and sometimes, it's good just to go off by yourself for a while
till you're feeling better. The song tells the story of a series of
childhood calamaties (tangled hair, broken cookie, skinned knee) with a
chorus that the kids sing along to ("Oh, poor grumpy old, grumpy old me, oh
poor grumpy old me").After cooling off in her room the child receives a
lettter saying her friends have come to play. She thinks about the fun
they will have, and decides she's feeling better and goes to join them.
Instrumentation: guitar and mandolin
The Chicken Pox Blues (Thomas Cormier, Sandy Greenberg, Rose
Vaughan)
Curriculum subjects: History (the blues was invented by
African-Americans); Health (chicken pox is a disease which is spread by
contact and gives you itchy red spots and makes you feel sick, and you can
also laugh at it, positive attitude about returning to school after an
illness); Music (blues)
T.C. introduces the song by talking about chicken pox symptoms and that
feeling sick can also be called feeling blue. Of course, there's kind of
music called the blues, which was invented by African-Americans. Then
Sandy shows the children how to be chickens (thumbs under armpits, flapping
wings three times, and saying "bawk, bawk, bawk"). They practice doing
this three times for the chorus. Then T.C. starts the song, which is his
story of getting the chicken pox and all the parts of his body they cover.
When he gets back to school (feeling so cool), all he sees are "the
teacher and me - because everybody else has the chicken pox."
Instrumentation: guitar and fiddle.
The Macaroni (Sandy Greenberg)
Curriculum subjects: Health (the importance of being on time); Social
Studies (ringing of the dinner bell, the rub-board instrument from
Louisiana, the teak wood block from the Carribbean); Music (synchopated
Latin rhythms, the body as a percussion instrument)
Sandy introduces the song by asking the students to imagine their favourite
type of macaroni, and what would happen if they were late for supper (it
would get cold). She gets the kids to remind T.C. not to be late (they
waggle their fingers at him and say "don't be late" - he tries wagging his
finger at them, but Gordon keeps turning it around back toward T.C.). The
song is a take-off of the Macarena, mentioning many types of pasta.
Instrumentation: Louisiana rub-board, woodblock, hands and bodies.
Bump (Sandy Greenberg)
Curriculum subjects: Social Studies: (parts of the world, modes of
transportation, rooms in houses, connections to family and friends);
English (rhyming); Music (singing)
Sandy teaches the audience the response part of the chorus ("bump, bump,
bump, bump, bump, bump"). T.C. puts on his bus driver hat and invites the
kids to put on their imaginary ones, and become bus drivers like him, as
this song is about bumping down a road. He asks them where they could sing
this song besides in a bus (they come up with cities, states, provinces,
countries, modes of transportation, parts of houses, etc.), and whom they
could sing it to (they answer Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, friend, sister, etc.).
The verses also have words for the kids to fill in by rhyming.
Instrumentation: guitar and banjo
Limberjacks (traditional)
Curriculum subjects: Social Studies (hand-made wooden instruments and
percussive toys - fiddle and dancing figures or limberjacks, fiddle tunes
from Canada, Quebec, Appalachia; Music (fiddle tunes, rhythm)
Gordon asks the kids what the instrument is he's playing. He explains that
a violin and fiddle are the same instrument, but that fiddling is a style
of playing, so he calls his instrument a fiddle. He tells them it is made
of 75 pieces of wood, glued together. Fiddlers love to play for dancers,
and T.C. brings out Woody, the dancing man, or limberjack, and demonstrates
his dancing while Gordon plays an Appalachian tune. Then we invite
students to try the limberjacks (we also have a woman and a horse). We let
them know that these figures are popular all over the world. Other students
come up to play wooden spoons and tambourines. Gordon introduces each tune
by telling its name and where it came from.
Instrumentation: guitar, fiddle, limberjacks, wooden spoons, tambourines,
and hand claps
Savez-vous planter les choux? (traditional)
Curriculum subjects: French, Music
T.C. shows the kids the motions to go with fingers (les doits), hands (les
mains), foot (le pied), hip (la hanche), and head (la tête). Then we use
all of these motions during the song while we're planting a garden of
cabbages (les choux). The song is followed by a Cape Breton (of Scottish
derivation) fiddle tune while the kids clap to the rhythm.
Instrumentation: (song) guitar and fiddle.
Instrumentation: (fiddle tune) guitar, fiddle, and Cajun (wrought iron)
triangle.
Zum Gali Gali (traditional)
Curriculum subjects: Languages (Hebrew); Health (everyone is important and
has a contribution to make); Music (singing in parts, and following
conducting directons of louder, softer, and stop, joining in on a clapped
rhythm)
Sandy introduces the song by singing the words of the descant, first in
Hebrew and then in English ("From the dawn to the setting sun, everyone has
work to be done"). She explains that means that everyone has a
contribution to make, no matter how big or small you are. She then teaches
the kids the lower part (zum, gali, gali), and they practice their part
following the conducting directions. Then the kids, T.C., and Gordon sing
the lower part while Sandy sings the descant. Half-way through Sandy adds
a clapped rhythm. The ending is everyone singing the lower part with Sandy
conducting (louder, softer, stop).
Acapella with hand claps
Bingo (traditional)
Curriculum subjects: English (spelling made fun); Music (substituting
claps for certain beats).
T.C. puts on his dog hat and gets the kids to help him spell Bingo, by
putting one hand on a hip, pointing the other direction, and repeating the
letters (switching sides with each letter). Then the song in sung,
dropping a letter and adding a clap each time. The last time through barks
are substituted for claps, and Gordon howls on the fiddle for the finale.
Instrumentation: guitar, fiddle, and hand claps
Who Did It (Thomas Cormier)
Curriculum subjects: English (spelling, alphabetizing, using the
dictionary and the library, word construction, rhyming); Science (animals);
Music (rock-a-billy style)
T.C. introduces the songs by talking about an animal that has sharp teeth
that lives in the swamps of states like Louisiana and Florida . He asks
the kids to complete the sentences "Who put the al in the alligator, who
put the croc in the crocodile, who put the hip in the hippopotamus, who put
the rhi in the rhinoceros." He then divides the group into two, and gets
group one to say alligator and hippopotamus, and group two to say crocodile
and rhinoceros. The first verse is about waking up from a dream and
singing the chorus, the second is about a church choir singing the chorus,
and the third is about a teacher in schools asking the questions in the
chorus. Then T.C. asks who did all those things (put the "al" in the
alligator, etc.). The kids all point to T.C. and say "You did it!". Then
T.C. goes into a long shaggy dog story about lying on a beach, and getting
sunstroke, and a voice coming into his head saying "alligator". But, he
doesn't even know how to spell alligator. Does it have one "L" or two
"L's"? He then tells the story about going to the library to look in the
dictionary. When he is baffled by how many words there are, the librarian
tells him to look it up in alphabetical order. When he find "alligator" he
finds it has two "L's", and he and the kids spell it together.
Instrumentation: song is guitar and mandolin
Fiddle tunes/Parade (traditional)
Curriculum subjects: Music (playing percussion instruments, following a
rhythm)
T.C. picks about ten kids from the audience to come to the front and play
rhythm instruments while Gordon plays some fiddle tunes. The rest of the
audience claps the rhythm. If the space allows, T.C. leads the kids on a
parade around the audience.
Instrumentation: guitar, fiddle, Cajun (wrought iron) triangle, wooden
spoons, tambourines, shakers
J'ai vu le loup (traditional)
T.C. tells the story in French, and Sandy translates it into English. "The other day, I took a walk in the forest. When I came upon a clearing, I saw a wolf, a fox, and weasel. They were clapping their hands, stamping their feet, snapping their fingers, clicking their tongues, singing, and yelping. They were having a great time!" During this song (sung in French), the audience is given the opportunity to participate in all the activities, just like the wolf, the fox, and the weasel.
Food Groups (Sandy Greenberg)
In this song, the kids get to be toast, popping up out of the toaster, they get to catch a rolling apple, and flip some pancakes. They also learn about all the many possibilites for breakfast foods, about the importance of eating breakfast, and about the four food groups.
Banjo (Sandy Greenberg)
Gordon's banjo ("Jo") is shy. In this song we invite the banjo to join the band. We also explain the banjo's African roots, and show the audience the lion carved into the neck of the banjo.
Dum-Dee-Di-Dee-Diddily-Do (Calvin Vollrath)
Using "mouth music", Gordon teaches the kids, Sandy, and T.C. how to play a fiddle tune.
