Get ready for a festive round of What Was That Sound?—our special holiday edition! In today's episode, we explore four magical instruments that help create the twinkling, sparkling, joyful sound of Christmas music. Kids will listen to short audio clues and try to guess each instrument before the answer is revealed. It's a fun, interactive way to train their ears and learn musical facts!

To make the experience even more hands-on, don't forget to download the free What Was That Sound? printable worksheet linked here. Kids can write down their guesses, take notes and share what they've learned using this fun printable.

Today's four mystery instruments all play a special role in holiday music:

• Hear the shimmering, fairy-like instrument made famous in Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Learn how Tchaikovsky fell in love with this brand-new instrument and kept it secret before the premiere of The Nutcracker!
• Discover how a certain instrument's peaceful, angelic sound creates a warm glow underneath Christmas classics like O Holy Night and appears in many holiday film scores.
• Learn how a certain instrument was originally used on real horses (hint: safety!)—and how composers from Mozart to Leroy Anderson added them to music to create a joyful, snowy atmosphere
• From Handel's Hallelujah Chorus to jazzy renditions of Jingle Bells, this instrument brings sparkle, celebration and energy to holiday music across many styles.

Make listening interactive! Kids can track their guesses, jot down fun facts, and bring music learning to life by downlading this printable.

• Episode 18: The Trumpet | Busy Kids Do Piano
• Episode 52: The Harp | Busy Kids Do Piano
• Episode 111: Sleigh Bells | Busy Kids Do Piano

• A curated playlist of all four festive musical selections here

Thank you for joining me for this joyful, interactive musical celebration. From my family to yours—Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I'll see you next time on Busy Kids Love Music.

In this week's episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're welcoming the Christmas season with a beautiful and expressive work by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams — a musician who adored both folk tunes and the charming old carols passed down through generations.

In Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Vaughan Williams weaves together three traditional English carols into one imaginative and atmospheric piece for baritone, chorus, and orchestra:

• The Truth Sent from Above

• Come All You Worthy Gentlemen

• On Christmas Night All Christians Sing (often known as The Sussex Carol)

You'll learn:

• Why Vaughan Williams was passionate about preserving English folk music

• What a fantasia is and how this piece "daydreams" from one idea to another

• How the composer added "hidden" carol fragments throughout the music

• Why this work was meaningful during World War I

• Details about the piece's 1912 premiere at the Three Choirs Festival

• How Fantasia on Christmas Carols continues to inspire holiday performances today

This episode also explains the unique combination of baritone soloist, full choir, and orchestra, and how the piece begins and ends with a moving cello solo.

Find the complete recording of Fantasia on Christmas Carols here.

Don't miss these seasonal resources from Busy Kids Do Piano!

• Online Nutcracker Camp for Kids

• Musical Advent Calendar

Get ready for a fun musical mystery game in our next episode:
"What Was That Sound? – Holiday Edition!"
We'll explore instruments of the season with festive sound-guessing challenges your kids will love.

Thanks for listening, and as always — keep listening and keep learning, because Busy Kids Love Music!

In this fun, interactive episode of Busy Kids Love Music, I invite you to step into the orchestra pit of a Broadway theater to solve some musical mysteries!

This month we've been celebrating the release of Wicked: For Good, and today's episode continues that celebration with a special "What Was That Sound?" – Musical Theater Edition! You'll hear short clips from favorite musicals and try to guess which instruments are playing. Each instrument plays a special role in creating the drama, excitement, and emotion of live theater.

This episode helps young listeners train their ears, learn about instrument families in the orchestra, and understand how each sound helps tell a musical story on stage.

1. Wicked – "Defying Gravity"

2. Hamilton – "My Shot"

3. The Lion King – "Circle of Life"

4. The Sound of Music – "Do-Re-Mi"

Can you guess all the instruments correctly?
Download the Musical Theater Edition Audio Treasure Hunt Worksheet to write your answers and keep the game going at home!

👉 Download Here

• Explore four instrument families in the orchestra.

• Discover how percussion, brass, and strings add character and emotion to theater music.

• Practice active listening and build your child's musical vocabulary through play.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out thh full playlist of songs featured today — perfect for singing, dancing, and listening together as a family!
👉 Playlist Link

Don't forget to listen to Episode 162 about Stephen Schwartz, the brilliant composer and lyricist behind Wicked!

• 🎹 Learn piano with Busy Kids Do Piano: busykidsdopiano.com

• 📸 Follow along on social media:

  • Instagram: @busykidsdopiano

  • Facebook: Busy Kids Do Piano

  • YouTube: Busy Kids Do Piano Channel

This month on Busy Kids Love Music, we're celebrating the magic of musical theater — and the brand-new movie Wicked: For Good! In this episode, I introduce young listeners to Stephen Schwartz, the brilliant composer and lyricist behind some of Broadway and Disney's most beloved songs.

From his early studies at Juilliard and Carnegie Mellon to writing timeless shows like Godspell, Pippin, and Children of Eden, Stephen Schwartz has spent his career creating music that inspires and uplifts. Of course, his most famous work — Wicked — reimagines the story of Oz through unforgettable songs like "Defying Gravity," "Popular," and "For Good."

As you listen, you'll learn what it means to be both a composer and a lyricist, explore Schwartz's journey to Broadway, and discover how his music brings characters' emotions to life.

• "For Good" – Wicked

• "Popular" – Wicked

• "Corner of the Sky" – Pippin

• "Defying Gravity" – Wicked

• "No Good Deed" – Wicked

Turn this episode into an interactive listening activity!
Download the Audio Treasure Hunt Worksheet from the show notes to answer fun questions about Stephen Schwartz and test your listening skills as you go.
👉 Download Here

• Stephen Schwartz wrote music and lyrics for Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell. Listen to a full playlist of Stephen Schwartz favorites here!

• He also penned lyrics for Disney favorites like Pocahontas ("Colors of the Wind"), The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted.

• You can even spot Stephen Schwartz himself in a cameo appearance in Wicked: Part 1!

This episode kicks off a month-long celebration of musical theater at Busy Kids Love Music! Stay tuned for more Wicked-themed fun and behind-the-scenes stories about Broadway composers.

🎧 Subscribe to Busy Kids Love Music wherever you get your podcasts, and don't miss a single musical adventure.

• 🎹 Learn piano with Busy Kids Do Piano: busykidsdopiano.com

• 📸 Follow along on social media:

  • Instagram: @busykidsdopiano

  • Facebook: Busy Kids Do Piano

  • YouTube: Busy Kids Do Piano Channel

In Part 2 of our Imogen Holst series, we step into the crisp, colorful world of autumn through one of her most beautiful works — The Fall of the Leaf.

Written in the 1960s and based on a 17th-century English melody of the same name, this short cello concerto paints a gentle, moody, and slightly mysterious musical picture of a single leaf drifting to the ground. We'll explore how Holst uses dissonance, movement, and mood to capture the quiet magic of an October afternoon.

This episode also includes another Audio Treasure Hunt! Download the free printable below and use it as you listen to uncover hidden clues about the music.

🎧 What you'll learn in this episode:

• How Imogen Holst adapted an ancient English tune into her own reflective composition.

• What dissonance is — and how Holst uses it to create mystery.

• How musical movement can mimic the slow, twisting drift of a falling leaf.

• Why this piece feels both peaceful and bittersweet at the same time.

💡 Listening Challenge:
As you listen to The Fall of the Leaf, close your eyes and imagine:

• A single leaf falling from a tall tree.

• The wind gently blowing.

• The quiet of an October afternoon.
  What colors, shapes, or stories come to mind?

📍 Links & Resources:

• Download the Audio Treasure Hunt

• Listen to The Fall of the Leaf performance

• Learn more about Imogen Holst in Episode 160

We're kicking off a brand-new series on the Busy Kids Love Music podcast, and this time our focus is on the remarkable life and work of composer Imogen Holst.

You might recognize her last name—yes, her father was the famous Gustav Holst, composer of The Planets. But Imogen was far more than "the daughter of…" She built her own musical career as a gifted composer, conductor, teacher, and champion of the arts, making an impact that still resonates today.

In this episode, you'll discover:
🎵 How growing up in a musical household shaped Imogen's early years
🎵 Her studies at the Royal College of Music and her path to becoming a composer
🎵 The important roles she played during World War II to bring music to communities and support refugee musicians
🎵 Her close collaboration with composer Benjamin Britten and her work at the Aldeburgh Festival
🎵 Why her music stands out, and how she forged her own creative voice in a male-dominated field

This episode also features an Audio Treasure Hunt—a free printable you can download from the show notes. As you listen, see how many questions you can answer about Imogen Holst's life and music!

Listen now to learn about a trailblazing 20th-century musician whose legacy includes not only her own compositions, but also her dedication to uplifting the work of others.

Resources & Links:

• Download your free Audio Treasure Hunt printable

• Curated playlist of Imogen Holst's music

Think you can solve a musical mystery?

In this extra-fun episode of Busy Kids Love Music, you'll become a musical detective as we play a guessing game with four mystery instrument sounds. I'll play you a short clip from a famous piece of music—your job is to figure out "What Was That Sound?"

Once you make your guess, I'll reveal the answer and share some fascinating facts about the instrument, including:

• The fastest-fingered member of the string family
• The tallest instrument in the orchestra
• The woodwind with a delightfully sneaky tone
• The percussion star that keeps an entire piece marching along

To make it even more fun, I've created a free printable worksheet that you can use to write down your guesses. This is a perfect at-home, in-the-car, or classroom activity to sharpen your listening skills—and you can even quiz your family and friends afterward.

Plus, I've put together a playlist of the full-length versions of all the music featured in today's game, so you can enjoy each piece from start to finish.

Listen now and put your musical ears to the test!

📄 Free Worksheet: Download here
🎶 Featured Playlist: Listen here

It's time for a spooky (but silly!) musical adventure as we wrap up our 3-part series on the brilliant French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.

In today's episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're exploring one of Saint-Saëns' most imaginative and well-known pieces: Danse Macabre — or "Dance of Death." But don't worry — while the title sounds a bit eerie, this piece is more like a playful Halloween dance party than a fright fest. With dancing skeletons, chiming midnight bells, and a dramatic story told entirely through music, Danse Macabre is the perfect mix of spooky and fun.

Inside this episode, your child will:

• Learn the meaning behind the title Danse Macabre
• Discover how Saint-Saëns uses musical instruments like the xylophone, violin, and oboe to paint a vivid scene
• Hear how a spooky-sounding interval called a tritone helps set the mood
• Use their imagination to picture the skeleton dance party in full swing
• Listen for musical clues like midnight chimes and a rooster crowing at dawn

Don't forget to download your FREE Audio Treasure Hunt!
I've hidden six questions throughout the episode for your child to uncover as they listen.

👉 Download it here

Mentioned in this episode:

• Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns
• Instruments to listen for: xylophone (rattling bones!), harp (midnight chimes), violin (creepy tritone), and oboe (the rooster at dawn)
• Previous episodes in our Saint-Saëns series:
  → Episode 156: Meet the Composer – Camille Saint-Saëns
  → Episode 157: Carnival of the Animals

Whether you're listening around Halloween or just in the mood for something dramatic and fun, this episode will show how music can spark imagination and tell a story — even without any words.