The Music Box

All aboard the Music Box express! Kiana and Fiona time travel back to 1920s Los Angeles to find a haunted mansion, mysterious happenings, an elusive organist and a dog butler?! Everything is not what it seems in this chilling Halloween special.

Kiana and Fiona interview electric piano technician Matt Blocher of the Chicago Electric Piano Company to learn all about his work. Find out about Matt’s day to day work, the differences and similarities between a Fender Rhodes and a Wurlitzer, advice for becoming a technician, and all the tricks of the trade. Although The Music Box is for everyone of all ages, we would recommend our Behind the Music episode for career-oriented high school-aged students and older, as it’s jam packed with lots of information.

Kiana and Fiona dig into the music and language of the Gullah Geechee people including the incredible true story of one song, one recording, a decades-later discovery thousands of miles away, and the history of some of the music we still sing today!

A wild night time traveling lands Kiana and Fiona somewhere they definitely weren't supposed to be, and they realize something huge: nobody around them knows the Happy Birthday song. That sends them chasing its real history, starting right here in Louisville, and a legal fight you won't believe.

Fiona is nowhere to be found on recording day, and Kiana tracks her down at a vinyl factory where things get weird fast! This episode is a zany adventure into how a song goes from a recording to a record you can actually play.

Kiana and Fiona hit the racetrack to help their friend Lightning Larry prep for a big race, and end up on a musical trip spanning the Kentucky Derby, an opera about a Swiss folk hero, a Lakota horse song, and Tuvan throat singers imitating a gallop. Turns out horses might have more in common with those singers than you'd think. Find out more at musicboxpod.org and follow us on Instagram @learnwithlpm

The Music Box will be back with a new season in the fall. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this special about shape note singing — one of the oldest musical traditions in this country. It’s a practice that began in colonial America, and after centuries of ups and downs in popularity, today it’s finding an expanded and surprisingly diverse new following… and some of its singers believe the music can teach democracy a thing or two. Join Louisville Public Media’s Laura Atkinson and Justin Hicks as they trace this tradition, from its origins 200 years ago to the largest Sacred Harp singing in living memory. “Shapes of America” is an hour-long special from Louisville Public Media and the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom.

In the season 8 finale, Kiana and Fiona are taking you Behind the Music to learn about what it takes to be a professional musician. And we’re lucky to have a very special guest join us on this episode – bassist Christian McBride. Interested in knowing more about careers in music, the secrets of touring and playing music for a living? This one is for you!

This week on The Music Box, Kiana and Fiona find themselves on the case, investigating a haunted piano with a mysterious character. Everything is not what it seems in this Halloween episode. Help the gang find clues to uncover the ghost of music's past!

The Music Box team is getting into the Halloween spirit a little early with this one. Fiona stumbles on mad scientist Kiana and her creations. This week, go a little mad breaking down auditory illusions like the Doppler effect and Shepard’s tone.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Kiana and Fiona are taking you Behind the Music to learn about what it takes to work in sound design, and what better way to learn than from LPM’s very own Alex Biscardi? The Music Box is for all ages, however today's episode is recommended for high school-aged students and older who are interested in knowing more about careers in music and audio fields.

This week on The Music Box, Kiana and Fiona travel all around the world, going to Japan, Tanzania, and West Virginia to explore the history of work songs and their places across different cultures. Get shot out of a cannon, deal with some unruly pirates, and… GET SCURVY?? 😳 This week’s episode is a big adventure.

Paging Doctor Kiana and Nurse Practitioner Fiona to the Musical Unit STAT! Another music doctors episode is back, and this time Kiana and Fiona are solving a flamenco fiasco! Learn about all of the elements of flamenco on this week’s episode.

Have you ever been on a submarine?! Join Kiana and Fiona as they dive into music written about water. Explore music by Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and John Cage while you meet a mermaid and find out the curse of the sunken city!

What do you want to be when you grow up? Kiana and Fiona are taking you Behind the Music to learn about hosting a show on the radio live on air! Dig into the history of radio, talk with a special guest, former 91.9 WFPK host Otis Junior, learn all you need to know about being a host and some fun facts about radio along the way!Find out how to bring 90.5 WUOL and the Music Box to your classroom at lpm.org/music-education or by emailing us at education@lpm.org

Can Fiona become the ultimate guitar master?! This week, Kiana and Fiona meet Rex “The Earthquaker” Dallas to learn all about guitar pedals and their effects. Listen and learn how to craft an epic tone with us!

Music really is all around us! In this week’s episode, sound designer and mystical wizard Alex Biscardi guides Kiana and Fiona through music made with water, singing rocks, even wind that plays the harp! Listen at music box pod dot org.

Kiana and Fiona try to pull an all-nighter and end up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during Carnival! Explore the blocos (blah-co) of Brazilian Carnival to learn about different styles of music from the region like ijexa (ee-jay-shah), xote (sho-chee), and frevo (frey-voo) and hear all the instruments that make them!

Have you ever learned about extended vocal technique from a tour bus full of yodeling gnomes?? There’s a first time for everything! Join Kiana and Fiona as they explore yodeling, hocketing, throat singing and more in the season 8 premiere! Go to musicboxpod.org for more.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Kiana and Fiona are taking you Behind the Music to learn about being a DJ! Dig into the history of DJing, talk with a special guest, 91.9 WFPK’s very own Destiny Carter, a.k.a DJ Lady Dee, learn all you need to know about starting your DJ journey and some fun facts about DJing along the way! Find out how to bring 90.5 WUOL and the Music Box to your classroom at lpm.org/music-education or by emailing us at education@lpm.org Interested in learning how to be a DJ? Our friends over at Amped Music Academy here in Louisville, KY provide accessible resources for musicians aged 6-18.

Kiana, Fiona, and YOU?! We’re bringing the classroom right to your living room in this week’s episode all about musical storytelling. Grab your pen, notebook, and imagination! We’ll listen to the music of The Fretless, Sergei Prokofiev, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Paquito D’Rivera while talking about what inspired them to write their stories. Then, Kiana and Fiona encourage you to write and tell us your story. Find out how to bring 90.5 WUOL and the Music Box to your classroom at lpm.org/music-education or by emailing us at education@lpm.org The Musical Storytelling Playlist: Sergei Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet, No. 13: Dance of the Knights played by the London Symphony Orchestra Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky - “Love Theme” from Romeo and Juliet Paquito D’rivera - Aires Tropicales: Vals Venezolano (Venezuelan Waltz) played by Imani Winds The Fretless - Big Trip (Trip to Windsor / Sheepskin & Beeswax)

Shhh! Do you have your listening ears on? Kiana and Fiona are at Waterfront Park in Louisville, Kentucky tuning our ears to the sonic environment. We explore how to use your community's sounds to make music, art and field recordings. So, have your headphones ready for this episode all about found sound!

Break out your binoculars! We're heading through the musical forest in search of bird music. No, not actual birds, but music meant to sound like them. From Saint-Saëns to Jennifer Higdon, Kiana and Fiona show us the musical aviary, and how nature has inspired composers for centuries.

All aboard the Music Box Express! Kiana wants to visit 1953 and meet a renowned jazz theorist, and Fiona wants to travel to the future to hear some tunes. But they get distracted on the train, and end up waaaaay back in ancient Mesopotamia! And they're just in time for a musical performance like none they've ever heard before. Come along!

Ready for your brain to get bigger? Come along with us as we all fill our heads and ears with Indian classical music! We'll learn about the melodies, rhythms and beats that make up this musical style that's over 6,000 years old! And we'll hear some cool instruments that might sound familiar, even if you don't know their names... yet!

There's more than one way to play a violin, and on this episode, we're learning all about non-traditional ways of playing, also called extended techniques. But what's this? The lesson is coming from INSIDE THE VIOLIN! And there are... pigs? Tiny pigs in there. Listening to Béla Bartók. Because of course they are. You won't want to miss these sounds, folks (but you might want to miss the smells).

What does a sound designer do? Turns out, a lot more than Kiana and Fiona think! On this episode, our own sound designer Alex Biscardi shows the power of sound design to transport us through time and space, make us laugh, and even get us out of some tight spots. Turn on your listening ears and come along!

The Music Box is back! And it's a good thing, because it looks like Baroque needs some fixing. Luckily, Dr. Kiana and Dr. Fiona are on the case! The music "doctors" cauterize Baroque's counterpoint, malleate its melodies, and assess its appoggiaturas... but can they bring Baroque back to all its intricate glory? Find out on this episode of The Music Box!

For season six’s FINALE, we’ll board the finest time traveling locomotive this side of the train soundboard once again to explore experimental music throughout history! We’ll be going all the way from Pauline Oliveros to Bjӧrk, remembering all the things we’ve talked about this season, like improvisation, drum machines, and more! Learn about musical experiments, meet up with an old friend, and get your ticket to hop aboard at musicboxpod.org. Recommended for grades 3-8, but all students can join in on the time traveling fun!!

In the words of James Brown, “get funky with me! C’mon!” We’re back in the operating room this week, so put on your lab coats and get ready to examine all the elements of our next patient - Funk! Join us as we explore rock steady beats, staying on the one, and grooving supporting guitar chords. This episode is recommended for grades K-5, but everyone can groove with us! Additional lessons and resources at musicboxpod.org.

Get your daily dose of music AND science as we dive into the bug’s life and the music they inspire.

Marissa Thomas teaches us about this music career path

This episode is a special one! We’ll board violinist and sound designer Kojin Tashiro’s private jet and fly all around the Asian continent, meet 4 great composers and learn about the music they make. Additional lessons and resources at musicboxpod.org. Recommended for grades K-5, but everyone can embark on this ethereal journey.

Blast off on the SS Wendy Carlos with the Music Box team and learn about all things synthesizers. From sine waves to square waves, we’ll explore the musical galaxy together to uncover all there is to know about these otherworldly electronic instruments. Additional lessons and resources at musicboxpod.org. Recommended for grades K-5, but everyone can embark on this ethereal journey.

Oh, no! Looks like Kiana and Fiona need a little more time to fix up their spaceship before you can come aboard. Luckily, they have everything under control (they took the manual with them). Get ready to blast off on September 7th. Additional lessons and resources at musicboxpod.org. Recommended for grades K-5, but everyone can have a seat on the spaceship.

We meet a music producer named Yons and learn more about it.

Exploring polymeters (and their super fun mnemonic devices)

Musical legends like J Dilla and Sly & the Family Stone used the drum machine as a tool, and you can too!

Meet Anne Gauthier from La La Land Studios.

Let's travel through time to learn how people use improvisation to liven up their music.

Pull out your stethoscope and help Doctors Kiana and Fiona figure out what’s got Jazz in a funk.

Celebrate Juneteenth by meeting Black composers from three different time periods.

-This episode is an extra special musical journey that explores the world of time signatures, also known as meter. We're calling it "Meter: The Musical," which features original music from host Faith Murphy and Kiana Del, WUOL's engagement manager for music education. In the musical, two kids find a magical music box that transports them to Meter World, where they learn about different genres of music and try to find where they really belong.***Meter: The Musical! Music and lyrics by Faith Murphy and Kiana Del; book by Faith MurphySpecial thanks to our guest musicians: Noah Barker, Trevin Little, Jailynn Lake-Noel, Fiona Palenski, and Stephen MurphyRecording and mixing engineer: Eric Matthews***Donate to support this and future seasons of The Music Box.

We'll look at rhythm patterns in music and how they can change the sound of a song. You’ll learn about the different ways you could fill up a measure, and how rhythm adds texture and excitement to music! *** Donate to support this and future seasons of The Music Box.

It's another visit to the magical land of Arpeggio, as the inhabitants learn what repetition and practice really mean. *** Donate to support this and future seasons of The Music Box.

The second part of our feature on Black American composers features more time-traveling fun with Miss Kiana! Bring your dancing shoes and your listening ears. *** Featured music: Duke Ellington: Things Ain’t What They Used to Be Duke Ellington: Come Sunday, performed by Mahalia Jackson Sam Cooke: A Change Is Gonna Come Valerie Coleman: Red Clay and Mississippi Delta, performed by Imani Winds Valerie Coleman: Umoja, performed by Imani Winds *** Donate to support this and future seasons of The Music Box.

We’re going on a musical journey with Miss Kiana this week, traveling through time to meet some of America’s Black composers! Bring your dancing shoes and your listening ears. *** Featured music: Florence Price: Symphony in E minor, performed by the Fort Smith Symphony Margaret Bonds: Bright Star, performed by Lara Downes Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water, performed by Joel Fan Margaret Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King, performed by the Dessoff Choirs *** Donate to support this and future seasons of The Music Box.

What does “tone color” mean in music? Isn't color something that you SEE? We'll dive into tone color and timbre today, using examples from pop, jazz, and classical music. *** Featured music: Antonio Carlos Jobim: The Girl from Ipanema Frank Sinatra: The Girl from Ipanema Amy Winehouse: The Girl from Ipanema Dizzy Gillespie: No More Blues Carmen McRae: No More Blues Chet Baker: I Talk to the Trees Vitamin String Quartet: Fake Plastic Trees Red Pants Trio: Hot Cross Buns Scott Bradlee: Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin/Queen Mashup) *** Donate to support this and future seasons of The Music Box.

We're learning about patterns and song form on The Music Box today! From binary to ternary to rondo and more, you’ll be able to identify the forms of some of your favorite music. *** Featured music: Shenanigans: Cross Dance Jörg Demus: The Wild Horseman (Schumann) Frank Sinatra: Fly Me to the Moon Tchaikovsky: March from The Nutcracker Dave Brubeck: Blue Rondo à la Turk *** Donate to support this and future seasons of The Music Box.

If you’ve ever been to the opera, you may have found yourself wondering what’s happening onstage. Sometimes opera plots can be tough to understand, especially if you’re a kid! Today we’ll learn about a couple of operas written specifically for kids: “L’enfant et les sortilèges” by Maurice Ravel, and “Brundibár” by Hans Krása. *** SPECIAL NOTE FOR GROWNUPS: “Brundibár” is best known for being premiered at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1943, performed by a cast of interned children. We opted not to give these details in the podcast episode, because it’s a lot to explain to our youngest listeners. It’s an important part of the history of the opera, though, and a powerful example of art being used in the toughest circumstances. We’re linking some resources below so that you can choose to share this part of the story with your kids if you wish. Brundibár - Wikipedia entry Brundibár article on Music & the Holocaust 60 Minutes segment on Brundibár (2016) *** Donate to support this and future seasons of…