2 Column Brochure 4

A CELEBRATION OF HUMAN INGENUITY & SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH MUSIC Self-expression through music is a universal human need. For entrance into the amazing universe of music the only “passport” we need is our own creativity! Tracey journeys around the world to show how people devise ways to express the music in their hearts using whatever the resources available to them. She plays music from six continents on instruments fashioned from bamboo, seashells, insect cocoons, seedpods, gourds, goat hooves, donkey jaws, cattle horns, tree branches, household utensils, car parts, and all kinds of recycled trash. Clearly, imagination is the most valuable resource of all! Emphasizing the importance of recycling here in the US, Tracey encourages kids to “Be Creative!” and to explore the makings of instruments within their own homes. Audiences experience sounds native to East and West Africa, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Polynesia. Tracey calls upon her puppet friends to help the youngest children identify foreign cultures and continents. People of all ages are fascinated by the sights and sounds of steel pan, kalimba, chekere, djembe, bilma, didgeridoo, pan pipes, chajchas, bombo, cuica, Polynesian nose flute, ukulele, Native American flute & buffalo drum, and more. Tracey shows how folk dances can teach us about the cultures from which they come. Children always enjoy the chance to try some of the simple dance movement Tracey has collected during her travels. As in Tracey’s other programs, audience participation abounds in PASSPORT TO THE CREATIVE WORLD OF MUSIC: call and response singing, drum mnemonics, body percussion, audience “guest” appearances, dance, and Q&A keep audiences involved throughout.

EXPLORING THE DYNAMICS OF SOUND AND THE COLORS OF MUSIC Tracey uses visual and tactile illustrations to define “vibration,” the rhythmic motion that produces sound. As children listen and identify “vibrations” from their everyday lives—the wind blowing, a baby crying, a door slamming, a faucet dripping, dogs barking--they learn to distinguish “music” from “noise” and “volume” from “pitch.” Tracey guides them in discovery of the human body as a musical instrument and defines the role of percussion in music. Kids participate in a “body percussion” jam session in which one part is disciplined and orchestrated, the other part wildly improvisational— that’s jazz! As Tracey demonstrates a variety of idiophones and membranophones, children learn to categorize these percussion instruments by the ways in which they’re made to vibrate: by shaking, by scraping, or by striking. All of the children are given the opportunity to play percussion instruments and to take part in a rhythm community. They are encouraged to use the world’s most amazing musical instrument—the human voice—to sing along with perennial favorites as they “keep the beat.” Tracey introduces the concept of instrument “families,” challenging children to “Name That Tune!” as she plays aerophones (wind/brass) and chordophones (strings.) The children see and hear that the instruments in each “family” produce vibrations in similar ways. Like the colors and lines in paintings, music can evoke a spectrum of emotions. The children are asked what colors they “hear” as they listen to segments of classical music. Then, to illustrate how different kinds of music can motivate us to move our bodies in different ways, Tracey

dances along with the kids as she plays music with varying grooves, colors, and moods. Hand-held streamers help to dispel inhibitions and free kids to express themselves.

helicopter, rocket ship, and even time machine! A whimsical vacation via the imagination whose destinations include the beach, the playground, the farm, the safari park, and planet Mars, this program contains all of the interactive and educational elements contained in ExPrESS yOURSELF: SiNG SaY STOmP & PlAY! (please see above.) Tracey proves that the ‘driving’ can be as much fun as the ‘arriving,’ that the road can be part of our destination instead of that which separates us from it. LET’S GO! stimulates imaginations and inspires uninhibited self-expression. Kids have a ball when unleashed to “Be Creative!”

A CREATIVE EXPLORATION OF MUSIC & IMAGINATIVE PLAY Imagination is the limit! This highly interactive program is designed to spark imaginations, to inspire creative selfexpression, and to nurture self-esteem. Tracey delights young audiences with her own special blend of songs, musical stories, sound effects, props, instruments, creative movement, dramatic play, puppetry, riddles, rhyming, signing, and parachute play. The importance of sharing and teamwork, the virtue of reading and learning, the beauty in human diversity, the joy in self-expression, and the value of recycling are among the messages Tracey puts forth in her highspirited, sometimes zany way. The kids experience it as pure unadulterated fun. Children sing along with traditional favorites, answer riddles, make rhymes, contribute ideas, and express themselves through percussion, dramatic play and creative movement. Tracey’s joyful exuberance motivates the children to participate without self-consciousness. No less than the kids, adults enjoy the variety of musical styles in Tracey’s repertoire: rock ’n’ roll, blues, bluegrass, swing, folk, reggae, calypso, Dixieland jazz, boogie woogie, rockabilly, zydeco, & more.

A MUSICAL CELEBRATION of TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION

LET’S GO! is a fantastic journey by train, plane, bus, boat, bicycle, car, truck,

BEING CREATIVE: AN EXPLORATION OF SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH THE ARTS Let Your Insides Out! is an interactive program in which Tracey explores the art of self-expression through literature, visual arts, music, dance, and dramatic play. Tracey’s excitement about literature is palpable and contagious. For this program she has created music to accompany some of her favorite children’s books. She captivates children with her melodious style of reading/singing as she shares enlarged versions of the illustrators’ renderings. After having listened to the story, the children are encouraged to “let their insides out,” to dramatize the story with their bodies as they listen again to its music. Tracey explains that, for many artists, the art form is a medium through which to express emotions. By the same token, works of art can evoke feelings in the beholder. She explores the concept of ‘feelings,’ asking the children to give examples of things that have made them mad, sad, glad, and afraid. She plays an assortment of familiar songs and asks the children what feelings they evoke. Then, to illustrate the emotional impact of color, Tracey introduces the abstract works of Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinski, Andy Warhol, and others. She asks the children how these paintings make them feel. There are no wrong answers! As children listen to music of varying tempos and moods, Tracey asks them to

close their eyes and to visualize colors and shapes. Children identify “colors” in the music as dark or bright, soft or bold, muddy or clear, the “shapes” of the music as jagged or smooth, soft or hard, straight or wavy. Again there are no wrong answers. In the front of the room there are several sets of crayons. For each segment of music, volunteers are asked “draw” the song using one single continuous line in a color evoked for them by the music, (linear improvisations a la Paul Klee.) Show and tell follows, and all interpretations are celebrated as equally viable! Tracey encourages kids to continue this exploration at home. Scarf dancing frees kids to “show their colors” in response to a medley of musical styles. Tracey takes them on a journey of the imagination, calling forth fantastical things and faraway places.

range of musical styles. She has performed professionally since 1981 in every format from the classic ‘big band’ to solo. Formal studies in theatre arts and languages coupled with years of experience in teaching, dance, and clowning infuse Tracey’s musical performances with color and dimension. Tracey first performed for children in 1988 while serving as entertainment director to Baltimore’s Harbor Cruises. In 1993 she developed her popular MUSiC ’N’ MOtION programs for performance in schools and other children’s entertainment arenas. In the same year she created, at the urging of parents and nursery school directors, the pre-K music curriculum that launched her preschool teaching career. Over the past decade Tracey has touched the lives of thousands of children in classrooms and at school assemblies, concerts, festivals & fairs, kids’ clubs, and all kinds of special events. Winner of a dozen awards including Parents’ Choice Gold and NAPPA Gold, Tracey’s debut CD NEVER MIND THE RAIN (January 2007) explores American “roots” music traditions: blues, zydeco, Dixieland, bluegrass, Hawaiian, swing jazz, rock’n’roll, doo-wop, rockabilly, country, & folk. A collection of 14 original songs, NEVER MIND THE RAIN is tons of positive listening fun for kids of all ages in all kinds of weather.

Fun Educational Programs and Interactive Entertainment for Young Audiences

1406-A Alexis Drive Joppa, MD 21085 410-679-2086 [email protected] www.traceyeldridge.com Tracey Eldridge is an accomplished musician, entertainer, songwriter, and educator. Having devoted two decades to the study of music, she is adept at a wide

Winner of the Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Tracey’s debut CD NEVER MIND THE RAIN is a collection of 14 delightful originals written and recorded with full bands to introduce children to different styles of American “roots”music. NEVER MIND THE RAIN features performances by 30 of the Baltimore/DC area’s finest musicians.