Animals & Solo Tuba

[Mike Forbes]

Hi all,

I'm currently putting together a program of solo tuba pieces to be played on my faculty concert at Illinois State this fall, but also at Bloomington/Normal's local zoo and Children's Discovery Museum.

The theme that I'm going for is: depiction of animals by solo tuba music. So far, here are some of the tunes I'm considering:

Effie Suite, Wilder
Elegy for a Whale, Wilder
The Swan, Saint-Saens
Flight of the Bumblebee, Rimsky-Korsakov
Animal Ditties IV, Plog (Graduate Brass Tentet)

...I welcome your other suggestions. It could be original tunes for tuba, or I'd be happy to arrange things that might work well.

Thanks for your insight!

Best wishes,
Mike

[tuba_bloke]

Baby Elephant Walk.....always a good one for the kids!!!!

[Adam C.]

The Hot Canary!

[Steve Marcus]

Ummm...The Pink Panther...

[Chuck(G)]

"Birds do it"
"How much is that Doggy in the Window"
...Anything from "The Bestiary"
"Kitten on the Keys"
"M-I-C-K-E-Y..."
(Don't worry--I'll think of some more)

..."Lion Tamer Rag"
"You ain't nothin' but a Hound Dawg"
Lots of bird songs, but "Lark in the Clear Air" is one of my favorites.

[Pippen]

If you'll be playing at the Discovery Museum I would include some tunes that are immediately recognizable to the younger set. Animals Ditties might take care of you there-I'm not familiar with that.

Baa Baa Black Sheep
Itsy Bisty Spider
Three Little Kittens
Pop Goes the Weasel
Kookabura
Six Little Ducks
The Ants Go Marching
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
Everybody Wants To Be a Cat (from the Aristocats)

You could put together something centered around songs about Noah's Ark. Here's a cute little song called Noah's Zoo by Karyn Henley:
http://www.karynhenley.com/audio_clips/ ... oshort.mp3

I live in your neck of the woods and I wish you all the best in finding parking at the museum.

[dwaskew]

Suite Marine by Jean Michel Defaye

[Scott Sutherland]

Does Jabba the Hutt count as an animal?!? He's pretty sluggish.

[windshieldbug]

Come on folks! Bydlo!!!!

[josh wagner]

Tiger rag
I wanna be like you (monkey song from jungle book)
Birdland (unless this is for a more formal occation)
mary had a little lamb
three blind mice (for the little kids)
sponge bob square pants (if a sponge is counted)
check out nickelodeon it has a bunch of songs for kids that and disney. or walk down the kids isle at a music store and check for all of the animal songs there. Best of luck to ya


Josh "umm these might work" Wagner

[Roger Lewis]

The dragon solo from Das Rheingold was a huge hit with some of the kids audiences I've worked with in the past. It can get pretty scary to them.

Roger

[Pippen]

The dragon solo from Das Rheingold was a huge hit with some of the kids audiences I've worked with in the past. It can get pretty scary to them.
Roger

Playing the Theme from Jaws at the zoo by the sea lion tank could have the same effect...

Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid might be safer.

[tubarepair]

Nervous Turkey Rag (November is here again) - Barnes
The Waltzing Walrus - Hartzell
Heart of the Wolf - Neal Corwell

DLH

[TonyZ]

I just played "The Grouchy Old Bear" by Julius Fucik. There is a new arrangement for use with concert band, but the solo part is pretty watered down. You are better to get the bassoon edition. BTW, it comes in several versions AND titles, i.e "The Grouchy Old Bear With the Sore Head", "The Grumbly Old Bear", "Der Alte Brummbar" et. al.

It's a fun polka in the Herbert L. Clarke style. Some nice technical things and funny tunes.

[Mike Forbes]

Thank you all very much for all of your creative ideas. I hadn't thought of many of them...like Hot Canary--but after a bit of searching, I'm not sure if that one's published...I'll have to give Pat a call.

Thanks Dennis for the Suite Marine--I hadn't thought of that either.

All the other comments about the "kiddi-type" songs are excellent and I will certainly incorporate some new "Raffi-Like" arrangements of some of them in my Children's Discovery Concert (which, by the way, is in a brand new location in Normal with ample amounts of free parking!!...it's a great new building). But for may faculty concert at Illinois State, I wanted to stay as "original" to tuba lit. as possible.

As for the Noah's Ark ideas--I'd better stay clear of that at a state institution....just to be safe (thanks anyway!).

Lark in the Clear Air is a great suggestion--I only know of that for Tenor horn and brass band, but I'll have to arrange that one.

....and Tuba Tiger Rag--how could I have forgotten! Great idea!

Thanks again for all the suggestions! I'll keep you posted on how it all goes.

Regards,
Mike

[ken k]

The Beatles "Blackbird"

[pg]

All the other comments about the "kiddi-type" songs are excellent . . .

For the kids, it sounds like its time for a theme and variation on "Ol' McDonald" and my all time favorite, "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly . . . "

Can you do animal sounds through your tuba?

--paul;

[Dean E]

--Effie Passes a Kidney Stone (available on pdf). This could be incorporated into a medley with Bydlo.
--Teddy Bears' Picnic
--"The Worms Crawl in, the Worms Crawl out, the Worms Play Pinochle in Your Snout"
--On the Trail, from Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite
--Firebird
--Cats
--Anything from The Lion King

[Pippen]

...I will certainly incorporate some new "Raffi-Like" arrangements of some of them in my Children's Discovery Concert (which, by the way, is in a brand new location in Normal with ample amounts of free parking!!...it's a great new building).

It is lovely. We were just there a few weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon during peak birthday party hours and it was swarming with kids. A perfect setting for a tuba concert!

Are you scheduled yet? I was wondering if it was during the July "Animal Boogie" event that's on the flyer they just sent out.

One more idea: there are a lot of Winnie the Pooh songs to choose from (Theme, Rumbly in My Tummy, I'm Just a Little Black Rain Cloud, Up, Down, Touch the Ground, Hefalumps) and kids would recognize and enjoy those.

Lisa