Music Theatre Works for Children: Volume 2, Part 2: Energy - Social Issues - History - Celebrations - Miscellaneous

By Geoffrey D'Ombrain

The book consists of three parts. The first is the background story providing a detailed context surrounding the writing of the works. It also gives details of methodology and the origins of each work. The second part of the book is made up of the scripts for each of the works and the third section is the scores for all the original music. Education through artistic endeavour is very strong including entertaining shows featuring the circus, pirates and the celebration of Christmas. Treatment of topics is highly imaginative, especially the use of science fiction in, “The Rockers, the Poppers and Me”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Sep 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781504323154

Geoffrey D'Ombrain

Geoffrey d’Ombrain has lived a very long life, turning 90 while completing this book. He has engaged fully in all aspects of the life that he has encountered. Creativity in education and musical performance/composition has been the hallmark of his career. Growing up in the great depression he became conscious of the sharp divides in life. He describes himself as a socialist. He was old enough to experience the horror of World War 2, be it at a distance. Geoffrey is famous for telling stories; but Geoffrey’s stories are about real people and real happenings in life. He has a remarkable memory and eye for detail. More than this research skills honed in the field of education are expertly applied to historical stories so that authenticity is diligently sought. Geoffrey still attends reunions with former students from the course he established in music at Melbourne State College and they never cease to sing its praises. When Geoffrey first went overseas to American 1972, he asked himself what he could be proud of in being an Australian? He had and still has only one answer to this question, the remarkable cultures of our now appropriately called, First Nations’ Australians. Geoffrey is very fortunate. He can still exercise his passion for singing folk songs from around the world and improvise on the flute with virtuosic prowess. Geoffrey’s life has displayed a passion for music, literature, visual arts, theatre and dance.

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Copyright © 2021 Geoffrey D’Ombrain.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-2307-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-2315-4 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 09/21/2021

CONTENTS

The Background Story

Energy

Wind Power

Equal Opportunity

The Rockers, the Poppers and Me

Medieval Music Drama

Pirates Gold

It’s Christmas

Here Comes Christmas

Lara International Rock Festival

The Circus (The Pirra Circus)

Friday 13th

Remember My Words

Who Needs Books?

Shapes and Colours

Games from Around the World

Appendix: Song And Dance Scores, Preamble

Spring Song, Appendix 67

Turn the Wheel, Round (Action Song), Appendix 68

Circle Dance, Energy Finale, Appendix 69

The Windmill Song, Appendix 70

Windmills, Dance, Appendix 71

Sailing, Appendix 72

Wind Strengths, Song, Appendix 73

North Wind and Bush Fire, Appendix 74

Finale, Dancing Winds, Appendix 75

The Big Boys, Appendix 76

We Have Skills, Appendix 77

Finale, Equal Opportunity, Appendix 78

Pop Song, Appendix 79

The Rockers, Slow Rock, Appendix 80

Be Yourself, Ballad, Appendix 81

We Need Each Other, Appendix 82

Come Revellers, Appendix 83

We Bring Gifts, Appendix 84

Fair Lady, Appendix 85

Scarf, Song and Dance, Appendix 86

Fanfare, Appendix 87

For Christ Our King, Finale, Appendix 88

Pirates, Appendix 89

Our Ship, Appendix 90

The East Indiaman, Appendix 91

We’re Sailing, Appendix 92

Load the Guns, Appendix 93

Battle Music, Appendix 94

Pirate’s Jig, Appendix 95

Long Ago in Bethlehem, Appendix 96

I Want, Appendix 97

What shall we do for Christmas?, Appendix 98

Let’s Share a Little, Appendix 99

Here Comes Christmas, Appendix 100

Let’s Buy Presents, Appendix 101

Follow the Star, Appendix 102

Follow the Star, Interlude, Appendix 103

Sharing and Giving, Song and Dance, Appendix 104

Finale, Let’s Celebrate, Appendix 105

Mississippi Rock, Appendix 106

Billabong Rap, Appendix 107

Castle on the Hill, Appendix 108

Finale, Rock Festival, Appendix 109

Welcome Song, Appendix 110

Clowns’ Song, Appendix 111

Animal’s Parade, Appendix 112

Columbine’s Waltz, Appendix 113

Farewell Song (Circus), Appendix 114

Grand Parade March, Appendix 115

Cat’s Song and Dance, Appendix 116 (a)

Cat’s Story, Appendix 116 (b)

Banshee, Song and Dance, Appendix 117

Song and Dance of the Little People, Appendix 118

There’s Many a Thing Goes Bump in the Night, Appendix 119

Friday the Thirteenth, Appendix 120

The Forgotten Word, Appendix 121

Wizard’s Song and Dance, Appendix 122

Corfu, Song and Dance, Appendix 123

Naples, Song and Dance, Appendix 124

Valencia, Song and Dance, Appendix 125

Triumphal Song and Dance, Appendix 126

Bookworm’s Song, Appendix 127

Video Freaks, Appendix 128

We Need Books, Appendix 129

Shapes and Colours, Appendix 130

Circles, Song and Dance, Appendix 131

Triangles, Appendix 132

Squares, Appendix 133

Mixed-up Song, Finale, Appendix 134

Games, Appendix 135

Dragon, Appendix 136

Peruvian Wolf Game, Appendix 137

Crushed Pepper, Appendix 138

Snakes and Ladders, Appendix 139

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THE BACKGROUND STORY

In May 1998 we were invited to do a four-day creative arts program with 317 children, grades 1,2, and 3, at Presbyterian Ladies College, Junior School. The theme chosen - Energy. We were to spread the program over two weeks, Thursday and Friday, May 11th and 12th and Thursday and Friday, May 18th and 19th. I chose to build the program around the energy of the sun and the various forms of mechanical energy, springs, levers, the block and tackle culminating in the energy of the wheel. This latter enabled us to end with the power of the circle. To spread the variety of creative experiences I invited John Irving, a Pirra Artist (ceramics and weaving), to join Jenny and myself for this project. In the text for this show this element is entirely optional and the music theatre work can be seen just in terms of music, dance and theatre.

When we first met the children, we were surprised to find that the majority were of Chinese origin, essentially from well endowered families from Hong Kong. The line-up of Mercedes Benz cars after school for picking up the children was spectacular. Working with the children was a delight, though I finally discovered the true meaning of ankle biters. We had to take great care in moving about at rehearsals lest we inadvertently trod on one of our charges.

We began and ended each rehearsal day with the whole group and divided the day into 14 working groups, each a separate grade. The various activities were rostered so that over the three preparation days each group worked on each of the activities – weaving, ceramics, music and dance. On the final day we set up the stage and all the work took place in the hall. The morning saw each group working on their section: sun dance, sun creative music, spring dance and spring song, circle song and dance. There were two groups for each section, as there were going to be two performances in the afternoon.

We had a call from Grovedale Primary School in May 1990 and the current curriculum for grades 5 and 6 included a study of wind. Seventy-five children were booked in from May 28th, to June 1st, to put together a show focussing on the wind. I suggested the title, Wind Power. With a good long preparation time this could be a fairly comprehensive treatment with several songs and dances. We began with a song and dance based on the windmill. Today we would have chosen the wind turbine, but windmills were still doing important work on many of our farming properties and they give great scope for mevement. As a keen sailor my interest in wind was particular, so sailing and wind strengths were essential ingrediants. Our fear of strong North winds and fire must have a place and here I used, for the third time, myFire Song and Dance, with a few word changes to suit the topic and a new title, North Wind and Bush Fire. I had encountered some interesting ideas about positive and negative ions and their effect on human behaviour. The hot Sirroco from North Africa being a case in point, so I included a discussion on this subject. Finally I wanted to feature the wind as nature’s dancing master making leaves, grasses and trees dance to its measure.

The last verse of the Wind Strength Song has the following lines:

"Beyond this point is frightening storm,

Just as well it’s not the norm."

Unfortunately it is now becoming the norm. As the years pass and I am now writing this text in 2019, I am reminded that last year wind strengths occurred that were greater than any ever recorded. The effects of our lingering fossil fuel age have perhaps already damaged the planet beyond repair. As I was driving to Melbourne a few Christmas’s ago I was suddeny struck by the huge carpet of industry, roads, bridges and traffic that now cover what had once been a carbon absorbing oxygen producing forest. Ponder the extent of this all over the world and entertain hope for the future of our planet, impossible? The effort we will have to make, I fear, is far beyong the imagination and resolve of even the most progressive of world’s leaders.

Later in 1990, the year of the Wind Strengths show we were on tour in the American Mid-West. We were invited to do a program at a very special college, the Minnesota Center for the Performing Arts. This is a senior college and we had music, literature and dance students with whom to work. The drama students were busy rehearsing a play for an approaching performance and were unavailable. Winds of the world was our theme and I chose the title, "Earth’s