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The
Lou Malandra Trio performs in concert at public schools from
elementary to high school.
Below
is a sampling of what school programs include.
Elementary
Our Honeysuckle
Rose
- by
Maya Angelou & Fats Waller, this
piece is a big hit with elementary children because of its
simple, bouncy beat, and the imaginative sounds of the poem.
This poem feels like a warm cup of hot chocolate on a cold day
for elementary school kids. |
How to
Really Love a Child
-
by SARK to the music of Sesame
Street by Joe Raposo, this piece
focuses on encouraging, motivating, and blessing children as
well as their teachers and parents. This is a standard piece for
our elementary school presentations.
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The Zax Cats
- By Dr. Seuss to
the music of Let's Call the Whole
Thing Off is a marvelous interplay between piano and bass
highlighting the wisdom of the great Dr. Seuss. |
Why should I
Worry
- from the
animated feature film of Oliver. This piece features the
character of the Artful Dodger and his ability to be
resourceful, live creatively, and not have a care in the world.
How life ought to be for children in elementary school.
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Dat Dere
- By Bobby Timmons,
this great upbeat jazz standard
highlights love between parent and child even when the child
insists, "Daddy, can I have dat big elephant over dere?"
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Jellicle
Cats
- by T.S. Elliot to the music of Sidewinder, the children hear
and see music become the whimsical nature of cats as the lyric
playfully describes a jazzer's insight
into 'cats.' |
The Wizard
of Oz
- one of the
great messages for children of all ages. Children love this
piece and are delighted at hearing and seeing all the characters
appear right before their very eyes. We title this the "Reader's
Digest" version of the film. |
Lullaby
- a beautiful ballad with
lyric by Lou Malandra to a beautiful rendition of A Child Is
Born. This piece features the love of parent and child at
bedtime. Very touching. |
Accentuate
the Positive
- by
Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen.
One of the finest jazz pieces ever. The lyric is pure poetry.
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Bein' Green
- by Joe Raposo, one of the classic children's tunes of all
times. It let's kids know, it's not that easy bein' green.'
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Little
Things
- by Joe Raposo,
another great ballad that's an all
time classic in our Children's
Repertoire. This piece is a
celebration of the simplicity and
imagination in children. |
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Middle School
Our
Honeysuckle Rose
- by
Maya Angelou, "Life Doesn't
Frighten Me At All," is found in
the textbook for most sixth grade Language Arts Classes. The
Littleton Public Schools textbook features this poem as the lead
in the LA text Poetry Chapter. We also like to give the
background from which this poem was created.
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Casey at the
Bat
- by Ernest
Thayer to the jazziest rendition of "Take Me Out To The
Ballgame." As we turned the Millennium, Casey was chosen as the
most recognized and published American poem of the last two
centuries! This poem is found in most seventh grade Language
Arts texts throughout the Denver Metro area. |
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If
- by Rudyard Kipling with music by Doug and Ron. This piece
exemplifies the soundest message we can offer students at this
critical juncture of their young lives ... a great ballad.
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The Weary
Blues
- By Langston Hughes, especially for eighth graders studying
Langston
Hughes in Literature. Mr. Hughes is a major figure in American
Literary history. |
How To Be An
Artist
- By
SARK appeals to Middle School
students because of its fresh,
playful appeal to the goodness in all of us. It's free
improvisation with great interplay that the Trio
highlights for students in a
dialogue following the number.
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Over The
Rainbow
- the Trio
composed an arrangement of
Wizard of Oz tunes featuring all
the characters beginning and
ending with Dorothy's Over The
Rainbow. It is great music and
poetry as well. The message of
Wizard of Oz touches the
heartstrings of students as well as teachers. |
Jellicle
Cats
- the music of
Sidewinder meets T.S. Elliot in this delightful twist on cats,
cats the way jazzers imagine cats, Jellicle Cats. An upbeat
treat.
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The Road Not
Taken
- by
Robert Frost & Bill Evans, this
ballad offers two of the great
figures in American Literary and
Jazz history with a message that
offers students the reflection of
what it means to be gentle and
real. |
Night On The
Prairies/Summer Stars
- this piece unites the greatness of Whitman, Sandburg, and
Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, in appreciation of the environment
in which we live, Colorado.
High School The Chicago Blues - a combination of Carl
Sandburg and Fred Fisher, we introduce this piece as the "sounds
of the
Pulitzer Prize;" in the Chicago Public School system, this poem
is required memorization for high school students. |
Our Only
Reality
- an original ballad by the Trio, this piece highlights the
value of love in our lives, concluding with the line,
"the journey of love remains, our only reality."
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I Remember
Bruno
- by Art Lande and Lou Malandra, this piece is an elegy to the
late, great jazz drummer, Bruno Carr. To preface the piece we
offer a history of Bruno, his physical conditioning regimen, and
the role inhaling second-hand smoke played in his life and
death. |
How To Be An
Artist
- by SARK, the poet, and free jazz by the fellas this piece
contrasts standard tunes with improvisation. It is often after
this piece, Ron and Doug define free jazz, improvisation, plus
the
poem vibes wonderful ways to cultivate art in our lives; a crowd
favorite.
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The Road Not
Taken
- by Robert Frost and Bill Evans (B Minor Waltz). The trio
offers a brief biography on these men and their place in
American Poetry and Jazz History. A great ballad.
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If
- by Rudyard Kipling, with music by Doug and Ron, this is the
soundest statement anyone can offer students on the verge of
young adulthood and individual responsibility.
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The
Manhattan Suite
- a combination of
great New York tunes, the Lullaby of Broadway, Harlem Nocturne,
and Central Park by John Coltrane with poetry by Lou that offers
a fun journey uptown through one of the greatest cities in the
world. An upbeat, driving true picture. |
The Raven
- by
Edgar Allen Poe with eerie musical improvisations from Doug and
Ron. We title this piece, "our Fall Classic, our
Halloween treat." I offer a background description of Poe and
his place in American Literary history. Another crowd favorite.
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The Weary
Blues
- by Langston Hughes features Doug on piano; a great piece for
jazz and literary history.
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Night on the
Prairies/Summer
Stars
- by Walt Whitman, Sandburg and a wonderful version of the Grand
Canyon Suite by Grofe. A top notch ballad that we offer as
appreciation for the wonderland we inhabit, Colorado.
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Our
Honeysuckle Rose
- by Maya Angelou and Fats Waller. We offer a brief history of
these giants in their fields, their lives, and contributions to
American heritage. We also give a description of how we meld
our pieces together with this piece. |
Jazz
Fantasia
- by Carl Sandburg with original music by Doug and Ron, this
piece offers the greatest example of alliteration, simile, and
metaphor. We usually close with
this one, a real upbeat swinger. |
Contact Information:
ALM Publications
and Recordings
5510 S. Curtice Street
Littleton, CO
(303) 347-0056
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